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Legendary hard-rock group Led Zeppelin is returning for a tribute concert: surviving members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul will be joined by Jason Bonham, the son of drummer John Bonham, who passed away in 1980.
Promoter Harvey Goldsmith announced Wednesday that Led Zeppelin would play a concert in London on Nov. 26. The show, at the O2 arena, is a tribute event for Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who passed away last December.
Goldsmith specified that other performers at the tribute concert would be Who guitarist Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Foreigner and Paolo Nutini. The show is in support of the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund.
The promoter said demand was already high, from Japan, Australia and the United States and predicted the concert would generate the “largest demand for one show in history.”
He said that the Ertegun concert will be a one-time show, but did not rule out other subsequent performances. “If something materializes after that, I’ll be thrilled,” he told Reuters.
Robert Plant said in a statement: “During the Zeppelin years, Ahmet Ertegun was a major foundation of solidarity and accord. For us he was Atlantic Records and remained a close friend and conspirator. This performance stands alone as our tribute to the work and the life of our longstanding friend.”
Led Zeppelin ended when drummer John Bonham died in 1980. The remaining members have reunited on extremely rare occasions. First, in 1985 for Live Aid, when Phil Collins and Tony Thompson were on drum duties.
In 1988, they once again took the stage together, this time joined by Jason Bonham to play at a 40th-anniversary show for Atlantic. Page and Plant reunited six years later for an MTV Unplugged performance that resulted in a world tour and an album.
This will be the first time in almost 20 years that Plant, Page and Jones play together.
Atlantic Records chairman Craig Kallman, said Led Zeppelin transformed Atlantic from an R & B and pop label into a major force in rock. He added that Led Zeppelin and Mr. Ertegun had shared a bond that was more than musical.
NME.com reports that Ahmettribute.com, where fans can buy tickets, crashed within minutes of its opening. Tickets cost £125 ($254USD) and are limited to two per person. They will be distributed by ballot only. Those wishing to go to the show must register on Ahmettribute.com to be in the ballot.
Registration closes on Monday (September 17). Any tickets that appear on online auction sites afterwards will be immediately cancelled.
Fans will be even happier to know that the reunited Led Zeppelin will play a whole set. Goldsmith said he had initially asked the three band members to play a 30-minute set.
“Jason Bonham became part of the catalyst, and they did a week's rehearsal,” he said. “We had a meeting and Robert turned around and said we're not going to do 30 minutes, we're doing to do a whole set.”
The concert coincides with the release of a new two-CD best of compilation, “Mothership,” on 13 November and an expanded version of “The Song Remains the Same,” the soundtrack to the band’s 1976 concert movie, to be released Nov. 20.
Led Zeppelin has sold well over 100 million albums in the United States alone and more than 300 million albums worldwide.
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