Led Zeppelin caused tension at a press conference held last week to promote their new concert film Celebration Day, when they flatly shot down reporters who probed for information about the band reuniting for performances or recording projects. Lead singer Robert Plant went so far as to question the journalistic credentials of the reporters in the crowd, and let his frustrations get the best of him when he referred to one as a “schmuck.” Were these responses from the band justified?
What more could Led Zeppelin possibly do as a cohesive musical unit? Their most celebrated work is over thirty years old, and they have not released any new, original material since John Bonham’s death in 1980 (save for some live recordings and studio outtakes). Though the band’s legendary status in the music industry cannot be denied, the fact of the matter is that the surviving members of the group are all in their mid-sixties, Robert Plant’s singing voice is showing the signs of aging and each of the three living founding members has gone on to careers in rock music beyond Led Zeppelin. To be constantly questioned about reunion albums and tours must be insulting — it diminishes the work that Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones have each accomplished since 1980, forever putting them in the shadow cast by their own “glory days.”
Thanks to television, the Internet and other forms of easily accessible home entertainment, the world has been able to see popular musicians from past decades perform and age (for better or worse) at the click of a few buttons. People who saw The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 may also have seen the band reunite in the mid-1990s to release new songs created from John Lennon’s demo tapes. The phenomenon of mass communication has allowed people from a variety of generations to enjoy music, movies, shows and other forms of media from both the past and the present without significant effort. Thus, when disbanded performance groups do reunite to create something new, they are often put under intense scrutiny. All of their old work is readily available for comparison, and fans will be expecting the same quality of content to which they are accustomed. Would running the risk of disappointing fans be worth the stress for Led Zeppelin?
While the brief reunion of The Beatles is an example of success, other bands have not fared so well. Take, for example, Jefferson Airplane, a psychedelic rock group from the 1960s best known for the hits “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit.” Their reunion in 1989 prompted a successful tour, but the resulting album that strayed so drastically from their original style remains largely ignored by both fans and critics to this day. If Led Zeppelin’s one-off 2007 reunion concert is any indication, they can certainly continue to give an entertaining concert despite their ages, but creating a reunion album with original material would certainly risk tarnishing the respect of a revered discography.
So why shouldn’t Robert Plant tell off reporters who hint that a new concert DVD might not satisfy the desires of Led Zeppelin fans? Other than a paycheck, there isn’t much for the band to gain from pursuing more projects. There is already a wealth of quality Zeppelin material available to fans who seek it, and there are the solo and post-Zeppelin works of its individual members to peruse, as well. Plus, what would Led Zeppelin be without the characteristic drumming of John Bonham? The introduction of a new drummer along with new material could completely alter the dynamics of the band. So, while there certainly is a strong musical chemistry among the surviving members, it is understandable why Plant, Page and Jones should choose to respect what they accomplished together in the past and simply leave that body of work separate from their current individual endeavors.
