On 12 December 2007 legendary rock band Led Zeppelin reformed to perform a tribute concert for Atlantic Records founder Ahmed Ertegun. This is that concert. The concert, performed at London's O2 Arena, included their most well-known songs. Set list: Good Times, Bad Times; Ramble On; Black Dog; In My Time of Dying; For Your Life; Trampled Under Foot; Nobody's Fault But Mine; No Quarter; Since I've Been Loving You; Dazed and Confused; Stairway to Heaven; The Song Remains the Same; Misty Mountain Hop; Kashmir; Whole Lotta Love; Rock and Roll.
Great concert, and capture of it. Good choice of songs. Nothing major gets left out (OK, maybe Immigrant Song, but I could understand if Robert Plant didn't feel he could manage the vocals on that any more).
While Led Zep might not have the energy and swagger of the 70s, when they were the undisputed kings of concerts, and rock music generally, their musicianship and artistry is undiminished. The power is still there too.
If anything, the music sounds tighter and fuller than in the 70s. Some of this is due to advances in live recording techniques and technology. Some of it could be due to guitarist Jimmy Page now not being under the influence of drugs...
If you compare this to The Song Remains the Same, the film of Led Zep's 1974 Madison Square Garden concerts, I probably prefer the music in The Song Remains the Same (we won't go into the non-music side of TSRTS - some of that was incredibly cheesy and certainly diminished the quality of the film). There's a rawness about it, and there's the Led Zep mystique too. Celebration Day isn't too far behind though.
