Led Zeppelin will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of their “Celebration Day” concert by streaming it full on YouTube. Fans will be able to check that out on December 10 at 3 p.m. EST. The film features the band’s December 10, 2007 set at The O2 Arena in London, UK. That show found John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant performing with Jason Bonham, the son of the late John Bonham.
During a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Robert Plant casted doubt on a potential Led Zeppelin reunion. The frontman says the idea wouldn’t “satisfy [his] need to be stimulated.”
Plant said the following while discussing his voice:
“I know that the full, open-throated falsetto that I was able to concoct in 1968 carried me through until I was tired of it. Then that sort of exaggerated personality of vocal performance morphed and went somewhere else. But as a matter of fact, I was playing in Reykjavík, in Iceland, about three years ago, just before COVID. It was Midsummer Night and there was a festival, and I got my band and I said, ‘OK, let’s do ‘Immigrant Song’.’ They’d never done it before. We just hit it, and bang — there it was. I thought, ‘Oh, I didn’t think I could still do that.'”
He continued when it was mentioned that fans would like to hear Led Zeppelin play “Immigrant Song”:
“Going back to the font to get some kind of massive applause — it doesn’t really satisfy my need to be stimulated.”
He also added:
“I know there are people from my generation who don’t want to stay home and so they go out and play. If they’re enjoying it and doing what they need to do to pass the days, then that’s their business, really.”
System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian has called out Ahmet Ertegun, the Atlantic Records founder and CEO who signed Led Zeppelin, for funding the denial of the Armenian Genocide. The singer’s comments were a response to Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, who recently shared some throwback photos from a 2007 tribute show for Ertegun.
Tankian said the following:
“Dear Mr. @jimmypage. Its very admirable that @ledzeppelin played a tribute show in 2007 for Ahmed Ertegun as the man who signed your band to Atlantic records. What you likely don’t know is that man spent millions of dollars on think tanks and chairs at various US universities all with the goal of denying the #ArmenianGenocide. There is absolutely no honor in that I’m sure you’ll agree.”
He also added the following after the story was picked up by Blabbermouth:
“Good article by @blabbermouthmusic reviewing my dealings with Ahmet Ertegun based on my interviews from #truthtopowerfilm We will post the clip from that soon. I want to restate that although Ahmet Ertegun had spent millions in denying the #ArmenianGenocide through US think tanks and university chairs hiring denialists, he did tell me that he believed that Turkey should recognize it. When I said great, will you put that on paper, he said they would burn his house down in Turkey (even though he clearly stated he was close to President Erdogan there). I told him he should not do that then because I would not violence enacted upon him. This shows that even he was afraid of Turkey’s drift toward fascism or maybe he was just BS-ing to get what he wanted out of it”
The upcoming band-sanctioned Led Zeppelin documentary, “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” will receive its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy. That event will take place at Venice Lido on September 1-11. The film was directed by Bernard MacMahon and it will feature new interviews with guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, and bassist John Paul Jones, as well as rare archival interviews with late drummer John Bonham. MacMahon previously commented:
‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ is a film that no one thought could be made. The band’s meteoric rise to stardom was swift and virtually undocumented. Through an intense search across the globe and years of restoration of the visual and audio archive found, this story is finally able to be told.”
“Becoming Led Zeppelin” has been chosen as the title for the upcoming band-sanctioned Led Zeppelin documentary. That film is being directed by Bernard MacMahon and it will feature new interviews with guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, and bassist John Paul Jones, as well as rare archival interviews with late drummer John Bonham. MacMahon commented:
‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ is a film that no one thought could be made. The band’s meteoric rise to stardom was swift and virtually undocumented. Through an intense search across the globe and years of restoration of the visual and audio archive found, this story is finally able to be told.”
Hachette Books will be releasing a new John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) biography, titled “Beast: John Bonham And The Rise Of Led Zeppelin,” on September 7. The book was written by music journalist C.M. Kushins and it will include a foreword by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters).
A description of the book was shared on hachettebooks.com:
“‘Beast: John Bonham And The Rise Of Led Zeppelin’ is the first-ever biography of the iconic John Bonham, considered by many to be one of the greatest (if not THE greatest) rock drummer of all time. Bonham first learned to play the drums at the age of five, and despite never taking formal lessons, began drumming for local bands immediately upon graduating from secondary school. By the late 1960s, Bonham was looking for a more solid gig in order to provide his growing family with a more regular income. Meanwhile, following the dissolution of the popular blues rock band The Yardbirds, lead guitarist Jimmy Page sought the company of new bandmates to help him record an album and tour Scandinavia as the New Yardbirds. A few months later, Bonham was recruited to join the band who would eventually become known as Led Zeppelin-and before the year was out, Bonham and his three bandmates would become the richest rock band in the world.
In their first year, Led Zeppelin released two albums and completed four US and four UK concert tours. As their popularity exploded, they moved from ballrooms and smaller clubs to larger auditoriums, and eventually started selling out full arenas. Throughout the 1970s, Led Zeppelin reached new heights of commercial and critical success, making them one of the most influential groups of the era, both in musical style and in their approach towards the workings of the entertainment industry. They added extravagant lasers, light shows, and mirror balls to their performances; wore flamboyant and often glittering outfits; traveled in a private jet airliner and rented out entire sections of hotels; and soon become the subject of frequently repeated stories of debauchery and destruction while on tour. In 1977, the group performed what would be their final live appearance in the US, following months of rising fervor and rioting from their fandom. And in September of 1980, Bonham-plagued by alcoholism, anxiety, and the after-effects of years of excess-was found dead by his bandmates.
To this day, Bonham is posthumously described as one of the most important, well-known, and influential drummers in rock, topping best of lists describing him as an inimitable, all-time great. As Adam Budofsky, managing editor of Modern Drummer, explained, ‘If the king of rock ‘n’ roll was Elvis Presley, then the king of rock drumming was certainly John Bonham.'”
Stern Pinball, Inc. have officially announced a new line of Led Zeppelin pinball machines. Fans can purchase a pro model for $6,199, a premium model for $7,799 or a limited edition model for $9,199 at sternpinball.com.
Here’s a description of the machines:
“Formed in London in 1968, Led Zeppelin consisted of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. Together they became one of the best-selling bands with estimated record sales of 300 million units worldwide. In 1995 Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their innovative and influential impact on the entire music industry.
In this high energy rock and roll pinball concert experience, pinball and music are fused together. Players are transported back to Led Zeppelin’s early days and tour the world from 1968-1980. As if players were members of the band playing its music, their play updates game features at the start of each verse and chorus of ten iconic Led Zeppelin songs:
- Good Times Bad Times
- Whole Lotta Love
- The Song Remains the Same
- Rock and Roll
- Trampled Under Foot
- Ramble On
- Kashmir
- Immigrant Song
- Black Dog
- Communication Breakdown
“There is nothing more energizing and fun than bringing pinball and music together,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. “Partnering with Led Zeppelin, we created a one-of-a-kind pinball experience. It’s our dream goal to create a pinball machine with this iconic rock band.”
The Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition models all feature a custom-molded Hindenburg Zeppelin toy, based on the iconic imagery from the Led Zeppelin I album. When lit, the Zeppelin toy scores speed locks on the player’s musical journey to Zeppelin multiball. A custom Swan Song Records trademark Icarus sculpted leaper toy takes flight when smashed by the chaotic pinball. A 3-bank of drop targets, 3 custom steel ramps, and 3 flippers keep the pinball action rolling.
The Premium and Limited Edition models feature an innovative interactive Electric Magic™ toy. This device is a unique motorized toy which rises from below the playfield to create different magical pinball experiences. An optical spinner charges the Electric Magic magnet, capturing and making balls disappear. The Electric Magic device also converts into a physical pinball bash toy capable of locking a ball or launching a ball aroundthe playfield.
In true rock concert fashion, the Expression Lighting System™ with 96 intelligent RGB LED’s enables full color spectrum control. Positioned in pockets cut into the cabinet sides to provide color themed full playfield illumination, this integrated playfield lighting system is synchronized to custom light shows specifically designed for every song and dynamically responsive to game events.
As an encore, these models have an additional reversing scoop and metal combo ramp, allowing players to keep the hits coming with constant adrenalized pinball action. A back panel mounted illuminated song status board indicates which Led Zeppelin song is in play.
Only 500 Limited Edition games will be made for sale throughout the world. This limited version includes an exclusive Icarus themed full color mirrored backglass, exclusive custom themed cabinet artwork, custom high gloss Paradise Shimmer Blue powder-coated armor, a custom autographed bottom arch, exclusive custom art blades, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball glass, a shaker motor, and a sequentially numbered plaque.”
It looks like Stern Pinball, Inc. are planning to release a new Led Zeppelin pinball machine. The company shared the below teaser video:
As previously reported, Led Zeppelin will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Led Zeppelin III” by reissuing the Japanese version of “Immigrant Song” on 7″ vinyl. The effort, which is now available to stream below, will be released on January 15, 2021 and it will also include the non-album track “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do.” The vinyl, which will be limited to 19,700 copies, will be housed in a sleeve that replicates the original artwork. Pre-orders can be found HERE.
Led Zeppelin will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Led Zeppelin III” by reissuing the Japanese version of “Immigrant Song” on 7″ vinyl. The effort will be released on January 15, 2021 and it will also include the non-album track “Hey, Hey, What Can I Do.” The vinyl will be limited to 19,700 copies it will be housed in a sleeve that replicates the original artwork. Pre-orders will launch on Thursday (October 8) at ledzeppelin.com.
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