Refugee
12-10-2007, 01:14 PM
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The wait is over for Led Zeppelin's reunion tonight (Dec. 10) in London to headline a tribute concert to the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, in what has been billed as one of the most anticipated performances in years.
The scene at London's O2 Arena is already frenzied, with a 500-strong line for merchandise and huge waits at the will call windows.
The three surviving members of the hugely successful 1970s group have rarely performed together since the 1980 the death of drummer John Bonham following a drinking binge.
By their own admission, each reunion has been a flop, so anticipation is high that the 90-minute set will get somewhere close to the heyday when they were considered by many to be the world's biggest rock band.
Singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones will be joined by Bonham's son Jason on the drums for the one-off comeback, although there has been fevered speculation that the gig may be followed by further live performances.
"Let's just do the O2 and we'll see what happens from there," 63-year-old Page told Reuters in a recent interview. "I haven't got a crystal ball here and nor have you."
When organizers announced the concert, also featuring the Who's Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings and Paul Rodgers, among others, the Web site selling tickets crashed as more than a million people rushed for about 20,000 seats.
One man from Scotland entered a charity auction last month and paid $170,000 for a pair of tickets to the show. Fans from around the world selected by lottery began arriving in London several days ago to collect their tickets.
"We turned up on Saturday, but we were told to come back the next day as we would still be at the front of the queue," said David Beesmer, 42, a businessman from New York who spent more than $7,000 on his ticket and trip.
Net profits from the concert will go to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which provides scholarships for gifted children.
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/images/spacer.gif
http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/images/spacer.gif
The wait is over for Led Zeppelin's reunion tonight (Dec. 10) in London to headline a tribute concert to the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, in what has been billed as one of the most anticipated performances in years.
The scene at London's O2 Arena is already frenzied, with a 500-strong line for merchandise and huge waits at the will call windows.
The three surviving members of the hugely successful 1970s group have rarely performed together since the 1980 the death of drummer John Bonham following a drinking binge.
By their own admission, each reunion has been a flop, so anticipation is high that the 90-minute set will get somewhere close to the heyday when they were considered by many to be the world's biggest rock band.
Singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones will be joined by Bonham's son Jason on the drums for the one-off comeback, although there has been fevered speculation that the gig may be followed by further live performances.
"Let's just do the O2 and we'll see what happens from there," 63-year-old Page told Reuters in a recent interview. "I haven't got a crystal ball here and nor have you."
When organizers announced the concert, also featuring the Who's Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings and Paul Rodgers, among others, the Web site selling tickets crashed as more than a million people rushed for about 20,000 seats.
One man from Scotland entered a charity auction last month and paid $170,000 for a pair of tickets to the show. Fans from around the world selected by lottery began arriving in London several days ago to collect their tickets.
"We turned up on Saturday, but we were told to come back the next day as we would still be at the front of the queue," said David Beesmer, 42, a businessman from New York who spent more than $7,000 on his ticket and trip.
Net profits from the concert will go to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which provides scholarships for gifted children.