"Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin brand fame was apparently behind an effort to reunite Led Zeppelin, offering the band an obscene amount of money for a few dozen concerts. The contract was reportedly for 35 shows in three cities: London, Berlin, and an unnamed location in New Jersey. Each of the three surviving original members would have earned somewhere over $200 million each, and another $100 million in merchandising profits was to be shared between them. Branson was reportedly also ready to supply the group with its own private jet and planned to re-brand it 'The Starship'. The contract also had an extension option to add 45 shows in additional venues. Legendary guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones apparently signed on immediately, and Jason Bonham, the son of late drummer John Bonham, was set to step in for his father, as he has done on several occasions. Lead singer Robert Plant apparently met with promoters to discuss the deal, and during the meeting actually ripped the contract in two, ending any chance of a regrouping. While $800 million is certainly a lot of money, it’s not like Plant, or any of the other members, really need the money. Led Zeppelin is one of the most successful groups of all time, having sold around 112 million records in the United States alone. That figure is three or four times greater when the entire planet is counted. The band is the fourth best-selling music act in American history behind The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Garth Brooks. Robert Plant has also had a successful career outside Led Zeppelin. He has released 14 albums, selling additional millions and making his chart history that much more impressive. His collaborative album Raising Sand, with bluegrass/country singer Alison Krauss, may not have been his most commercially successful, but it was adored by critics, and won he, Krauss, and producer T-Bone Burnett five Grammys, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year in 2009. The band’s last album of original music, Coda, was released back in 1982. Its recordings have continued to sell well throughout the years, making millions in re-packagings, reissues and live album releases. The group’s last show was in London back in December of 2007, a tribute to legendary music executive Ahmet Ertegün. The concert is thought to have had the most ticket requests of any show in history. When it was announced, 20 million were submitted online."
I'm sure the shows would sell-out, but I doubt they would be of quality. Zeppelin's best live years were in the late 60's and early 70's. After that, it was hit or miss, and sometimes downright awful. I find the live The Song Remains the Same, filmed in 1973, released in '76, almost unlistenable. These days Plant cannot approach the amazing highs he hit as a young man, and Page has not grown as a musician the way many of his peers have. Then again, Black Sabbath rocked and surprised the world recently. Here's a clip of Zeppelin from 1969. It's 15 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeDdp6q-AkQ
My thanks to the woman who purchased reality TV star Bethenny Frankel's A Place of Yes on Avenue U today, my only sale. I visited a Mexican food restaurant nearby, experiencing a craving for tacos. It was run by Asians. The meat was pork instead of ground beef. It was very disappointing and most unsatisfying. But there's reason for good cheer -- Gotham airs tonight at eight, and I get another crack at selling books tomorrow.
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Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
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