Jimmy Page talked about whether he thinks Led Zeppelin might reunite after Black Sabbath announced their final show.
“I think the future of Led Zeppelin is the past,” the guitarist replied when asked if he could see Led Zeppelin have a future. “Because the past… you can’t argue with it. It’s like Abba. You can’t argue with what they did. It’s just so good. It was so cleverly put together.”
He continued, “And it’s the musicianship – it’s a textbook for musicians. It is what it is. Pretty damn good. But I’ve no idea. I mean, maybe in about another 20 years, I could do it!”
Led Zeppelin’s drummer John Bonham died in 1980, and it caused the band’s breakup. They briefly reunited for Live Aid in 1985, an Atlantic Records event in 1988, and their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1995. Robert Plant has rejected all reunion tour offers.
In December 2007, Led Zeppelin played their first full concert since 1980 at London’s O2 Arena, honoring Ahmet Ertegun. They rehearsed for months, but no tour followed. Page and John Paul Jones even auditioned singers in 2008 but dropped the idea.
Plant has made it clear he won’t return. He sees the O2 show as the band’s proper ending. The singer told Mojo Magazine, via Classic Rock, “It was nerve-wracking because we were already missing John Bonham. The responsibility the four of us had that night, the 10th of December in London, was a responsibility to ourselves, to get it right, with enough feeling, because we hadn’t visited it as a way of being for such a long, long time.”
“It was ‘Goodbye Ahmet [Ertegun]’ and it was, ‘Goodbye, everything, it’s been fantastic!’ So it worked, and it was good, and that was it,” Plant also added.
Last weekend, Led Zeppelin’s first official documentary, ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin,’ opened on 369 IMAX screens and made $2.6 million, per Variety. This weekend, it will expand to 1,000 screens. The documentary covers the band’s early years, their formation in 1968, and their rapid rise in 1969 with two albums and festival performances.
Altough Page isn’t sure about a Led Zeppelin reunion, another big band, Black Sabbath recently announced that they would reunite for a final gig at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, on July 5. Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Gojira, Halestorm, Lamb of God, any many more will also perform.