Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert


artist = Led Zeppelin
type = Concert
location = The O2 Arena, London
start_date = December 10, 2007
end_date = December 10, 2007
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 1
last_tour = Tour Over Europe 1980
this_tour = Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert
next_tour =
The Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert was a benefit concert held in memory of music executive Ahmet Ertegün at The O₂ in London on December 10, 2007. The headline act was Led Zeppelin performing its first full-length concert since the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980 in a one-off concert. Bonham's son Jason played drums and provided backing vocals on two songs.

Background

On September 12, 2007, it was confirmed during a press conference by promoter Harvey Goldsmith that the surviving members of English rock band Led Zeppelin would reunite for the show, with Jason Bonham filling in on drums.cite news |title=Led Zeppelin confirm reunion gig |url=http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6990704.stm |publisher=BBC |date=2007-09-12 |accessdate=2007-09-12 ] The concert was originally scheduled to take place on November 26, 2007. It was to help raise money for the Ahmet Ertegün Education Fund, which pays for university scholarships in the UK, US and Turkey.

Tickets were made available via a lottery system through the website [http://www.ahmettribute.com Ahmettribute.com] , costing £125 / $250,cite news |title=Led Zeppelin Takes Flight, For One Night Only |url=http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003638786 |publisher=Billboard.com |date=2007-09-12 |accessdate=2007-09-12 ] with all proceeds going to Ahmet's own charity. The website exceeded its bandwidth allowance and crashed almost immediately following the announcement, with the promoter predicting that the gig would cause the "largest demand for one show in history"cite news |title=demand for tickets crashes site |url=http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/31084 |publisher=NME |date=2007-09-13 |accessdate=2007-09-13 ] . The promoter claimed that one million people registered for fewer than 20,000 available tickets. [Nagara, Bunn. [http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2007/12/10/music/19693065&sec=music "Get your Led out"] , "The Star (Malaysia)", December 10, 2007. Accessed January 5, 2008. "Today they play a one-off concert at London’s 02 Arena, in aid of the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun’s education fund. More than two million fans chased nearly 20,000 tickets, and with more than a billion page views the website soon crashed."]

On November 1, 2007, it was announced that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page fractured the little finger on his left hand after a fall in his garden and the reunion show was postponed to December 10, 2007. [http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/11/01/led-zeppelin-reunion-concert-postponed-due-to-fractured-finger/ Led Zeppelin Reunion Concert Postponed Due to Fractured Finger] ]

The concert

The band performed sixteen songs, including two encores, featuring a range of songs from across the spectrum of their career. Included in the set list were two numbers which were played live in their entirety for the first time ever by Led Zeppelin, namely "Ramble On" and "For Your Life".

etlist

#"Good Times Bad Times"
#"Ramble On"
#"Black Dog"
#"In My Time of Dying"/"Honey Bee"
#"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"First Encore:
#

"Whole Lotta Love"/"Boogie Chillun"Second Encore:
#

"Rock and Roll"

Many of the songs were performed one step tuned down in order to accommodate singer Robert Plant's vocal range. Some were kept in their original key.

The show also featured Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Paul Rodgers, Paolo Nutini, Chris Squire, Keith Emerson, Alan White, and Foreigner as supporting acts. [ [http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/led_zep_to_record_new_material.html Led Zep To Record New Material? | News @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com ] ] [ [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/music/news/e3ic4b4426aaea0ba2fbdfea3e2cf8beff2 Rodgers ready to rock Ertegun tribute ] ] Pete Townshend was scheduled to perform as a supporting act, but pulled out when he heard Led Zeppelin was performing, saying, "They really don't need me." [ [http://www.thewho.com/index.php?module=news&news_item_id=43 "Pete Townshend pulls out of Ahmet Ertegün concert] ] Other acts considered for the show included a reunited Cream.

The concert sound was mixed by Metallica's FOH engineer Big Mick [ [http://www.prosoundnews.com/publish/news/Roy_Williams_Big_Mick_Pilot_Led_Zeppelin_Reunion.shtml Led Zeppelin reunion feature] ] . The concert was also filmed for a possible DVD release. [http://www2.kerrang.com/2007/12/led_zeppelin_release_reunion_d.html Led Zeppelin Release Reunion DVD - Kerrang.com] ] In an interview he gave in March 2008, Page commented

A number of celebrities attended the gig, including Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl (who praised Jason Bonham's performance), [ [http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/33127 Led Zeppelin reunion: Dave Grohl praises Jason Bonham | News | NME.COM ] ] Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, Fearne Cotton, Lostprophets drummer Ilan Rubin, [ [http://lostprophets.buzznet.com/user/journal/1459121/ilan-rubins-take-on-led-zeppelin-live/ buzznet] Ilan Rubins take on the gig "Retrieved" December 12 2007] Paul McCartney, Jeff Beck, Brian May, [ [http://www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/brianssbdec07a.html#05/ brianmay.com] ] Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys, U2's The Edge, Bernard Sumner, Dave Mustaine who received free tickets from Ross Halfin, Peter Gabriel, Mick Jagger, Matt Morgan, Juliette Lewis, Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson, The Verve's Richard Ashcroft, [ [http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/33087 NME] ] Marilyn Manson, the Allman Brothers Band's Warren Haynes, model Kate Moss, actor David Boreanaz, actress Erika Sawajiri [ [http://blog.mystarhill.com/gossip/sawajiri-erika-takashiro-tsuyoshi-spotted-together-in-led-zeppelin-concert/ Erika Sawajiri & Tsuyoshi Takashiro Spotted Together in Led Zeppelin Concert] ] , Neil Finn, [ [http://frenzforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7501061171/m/4231069564?r=9001097084#9001097084 Enz on Campbell Live - Topic Powered by eve community ] ] [ [http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/hilton%20to%20attend%20led%20zeppelin%20gig_1052987 To Attend Led Zeppelin Gig ] ] and many more.

Critical response

Music critics in attendance were unanimous in their praise for the band's performance. "New Musical Express" proclaimed, "What they have done here tonight is proof they can still perform to the level that originally earned them their legendary reputation...We can only hope this isn't the last we see of them." [ [http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/33079 Led Zeppelin reunion: the review | News |NME.COM] ]

"The New Yorker" critic Sasha Frere-Jones, who attended the concert wrote, "The failed gigs of the nineteen-eighties and nineties have been supplanted by a triumph, and the band should be pleased to have done Ertegun proud with such a spirited performance." [ [http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/musical/2007/12/24/071224crmu_music_frerejones: Stairway to Here: Musical Events: The New Yorker] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/content/articles/2007/09/06/robert_plant_feature.shtml BBC interview with Robert Plant about the Led Zeppelin reunion]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&start=400&num=200&msa=0&ll=51.498378,0.014763&spn=0.083141,0.154495&z=13&msid=117377988734231201134.000456dd524c9006f0cbf View in Google Earth]