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The rumors and speculation were flying around about a Led Zeppelin reunion following the performance at London’s O2 arena towards the end of 2007. The show that featured the surviving members of the group who were joined by Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham.
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Photo: Mazur/WireImage

Ever since Led Zeppelin reunited for one night in December 2007, it’s been every festival promoter’s dream to somehow coax Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones back out of their hiatus and into a headlining slot. Many have tried, all have failed, including Andy Copping of the U.K.’s Download Festival, who admitted to XFM that he approached the Physical Graffiti band about playing the fest, which takes place June 11-13th in Donington Park.

Check out photos from Led Zeppelin’s big reunion show.

“Every single festival in the world approaches Led Zeppelin or their management to get them to pay at their festival,” Copping told XFM. “Loads of money gets thrown out. It’s not what they want to do at the moment and that’s fine. They probably never will, but everyone has a stab at it.”

Led Zeppelin’s rise: rare photos from Good Times, Bad Times.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, while Jimmy Page is anxious to return to the live stage, Plant is reportedly working on a new solo album as well as the follow-up to Raising Sand, his Grammy-winning team-up with Alison Krauss. “Next year I have every intention of playing music live and manifesting it,” Page said last year. “I’ve got the music waiting, and that’s what I’ll be doing.” That statement piqued the interest of Roger Daltrey, who offered to sing the blues with the legendary guitarist.

Led Zeppelin were also rumored to perform at Bonnaroo in 2008, but organizers briefly fooled journalists everywhere by instead recruiting Lez Zeppelin to play the Tennessee fest (as consolation, Plant & Krauss also performed). Even without Zeppelin, the Download Festival has pulled together a great lineup, with AC/DC, Rage Against the Machine and Aerosmith headlining the fest’s three nights, being supported by Stone Temple Pilots, Motörhead and Wolfmother. Plus, with John Paul Jones and Them Crooked Vultures also on the bill, Copping’s dream of having Led Zeppelin on the Download stage at least came a quarter of the way true.

Related Stories:

• Roger Daltrey Wants to Sing the Blues With Jimmy Page
• Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page Plans Return to Stage in 2010
• Led Zeppelin: The Full Report From David Fricke

As one of the most influential rock groups of all time, Led Zeppelin will likely be listened to and talked about for decades to come. Sometimes it seems as if they might be as popular today as they were back in the 1970’s – even though they are no longer together!

Beyond the reunion rumors that flare up every so often, the name Led Zeppelin manages to stay in the news on a pretty regular basis these days. Most recently, the discovery of an alleged unknown recording of a Zeppelin show from 1971 is making headlines.

Vic Kemp is the lucky fan in the U.K. who made the discovery while attending what’s described as a “car boot sale,” an event which those of us in the U.S. would likely call a flea market. Kemp was browsing through some CDs at the event when the fellow who was selling them said he might have something that Kemp would be interested in.

The item in question was a CD that was marked with a felt-tipped pen and dated 1972. As it turned out, the date was a bit off, but that probably doesn’t matter much to Kemp. For just two or three pounds (somewhere between $3 and $5) Kemp took home a recording of a 1971 concert by Led Zeppelin at a location known as St. Matthews Baths Hall.

Although some fans are underwhelmed by this news, and say this bootleg CD has been around for years, some media outlets have been touting this as a major discovery. Whether or not it is, it’s got Led Zeppelin in the headlines again.

We’ve also recently heard some surprising news that R&B singer Mary J. Blige is a Led Zeppelin fan. She even recorded her own versions of two Led Zeppelin classic recently, “Stairway to Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love.” Blige said that she has been a fan since she was a kid, and that the group’s music has always moved her. The two tracks are on the international version of her album, Stronger with Each Tear.

Another celebrity talking about Zeppelin these days is former pro wrestling star Jesse Ventura. These days the former Minnesota governor is keeping busy with his TruTV show Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, and promoting his new book, but he took some time recently to sit down for an interview, during which he was asked whether he preferred the Beatles or Led Zeppelin.

Ventura’s answer, apparently delivered without hesitation was Led Zeppelin. “Led Zeppelin of course! Led Zeppelin is my favorite band of all time and the Rolling Stones are a close second,” Ventura reportedly responded.

Photo: Mazur/WireImage

While Pete Townshend’s ongoing tinnitus problem threatens to dock the Who for the foreseeable future, Roger Daltrey is already lobbying to work with another guitar god who’s on the lookout for a vocalist. “I’d love to do an album with Jimmy Page. He needs a singer to drive him. I’m a great blues singer,” Daltrey told BBC 6Music. “I don’t sing the blues with the Who, but that’s what I used to be before Townshend started writing. I used to be a great blues singer.”

Get a look at rock’s biggest supergroups.

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Page seemed eager to return to the live stage in 2010 after spending last year mostly on the sidelines, watching his Led Zeppelin counterparts like Robert Plant, who released Raising Sand with Alison Krauss and is reportedly working on a solo album, and John Paul Jones, who joined the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, take on other musical projects. “Next year I have every intention of playing music live and manifesting it,” Page said late last year. “I’ve got the music waiting, and that’s what I’ll be doing.”

Before any possible collaboration with Page takes place, Daltrey will first hit the road with another of rock’s greatest guitarists. As Rolling Stone reported, the Who frontman and current RS cover star Eric Clapton will embark on a joint tour starting February 25th in Pittsburgh.

Starting with their Super Bowl XLIV halftime show, 2010 was expected to be a big year for the Who, with a tour to follow the band’s most-watched performance ever. However, Townshend continues to suffer from the tinnitus that has plagued his hearing for years. The guitarist was introduced to a new in-ear monitor that might prevent any further damage, and he’ll give the device a test drive when the Who play their only scheduled date of 2010, a March 30th Teenage Trust Cancer benefit concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall where the band will perform its classic Quadrophenia in its entirety.

Related Stories:

• The Who’s Future Uncertain as Townshend’s Tinnitus Returns
• Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page Plans Return to Stage in 2010
• Eric Clapton Plots 2010 U.S. Tour With Roger Daltrey

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