Showing posts with label Jason Bonham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jason Bonham. Show all posts

Friday, January 12, 2024

On this day 12 January

 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin inducted in the R&R Hall of Fame



  • 1969 Led Zeppelin I released
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - San Francisco, at Fillmore West (day 4 of 4)
  • 1975 Led Zeppelin - Brussels, at Vorst Nationaal
  • 1995 Led Zeppelin - inducted in Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame 
1995
Twenty-six years after Led Zeppelin I hit the world, Led Zeppelin finally got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Aerosmith's Joe Perry and Steven Tyler did the induction honors, Tyler opening with a poor imitation of Robert Plant, prompting the latter to whisper, "You wish." 

When John Paul Jones took the mic, he made the famous statement that's been quoted so often over the years: "Thank you, my friends, for finally remembering my phone number", referring to the fact that Jones had not been invited to join the Page/Plant Unledded project.
“Well, for my part of this, I must say it's a great honor to be inducted. Actually it's the second time for me, 'cause actually, earlier when I was inducted with the Yardbirds. It's almost like, inducted, induced, and this time it's the forceps. Some of you will get that. But anyway, thank you very much everybody.”
~ Jimmy Page accepting Rock and Roll Hall of Fame award
  

1995 Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Zoe Bonham, Jason Bonham, Robert Plant, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler
Led Zeppelin induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

1995 Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Jason Bonham

1995 Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Neil Young at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame


♪  Led Zeppelin (San Francisco at Fillmore West - day 4/4, 12 January 1969)
♪  Led Zeppelin (Brussels at Vorst Nationaal, 12 January 1975)
♪  Train Kept A-Rolling (Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1995) 
♪  When the Levee Breaks (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham, Neil Young 1995) 
♫  Joe Perry and Steven Tyler induct Led Zeppelin into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1995) 

Monday, December 11, 2023

On this day 11 December

 Oh yes, the spirit of the band was shining bright

2007 11 December On This Day O2 afterglow
2023



  • 1972 Led Zeppelin - Cardiff, Wales at Capitol Theatre (day 1)

2007
A great description of the rehearsal and the concert itself by Frank Smith in the comments section of the 09 December post, Soundcheck

2007 Mojo Magazine cover

2007 Q Magazine cover
2007 Robert Plant & Jimmy Page, O2 concert (Ross Halfin photo)
What I love about the above photo, besides that it's a great photo by Ross Halfin, is the look on Jimmy Page's face. He so clearly loved playing together as Led Zeppelin again. 








♫  BBC Breakfast Show Interview (11 December 2007) YouTube
♫  Jimmy Page Interview about after the O2 concert: A nightmare (Blabbermouth news)


Tuesday, December 5, 2023

On this day 05 December

 

1984 05 December On This Day Jimmy Page with The Firm at Hamburg
  • 1983 Jimmy Page ARMS Charity Concert - Inglewood, CA at The Forum 
  • 1984 Jimmy Page The Firm - Hamburg, Germany at Audiomax
  • 2007 Led Zeppelin + Jason Bonham, Shepperton rehearsal

2007
Ross Halfin photos of Shepperton rehearsal 












♪  Jimmy Page ARMS Charity Concert (Inglewood, CA at The Forum, 05 December 1983) 
♪  Jimmy Page The Firm (Hamburg, Germany at Audiomax, 05 December 1984)
♪  Led Zeppelin + Jason Bonham, Shepperton rehearsal, 05 December 2007)

Thursday, October 12, 2023

On this day 12 October

 And now's the time, the time is now

1999 12 October Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes -  NY at Roseland Ballroom
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - London, England at Lyceum Ballroom
  • 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Ames, IA at Hilton Coliseum
  • 1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - NY at Roseland Ballroom
  • 2012 Jimmy Page with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham at Celebration Day London premiere 

1969:
Not that numbers matter to anyone who knows and loves Jimmy Page's music but... Led Zeppelin was paid the highest fee for a one night performance in the UK at that time. Freddie Mercury was in the audience. 

1969 Led Zeppelin backstage at London's Lyceum Ballroom (Chris Walsh photo)

1999






2012:
The initial screening of the Celebration Day movie in more than 1,500 theaters in 40 countries, grossed over $2 million US.
2012 Jimmy Page at the Celebration Day movie premiere in London




2012 Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jimmy Page at the London premiere of the Celebration Day movie



♪  Led Zeppelin (London at Lyceum Ballroom, 12 October 1969) 
♪  Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes (New York NY at Roseland Ballroom, 12 October 1999) 
♫  Jimmy Page interview with Absolut Radio at London premiere of Celebration Day 2012


Saturday, September 9, 2023

On this day 09 September

Outrider!



  • 1966 The Yardbirds - Alexandria, VA at Alexandria Roller Rink
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Boston, MA at Boston Garden
  • 1971 Led Zeppelin - Hampton, VA at Hampton Roads Coliseum
  • 1988 Jimmy Page Outrider Tour - Tampa, FL at USF Sun Dome 

1970
Unusually, the Boston Garden gig didn't sell out. It's hard to imagine, but there it is. 
1970 Led Zeppelin - Boston, MA at Boston Garden

1970 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin - Boston, MA at Boston Garden

1971
Plant sang a bit from "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (written by Tommy Tucker and covered by a whole bunch of people including Elvis): "Put on your red dress, baby, Lord, we goin' out tonight" as an intro to "What Is and What Should Never Be".

1971 Led Zeppelin - Hampton, VA at Hampton Roads Coliseum (photo M Mitchell)

1971 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin - Hampton, VA at Hampton Roads Coliseum (photo M Mitchell)
1988:
A solo tour is one in which one musician is the focus, rather than the band. Outrider was Jimmy Page's first solo venture, one that many of us felt was long overdue. Although he used a variety of musicians on his solo album, it was John Miles, Durban Laverde and Jason Bonham who supported Jimmy Page on the brief (September - November) 1988 Outrider Tour.

British vocalist John Miles had a hit in the U.K. with Music in 1976.  Miles sang on just two of Outrider's tracks, Wasting My Time and Wanna Make Love. A vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist, Miles has toured
with Tina Turner both as a musician and a tour director, with Joe Cocker and others over the years. He has released ten studio albums as well as live and compilation albums and singles.

Venezuelan Durban Laverde is a bass guitarist, keyboardist, session musician, and producer. He has performed with a variety of artists over the years. David Gilmour used Laverde to session for Pink Floyd in early 1987, during which time he met Phil Carlo who was working for Gilmour and for Jimmy Page at that time. Carlo gets the credit for introducing Laverde to Jimmy Page.

Jimmy Page had known Jason Bonham since before Jason got his first drum kit at 4 years old. The son of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Jason was drummer for the band, Virginia Wolf, that toured with The Firm in 1985. Jason drummed for Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones at the 1988 Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in New York City and the 2007 Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena in London in 2007. Jason has released or appeared on approximately twenty albums, and currently tours as Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience.

1988 Outrider promo photo - Durban Laverde, Jason Bonham, Jimmy Page, John Miles

Jimmy Page has has performed with a lot of good musicians over the years. Outrider is awesome - but it's the guitar work that is awesome, not the vocals, not the drumming, not the bass. For those of us who revere the guitar work of Jimmy Page, he's always been the only one on the stage.


♪  Led Zeppelin (Boston at Boston Gardens, 09 September 1970) 
♪  Led Zeppelin (Hampton VA at Hampton Roads Coliseum, 09 September 1971) 
♪  Jimmy Page - Outrider Tour (Tampa FL at USF Sun Dome, 09 September 1988) 


 

Monday, August 28, 2023

On this day 28 August

 Where's Jimmy?

1964 28 August On This Day Jimmy Page Session Man (Brenda Lee, PJ Proby, Lulu)
♪  Is It True (Brenda Lee, feat. Jimmy Page guitar 1964) Soundcloud

  • 1966 The Yardbirds - San Diego, CA at San Diego Convention Hall
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Detroit, MI at Olympia Stadium
  • 1971 Led Zeppelin - St. Louis, MO at St. Louis Arena (no info available)
  • 1985 Jimmy Page, Jason Bonham, Chris Squire & Mick Thompson jam with Opus at Ibiza Sun Power Festival 
  • 1998 Page & Plant - Reading, Berkshire, England at Reading Festival 

1970
When Jimmy Page & John Paul Jones broke out their acoustical instruments the audience was unhappy. The PA system couldn't pick up the subtle sounds and nobody beyond the first rows could hear a thing. JP eventually "bounced a mike over to show his displeasure", according to one reviewer. 

The recording is poor, with a lot of cutting out. Only the first third of the show got recorded.






1985:
There seems to be some confusion about what Jimmy Page was doing on this day in the 1980s. JP's  website reports his having performed at the 1985 Sun Power Festival in Ibiza with Chris Squire, Jason Bonham and Mick Thompson, however Jason Bonham has said that it was 1986 when he was with Jimmy Page in Ibiza. On the other hand, the band, Virginia Wolf (Jason Bonham, drums) apparently recorded their eponymous first album in Ibiza the summer of 1985.  

Note the sign behind Jimmy Page and Jason Bonham in the photo below. Opus is an Austrian band that was formed in 1973 and is still active today. The are best known for their single, Live is Life, released in 1984. The song was a European hit in the summer of 1985 and the band's fan page mentions performing in Ibiza around then. The Opus news clipping does confirm the Jimmy Page connection, the location (Ibiza) and puts it in late August. Perhaps someone can check through the page the clipping was from [PDF] and let us know if there is anything more specific about this show there.

1985 Jimmy Page, Jason Bonham, Ibiza

1985 Jimmy Page, Ibiza

1985 Opus news clipping

1998, Page & Plant, Reading Festival

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Fake news is no news: Led Zeppelin reunion

I have a lot of trouble with fake news. "Fake" is too nice a word. Fiction is what it is, but when the "news" is presented as fact then what we have is lies.

Lies.

But what's more troubling to me is how so many people have lost their marbles -- excuse me, I mean their critical reasoning ability -- and gulp up fake news as truth. And then, like a flu, they spread it.

Let's talk about a Led Zeppelin "reunion"

First, what is a reunion? It's a regathering of people who have gathered before. So... a true Led Zeppelin reunion would require that John Bonham be sitting at the drum kit. Sorry, I'm not one of those folks who accepts Bonzo's son as a real member of the band. Yes, Jason's a great drummer... but he's not his father. He hasn't worked with the other three gentlemen to create new music. The music that he drums to is his father's music. Jason is a cover drummer. I love the man, but there it is.

Let's talk about "facts"

No, let's not. There are no cold facts. Videos that supposedly prove Jimmy Page intends to do Desert Trip 2017 are from years ago, before there even was a Desert Trip. Use your brains, people. No one who counts has made a definitive statement about a reunion in Nevada, in 2017, or anyplace/anytime.

Now let's talk about Desert Trip 2017 itself

A Led Zeppelin reunion would trash Desert Trip. How many million people tried for tickets for the last time Led Zeppelin got together? Over 20 million. There would be that many and more for another try to see the gentlemen on stage. So let's think about what happened to the Ahmet Ertegon Tribute (the actual name for the 2007 event at O2). Quickly now, who can tell us what other headliner bands were there - raise your hands. Um... I'm not seeing hands. Why? Because the Tribute is usually called the Led Zeppelin Reunion for a reason. When the gentlemen in question get together, that's all there is in the world. Back in 2007 Pete Townshend famously refused to show up, saying that with Led Zeppelin there, they didn't need him. What headliner band would want to be reduced to a supporting act that nobody came to listen to?

Some kind of festival that would be.

This is all stupid talk anyway. It's not like the the rumors that Led Zeppelin are reuniting to perform at Desert Trip 2017 could possibly be anything but fake news. These news articles that announce "insider sources" are reporting that Robert Plant has agreed to a reunion in 2017 because of the band's upcoming 50th anniversary.

Um. Do the math, people. Led Zeppelin was formed and first performed in 1968. So Desert Trip 2017 would be... the 49th anniversary.

But more logic

So let's suppose that Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones have agreed to a reunion and Jason Bonham has accepted an invitation to join them. And let's suppose that they decide to do this in 2017 instead of 2018. We know very well that the boys are perfectly capable of being sneaky about such decisions, and are perfectly capable of meeting for practice sessions without the slightest hint of a rumor getting out.

We know this. But suddenly these rumors. And not one bit of confirmation from the gentlemen in question. So what does this tell us?

It tells us that Desert Trip probably put an absolutely baseless rumor out there to begin with, because what this has done is created incredible publicity for them. But... do we see any announcement of dates in 2017? No. Do we see any confirmation of a lineup for 2017? No.

Uh huh. Sure Led Zeppelin's going to show up. Because if it's on the internet it must be true. And hey -- I've got a confounded bridge to sell you.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

On This Day 12 January

Waiting to see Jimmy Page in the Hall of Fame again.  And again.
1995 12 January On This Day Led Zeppelin inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

  • 1969 Led Zeppelin I released
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - San Francisco, at The Fillmore (day 4 of r)
  • 1975 Led Zeppelin - Brussels, at Vorst Nationaal
  • 1995 Led Zeppelin - inducted in Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame 
1995
Twenty-six years after Led Zeppelin I hit the world, Led Zeppelin finally got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Aerosmith's Joe Perry and Steven Tyler did the induction honors, Tyler opening with a poor imitation of Robert Plant, prompting the latter to whisper, "You wish." 

When John Paul Jones took the mic, he made the famous statement that's been quoted so often over the years: "Thank you, my friends, for finally remembering my phone number", referring to the fact that Jones had not been invited to join the Page/Plant Unledded project.
“Well, for my part of this, I must say it's a great honor to be inducted. Actually it's the second time for me, 'cause actually, earlier when I was inducted with the Yardbirds. It's almost like, inducted, induced, and this time it's the forceps. Some of you will get that. But anyway, thank you very much everybody.”
~ Jimmy Page accepting Rock and Roll Hall of Fame award
  

1995 Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Zoe Bonham, Jason Bonham, Robert Plant, Joe Perry, Steven Tyler
Led Zeppelin induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

1995 Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Jason Bonham

1995 Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Neil Young at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame



♪  When the Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin, Brussels 1975) YouTube
♪  Train Kept A-Rolling (Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1995) YouTube
♪  When the Levee Breaks (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham, Neil Young 1995) YouTube
♫  Joe Perry and Steven Tyler induct Led Zeppelin into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1995) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Soundcheck

Eight years ago today, just about now (allowing for the time difference and when you read this), the final O2 rehearsal/soundcheck was happening.

Tickets for the show itself, available through a lottery system, had been snatched up by some 16-18,000 lucky devils, with literally millions of us losers sobbing about it.

Some lucky suckers had gotten access to the rehearsal/soundcheck, too.

2007 Led Zeppelin O2 rehearsal
Meanwhile, back home millions of us remained crying into our beer (or wine, in my case), not having won
one of those precious concert tickets or an invitation to the soundcheck. But we were not idle. No we were not. We were searching online for every scrap of information, any report - first or second hand, or even rumor. Anything at all.

Much had been kept secret, but in this day and age, there are always leaks. What was out there was hard to distinguish from rumors, but you had to find trustworthy sources and, well, trust them. Early feedback from Cameron Crowe (who was not there but had heard from someone who was) was that the soundcheck was thrilling.

The few hundred or so blessed witnesses to this penultimate performance were not allowed to record, but yes, that happened anyway.

The setlist for the sound check included:
 Good Times Bad Times
 Ramble On
 In My Time Of Dying
 No Quarter
 Nobody's Fault But Mine
 D'yer Mak'er
 Communication Breakdown

It was already common knowledge that the band had been practicing For Your Life, a song they'd never played live before.

Afterwards, some of the blessed met up at the Pilot Inn/Pub for a Led Zeppelin fan club meeting arranged by Dave Lewis, who, after all was said and done, referred to the whole experience before, during and after, as inhabiting Planet Zeppelin.

Amazingly, after all these years I'm still upset that I wasn't there and I'm still green with envy even as I type this blog post. So go ahead, ticketholders.  Torture me. Post your story of O2 in the comments.





♪  Rock and Roll (Shepperton Studio, 05 December 2007) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube

Monday, October 12, 2015

On This Day 12 October

And now's the time, the time is now
1999 12 October Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes -  NY at Roseland Ballroom
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - London, England at Lyceum Ballroom
  • 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Ames, IA at Hilton Coliseum
  • 1999 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - NY at Roseland Ballroom
  • 2012 Jimmy Page with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham at Celebration Day London premiere 
Not that numbers matter to anyone who knows and loves Jimmy Page's music but...

1969:
Led Zeppelin was paid the highest fee for a one night performance in the UK at that time. Freddie Mercury was in the audience. 

1969 Led Zeppelin backstage at London's Lyceum Ballroom (Chris Walsh photo)
2012:
The initial screening of the Celebration Day movie in more than 1,500 theaters in 40 countries, grossed over $2 million US.
2012 Jimmy Page at the Celebration Day movie premiere in London

2012 Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jimmy Page at the London premiere of the Celebration Day movie



♪  Full set (Led Zeppelin, London 1969) YouTube
♪  Thank You (Page & Plant,  Ames IA 1995) YouTube
♪  Oh Well (Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes, rehearsal Roseland Ballroom 1999) YouTube
♪  Full set  (Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes, Roseland Ballroom 1999) YouTube
♪  Ramble On (Led Zeppelin, 1969/2014 remaster) YouTube
♫  Jimmy Page interview with Absolut Radio at London premiere of Celebration Day 2012
Note:  I've got Ramble On on this playlist just because I love it so much. Doesn't really have anything to do with today's On This Day but it rounds out the playlist nicely.

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

On This Day 9 September

Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

1988 09 September On This Day Jimmy Page Outrider Tour - Tampa, FL at USF Sun Dome
♪ I Just Want To Make Love To You Soundcloud 
  • 1966 The Yardbirds - Alexandria, VA at Alexandria Roller Rink
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Boston, MA at Boston Garden
  • 1971 Led Zeppelin - Hampton, VA at Hampton Roads Coliseum
  • 1988 Jimmy Page Outrider Tour - Tampa, FL at USF Sun Dome 

1970 Led Zeppelin - Boston, MA at Boston Garden

1970 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin - Boston, MA at Boston Garden

1971 Led Zeppelin - Hampton, VA at Hampton Roads Coliseum (photo M Mitchell)

1971 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin - Hampton, VA at Hampton Roads Coliseum (photo M Mitchell)
1988:
A solo tour is one in which one musician is the focus, rather than the band. Outrider was Jimmy Page's first solo venture, one that many of us felt was long overdue. Although he used a variety of musicians on his solo album, it was John Miles, Durban Laverde and Jason Bonham who supported Jimmy Page on the brief (September - November) 1988 Outrider Tour.

British vocalist John Miles had a hit in the U.K. with Music in 1976.  Miles sang on just two of Outrider's tracks, Wasting My Time and Wanna Make Love. A vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist, Miles has toured
with Tina Turner both as a musician and a tour director, with Joe Cocker and others over the years. He has released ten studio albums as well as live and compilation albums and singles.

Venezuelan Durban Laverde is a bass guitarist, keyboardist, session musician, and producer. He has performed with a variety of artists over the years. David Gilmour used Laverde to session for Pink Floyd in early 1987, during which time he met Phil Carlo who was working for Gilmour and for Jimmy Page at that time. Carlo gets the credit for introducing Laverde to Jimmy Page.

Jimmy Page had known Jason Bonham since before Jason got his first drum kit at 4 years old. The son of Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Jason was drummer for the band, Virginia Wolf, that toured with The Firm in 1985. Jason drummed for Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones at the 1988 Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in New York City and the 2007 Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert at The O2 Arena in London in 2007. Jason has released or appeared on approximately twenty albums, and currently tours as Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience.

1988 Outrider promo photo - Durban Laverde, Jason Bonham, Jimmy Page, John Miles

Jimmy Page has has performed with a lot of good musicians over the years. Outrider is awesome - but it's the guitar work that is awesome, not the vocals, not the drumming, not the bass. For those of us who revere the guitar work of Jimmy Page, he's always been the only one on the stage.


♪  Bron-Yr-Aur (Led Zeppelin, Boston 1970) YouTube
♪  Since I've Been Loving You (Led Zeppelin Hampton VA 1971) YouTube
♪  Partial set (Led Zeppelin Hampton VA 1971) YouTube
♪  Wanna Make Love (Outrider 1988) YouTube