Undercover - Promoter Doesn't Deny Led Zeppelin Reunion
The big unknown, of course, is the drumming. The sine qua non of a Zeppelin reunion is a great drummer. At the same time, you don't want someone trying to ape John Bonham, because that would be sad. Among living drummers, there are very few I could see sitting on the stool of ignorance. Unfortunately, Jason Bonham is not one of them. He's competent, he's never more than that. Another rock drummer off-spring, Zak Starkey, might be a better choice, as he's proven himself able to fill Keith Moon's shoes.
At one point in the early oughts, Dave Grohl was rumored to be in consideration for the job, which I would endorse.The thing is, you need someone who can both pound the holy fuck out of the skins, but also has a sense of swing. John Bonham's drumming was the thing that made Zeppelin's music sex, and along with Robert Plant's flowing locks, made Zep one of the few hard rock bands that girls really like. That's why I think Joey Castillo from Queens of the Stone Age would be a great choice, since QotSA are one of the few contemporary bands that can claim to live up to Zeppelin legacy, their mix of brutal aggression and sexy swing. Some other candidates:
He said, "There have been at least four events advertised which I suspect either don't exist or where no tickets are on sale or indeed dates finalized ... There are NO packages or tickets for some the events advertised at all, nor do some of the events even exist. We are concerned that the public will be fleeced. The bottom line is that unless official adverts have appeared for concerts, tickets are not on sale. Do not buy from unauthorized sources." (emphases added).I'd actually be kind of irked if they do a big one-off reunion like this, but don't tour in 2008. I mean, if they are going to tarnish the legacy, they could at least make it more convenient for their fans. And I don't think there's any reason for them not too--by the standards of classic rock reunions, Page and Plant acquitted themselves well on their '95 and '98 tours, and Page's playing during the 1999 and 2000 shows he did with the Black Crowes was some of his sharpest since the late 60s (takes that long for the heroin to wear off.)
The big unknown, of course, is the drumming. The sine qua non of a Zeppelin reunion is a great drummer. At the same time, you don't want someone trying to ape John Bonham, because that would be sad. Among living drummers, there are very few I could see sitting on the stool of ignorance. Unfortunately, Jason Bonham is not one of them. He's competent, he's never more than that. Another rock drummer off-spring, Zak Starkey, might be a better choice, as he's proven himself able to fill Keith Moon's shoes.
At one point in the early oughts, Dave Grohl was rumored to be in consideration for the job, which I would endorse.The thing is, you need someone who can both pound the holy fuck out of the skins, but also has a sense of swing. John Bonham's drumming was the thing that made Zeppelin's music sex, and along with Robert Plant's flowing locks, made Zep one of the few hard rock bands that girls really like. That's why I think Joey Castillo from Queens of the Stone Age would be a great choice, since QotSA are one of the few contemporary bands that can claim to live up to Zeppelin legacy, their mix of brutal aggression and sexy swing. Some other candidates:
- Matt Cameron: Pearl Jam are on hiatus right now, so he's available. Plus, anyone who was selected to play on Geddy Lee's (a guy who knows something about great drumming) should be worthy of consideration
- Alfredo Hernandez: he played with Kyuss after Brant Bjork left. Basically, anyone who's ever drummed for Josh Homme should be in play.
- Danny Carey: the drummer for Tool, and someone who has an interest in the occult and sacred symbols, which fits in very well with the Zep legacy.
3 Comments
I just, for the life of me, can't imagine JPJ going for this. He really had a been there done that type attitude, but who knows. I interviewed John Entwistle and he told me he'd never play with Townshend again -- that was less then six months before they toured Quadrophenia.
One thing I've learned to take with a grain of salt are any statements by rock musicians about the possibility of them reuniting with former bands. When it comes to rock reunions, the key phrase is "Never Say Never Again" (the title of the 1983 James Bond film in which Sean Connery returned to the role of 007 after swearing he would "never" play James Bond again.
As for John Paul Jones specifically, I read somewhere that he and Plant had reconciled after being estranged following the Page/Plant mid-90s reunion which they excluded him from (but still opened their shows with one of his most beloved songs, "Thank You.")
One thing I've learned to take with a grain of salt are any statements by rock musicians about the possibility of them reuniting with former bands. When it comes to rock reunions, the key phrase is "Never Say Never Again" (the title of the 1983 James Bond film in which Sean Connery returned to the role of 007 after swearing he would "never" play James Bond again.
As for John Paul Jones specifically, I read somewhere that he and Plant had reconciled after being estranged following the Page/Plant mid-90s reunion which they excluded him from (but still opened their shows with one of his most beloved songs, "Thank You.")