CELEBRATION DAY

Well five years later the record hits the racks. And, while announced for the 19th November internationally it hit the Wellington, New Zealand record shop on the 16th. Goodie.

As most Zeppelin know this concert was in tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, head honcho of Atlantic Records, the distributor of Zeppelin product over the past couple of centuries, well this one and the last, and for all we know, the next. The first Led Zeppelin release to not feature John Henry. But Jason does a fine job with his own drum voice.

Once upon a time (before the idea of rock legacy and political correection) the idea of rock artists over 30 was a bit shock horror. How would those punks have felt about the sixty somethings putting on a show that blows the bejeesus out of most oh, well EVERY other heavy rock act out there. We'll calm down one day...

I do find it interesting (as in ironic) that in an age when bands tour to make money and not release material Led Zeppelin make a whole lotta fuss about not touring for five years, do trans Atlantic / Pacific press conferences (even solo ones) to announce - no tour! Or rather, no tour again. It's a rock tease. But instead they release a live album instead no less. Of one concert. The shape of things to come? Saves on tour costs; Peter Grant would have been well proud of this tactic.

Proceeds of the gig went to charity, now comes the pay day for not touring then, by not touring now. Very funny the whole back story is; or so I find it. We devoted fans get footage, audio, bonus footage (rehearsals) / concert audio and the price is quite reasonable for the goods on sale.

16 tracks (Blu-Ray, DVD and 2 CD), a full dress rehearsal on the bonus DVD and plenty of versions from which to choose, one with a T shirt and even a 3 LP set. But not one with everything. Hmm. Still, not overly expensive. The visuals are directed by the visuals producer for the earlier this century DVD of footage from last century and he and his 17 cameras do very well.

For me the essence is in the music. The sounds are superb. No cymbals distorting then upper frequencies and the performance is tight - for the most part. Really, it is a beautiful rock concert production. And for those of us who contributed bandwidth to the most downloaded bootleg concert ever it shows that the song remains the same. The Garden Tapes guy - as Jimmy page called him has no overdubs or edits to analyse here. The whole thing, slightly warts 'n' all but near perfect really is out of this world.

So what of the performance? The backing vox in Good Times Bad Times for some reason irritate the hell out of me. The only person to do vocals, indeed backing vocals as well something that Peter Grant found schizophrenic) is R.A. Plant. But he did 'em so well, that's the thing. But they are there so I'll have to live with them.

This time Black Dog is complete, unlike the the version that turned up on The Song Remains (new version) - that thing misses 3 minutes of music, this version just has Page (possibly deliberately for performance purposes) missing two beats on the end of a riff to throw in a guitar fill. (I would have suggested another way but I'm fussy like this...)

Now the big question for me and this is where the Garden Tapes guy must have been waiting with anticipation is the third verse of Dazed. Just after the lead guitar break the band return to the main theme and - evident on the boots, make a complete hash of it. A real train wreck - what would happen here? Well, it's there... warts and all. They weasel their way out of it but this is improvisation at it's best. Anyone can solo over a well constructed backing track but making a complete foul up sound good takes real talent. When Plant is singing "C'mon, c'mon. c'mon" this is his frustration with the band taking ages to get back into the groove. They don't really, and end the piece reasonably effectively instead to the adoration of the 18,000.

So no over dubs, no editing in the rehearsal instead of the live version, so it's very honest, very brave very Led Zeppelin.

So what new stuff do we have? First complete concert performance of Good Times Bad Times (a Japan '71 medley and '69 intro to Communication Breakdown are the precursors), first Zeppelin performance of Ramble On (Pagey and himself did it in the 90s), the first live performance (by a Zeppelin or related act) of For Your Life (though I think I still go for the original guitar solo as one of Page's most original guitar statements) but this version is close in spirit if not the same sounds (understandably). I do find his vague acoustic sound for Ramble On a bit of a - quick - solution (instead of what, say, Steve Howe might do and switch between guitars to convey the full spectrum of music a piece requires) but there we go. Not many versions to edit together this time around.

The power of Kashmir climaxes the concert. Long decided by the band that this is their shining light this was a number generated by John Henry from the rehearsal floor and serves as as unstated tribute to him as well as Ahmet Ertegun. Jason Bonham is superb on the changes, the secret to this somewhat enigmatic number is in listening to it from the drums upward. I would really have liked Achilles Last Stand (as well, no instead of) but.... maybe some other time soon, huh?

This concert was such fun for so long. Following the concert on line at the time, the boots, now this multi-media event of a one shot deal. Good for the 20 million who didn't get in, now it can be enjoyed from cinemas to home theatres to iPods the world over. Even underwater personal stereos...

Other than Stairway, no ballads, no All My Love. (JP had never really sorted a suitable arrangement for the guitar on that number, live, anyway). Jones shines as ever on bass and keyboards - Trampled Underfoot, No Quarter and Kashmir highlight his keyboard versatility and virtuosity). Indeed his work on Kashmir gives Plant plenty of atmosphere to express himself. Jason Bonham kills on the drums. Frankly, this work is almighty awesome. The mighty arms of Atlas turn up anyway... the audience go mad and not just the ones in the O2 Arena.

Whole Lotta Love is performed a la Zep 2 the drums come in on the second verse. And it's the closest to a real improvisation as the middle section turns up. I always did like the second arrangement - the "new" one from Knebworth '79 on DVD but this time it's the original arrangement.

Conclusion; a superb concert, well played despite my nit picking over details. Probably going to be hyped for years to come. Celebration Day? Bring it on home. Rock and roll ends as energetically as the concert begun...

P.S. as ever a killing Nobody's Fault But Mine - they never did a less than stellar version and the song remains as ever.

Essential Led.

This special event of the Reunion of one of the most popular rock band in the world is finally release after been released in a bootleg version. This time, it's a professionally video with a nice picture and sound quality. It's a great pleasure to see the unique guitar playing style of Jimmy Page who is the member that made the Led Zeppelin sound what it is, with of course the recognizable voice of Robert Plant. Only missing the drummer John Bonham who is replace by his son Jason, who played a very tight performance on this show with a solid and precise style of drumming.

The editing of camera shots are nice, but i was annoyed by the mix of professionally shots with some audience camera shots. Maybe it gives another perspective on the guys, but a poor quality picture on a Blu-Ray looks rather ugly. The first part of the show present for the first time live the song "For Your Life", from the album Presence. And it's with this song that the crew starts to create special effects on the screen behind the stage. The band played the beautiful "Trampled Under Foot" with the "Ray Manzarek" keyboards passage that i have always enjoyed. Then the band played the very atmospheric "No Quarter" with again plenty of keyboards by John Paul Jones. And then the second part, the big classic songs are played ; "Kashmir", Stairway to Heaven", "Whole Lotta Love" etc.

All in all the performance of the songs seems to be close to the originals, it's a pleasure to see the band with the latest technology. The visuals are secondary to the music with Led Zeppelin but the way they use the light show was symbolic to me because it feels like a sunny day or the presence of the fire throughout the set.

A classic performance by the best classic rock band, i could not give another rating then a 5!

This is the review of the DVD / CD combo.

FIrst, I'm a die-hard Zep fan from my earliest days. I have everything official and quite a bit of not-so-official stuff. Robert Plant is my all-time favorite musician. Seventies Jimmy Page could do no wrong. I have heard nothing but good things about the famous O2 concert. I come into this with expectations about as high as they can be for a one-off show from guys in their 60's performing 30+ year old songs.

And for the most part boy does the band deliver. From the BAM BAM opening of Good Times Bad Times to the final note this is no cash-in on past glory. This is a compelling group effort that find the bands frequently reaching well-oiled machine status. Powerful. Tight. Demanding attention.

Robert Plant in particular is in stunningly good form. Past the age of 50 most singers are pale imitations of their past glory but here Plant is as constant and impressive as ever. Yes, the octave has changed, but he simply nails it.

As does John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham. The rhythm section is the no-questions- asked musical driver of all good things on this night. They frequently carry the proceedings in impressive fashion. Equally satisfying are the songs featuring JPJ on the piano (No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot and Kasmir). All are standouts.

Which brings us to the lone bit of trouble from the performance. Put simply, Jimmy Page is a shell of his former self. While quite good and tight when teaming with the rhythm section, when featured on his own it's borderline embarrassing.

Specifically, the solos found on Celebration Day are amateurish. It's obvious Page can't play more than a few quick notes at a time and thus relies upon well-worn guitar tricks such as the "dramatic" sustained note and non-stop use of the Wah-Wah and volume pedals. There are more than a few occasions when you can see the rest of the band trying to will Page through sections that were obviously problematic during rehearsals.

Which brings me to why I can't give this release more than 3 stars. On the one hand it's a really great performance from 3/4's of the band. But there isn't a single version of a song here that I would prefer to hear over other live versions of these songs, either from The Song Remains the Same, The BBC Tapes or How the West Was Won or the Led Zeppelin DVD. Even from the Page / Plant No Quarter shows.

Yes, there are two songs not found on any of those releases. Good TImes serves as a great opener that quickly proves this is a foursome bent on getting it right. And For Your Life might be the best, most compelling song from the entire setlist. But outside of those two there's no reason to ever really play the CD because other, better versions are readily available.

The DVD fares better because it allows for modern video equipment and techniques. Too bad much of this is squandered with the dreaded quick-edit approach used by far too many editors. Also, someone please explain to me why they chose to frequently replace pristine, digitally capture images with grainy bootleg images? I understand this was was done with 70's material because it's all they had. There's no excuse for it here. It's a cheap trick and one that detracts from the overall quality.

Honestly, I wish I could give this a better score. In terms of comparing to expectations...it's more like a 4 or 4.5. But in looking at it against the deep and high-quality Zep catalog, it's just a 3. I will add a star for historical purposes, as you can't really have a Led Zeppelin collection without Celebration Day.

"house lights down...no place to hide" - Robert

Robert's reference to the incredible pressure of staging this event, just imagine what they must have been feeling before walking on stage. No place to hide indeed.

I almost didn't bother with this. Frequently irritated by old rock stars churning out their hits at that awful reduced speed they sometimes employ when they can't "get it up" at album-speed anymore, I also didn't want to see a long favorite band pandering to hype and payday. Why would Zeppelin be different than some of the others? I should have known they'd pull it off. Golden Gods and all that stuff.

Rather than disappointment they were King Kong staggering through the final assault, determined to deliver this final definitive set before collapsing to history, determined not just to survive this gig but to blow people away one last time. Bodies in their 60s do not simply will the music of legend as the bodies in their 20s did. Despite some obvious examples of this here and there, they pulled off performances that dropped my jaw and put a lump in my throat by the end. I didn't think I wanted to see this show but it proved a very emotional thing to watch...not only a staggering nightcap for a fine band, but a farewell to youthful nights for many a rock fan.

Jimmy Page has always been Led Zeppelin's beating heart to me, and if he couldn't cut it this would be terrible. Both he and Robert had moments where their age hindered what they really wanted to do, but both had tricks to get past those moments in tact. Jimmy in particular had moments where he looked in agony that his fingers wouldn't deliver the leads in solos that he really wanted. He had his back-up plans that usually (though not always) left him unscathed. All of his problems occurred on solos, during the main riffs he was really on his game. Also, his guitar sound was just bizarre on certain tracks, occasionally sounding like an effect of ice going down a garbage disposal. What the hell was that about? I'll admit to cringing in spots. But all in all they were so much better than I expected them to be, and in certain cases the maturity of their current playing bested the swagger of their youthful version. Last, Jonesy was solid all around just like an Entwhistle, the quiet and competent backbone.

"I didn't want it to stop. I felt a certain closeness to Dad...like he was there with us and he was one with me." - Jason Bonham

And then there was Jason, sitting in for Dad. He was so nervous before the show that he couldn't speak. By the end he was swinging for the fences on every pitch, driving the band and pummeling the crowd with monster fills and energy that had the old man pumping his fist I'm sure. It was emotional, and Bonham reports collapsing in tears backstage after the show. I'm not surprised in the least. Feeling a connection with your Dad after he's gone would do that. And this was such a connection in front of thousands of people which would amplify every emotion.

The fifth man on stage and their secret weapon was the set list. They carefully selected these sixteen tracks and made but one error. Wisely avoiding the "In Through the Out Door" debacle they instead paid tribute to their proper "last stand" album, "Presence." Both of its tracks came off swimmingly as did a delightfully spooky "No Quarter" featuring Jonesy at the keys. My highlight of the evening was "The Song Remains the Same". Song is one of my favorites and they smoked this baby at the proper fast speed and it was hard hitting and just as vital as their mid 70s versions. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, every little moment nicely nuanced yet rocking as hell. "Good Times Bad Times" was a surprising choice for opener that made clear the night's set list would be thoughtful.

"By the time we got to Kashmir, I was really going for it." -Jason Bonham

Obviously! "Kashmir", a track where the studio version bores me at times, was simply incredible. Plant nailed the vocal and when he knew he had it he hung on and pushed himself. Bonham tried to take everything to another level and succeeded. They killed it and they knew it. They owned the audience. Which made their next move all the more confounding.

The evening's stumbles came on the climax of Stairway when both Jimmy and Robert proved anti-climactic, Pagey just couldn't nail this solo and Robert really doesn't connect with the song anymore. On the studio versions Stairway will always be the better anthem in my view, but live in 2007 Kashmir has grabbed the mantle of signature moment. But most regretful was the dreadful choice to come off the powerful Kashmir victory by regurgitating the juvenile theatrics of "Whole Lotta Love." It was embarrassing really and I think they felt it. At that moment of mature power coming off Kashmir, they had the chance to hit orbit by choosing "Ten Years Gone" or "Tea for One" or "The Rover" which would have been doable and incredible given how adrenalized they were-instead they upchucked a Whole Lotta Love complete with moans and groans....baby baby....this segment was barely tolerable back then, now it was just painful. But complaining about anything here given the totality of the evening's triumph is nitpicking. My old friends kicked ass. Too bad they didn't realize how good this could be in the 90s when they excluded Jones.

The stage presentation (DVD version) was tasteful and simple, keeping the emphasis on the music, although there were some really nice laser effects at one point. The short and sweet booklet was also perfect. Rather than some long liner notes there is one simple page of short thoughts from each band member-Robert's and Jason's were quite touching. There isn't much to say about a document like this. If you were on the fence you shouldn't be. If you're a fan you will almost assuredly love it.

This review focuses on the DVD visuals and the main audio concert. This momentous event is definitely one for the annals of rock history. The legends are back and for one more time weave their magic before a spellbound crowd.

'Good Times Bad Times' is a perfect way to start, as the band said in the press conference, the song that started it all was the appropriate beginning. It is a terrific version, rocking real hard and Plant taking it down a tone to his vocal range and it works. The bass work of Jones is a blazing inferno, I never really gave him as much credit until I saw him live here; he is a master.

'Ramble On' is a pleasant surprise as it rocks the roof off here. Plant sounds fantastic even after all the years. 'Black Dog' is always brilliant to my ears although Jimmy struggles with those solos. I love the fact that there were no overdubs, just plain raw Zeppelin turned up to the max.

'In My Time Of Dying' has an incredible guitar sound that Jimmy gets from his gibson es-175 blonde axe. I love this version more than any I have heard, it is absolutely bone chilling. Page is more comfortable here on sliding the guitar strings with all the dexterity of the virtuoso legend he became. Bonham's son, Jason, is brilliant here taking it to the drums with a ferocity his father would have been proud of. Plant says "it still feels pretty good up here!" and my thoughts are it feels good from back here too; what a legendary performance. Plant then says "we are honoured to bring Jason in on this" and then states it is the first time they brought this next song in public. It is a strange choice because it is the little known 'For Your Life' and I had to look up from whence it came; namely "Presence", not a great album but this is the better way to hear this song, it really has a lot of passion.

Next is 'Trampled Under Foot' another gem not expected, but you have to love those guitar riffs, from the Terraplane Blues, and Jones is fantabulous on keyboards. The psychedelic visuals are effective too; a real stunner live. 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' follows and I was so delighted as I absolutely love it. The guitar again is given a ballsy muscular tone. It is incredible how tight the band are here, simply faultless (pun intended). By the time we get to the solo it is goosebumps all the way. Plant's harmonica work is great too; one of the concert highlights.

'No Quarter' was a great choice as its super popular and proggy. The guitar sounds amazing with wah wah fuzz but Jones is the real star here on psych keyboards. I love how the crowd sings softly with Plant. A perfect rendition of a classic, and the dry ice is an ethereal addition that looks ghostly. I forgot to mention too, throughout the concert, occasionally, there is an insert video that looks like a bootleg from the 70s, but it is the same concert, just made to look that way, all shakey and fuzzed; quite an affective element. The solo by Page here is one of his best on the night and when he raises his guitar at the end it is a sacrifice to the rock gods.

'Since I've Been Loving You' is a fine example of the band at their bluesiest best. It was a brave move for the band to do this as its so full of complex guitar and high bluesy wails but they nail it; Page and Bonham exchange some smiles cos they feel it. It smokes along with massive guitar solos along with shimmering organ. At the end Plant and Page share a laugh as they really enjoyed it as much as the crowd.

'Dazed And Confused' was a quintessential choice and it always has the power to captivate from beginning to end. The dynamics of tension are dramatic, with Plant screaming up a storm and scatting with improvised finesse, and it is released into some astonishing powerhouse lead soloing. Page takes the violin bow and gives the Gibson a good ol' thrashing. The laser pyramid surrounds him as he makes the guitar scream in agony; the only thing missing is the psychedelic sword wielding from the tarot hermit. It is a stunning live performance, certainly one of the better versions I have heard of this treasure. .

The band would have been lynched had they not done 'Stairway To Heaven' and it receives the appropriate ovation it deserves. The band cruise beautifully through it during the slow parts, though the double guitar sounds too distorted rather than acoustic, and it is downtuned. The heavy section with solo is excellent but it is not as dynamic as the older version from "The Song Remains the Same" movie; though still great to hear after all these years. I think the band are relieved when its over, even Plant says "we did it".

'The Song Remains The Same' is another obvious number to perform live as it is the signature tune from the infamous concert movie. The guitars are tuned down way too low to match Plant's voice and this ruins it a bit but overall it is a decent rendition. It might have been better to leave this out and do a different song, for instance my favourites are missing such as 'Immigrant Song', 'Achilles Last Stand' and 'You Shook Me'.

Plant says Bonham is "Spectacular" on drums and we believe he is right. The drummer shows proudly his Zoso tattoo which is appropriate as they launch into an upgraded version of 'Misty Mountain Hop', one of the album gems from the Zoso LZ4 classic. Bonham has fun backing on vocals and doing a great job. Plant mimics smoking dope at one point and the kaleidoscope video effects pretty much sum up what this is all about.

'Kashmir' is another definitive Zep classic and it sounds perfect here. The members play with emotion and passion and it really has the epic quality it deserves. The graphics are fantastic too on the background screen. Jones is a revelation on keys but you have to hand it to Bonham who drums his little heart out and when he bangs the gong at the end and stands to his feet, everyone in the crowd raise their fists in Valhalla glory; an absolute blockbuster performance from the Zeps at their best.

'Whole Lotta Love' is one of my faves with that awesome riff. Page is not up to scratch in the solo and Plant is a bit weird groaning in his old age here but it had to be included. The guitar interlude is a bit off the boil but you can hear the crowd loving singing along with those Planterisms which is a nice touch. The band leave after thanking everyone who made it possible. Then its off for a breather and an encore.

'Rock And Roll' is the perfect finish to this epic concert; the ultimate encore and the band really have tons of fun cranking it out. Plant plays with the crowd singing too many "lonely"'s and then Bonham lets rip on drums, and it is all over. As the band said in the press conference 5 years is 5 minutes in Zeppelin time, and it feels like time has gone fast too watching this.

The crowd roar as the band bow down and then roar even louder when the Led Zeppelin logo goes up emblazoned on the massive screen. It has been an incredible event, one that will go down in the annals of rock history. 5 stars for a masterpiece come back performance, hammered by the gods in stone, etched in our memories forever.