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Zeppelin in Toronto??

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afro poppa

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080522.wled22/BNStory/Entertainment/home

Rumours ramping up over Led Zeppelin reunion in Toronto

BRAD WHEELER

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

May 22, 2008 at 3:56 AM EDT

It's been a long time since Led Zeppelin did the stroll in front of a Toronto audience, but a return by the grand British band of blues rock could happen, possibly at Rogers Centre.

Rumours of a Zeppelin reunion have floated freely since the band's ballyhooed one-off performance at London's O2 Arena last December. Current speculation, however, has foundation. "It's my understanding that some preliminary discussions are going on," said Nadia Flaim, the stadium's communications manager .

Earlier this week, a MuchMusic blogger reported that a "reliable source" had provided details. "No fancy tour of the U.S.," the online dispatch reads, "but Toronto will have four dates at Skydome/Rogers Centre this coming August."

According to Ms. Flaim, August concerts are unlikely, due to Blue Jays and Argonauts games already in place. "Just based on the time needed for conversion purposes, it would be a very tight squeeze."

Since the London concert, the group - which broke up in 1980, and last played here in 1971 - have done little to quell rumours. "You never know what is around the corner," guitarist Jimmy Page said early this year. More recently, singer Robert Plant, who is touring with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss this summer, spoke of "unfinished business."

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Led Zeppelin will not be performing in Toronto in August, despite speculative reports to the contrary.

Whether the legendary rockers reunite later this year, in Toronto or anywhere on this side of the Atlantic Ocean, remains to be determined.

A blog posting last week on MuchMusic.com said Zeppelin would reunite for the second time in as many years to play four shows at the Rogers Centre (the former SkyDome) in August. A Globe and Mail report yesterday said that preliminary discussions were taking place with the dome.

Yesterday, though, two sources in the position to know both said they were unaware of any discussions involving Led Zeppelin playing in Toronto at any venue, with one source completely dismissing the speculation.

Music industry magazine Billboard inquired into the report "at the highest level" and, according to the magazine's news editor Jonathan Cohen, was "fairly confident there's nothing to it."

A spokesperson for the Rogers Centre yesterday said there is nothing to the reports regarding Led Zeppelin, but did not close the door.

"I would love to be able to say that they are coming, however at this time there is no scheduled date for a performance by the band in August," said Nadia Flaim, communications manager for the Rogers Centre. "It is simply too early to discuss venue or stage set-up, should they come to perform."

The prototypical hard-rock group, Led Zeppelin formed in 1968 comprising guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones. They disbanded in 1980 after Bonham's death.

The three survivors reunited for one-off shows in 1985, 1988 and 1995 -- but had their first headlining gig as a reunited Led Zeppelin last Dec. 10 at London's 02 Arena. With Bonham's son Jason on drums, Zeppelin played largely sizzling versions of the band's biggest hits over two memorable hours.

Earlier last fall, both Page and Jones told the Sun that the foursome would wait to see how the 02 Arena show went before discussing, either privately or publicly, any further reunions.

Zeppelin then regrouped without instruments in January, where Plant informed the others that he'd be touring this spring and summer with Alison Krauss behind their critical-hit CD Raising Sand. That tour concludes July 19 in Nashville.

With no official announcement from the band, speculation since January has focused on either a Zep tour, or series of dates, on this side of the Atlantic some time later this year.

Considering the following band-member logistics, reports of Rogers Centre shows in August make almost no sense.

First, Jason Bonham is touring with Foreigner and they have two shows confirmed for late August: Aug. 22 in Detroit and Aug. 30 in Atlantic City. But the Rogers Centre's only stretch of four vacant days in succession in August is in that last week, because of stretches of Jays, Argos and Bills games earlier in the month. What's more, late August dates would mean Led Zeppelin would have at most just a few weeks of rehearsal time -- and that would require no down time for Plant after his long tour with Krauss. Finally, Plant and Krauss have at least one festival show lined up for September, and if you're Robert Plant you don't just squeeze in a few Led Zeppelin shows between your bluegrass gigs.

Plant was long seen as the biggest obstacle to any Zeppelin reunion. Publicly he always said it was because he's not into "nostalgia" acts, preferring instead to always break new musical ground either as a solo artist or in collaboration with others, such as Krauss. But those who intimately know Zeppelin's music and career suspect it might also have been because Plant can no longer hit the high notes he so fabulously reached on some of the band's most famous songs, circa 1968-73. In other words, he'd have the most to lose if he couldn't pull off a reunion, vocally. That's undoubtedly why Zeppelin played several songs at 02 Arena in lower keys, including Stairway to Heaven, Ramble On and The Song Remains the Same. Those stepped-down arrangements might even have been the key factor in Plant agreeing to reunite.

Might Led Zeppelin yet reunite later in the fall? Say, in November?

And if in Toronto, wouldn't it make more sense to play at the Air Canada Centre? After all, no band ever cared more about its sound than Led Zeppelin, and all Toronto concert goers can tell you the sound just plain sucks at concerts held inside the concrete reverberation sphere once known as the SkyDome.

For Badgeholders Only, an Internet mailing list devoted to the band, reported in April that Page, Bonham and Jones had been in a rehearsal studio in London. Presumably, then, they're preparing to play something, somewhere, sometime.

Just not at the former SkyDome in August.

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Jaimoe Newbie

Jaimoe

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The MuchMusic blogger in question that "leaked" the story is Katherine Foster, a person I don't know or have ever heard of. I'm getting a friend of mine that works in Creative to find out more. Right now, she's sticking to her story: that it is real.

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My friend got this response from Ms Foster:

She isn't giving the source, but she said it’s a very credible one and that if the news got to this person, then its more then likely to happen.

Considering the following band-member logistics, reports of Rogers Centre shows in August make almost no sense.

First, Jason Bonham is touring with Foreigner and they have two shows confirmed for late August: Aug. 22 in Detroit and Aug. 30 in Atlantic City. But the Rogers Centre's only stretch of four vacant days in succession in August is in that last week, because of stretches of Jays, Argos and Bills games earlier in the month. What's more, late August dates would mean Led Zeppelin would have at most just a few weeks of rehearsal time -- and that would require no down time for Plant after his long tour with Krauss. Finally, Plant and Krauss have at least one festival show lined up for September, and if you're Robert Plant you don't just squeeze in a few Led Zeppelin shows between your bluegrass gigs.

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MarcO Newbie

MarcO

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why would people want to pay out of the ass to see a bunch of old fucks?

Would you also not scramble for tickets if the real Pink Floyd reunited for a tour?

oh absolutely. But in my defence, I'm kind of a shallow opinionated prick who would rather shoot from the hip than be consistent.

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Hartamophone Explorer

Hartamophone

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Considering the following band-member logistics, reports of Rogers Centre shows in August make almost no sense.

First, Jason Bonham is touring with Foreigner and they have two shows confirmed for late August: Aug. 22 in Detroit and Aug. 30 in Atlantic City. But the Rogers Centre's only stretch of four vacant days in succession in August is in that last week, because of stretches of Jays, Argos and Bills games earlier in the month. What's more, late August dates would mean Led Zeppelin would have at most just a few weeks of rehearsal time -- and that would require no down time for Plant after his long tour with Krauss. Finally, Plant and Krauss have at least one festival show lined up for September, and if you're Robert Plant you don't just squeeze in a few Led Zeppelin shows between your bluegrass gigs.

Fair enough, and I put myself in the "doesn't look likely" camp, but moving sporting events around for rock concerts is certainly not uncommon.

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Whitey Newbie

Whitey

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why would people want to pay out of the ass to see a bunch of old fucks?

Would you also not scramble for tickets if the real Pink Floyd reunited for a tour?

oh absolutely. But in my defence' date=' I'm kind of a shallow opinionated prick who would rather shoot from the hip than be consistent.

[/quote']

nice one, at least you are honest

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