As far as musical reunions go, one of the most sought-after would have to be that of Led Zeppelin. Now, after rumours began to circulate that the band would be reuniting in 2018 to celebrate their 50th anniversary, guitarist Jimmy Page has had time to respond.
Back in December, Jimmy Page announced that Led Zeppelin had “all manner of surprises” in store for their 50th anniversary, leading to many fans naturally assuming that perhaps a Led Zeppelin reunion was on the cards. After all, it’s not like the band haven’t ruled out a reunion previously.
This announcement just so happen to come days after the tenth anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s last reunion show in 2007, when they played London’s O2 Arena in honour of late music executive Ahmet Ertegun. It was the first time that the band had played together since two partial reunions in the ’80s, following their dissolution after the death of drummer John Bonham.
However, despite the timing of that teaser, when news came through last month that Led Zeppelin were planning to reissue their classic live album, How The West Was Won, fans started thinking that maybe these hopes were a little misplaced.
Speaking to Planet Rock magazine, Jimmy Page made it clear the chances of a Led Zeppelin reunion are slim at best. “You’ve just got to face facts. We’ve gone past the tenth anniversary of the O2 [show], where we managed to do one serious concert,” Page explained. “That’s the only thing that we’ve done for such a long time, so I very much doubt we’ll do anything else. I really think the time has gone.”
Despite this, Page did reveal that there are plans for more Led Zeppelin reissues in the future, but remained coy in regards to just what is on the horizons.
“I can’t give the game away, but there’s a recording that’s another multi-track that we’ll release,” he revealed. “It’s so different to all the other things that are out there. It’s another view compared to How The West Was Won or The Song Remains The Same.”
“I’m looking forward to people hearing that. There’s a lot of stuff to come out, a number of releases. I’d like to say that they’ll be coming out over the next 10 years. There’s more to come for sure.”
While any hope of a reunion looks less and less likely as the days go by, we can take solace in knowing that there’s plenty of Led Zeppelin material still on the way for us to hear.
Of course, if you can’t stand waiting for a reunion that may never come, you can always head over to Bluesfest this year, where Led Zep frontman Robert Plant is performing with his phenomenal band, The Sensational Space Shifters, in addition to a number of sideshows around the country.
Check out Led Zeppelin’s classic ‘Rock And Roll’:
