editors note – as of 11/12/14 this was discovered not to be the true events of what conspired, but it made for good discussion nonetheless
Robert Plant will never reunite with Led Zeppelin – even for the amount of an $800 million contract. The 66-year-old singer walked away from a 35-date tour that would have paid the rock group nearly $800 million — ripping up the contract in front of stunned promoters, the Mirror newspaper reported Sunday. British tycoon Sir Richard Branson had planned to reunite the icons and promoters had even gotten the green light Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones who signed on immediately per sources. The mega deal would have paid Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones roughly $300 million apiece, before taxes, according to The Mirror. Jason Bonham would have been paid wages to perform. Group members lobbied hard for Plant to join in but he wouldn’t change his mind. An industry source said they were told they could have been paid for 35 dates in three cities, London at the O2, Berlin and New Jersey.
22 Responses
I’m sorry but that is one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard of. $300 million for 30 dates. If you cannot do that for your fans from over 40 plus years. Either you can’t hit the high notes anymore. Or you just plain despise your band mates. Suck it up. This is history. Obviously he doesn’t have a clue or just doesn’t care of the impact this would have in Rock & Roll.
Blah, blah, blah…ZZZzzz…
With all respect, I think he’s making the right decision. You’ve still got the Who, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi touring around and it’s not the same. Yes is even doing it without Jon Anderson.
People want to see Led Zeppelin, yes. What they would get is Robert who DEFINITELY can’t sing the high notes anymore…nothing like before…and John Bonham isn’t there. I think they were right to break up when they did. I actually respect Robert for turning down this amount of money, it just shows the respect he has for the past and the mighty Zep was never meant to tour in their 60’s with a likely back up entourage of additional guitarists and back up singers. Most bands would take the money and it wouldn’t live up to the hype no matter how over produced it was. Robert is just too spontaneous to go backwards and recapture something that was really fresh at one point. He even got board DURING Led Zeppelin and was sick of singing “Stairway” to the point he’d change it up too much.
Watch the old live DVD’s, that’s Led Zeppelin 🙂
When are you Industry pricks like Branson & mainstream assholes gonna learn!! Robert is not gonna do it no matter how much money you throw at him! This happened twice before! After the Atlantic records 40th & the 02 arena show! It’s about Integrity! & Sincerity! If his head & heart isn’t into it He’s not gonna do it! He may in his own time do One more show with Zep But he ain’t gonna tour!! & this is why, They all want to make money off them! & Robert won’t let him or Zep be exploited! Also the way the industry works today The world couldn’t handle a Zep tour! It would be TOO big! & Robert doesn’t have the Stamina to take the high powered show theyre known for for multiple nights! So LEAVE HIM ALONE & stop throwing money at him! You just piss him off & make the possibility of ONE more show even more remote!!
This is a very logical, rational and common sense comment. It’s too bad the other sheeple making their “comments” don’t get it. Enough is enough with ripping into Robert Plant. It has nothing to do with the money whatsoever. Robert has millions of dollars AND continues to get more every year from royalties, duh!
He owes the world nothing. I’m sure he’s smart enough to know he and the others look like aging dinosaurs. Even in Led Zeppelin’s prime Robert Plant couldn’t hit the high notes live which made Led Zeppelin performances more further from the truth of their records. Led Zeppelin is an amazing and incredible band but it’s time to grow old gracefully! ; )
I’m GLAD he ripped up the contract!! Way to go Rob!! Nobody’s gonna buy you off or make you do anything against your will!! Way to go!
I totally agree! I believe Robert mentioned earlier, “He didn’t want to be a jukebox” ….. indeed, the Song Remains the Same …. It was a good thing they filmed those concerts- the energy captured in that movie is absolutely mesmerizing — hypnotic .. and we all have front row seats to it in our living rooms.. for free-
This is probably along the lines of some of Mr Plants’ thoughts,.. Tickets were not more than $10 dollars in 1973. If Led Zeppelin went on tour now, the price of a ticket would be a fortune, Only playing for those who could afford seats and the best seats would all be taken by the very elite…… as how it is now for the Rolling Stones… They do not control the prices of the tickets,,, money-hungry crooked promoters do..
” for those in the back seats, clap your hands real loud, and those in the front can rattle your jewelry” – John Lennon
Good on Robert Plant. Reunion tours for obscene cash is so tasteless. And the boys are best off, as Roberts says, doing new things. Like the old stuff, get the vinyl and do it like in the old days.
Robert maybe had a brain implant and must be mental…
So much for a ‘Whole Lotta Love’,,,no?
Dude, your name says it all. Who the hell lives his life with a name like that? : /
How about east coast, west coast,London,& France Fri, Sat,& Sun x2 ,4 cities 6 shows each city. Come on Plant the only 2 acts I wanted to but never saw Hendrix & the mighty LED ZEP.
Then again,if your to old,cant hit the notes,want to play nice mellow music that’s up to you but you do a huge dis service to your fans, you know the people who made you famous.
I saw Zeppelin in 1971 at the Yale Bowl on their Led Zeppelin III tour. They are not that good in concert, IMO. Obviously many others feel differently, but I realized how much “extra” goes into their recordings. At any rate, I hope you have the opportunity to decide for yourself.
Get “The Song Remains The Same” DVD and then you can say you’ve seen them live. As far as Jimi Hendrix goes, you ain’t missing much. He was a dead-end loser doing drugs! ; )
He’s taking the high road, as he realizes spandex wouldn’t hide his Depend’s very well.
Move on
Saaaaaaaaaatan ! !
Let’s not really believe everything we’ve heard. I don’t believe for a second that RP would walk into a room with his ex-bandmates and promoters, and in front of their eyes rip up a contract. He has become more of a gentleman than that. He would have just declined the offer through his business manager. Thus, if that part of the story is false, why should we believe any other part of it in terms of the dollars offered?
If you really watch the dvd “The song remains the same” there are sooo many overdubs you are not seeing a real live concert! I play guitar and the sounds that come from Page’s guitar from the standpoint of where his hands and fingers are placed is not right!
I like Zep a lot but i ofter wondered how good of a live band they actually were just based on how many overdubs there were on that dvd.
I’ve been a lead singer since 1969…I started off singing Led Zeppelin songs when I was 16…..Call me Jimmy Page…I can still hit all the high notes that Robert Plant hits on the records….My hat is off to Mr. Plant,
I learned so much about singing from him..He has nothing to prove to anyone….I would however still like to audition for the Zeppelin gig…….Call me Jimmy….(716) 316-8970