GIG OF THE CENTURY:

Maybe the best gig of Infinity, actually… Led Zeppelin have come out of the reunion closet to finally confirm what had been rumored of late; they shall return, and not in a quiet manner.

On November 26, 2007, at the new O2 venue in London, Led Zeppelin will headline a special benefit concert being held in the memory of Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.

The three living original members, Plant, Page and Jones, will be joined by John Bonham’s son Jason. This is the full blown reunion Zeppelin fans have been praying for since John Bonham’s death in 1980. And the news gets even better; if you are tired of those 4 song sets that defined the band’s reunions in the 80’s, this is the show to see, as it has also been announced that the band will be performing an entire 2 hour concert. As a reminder, the band averaged 3 hours back in the day, so this is a bit pared down by comparison! But we here at Namedropper are not complaining.

Also on the bill are Pete Townshend in a rare solo outing, and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones (until 1993). Tickets are a surprisingly low 125 English pounds (about $250). Low considering what they COULD be charging

Having seen Zeppelin four times in concert, I will attest that this is a gig not to be missed, although most of us will, I imagine. But don’t lose heart - rumors hang heavy of a tour if the benefit goes well. The band are denying it, but even if it’s true, they can be forgiven for denying their intentions. They probably just want to see how this one gig goes before they commit to any further endeavors. Thankfully, such a high scale event will almost certainly be filmed and released…by Atlantic Records.

Announcement of this gig today (Sept. 12) has seemed like a dream. Please don’t wake me up if it is.

Read more on the Pagey Blog.

--Bucks Burnett