Rolling Stone magazine recently spoke with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page about the legendary band’s much talked about concert film ‘Celebration Day.’ A few excerpts from the chat can be found below.
‘Celebration Day’ showcases Led Zeppelin’s entire 16-song set at London’s O2 arena in December 2007. The concert was played in tribute to Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary head of Atlantic Records, who signed the band to his label in 1968. It was the first full Zeppelin show by Page, singer Robert Plant and bassist John Paul Jones since the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980. Bonham’s son, Jason, took his father’s place for the night.
Page reflected on the aftermath of the show, describing the feeling as, “really high. That’s the truth. It was a serious test, and we passed it, all of us,” he said. “And we had an extraordinary communion on the stage. That’s alive and well when you see it.”
Page explained that the pressure was on to live up to Led Zeppelin’s reputation for their live performances: “The thing about Led Zeppelin was that it was always four musicians at the top of their game, but they could play like a band,” he began. “Even in the first couple of rehearsal days, running up to the O2, we were playing pretty good. But we really wanted to shine as a band…I wanted people to feel, ‘They’re taking this seriously.’
The coming release of ‘Celebration Day’ has once again flared rumors of a Led Zeppelin reunion, something which Page and the rest of the band has repeatedly denied. “I think if there had been any more concerts to be done, we’d already be talking about them,” Page told Rolling Stone. “So I don’t see it.”
‘Celebration Day’ is set for a worldwide theatrical release on 17 October, and a multi-format home release on 19 November.
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The tracklisting for ‘Celebration Day’ is as follows:
1 Good Times Bad Times
2 Ramble On
3 Black Dog
4 In My Time of Dying
5 For Your Life
6 Trampled Under Foot
7 Nobody’s Fault But Mine
8 No Quarter
9 Since I’ve Been Loving You
10 Dazed And Confused
11 Stairway to Heaven
12 The Song Remains the Same
13 Misty Mountain Hop
14 Kashmir
15 Whole Lotta Love
16 Rock and Roll