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Led Zeppelin Roundup: Backstage and Beyond

By now you’ve probably read about what happened onstage during Led Zeppelin’s show last night, but else happened at the concert of the year? For one, Pete Townshend, despite reports to the contrary, did not perform: “I pulled out of the Ahmet Ertegun benefit the day I heard Led Zep were performing,” Townshend wrote on his blog. “They really don’t need me.” Many in the audience probably wished the other openers had taken Townshend’s stance, but they gave a polite reception to the other acts. The show began with a prog-rock supergroup composed of Yes bassist Chris Squire, Yes drummer Alan White, Emerson and Lake and Palmer’s keyboardist Keith Emerson, doing a progged-out version of Aaron Copeland’s “Fanfare For The Common Man.” Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman took the stage next with his longtime group The Rhythm Kings, serving as the house band for the remaining openers. Paul Rodgers performed joined them for “All Right Now” and Foreigner’s Mick Jones came out for “I Want To Know What Love Is.” All of the acts had been signed by the late Atlantic Records co-founder Ertegun, and Robert Plant made sure that the audience didn’t forget it, announcing “Ahmet, we did it!” after Zeppelin performed “Stairway to Heaven.” Backstage at the main gig was one gigantic A-list conclave, featuring Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, David Gilmour, Dave Grohl, Marilyn Manson, Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, Michael J. Fox, Pink, Juliette Lewis, Liam Gallagher, Noel Gallagher and Steve Winwood. After the show, VIP’s headed over to the nearby Club Indigo to check out a post-show featuring soul stars Solomon Burke, Ben E. King, Percy Sledge and Sam Moore. The club was jam packed, and even the most intrepid of reporters didn’t manage to get in. If that weren’t validation enough for Jimmy Page and Robert P

Published: 2007-12-12
Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Rock News, Led Zeppelin Reunion