Led Zeppelin’s lead singer, Robert Plant, has spoken out for the first time about his experience at the band’s O2 reunion gig last year (December 10).
The ‘Golden God’ – in a just published interview – said they were just as good on the night as they were in their prime.
Speaking to Esquire Magazine the morning after the show (December 11) Plant said: “It was ramshackle, casual, nervous, overblown, a little self-indulgent – it was all the things we ever were. We were the genuine thing last night.”
He added: “We’re not some ambivalent dross that pours into the charts by being some sort of valium for the middle-aged. It was a very decent and exciting visitation.”
Revealing further details about the event Plant admitted he did not warm up before gig saying: “We did two songs at a soundcheck the day before, and they were pretty hot. But yesterday [December 10] I had to keep very, very quiet. I didn’t want to talk. I just lay in a dark room playing my little ukulele, going: “If I was in Mali, it wouldn’t be like this.”
After the gig Plant had only one thing on his mind, grabbing a drink.
The singer said: “I was trying to find the special brew. My children are always embarrassed when I get on the Tenant’s Super, and the other guys, well none of them drink. So I just had a drink, gave everybody big hugs, saw my family, took in a bit of, I guess, nostalgia.”
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Plant also revealed that the whole evening seemed like a bit of a blur saying: “In the middle of all that effort, there were so many little flashbacks that I didn’t expect. I couldn’t put a form to a lot of it: it was just there. I thought: this is really cute, all these fucking old blokes huddled round John’s [Bonham] son.”
Concluding the interview Plant remained adamant that a world tour would not happen saying he wanted to concentrate on his project with Alison Kraus.
He said: “I really enjoyed playing with my friends [Led Zeppelin], and we are a lot closer because of it. But the responsibility, the whole deal…it’s a whole different thing to what I’m doing with Alison.”
Plant then continued adding: “I was singing the same, better, last night. I could go to certain places. But with Alison, it’s not about that. It’s about being comely. That’s where I’m bound.”
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