Bob,

I know you tend to write provocative articles to provoke responses and there has been many a time I would have responded to some typical Bob inflammatory comment. So now that time has come.

Bob, you are sounding like a grumpy old man. The Led Zeppelin reunion creepy? How could that be?

I watched them all week in rehearsal, soundcheck and the gig…they were having fun. Page was having buckets of fun. I think he deserves that. And, oh, by the way, I think Jason Bonham deserves the chance to play for many many personal reasons and …he played very well.
They all did.
Meanwhile, Let me correct some of your misstatements:

1. The show was a 1 off. They wanted to honor Ahmet Ertegun. A charity was proposed. They accepted.

2. Ticket price was £135. It was a lottery. What could be more fair than that. Other packages were offered up to make more money for the charity. It was, after all, Bob, a charity show.

3. Led Zeppelin did not get paid a dime for the show. In fact, Bob, they contributed over £200,000 of their own costs not counting their time. How many acts playing charities do that?

4. As for Ashley Capps not guaranteeing that they are not playing Bonaroo in writing, well, I’m fucking guaranteeing it in writing. Led Zeppelin is not playing Bonaroo.

5. As for the band making a living, trust me, Bob, they have enough money. You’ve been living in LA far too long, hanging out with too many rich entertainment figures. As far as I can tell, Led Zeppelin don’t do anything for money. Certainly not in the way any of the other big name artists do.

6. Continuing through your missive. Had you been there you would have noticed that they did not perform like they did back in ’77. They all get the idea that they are not 30 anymore. Bob, my gut, is that while you are still trying ski runs you did 20 years ago , they are not attempting to do what they did 30 years except sing and play their music. What struck me was how well they played and how much fun they were having. Page had this child-like look on his face. He was enjoying himself immensely.

7. One more thing, you still can’t tell Led Zeppelin what to do.

I could go on here Bob about how wrong you are about all of this. Jimmy Page loves Led Zeppelin. He loves the music he wrote with the other 3. Why shouldn’t he be entitled to play it wherever and whenever he wants to. I had as much fun watching him as I had watching the show. Ask anyone who was there. And you know something else, the music Monday  night sounded as good as anything I’ve heard. It didn’t sound dated as all. I’d manage anyone who could write that riff in Kashmir right now…sight unseen.

Finally, Bob, maybe they will go on the road again. I truly don’t know. But what can tell you is that it will be because they are having fun. Whatever they earn out of it, they earn. But they have to have  fun. Please, take a breath, and consider that it isn’t always about the money.

Peter Mensch

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Bob,

Musicians,contrary to critical opinion,do not get worse with age…they get BETTER. Playing music is not an athletic feat like football. You get wiser and smarter and more soulful when you grow up, if you were any good in the first place.

Also, it’s not pathetic when great bands reunite….it’s pathetic when
they DON’T! We have right now in the US a whole generation of opening acts…not one new band can go on stage AFTER Led Zep
or the Who or the Stones or any other classic band of yore.

There’s plenty to complain about in todays culture…I hardly think a Zep reunion falls in that category.

Danny Kortchmar

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On Dec 10, 2007, at 7:42 PM, Bob Lefsetz wrote:

"What would Jesus do?  Well, he’s NEVER come back.  Maybe that’s why people still revere him so!"

Nice!! I will quote you!!

The first thing I noticed watching the a few Youtube videos was that the songs immediately sounded lower in pitch to me. I pulled out a trusty ‘ol Strat to confirm this suspision and sure ’nuff the band had tuned down to "D" instead of the usual "E" enabling Mr. Plant to apparently reach those higher notes.

I Love Led Zeppelin, every note on the first five records is permanently embedded in my brain, even Bonham’s kick drum pedal squeak on "Since I’ve Been Loving You". I certainly have used Page’s production techniques as a blueprint for many of mine. I actually own the first five LP’s on vinyl, 8-Track, cassette, Reel To Reel and CD. Those records were the bible of my coming of age and of my first years in the recording studio.

For my first "Rock Show" in November of 1967 I had the privilege of seeing the Yardbirds play at the (pre Fillmore East) Village Theater with Page on guitar, Vanilla Fudge and Tiny Tim (!?!) were also on the bill. This was also the first time I experienced the aural pleasure of a "Wah-Wah Pedal", my mind was indeed blown by Mr. Page and the next day I went on a quest to my local central NJ music stores to find one, not one salesperson had a clue as to what I was talking about! (I should have gone to 48th Street, but at this time being a greenhorn from New Jersey I was not aware of music store row!)

When I heard about the formation of L.Z. in 1968 I would constantly inquire at Gregory’s Music Store in Plainfield NJ about when the release would arrive, when it did I wore out my copy within weeks as I did with all of their subsequent records. In February of 1975 I attended an astounding L.Z. show at Nassau Coliseum, third row center.. my respect for the man and the band increased one hundred fold.

I suppose that if I was not there in the days of my youth (pun intended) for the real thing it would be enjoyable to see L.Z. today……I’ll stick with my memories thank you.

Ed Stasium

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Bob,
 
This will shed no light whatsoever on the Led Zeppelin show but that has never stopped me, or quite a few other "contributors," before.
 
In a time of political and musical misery…I say:
 
HATS OFF to Ahmet.
HATS OFF to whomever created their lottery system…genius.
HATS OFF all the people who put the show together.
HATS OFF to all the fans who traveled from around the world to relive their pasts.
HATS OFF to all the fans who traveled from around the world to experience Led Zeppelin for the first time in their lives.
HATS, pants, dresses, socks, shoes, bras, blouses, shirts, thongs, speedos and every other article of clothing, OFF, to the incredible talents of Led Zeppelin.
 
Bob, as far as your comments about aging musicians or aging in general, in the immortal words of the comedic genius, Larry David, getting older is "Pretty, Pretty, Pretty good"…especially when considering the alternative.
 
In the fall of 1999 through the summer of 2000, I had the pleasure of working closely with Jimmy when we put together the Jimmy Page / Black Crowes shows and Internet album of "Live at The Greek."
 
Besides being mesmerized every night from the side of the stage by Jimmy’s monstrous talent coupled with The Black Crowes’ masterful performance of Zeppelin songs, I was equally floored by what a genuinely kind hearted gentleman "The Dark Lord of all things rock" truly is…and in truth, I have enjoyed every moment of our personal and professional relationship.
 
There are many experiences and stories that I could share, but two in particular stick in my mind:
 
At the time that Jimmy and The Black Crowes were performing at The Greek, I brought my breathtakingly stunning half Japanese / half Irish wife to the show.  She always stayed by my side, being slightly uncomfortable wandering around the backstage area on her own.  Immediately before the show started, I had security escort her and her friends to their seats.
 
Then, on the way to the stage with the band, Jimmy pulled me aside and asked, "Mate, do you happen to know the name of that beautiful woman with the long black hair that you were talking to and where she is from?"
 
Hmmm, I thought.  Intentionally dragging out my response, I delivered, "Well, let me think, umm, ahhh, well, yes Jimmy, as a matter of fact, I do happen to know her name…her name is… ‘My Wife’ and she is from my house."
 
We both had a good laugh.  It was a fair question, one I would have asked myself if I wasn’t already married to her.  He couldn’t be faulted as I had not introduced the two of them prior to the show.  However, after the show, I brought her into the dressing room and made the introduction, "Jimmy, this is my wife, Karen, and she is from my house."  Jimmy smiled and couldn’t have been more sincerely hospitable.  Karen returned a beautiful smile that rarely left her glowing face, even though she had no idea why the introduction was so strange.
 
One other:
 
After the project had run its course, I received a message that Jimmy had called and would appreciate me returning his call.  When I called him back, a woman answered and asked me to wait a moment while she "hunted him down."
 
Thirty-two minutes later, and I am perfectly clear as to the time because I watched the entire episode of "To Serve Man" on The Twilight Zone while placing the call on speakerphone, Jimmy finally picked up and humbly apologized for the wait.
He mentioned that he "was in another part of his house."
 
You have to love it.  I mean, how many fucking rooms would one "house" have to possess for a group of assistants to expend thirty-two minutes searching it for its owner?
 
As much as I love my house, I can tell you that it most certainly wouldn’t take thirty-two minutes of searching it to locate me.
A minute max, maybe two if I was out in the yard arguing with the Gardener who speaks not a word of English, or worst case scenario, maybe three if I was busy in the bedroom trying to sell myself on some sexual visual.
 
Jokingly, I told Jimmy I was going to send him a golf cart, walkie talkie system and search and rescue dogs to help "his people" locate him in the Mansion De Page.
 
In any case, back to the point…regrettably, I didn’t make it to their show, but I have received no less than twenty emails and calls from friends, in and out of the industry, who experienced  the show and said it was absolutely magical on a multitude of levels.
 
If Led Zeppelin decide to tour, they will bring incredible joy and memories to millions of people.
If they don’t, so be it.  Either way, good for them.
 
They deserve it…and clearly, the world desires it.
That always makes for a great combo platter.
 
Pete Angelus
Angelus Entertainment

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Stop It !     Just Stop It !     Enough!
All of you writing these negative letters in regards to Led Zeppelin, should be ashamed of yourselves. Who the fuck are you to assume or pretend to know WHY Robert Plant….Jimmy Page…and John Paul Jones…  at this point in their lives are Jamming together.
maybe it was just time….maybe they wanted a last run before they go.
maybe at the rehearsals for this benefit they got turned on by the  magic and chemistry they have forgotten and secretly craved for so many years…and now realiz that they are not getting any younger and they should put they’re differences aside and go out and have some fun…    it’s a stretch? but possible.
maybe they wanna rock.
maybe they need to rock.
Maybe it’s for the money?.    But That’s none of our business….our business as fans is to rock with them.

Upset about The Money?….If that was the case..than you should punish them for all the previous tours they did back in the day……Cause they were raking it in….Private Jets, Limo’s, 5 star hotels..not to mention the merch….What did you think ? that they weren’t thinking about money back then?  They were doing it only for us?  And so they should get paid….they are one of the biggest rock band this earth has ever seen…only the Beatles who were obviously massive , could create this much havoc and excitement on a reunion. They deserve every fucking penny.  This is LED ZEPPELIN…They are true Rock and Roll royalty. 
 
And you do have the right to NOT go see them.
but don’t be like those pompous assholes who picket movies…calling the film blasphemis and disrespectable…that when asked if they had seen the movie they are boycotting..they say "NO…i don’t need to see it…i just know."  That is just ignorance speaking.
What ever the reason for hating on these guys …i just can’t believe i read…
"i don’t want them to fuck with my memories"?
THEY….. gave you those fucking memories.
for that reason alone if you are a true Zep fan…You owe them at least the respect to not criticize them for wanting to Rock and Roll again…What’s so wrong with that?  Zep has always played by their own rules.
Instead we as fans should be estatic to get a chance to celebrate with them and show them how much we appreciate what they have left behind for us.
They were the most played soundtrack to our lives…The bad times that they got us through..And the parties they hosted for us…just by dropping that needle.
Not to mention how much they have influenced musicians.

And Why is it so wrong just  to simply sit in a venue and share some beautiful music with them …maybe one last time before they die…hell…before we all die.
Why are there so many rules…Rock and Roll has NO RULES!  Where did these regulations come from? They are betraying us? Is Jimmy Page is really Osama Bin Laden?  Led Zeppelin backwards is really Al Queda?
They are a Rock and Roll band…Don’t crusify them for wanting to Rock…

Yeah …i know it’s gonna be different….No shit….there’s No Bonzo….No Shiny dragon outfit….No sock stuffed down Plants pants…..well, i can’t be sure about that one….But it wont be as crazy as it was was when they were coming to Boston garden and cars and trains were being flipped over and destroyed..and we got so wasted we don’t remember how we got home…oh yeah we didn’t make it home…we got into a head on car collision doing 120 mph and in the hospital with glass in our faces. "but that’s another story for another day".
"BUT PLANT LOOKS ALL WRINKLY and"…..And guess what…news flash!  They’re much much older…Robert Plant looks old…and so does Page…
Are we to punish them for that also?
"How dare they wanna rock at that age!!!"
Oh shit..If that’s the case,  I’m in my 40’s and i’m fucked…I was just cutting some new trax today…oh well i’d better go put my Guitar and rig up in the attic for good….because guaranteed i will be acused of greed if i tour with my band.
is that what we have become?
We look for any reason to criticize the greats.
But yet the majority of emails that come from Bob and his readers are about how much the new generation of artists have no soul and musicianship and can’t write a descent tune.
See… More inportantly..the fucking kids NEED to see Zep…even this line up at this age.
Rock is dying…if not dead already.
Do we need to see one more awards show to know that music is in deep shit!  So depressing.
There is no one out there inspiring kids to pick up a guitar.
Why do you think that there are millions of copies of the game Guitar Hero are being sold…they are starved for it…We’re fucked if we have to count on a video game to save Rock and Roll.

And i have to say….It broke my heart to hear Bob say that he was sitting next to the legendary Jimmy Page and didn’t even bother to say hi or shake his hand, for selfish memory based reasons….you missed out Bob.
That could have turned into one of your greatest memories ever.
Are you that old and set in your ways… that you are not capable to allow some new memories into your heart.?
You might have missed out on a life changing conversation….That we would have read in your letters….
You see….I did a gig in germany in the early nineties. A festival.
Plant-Page were also on the bill.  when i saw them walk into the backstage outdoor area….my childhood flashed before me…Sheryl Crow was standing next to me…She said; Go say hi!   I said…No fucking way!   That is Jimmy Page! What do you say to Jimmy Page…"Hi dude…i dig your playing"?
So i did nothing.!    What a fool i was…
So i turned around to walk away..and i felt a hand on my shoulder and someone called my name….I turned around and it was………………HIM.
All i can say Bob…., right after i passed out and he picked me up off the floor , we spoke for the next 2 hours about one of his favorite places…My birthplace, Portugal….How much time he spends there,  The local moonshine he had an anvil case full of , The traditional guitars he buys there,  my family there…No mentiion of the music business or our bands….Just a hang.
So next time you see him Bob….Don’t shun him or punish him for being in Led Zeppelin…Just say, Hi Jimmy…shake his hand and smile.
I swear…..the magic and sincerety in his hands will stay with you forever…And you will be glad to know.that  ..that new memory didn’t erase any of the old ones.

I guess  the point is…can we please, please stop talking about the business side of things for a little while? Just this once.  I beg you…All i hear and read from you is how there is no great music anymore…that it’s all a scam…marketing, marketing, Money Money Money. Clive is the evil empire that ruined it all.
You’re so right….
That’s why i beg you to Not Boycot the POLICE or LED ZEPPELIN merely because you’re upset they are getting compensated… added more shows …they planned it? Maybe……..Fuck it….! who cares?
The Music is too important.
It’s a dry musical desert out there…and life is too short to be  judgemental and untrusting and missing out. with the bands that shaped your life…….because all we really crave and all we really need…is an evening of ROCK and ROLL…Nothing more , nothing less….just a new memory to take home with us…to keep till we die.
And for those of you afraid to take that risk because of the old ZEP?    you must have been too fucked up to remember or to notice that 7 out of 10 gigs… Zeppelin sucked live…Those were the nights that they were so drugged and wasted that they could barely stand nevermind play an instrument…Bonham puking into a bucket on stage.
But that was the danger and that was the risk….I saw Steven Tyler pass out 2 nights in a row by the 2nd song in worcester to never return.

I would give anything to witness one of these great-legendary acts in their fragile state or in  their latter years of life than to listen to or to see most of the pretensious crap that’s on the radio…this current state of music is so worth seeing that it made MTV extinct.
That might be a good thing though.
And the guy who made fun of Plant having a cup of tea before the show?
…You must not be a singer….and…. give the guy a fucking break…he’s nearly 100 years old.
But believe me as an eye witness when i tell you guys and Bob….these guys are old….But they still party hard….Page? are you kidding?   And you also question whether there were groupies backstage at Van Halen and whether David Lee Roth was still fucking them….YES!
Rock is still alive and well my friend.

i know you keep going back to the good old days….so do i….it makes me angry.
The line ups were rediculous…we were spoiled …2 to 3 great bands on the bill on any given tour.  That was the norm…we took it for granted.
It was like tap water…we would go to the sink time and time again believing it was pure and the quality was always gonna be there.
….Today all we get is Bottled water. Flavored water.
Vitamin water. With colorfull labels , each claiming they are the purest. The truth is…Just like rock and roll…tap water was never clean. It was Dirty.    but that didn’t matter….it quenched our thirst just fine.

Bring back that dirty water.    Bring back that rock and roll.

Pardon my spelling and typing…i am a simple musician.
And Bob….I just have one last request.
To The ones who write in and ask to hide their identity..?    Grow some balls…Be proud of your opinions…and tell us who you are….this is AMERICA….we are free.

Nuno Bettencourt