Posted on 05/08/2013 8:36:43 AM PDT by equaviator
...But band turned down request to play at Sandy benefit concert
Led Zeppelin did not show Sandy victims a whole lotta love.
The legendary rock band turned down a request — from former President Bill Clinton, no less — to reunite and perform at the “12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief” in December.
And the British musicians had the gall to turn Clinton down just before they were to be honored at the Kennedy Center in Washington, CBS reported Monday on its 60 Minutes Overtime website.
“There were two bands that we were trying desperately to recruit. One was Rolling Stones, the other was Led Zeppelin,” David Saltzman, executive director of the Robin Hood Foundation, told the website.
It was movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s idea to enlist Clinton’s help.
“And, you know, the President was terrific,” Saltzman recalled. “He goes, ‘I really want to do this. This would be a fantastic thing. I love Led Zeppelin.’ And Bill Clinton himself asked Led Zeppelin to reunite.”
But, said Saltzman, “They wouldn’t do it.”
The Rolling Stones did, although Keith Richards initially told Saltzman to tell Weinstein to “f--- off.”
The Who, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Kanye West, Alicia Keys and other big name acts also helped raise $30 million in badly needed relief money for storm victims.
There was no immediate explanation why Zeppelin turned down the chance to help storm victims, but the three surviving members of the band have not played together since 2007.
Zeppelin, a pioneering hard rock band best known for hits like “Stairway to Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love,” officially broke up in 1980 after drummer and founding member John Bonham died.
Since then, singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bass player John Paul Jones, have embarked on their own projects — and have not exactly stayed in touch. When they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, Jones joking told Page and Plant, “Thank you, my friends, for finally remembering my phone number.”
Page and Plant were not amused.
The retired rockers were briefly reunited again in Washington in December for the 35th annual Kennedy Center Awards.
I agree with you and also wonder how much BJ and his admirers donated to the Sandy ‘victims’.
LOL- lets forget about Zeppelin IV; none of the crap the Stone produced came close to Physical Graffiti, which was released in ‘74- nothing....
Kahsmir, Trampled Under Foot, In My Time of Dying, the WonTon Song....even on their best day the Stones could not write a song that would make it onto Physical, which was a double album...
funny thing about the “punks”- they fizzled...listen to any rock station and lets compare the number of Zeppelin songs played versus the rolling stoned...
btw- i always wondered if the guitars of Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood were actually plugged in when the Stones were playing....sort of reminded me of the chick who played keyboards for the Partridge Family...
I saw Led Zep twice circa 1969 and they had a thin sound on stage. The studio sound was much fuller with much double tracking guitars and more. After the first two tunes boredom set in. It could be that in the years after they figured out ways to electronically enhance and deliver a fuller sound on stage
Robert Plant had a large and busy stage presence to try to overcome the thin sound. I saw the Stones in 69 and same problem of thin sound live, I was bored within 20 minutes. The studio versions were much better
Fixed it.....
Page wrote some of the greatest riffs ever. His soloing wasn't great but the man can play. Same for Eddie Van Halen....except his soloing was awesome.
One of my all time favs, as well as on my daughter’s top 10 list, along with Hendrix.
They were here recently.
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