Jimmy Page has confirmed that Led Zeppelin were working on new material without Robert Plant after their reunion concert in 2007 – and Plant has stated he thought the band would have been a good idea.
Page told Rolling Stone that he and John Paul Jones played their one-off comeback show at London’s O2 in December 2007 “having been led to believe there would have been more shows”. Insisting he doesn’t know why Plant changed his mind, Page added that he, Jones and late drummer John Bonham’s son Jason worked with replacement singers including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy.
“They had a singer,” Plant said. “I don’t know what happened. It sounded like a great idea to me.” Page confirmed that bassist John Paul Jones joining Them Crooked Vultures with Josh Homme and Dave Grohl effectively killed the reformation. He said: “That was a pretty definitive statement.”
Asked if there would be any future Led Zeppelin shows, both Plant and Page said it would be unlikely. Plant said: “You’re going back to the same old shit. A tour would have been an absolute menagerie of vested interests and the very essence of everything that’s shitty about about big-time stadium rock. We were surrounded by a circus of people that would have had our souls on the fire. I’m not part of a jukebox.” Page added: “People ask me nearly every day about a possible reunion. The answer is no. It’s been almost seven years since the O2. There’s always a possibility that they can exhume me and put me onstage in a coffin and play a tape.”
However, Plant didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of future shows. He said: “Everything will develop as it develops. All doors are open. All phone lines are open. I don’t hear from anybody. Talk is cheap, but I just think everything has to be new. Then you can incorporate history.” Comparing the chances to those of The Eagles, who reformed in 1994 after a 14-year split, Plant said: “Do you know why The Eagles said they’d reunite when hell freezes over, but they did it anyway and keep touring? It’s not because they were paid a fortune. It’s not about the money. It’s because they’re bored. I’m not bored.”