Led Zeppelin Or Not ?

Nearly a year ago (December '07) the legendary hard rock band Led Zeppelin reunited for a concert in London. Drummer John Bonham, who died years ago, was replaced by his son Jason. That concert got the rumors flying, and fans all over the world (including myself) began to dream of a reunion tour by the band.

Jimmy Page (lead guitar), John Paul Jones (bass) and Jason Bonham (drums) were excited by the reunion concert and decided they liked the idea of reuniting for an album and a new tour. But lead singer Robert Plant is not on board. He said, “Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin." Evidently, Plant (pictured) is happy being a solo act these days.

Now it looks like Page, Jones and Bonham are planning a new album and a tour, even if Plant doesn't want to participate. Jones has told BBC Radio that the trio have been practicing and trying out some lead singers. He said, “We want to do it. It’s sounding great and we want to get on and get out there. It’s got to be right. There’s no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don’t want to be our own tribute band." He's right.

Replacing Robert Plant is far different than replacing Bonham on the drums with his son (who plays a lot like his father). And replacing Plant with someone who sounds like him would be a mistake. Quite simply, the band is NOT Led Zeppelin without Plant.

Don't get me wrong. I believe the trio without Plant are still a talented and formidible group, and if they find a good lead singer, I'll buy their album and probably purchase tickets to their concert. Just don't try to tell me it's Led Zeppelin -- it's not.

They should get a new name for the group. They should also put off touring until they have enough new material so a concert would be made up of mostly new material. It would be a mistake to form a new group and then play mostly Led Zeppelin tunes.

The band is either Led Zeppelin, or it's not. I think without Plant, it's not.