Been to London, Seen Seven Wonders

AT LAST
OUR ACCOUNT OF THE ZEPPELIN SHOW

Los Angeles to London takes 9 1/2 hours via Air New Zeppelin.

We get in Saturday morning and amidst a couple days of jet lag and tourism, we learn an outrageous fact -- London pubs close at 11 pm.

Sunday, the day before Lift Off, we take the tube from Belgravia to the O2 Arena. We stand in line for an hour with a United Nations of Zep Heads to get ticketed and tagged with wrist bands to prevent ticket scalping.

Can't help but notice this crowd is better composed than the freak fest seen at Madison Square Garden in The Song Remains the Same flick. That's mainly a good thing, although when it comes to rock, who knows?

We talk to people from San Francisco and Brazil. The buzz is a quiet but total dedication to seeing this show.

The day of the show, Monday Dec. 10, is the first non-rainy day we've seen in London.

We take a sunny tour of the Thames and see Parliament (the place that named the American cigarette that named the Plainfield, NJ doo-wop group, that became Parliament-Funkadelic, which is the original Mothership).

Then it's 6 pm, time to ride the tube back to Greenwich and the O2. The Zeppelin show is in all the London papers today, but it's business as usual in the underground. No one's blasting "Sick Again" on a boom box.

Still, there is a sense of kinship I feel with all the heads who rode the 1/9 train to the Garden to get some Zeppelin on the Houses tour back in the day... This time I trust Jimmy isn't on a 3-day sleepless bender.

We get inside the dome, then inside the arena, get our seats on the John Paul side of the stage high in the risers.

There is classic 1950s R&B playing on the p.a. -- Willie Dixon, Howlin Wolf, Memphis Minnie.

The tribute to Ahmet kicks off with something terrifying -- a prog rock cover of Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" by members of Yes, ELP and Bad Company.

Then Paolo Nutini belts out some R&B, Paul Rodgers sings a little Free, and various singers, including Maggie Bell, do their thing backed up by Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings. Foreigner with a sound-alike singer does Ahmet's favorite prom tune, "I Want To Know What Love Is." Eww. Ronnie Wood, who's billed second on the T-shirt, never appears. Whatever.

At 9 on the dot, the lights go down. The moment we've been 27 years waiting for is here.

The screens show a news clip from the Tampa FL local newscast back in '75, with the squares trying to make sense of Led Zep breaking the Beatles' live attendance record at Tampa Stadium.

Then comes the double pulse of "Good Times Bad Times," the tune that literally started it all for the album gods to rule all album gods.

It's a rush to recognize they're actually doing that song. The song that's kicked off every Zep Out since Ann Arbor in '89. Going back to the origins. Robert, Jimmy and JPJ are in a tight cluster near Jason's drum riser, in solidarity, like back in the club days.

"In the days of my youth, I was told what it means to be a man..."

Jimmy's solo is a ringer for the one we all know by heart. John Paul's bass breakdowns are right on cue. Plant sounds killer. Bonham extremely focused and confident. Of course -- it's not loud enough! Plus there's some feedback. I start to feel queasy -- is the music going to be too quiet in here??

"Ramble On" -- the folksy intro gets going but sound anxieties are still distracting. It needs to be 10 times louder. But when they kick into the riff, the screens capture a look between Page & Plant, kind of a "Here we go one more time" smile that is priceless. That's when I know for real we are at a Zeppelin show.

"Black Dog" -- by this one the feedback is banished, the volume is higher, thank Odin, and Page is better in the mix. The sound is fine for the rest of the night -- it just needed to be about twice as loud.

Black Dog's where I first really notice that Jason's drumming isn't just a recital -- he's expanding on his inheritance; he's actually getting freaky on it. The crowd is nutting up, the call and response is vivid. I gotta give Bonham Jr. the MVP award for this entire deal. He was outstanding. Pounding what I presume to be his pop's yellow lucite kit, with the Zep I album cover on the kick drum. So choice. I haven't been so proud of royal rock offspring since I saw Sean Lennon on bass, totally dedicated, driving the whole band forward for a Cibba Matto club show in Hollywood.

Now Plant delivers the ritual "Good Evening." The pagan revival is in full swing.

Then comes the first curve ball of the night. Instead of keeping the crowd-pleasers rolling, the band detours into Led Zep PhD. territory: "In My Time of Dying," followed by a tune never before played live, "For Your Life."

For them to do "Dying" wasn't a shock because they said they would. It was just a strange place for it to land. Still the tempo whiplash and blues-slide growl come off well, and Plant wails to Jesus like a Delta preacher man.

But for them to bust out "For Your Life"? Most Unexpected. The slo-mo sophomore track from the silver-edged darkness of the Presence LP? This was actually the number ringing vividly in my head the next day...

So now all bets were off, you don't know what to expect.

JPJ unstraps his bass and gets behind the keyboards. Robert introduces a song modeled after Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues" and you know it has to be the greasy clavichord funk of...

"Trampled Underfoot" -- one of their greatest FM radio jams, and the sound that supercharged American muscle car culture in its dying days. Page smoking it on the Wah-Wah, just burning it up with a fever. Life is good.

It's startling that all this sound can come from three instruments and a pair of lungs. "Baby I can work all night, believe I got the perfect tools." Love it when there's a new twist on lyrics.

"Nobody's Fault But Mine" -- mean harp solo by Plant, solid blues rocker.

"No Quarter" -- here's where I actually get a bit misty. Maybe it's the dry ice. But I got a soft spot for Led Zep and their viking jazz odyssey. It's so musical, so full-on mystical. And to see JPJ on the ivories for this one... even without giant dingle balls on his shoulders, and no fantasy sequence where he's terrorizing the countryside on horseback, only to come home and tuck in his baby girls and play gothic organ by candlelight... whatever, this is exactly what I've been wanting for over a quarter century. Complete with theremin howl for the Dogs of Doom by the Dark Lord of Page. Valhalla, we are in the house.

"Since I've Been Loving You" -- classic blues from III. Page & Plant did this number on their 90s tours together. I was surprised they went there, because of Page's finger injury, but it sounded pretty sharp.

"Dazed & Confused" -- can you say, psychedelic warhorse? Can you say Lsd Zeppelin? Can you say BOW SOLO? And lift your $10 shot of Jack Daniels high in the sky? It was mean, even though they kept it by the book and didn't weave in a half dozen songs stream of consciousness style. Pagey, I will say you haven't looked that good under a green laser pyramid since you busted out the bow with The Firm in 1985... Love the new silver wizard hair too.

"Stairway to Heaven" -- wasn't done self-consciously, but briskly and professionally. The perfect 2007 prom number for a '70s man and his bride to do the 8th Grade Shuffle. Page nails the solo. Well done, lads.

"The Song Remains The Same" -- California sunshine? Check. Sweet Calcutta rain? Check. Honolulu starlight? Yep. Classic. Split from its normal "Celebration Day" molecule and sandwiched between two standards from zoso? I can get with that.

"Misty Mountain Hop" -- who doesn't love a sock hop in the Sierra Nevadas, and the story of a day in Golden Gate Park with the flower freaks? Get some, Jonesy!

"Kashmir" -- unreal, better even than the Page & Plant caravan version with the Egyptian orchestra in '95, and we won't mention the words Puff Daddy, because that was sacrilege. But to get this kind of panoramic sound from only three musicians?? Mind boggling fantastic. Jason is driving the sandstorm, piloting the Mothership of Moroccan Rock Epics, and the three vets of Zep are in the zone all the way. For my money the show peaks here.

Encores: "Whole Lotta Love & Rock and Roll" -- FM radio overplay to infinity but there's two Zep standards that still have some active ingredient alive inside.

2 Hours and change. 16 songs.

Our One & Only (?) Led Zeppelin Concert is a wrap.

Any regrets? Not hardly, just a bit of longing, like phantom pains. No cuts from "In Through the Out Door." The dearest songs in the canon -- "In the Light," "Ten Years Gone," "Houses of the Holy," "Night Flight," "Down By the Seaside," "The Rain Song," "Dancing Days" -- maybe for another day? The call of the Immigrant...

Will they tour? Let's put it this way, they were born to start something hot in London, then bring it on home to the birthplace of the blues, the wayward giant called the USA.

Let's check out Robert and Alison Krauss first this spring. After that...

Truly, I have no idea how they can serve the American millions and not burn out -- some kind of residency, like when Prince did 21 straight shows at the O2?? No idea, but then they're the show business geniuses not me.

Gentlemen of the band, I can assure you, you are welcome in Los Angeles any time. Where we probably won't be so well behaved as at the O2.

Happiness Is What You Need So Bad

LED ZEPPELIN SET LIST
02 Arena London
Mon Dec 10, 2007

Good Times Bad Times
Ramble On
Black Dog
Plant: "Good Evening"
In My Time of Dying
For Your Life
Trampled Underfoot
Nobody's Fault But Mine
No Quarter
Since I've Been Lovin You
Dazed & Confused
Stairway to Heaven
The Song Remains the Same
Misty Mountain Hop
Kashmir

Encore: Whole Lotta Love
Rock and Roll

The key to this caper? Jason Bonham, great, great, GREAT DRUMMER.

More details to follow -- Fran and I are both catching up back at work, but this reunion was a seismic event in rock, we had a great trip, the band was in good form... and the flow of time was reversed thirty years in one night.

CPS CLASS OF '85 MUSIC POLL RESULTS

N. Texas Delinquent Prep School Music circa 1979-1985

Missing info to be added as needed

Brodrick -- (bass guitar) noted for rocking the house parties -- his band playing everything. "Gotta credit Blair for the late introduction to the Smiths, Spencer for Dokken and later INXS. I think we can thank Blair for Rush, Kevin for Ratt, Scorpions, Def Leppard; Molanphy for dating some chick who's dad owned the radio station; Nancy Duncan for Pink Floyd 'The Wall.'"

Cash -- "The Cars, Deep Purple, Boston, and 1 Lou Reed album: Rock -n- Roll Animal (Right, Denny?). " Nate also scores Chef Cash with Priest, Leppard, Rush.

Relyea -- "Deep Purple, Hendrix, Rush, Boston, ZZ Top, Def Leppard (1 arm or 2), Police, Cars, U2, and yes .. Lou ..."

St John -- "grade school: who the fuck knows. early high school: supertramp, zepplin, floyd, stones, yer basic classic rock, also spyro gyra (thanks, cash). late high school: lots of new wave inspired top 40 crap-pop, but some psych furs, simple minds (poppy later stuff) and, for some bizarre reason i don't remember now, some really good jazz: ronald shannon jackson, ornette coleman, cecil taylor (people like that were touring dallas back then)."

Esteve -- "My memory is limited but do remember T Rose driving around in his GTO listening to George Michael and Culture Club, maybe a little Wang Chung too."

Rose -- "Nice try -really very nice, but your brother Pablo can well attest to the GTO having the original AM radio - not likely to catch "Sex in Natural" on the am."

Nichols -- scores Rose with the obvious choice, AC/DC, Rush, & Supertramp..

Kribs -- Mainly "Olivia Newton John & Sheena Easton". Minor in Beatles, Pink Floyd, Duran Duran

Molanphy -- Soundtrack to the Motion Picture "Footloose"; Rose threw in "Grease"; Pink Floyd

Arhelger -- The Who, Beatles, Floyd

Spencer -- "Hey 85s: All very good picks... Don't forget:

Van Halen, Triumph, Sammy Hagar, Twisted Sister, Motley Crue, Black Flag, Pink Floyd, Judas Priest, Boston, Stones, Y&T, Pantera, to name a few.

Not as Hard or Just Plain Gay: Asia, Saga, Love and Rockets, Madness, The Clash, The Fixx, The Knack, R.E.M., Romantics, Violent Femmes, The Judys, Missing Persons, Romeo Void, Duran Duran, Joe Jackson, Psychedelic Furs, Outfield, Howard Jones, Bryan Adams, to name a few.

Very Gay: Culture Club (Boy George), Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Go-Gos

Today: Tool, A Perfect Circle, Godsmack, H.I.M., Linkin Park, Saliva, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, Puddle of Mudd, Nickelback, Incubus, Korn, Toadies, Rage Against the Machine, P.O.D., System of a Down, Kottenmouth Kings, Three Days Grace, Papa Roach, My Chemical Romance, O.A.R., to name a few."

Watkins -- Beatles, Sinatra

Duncan -- Rush, Def Leppard, Priest -- the Dead would come later...

Collins -- a Zeppelin expert from the beginning

Carlson -- Soundtrack to "Top Gun"

Gross -- "Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Halen"

Nichols -- Beatles, Zeppelin, Floyd, Who -- I remember buying and listening to Alan Parsons "I Robot" several times -- who the hell knows why? Blair turned me on to Rush, but it was "Signals" so I already missed all their best shit.

Mr. McCullough -- "Today's Tom Sawyer." Kribs recalls he was so impressed he played it in Social Studies class and we all analyzed the lyrics.

From top left: Duncan, Rose, Watkins, Spencer

From top right: Carlson, Esteve, Cash, Nichols

Led Zep D&D

Proposal for next Zep-Out (Ann Arbor, LA, or NYC)
Led Zeppelin Dungeons & Dragons
Gaming the Rock Gods. This could outsell Monopoly. Wait a minute -- Zeppelin Monopoly?

Here's your characters -- get ready with your 27-sided dice.

JPJ -- Lawful Good
Plant -- Chaotic Good
Bonham -- Chaotic Neutral
JP -- Lawful Evil

Peter Grant -- Professional Wrestler

DRAGON FROST & DRUID THUNDER!

PREMONITION

T-Minus 4 Days to Led Zep in Concert, London O2 Arena
1 Day to Nate & Fran's Flight to London

I can see it clearly:

"The Battle of Evermore"
Co-Starring...
Alison Krauss???

Play, Magic Fingers!

Honor Guard Meeting Thurs Night

Toast to Evel
Send Off to Zeppelin

FLASH - Spice Girls Reunion in L.A.

Did I mention there was a Zeppelin show we're going to in London?

Fingers of Fury

Zep Log: T-Minus 5 Days to Lift Off in London

True to Form

Jimmy Page, the pagan Paganini, is 2nd only to Elvis as Rock's Greatest Capricorn.

He's so damn good on his guitar he has a habit of accidently injuring his Left Hand before big shows so he can gain even greater glory playing hurt.

Get an eyeful of just two examples from Zep tour manager Richard Cole:

Houses of the Holy Tour, May 1973
Los Angeles International Airport
"Pagey reached over and through the fence, making contact with the fans. But as he did, he caught his finger on a protruding wire and quickly pulled away. In the process, he somehow sprained the finger."

Physical Graffiti Tour
Jan. 1975, London
"Jimmy had exited a train at Victoria Station and tried to hold the door open for the passenger behind him. However, the door forced its way shut, with the ring finger of Pagey's left hand bearing most of the brunt... X-rays showed he had broken a bone in the tip of the finger."

And so on, right up to Halloween 2007, when he fractures his left pinky in a garden fall three weeks before the reunion show of the century!

The consolation for all you Zeppelin Hounds? -- you're in good hands with Jimmy Pagan, even when his fingers are fractured.

THIS IS METAL. Tony Iommi accidently sawed the tips of his fingers off with an industrial saw and duly proceeded to kill it with metal prosthetic fingertips!!!

Conclusion? Pagey could sacrifice a couple digits more and still play a bow solo like a Mothership.

Premonition

I feel a Plant Attack in our future.

The fellow can scream like an opera full of fat ladies.

Nate Grows a Bindhi; Hats Off to Arhelger

Zeppelin Log

T-Minus 6 Days to Zep Out London O2 Arena, Dec. 10

To state the obvious -- the Led Zep reunion is a big deal for us in the Fast Times generation who missed them the first time.

So naturally, with 6 days to go, I just grew an Aetna-class shield volcano in the center of my forehead. It looks like my pineal gland is popping out.

Never fails -- right before the prom, or your parents visiting, or going to London at age 40 to see Zeppelin, you get a giant zit. The other brand of Physical Graffiti.

Here's to the invited -- and uninvited -- return of adolescence!

On that note, a toast to the 25th Anniversary of--

Nate Nichols & Clayton Arhelger's First Ever Rock Concert

The Who at the Cotton Bowl, Dallas TX
Dec. 4, 1982

My Generation, Dangerous, Sister Disco, The Quiet One, It's Hard, Eminence Front, Behind Blue Eyes, Baba O'Riley, I Can See For Miles, Drowned, Substitute, Cry If You Want, Who Are You, Pinball Wizard, See Me Feel Me, 5.15, Love Reign O'er Me, Long Live Rock, Won't Get Fooled Again, Magic Bus, Naked Eye, Squeeze Box, Magic Bus, Twist And Shout

Picture them now -- two fifteen year old nerds, who are now total bad asses, thanks to the saving power of rock. Which all officially began that night. Which wasn't the greatest show in history, but whatever. It was a stadium show. It had lasers and smoke. It had Billy Squier doing "The Stroke." We eavesdropped on 20-somethings smoking dope and talking about other awesome shows they saw, like the Texas Jam. We got dropped off and picked up by Clayton's dad. We had our concert shirts and we were back in class the next day getting schooled in godliness by Father Roch at Cistercian. It was the best of both worlds.

So let's go from the supergroup who replaced their late drummer to the one who never did. And give it up for The Who, Zeppelin, the Cotton Bowl, Father Roch and KZEW FM.

Clayton Arhelger, Nate Nichols, John Watkins, Father Roch, Paul Molanphy at CPS in Irving, 2005

Raise a Pint for the Bonham Dynasty

T-Minus 7 Days & Counting to Lift Off

Led Zep in Concert, O2 Arena London, Dec. 10, 2007

This week: drinks at the Rainbow Room (Sunset Blvd) Thurs night for a toast to the dearly departed -- the one man space program named Evel Knievel, and from the Zeppelin Universe, MVPs Ahmet Ertegun, Peter Grant, and to be sure, one of the World's Greatest Englishmen...

JOHN BONHAM
JOHN HENRY BONHAM

And while we are at it, a toast to Jason Bonham, for being the man to fulfill the family legacy, and make this show possible.

How many offspring can truly answer to the title "Son of Thunder"?

My prescription: show some clips of young Jason from "The Song Remains the Same" movie during the show and I guarantee the crowd will go (even more) nuts.

Toasting Evel at the Rainbow

Zeppelin Log:

T-Minus 8 Days to Lift Off & Counting

Led Zeppelin: Locked Down in Rehearsal, Jamming their British Asses Off, Breaking for Tea
Nate & Fran: Digging winter clothes out of the closets, doing laundry for London

It was an intense day Friday fielding condolences worldwide on the passing of my patron saint Evel at age 69. Messages from Nottingham, New York, Atlantic City, where Peter Witkow called from the steps of the Trump Taj Majal, while he was pouring a beer for the Evelnaut.

Viva Evel.

Viva Zeppelin.

Viva Zeppelin Knievel!

Right now arranging for a toast to King Knievel at the Rainbow Room Sunset Strip on Thursday evening before our flight to Zepland-Londinium.

As mentioned, I was initiated into Zeppelin during the Fast Times at Ridgemont High Era, ie the early '80s, when the band was gone, and New Wave was in charge, but the albums were still prescribed listening for the Spicolis and Damones of the USA.

In honor of all of us who missed the Starliner glory years by a single decade, stay tuned:

Coming soon -- a tribute to my

ZEPPELIN MENTORS
--The Juvenile Delinquents of Cistercian Prep, class of '85 (Irving TX)
--OK-City teenage playboy gangsters Steve Sokolosky and Dave Green (circa '83-'85).

Farewell to the King

When it comes to naming the Kings of the 1970s, it's a short, awesome, elite list.

But we can start with Led Zeppelin, Elvis, Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, George Clinton -- and the Master of Disaster, Evel Knievel.

Today comes word Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel has crossed over to the Great Beyond.

I interviewed Evel after his liver transplant and talking to him was the closest you could ever get to an in-person encounter with somebody like Elvis or John Wayne.

For that matter, the King and the Duke were sterling entertainers, but they weren't crazy -- they used stunt doubles, which puts Evel in a class all by himself.

He was a mythic figure -- Icarus and Bellerophon rolled up into one.

Evel believed in the Afterlife. When he tempted death, he expected to conquer the challenge or migrate to the stars. If anyone ever earned his rest and his reward it was him.

He was a rock star, a rebel, a patriot, a man of action and my hero.

Godspeed to the King of the Daredevils. Another fellow who, like Elvis, Led Zep and George Clinton, merely wanted to launch himself into space to make people happy.

http://www.hollywoodfiveo.com/exclusive/evel/evel_phone.shtml

http://www.hollywoodfiveo.com/archive/issue1/home.html

http://www.hollywoodfiveo.com/archive/issue1/exclusive/evelleanyears.html

Whole Lotta Jonesy

Status Report:

T-Minus 10 Days to Lift Off
Led Zeppelin at O2 Arena, London

Led Zep: Locked in Rehearsals for the R&B Druid Orgy Dec. 10th
Los Angeles: Rain Showers for the 2nd Time in 10 Months

While the drizzle falls on Sunset Blvd, let us raise a toast to the Saint of the Rain Song, the great

John Paul Jones.

Sure, Page & Plant famously "lost his phone number," as he jabbed during the band's induction to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

That's the year the two front men toured together on the "Unledded" album, with JPJ nowhere to be found, and Plant's son-in-law Charlie Jones on bass.

The good news is this time is we can feed our Zeppelin jones with all-natural flavor and no artificial in-laws (sorry Charlie).

Personally I would be ecstatic to hear the bass and keyboard genius hold court on any of these:
"Your Time Is Gonna Come"
"Misty Mountain Hop"
"No Quarter"
"The Rain Song"
"Trampled Underfoot"
"Night Flight"
"Down by the Seaside"
"In The Light"
"South Bound Suarez"
"Fool in the Rain"
"All My Love"

"Darlene"

And how about the sit-down section of the show with Jimmy, Jonesy and Percy acoustic?

"Going to California"
"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp"
"That's the Way"

Sweet, sweet anticipation... all those thousands of hours of Heavy Zepping in the USA (see the motion picture "Dazed & Confused" for lifestyle specifics) prepping us for a Monday night appointment on the Thames.

I saw Page & Plant rock the Meadowlands in '95 and the Hollywood Bowl in '98.

Now I'm psyched to witness something I always wanted to but never have:

John Paul Jones performing the music of Led Zeppelin.

A Tale of Two Motherships

Status Report:

T-Minus 12 Days to Lift Off

Led Zep -- locked in rehearsals for the Dec. 10th Close Encounter.

Fran & Nate -- trying to find rain gear for London.

Meanwhile:
Nate Deciphers the Mothership Connection for You

Zep's new compilation is titled "Mothership."

However, the Mothership is already world famous as an alias of the Parliament-Funkadelic mob, piloted by George Clinton, as celebrated in the 1976 classic "The Mothership Connection".

Which means the Motherships are multiplying.

Of course, for disciples of both rock and funk, the more Motherships the merrier.

So what is the Mothership/Led Zep Connection?

The answer is "Bootsy, Catfish & Kash."

Check out "The Crunge" on "Houses of the Holy."

You'll hear Page, Jones and Bonham doing their best imitation/tribute to James Brown's amazing sex machine back-up band, then consisting of Bootsy Collins, Catfish Collins and Frankie "Kash" Waddy, a Cincinnati trio of upstarts hired by JB when his ace touring vets went on strike.

A couple years later when Bootsy and Kash quit James Brown, who did they join up with in the Motor City for their next level of Funk?

George Clinton is the answer, going Funkadelic, and adding the warp drive to the original Mothership.

When Plant, doing the Crunge, asks the musical question, "I'm trying to find the bridge -- has anybody seen the bridge?" -- the bridge is the boogie of Bootsy, Catfish and Kash -- and Kash is George's drummer to this very day.

Check out my 2003 interview with Kash laying the story out right here:

http://www.hollywoodfiveo.com/exclusive/funk/kash_waddy.shtml

I've witnessed George and the P-Funk many times in the last 20 years (but never landing the Mothership onstage like they did in '76!) -- next Monday 12/10 will be our first time landing the Mothership von Zeppelin.

Another thing both have in common? Righteous '50s Rock Medleys -- Zeppelin used to do them for encores on their first US Tours, and George was throwing down concoctions of "Whole Lotta Shakin'," Little Richard tunes and "At the Hop" last year during his 50th anniversary-in-music victory lap with P-Funk.

All respect to great musicians everywhere -- and let's give it up for The Godfather, a One Man Mothership if ever there was one.

Bad Finger

We learned about being selected for Zep tickets on Oct. 23.

"Can this be real? Is it a scam?"

We researched. It was legit. It was real. It was some kind of blessing from the ghost of Ahmet Ertegun.

So we did the only sane thing. We went for it.

But once we bought our Zeppelin tickets online, I made a mistake.

I said, "Remember, baby, we have to be cool. Anything could happen -- we could get to London and there could be no show. Jimmy Page could break his hand or something."

A week later, Nov. 1st, Fran calls me at work.

"Are you sitting down?"

It was being announced Page had fractured his finger in a fall.

The concert was pushed two weeks, to Dec. 10.

I thought two things.

1) I'm psychic. No wait -- I'm telekinetic!

2) It's the freaking Zeppelin jinx!

So now, as a soothsayer of the Zeppelin mysteries, I offer a two new pronouncements.

1) The "Zeppelin Curse" is abolished.

2) Playing hurt is bad ass. Playing hurt is heroic. Jimmy Page is going to play hurt.
Long live Jimmy Page.

Countdown to Lift Off

It's Destiny.

Led Zeppelin reunites -- we had to be there.

This is the journal of an L.A. Zeppelin freak born and schooled in the town of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The weekend of Hash Bash #18 in 1989, he and his fellow U of M disciples of fine vinyl inaugurated The Zep Out, legendary April 1st all-night march through the studio output of the greatest rock band known to mortal man.

At the crossroads of Jefferson & S. 5th an annual ritual was born which has been celebrated ever since.

At 7:00 pm sharp it hits you -- the awe-inspiring double pulse of "Good Times Bad Times," and the music doesn't stop until 3:30 am, when anyone still standing partakes of the final groans of "Wearing and Tearing."

But in the victory lap of the Zep Out is also a contradiction. It's a pagan celebration of life, but also a commemoration of loss.

Indulging like college vikings in a mead hall, we also mourn what has been denied.

Because the class of '89 were born too late to see the band in concert.

Hundreds of times I've heard from older brothers (my wife's for one), cousins, passers-by on Main Street -- "Yeah, I saw them in '73 -- it was awesome, I was deaf for three weeks."

"I remember them doing 'In the Light' on the Physical Graffiti tour, they ruled" etc. etc.

Which always triggered the reflex -- "Wait a minute! Where's OUR Zeppelin gigs at the Forum? Where's OUR Garden shows? Where's OUR 'Immigrant Song' live in concert??"

Now thanks to Atlantic Records' late, great Ahmet Ertegun, the band is going to serve up two hours of thunder in London on December 10, 2007 -- and we are there to taste the fine wine of the rock n roll communion.

Inward bound from Los Angeles to London.

The "Little Bro" generation of Zep Heads finally gets our shot at glory, to enter the Sanctum Sanctorum of a bona fide Zeppelin show starring Bonham, Jones, Page & Plant.

And it's all thanks to Fran, the girl crazy enough to marry me, and crazy enough to enter a ticket lottery with odds 10,000 to 1 against winning.

But fortune was sweet -- we were elected to the O2 Arena, we got our ticket confirmations and our air travel, and for the next 15 days, we will be climbing the Stairway to Zeppelin.

All I can say is: Jonesy & Jason, cheers -- I can't wait to see you guys working together; Pagey, mend that fractured pinky on your chord hand, maestro, and Robert, drink plenty of green tea and take your vitamins -- because Valhalla, we are coming.

Monday December 10, 2007 -- Led Zep Live in Concert

London O2 Arena
Nate & Fran, Your Faithful Witnesses