Stairway to Zeppelin: January 2008

From the Genius Irish Press at The Belfast Telegraph:

"The most eagerly anticipated rock reunion for three decades happened last night. But was it worth the wait, and all the fuss? Andy Gill delivers his verdict while Emily Dugan talks to the fans.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

The return of rock and roll: Led Zeppelin at The O2 London"

"…"
The evening's high point comes with the mighty "Kashmir", whose middle-eastern-toned riff has a golem tread which makes it the song best equipped to withstand the arena's questionable acoustics. It's also given the most satisfying of the visual backdrops on the huge screen behind the band, a complex series of mandala devices which brings out the song's exotic flavour. "There are people out there from 50 countries!" marvels Plant in his

introduction. "This is the 51st."

Encores of "Whole Lotta Love" and "Rock And Roll" bring the evening to a close, the former given the full-on laser and dry-ice treatment for Page's celebrated mid-song breakdown section of guitar and theremin. One can't help feeling, however, that these big, uptempo rockers would have been better placed in the middle of the set. But for those happy punters departing Greenwich in a state of mild euphoria, just to be here was clearly enough.

What the fans thought

Andrew Mason, 17,high school student from Minnesota, USA

"Oh man, it was excellent. Nothing can explain it; I've lost pretty much all of the hearing in my ears. I never thought I'd get to see this - I thought that I'd been born too late. We came to England on Friday, and it's been well worth the wait."

Graham Wright, 50, travel agent from Southgate.

"That was just unbelievable. It was like going back in time. I saw them six times in the Sixties, but never thought I'd get to see them again. I'm here with my 16-year-old son who loves them too. There wasn't a bad bit - they played everything I wanted to hear."

Marju Kruusamagi, 38, finance manager from Finland

"After coming such a long way to see the band it was so fantastic to see them play. The last song, 'Whole Lotta Love' was my favourite. I didn't know much about them before I came here tonight - my boyfriend is the big fan - but they blew me away."

Leah Tilbury, 33, hotelier from Ibiza

"I have to admit that I was a Led Zeppelin virgin until I came to the concert tonight, and I've

got to say that I've been well and truly converted. The band played brilliantly, and I'd love to see them play again now. I absolutely loved them."

Nate Nicholls, 40, television producer from Los Angeles, USA

"Led Zeppelin is the jam! If you've ever been to America, had a doobie in your mouth and your girlfriend on the backseat with their second album blasting out, then you'll know what heaven is. The only thing I wished was that they'd played 'The Ocean'."

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music-gigs/reviews/article3242227.ece