Why Beatles can’t do what Led Zep did

MANILA, Philippines - The recent worldwide release of the DVD and CD sets of Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion concert has given opportunity to more people in seeing the once-in-a-lifetime gig that realized a kind of get-together often bugging another British act called The Beatles. 

Led Zep reunited at the O2 Arena to pay tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The concert featured the surviving members of the band, namely, singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones. Jason Bonham, son of the group’s late drummer John, suited up for his dad to complete the lineup. 

The highly-praised scenario brings back to mind the longed-for dream idea of The Beatles reuniting with John Lennon’s son Julian filling up for him, and with George Harrison’s death in 2001, the lead guitar player’s boy Dhani acting as his father’s proxy. 

However, that is unlikely to happen and somehow at least for The Beatles set-up, such an idea is counted somewhat inappropriate.

“Thousands of thousands of emotions we’re going through for the past six weeks,” Plant is heard saying during the concert watched live by 18,000 people. He could have found it hard to believe what they did. Thus, he exclaimed after performing Stairway To Heaven, “We did it Ahmet!”

Warner Music Philippines locally released the much-anticipated documentation of Led Zeppelin Celebration Day which is now available both on retail and iTunes. 

As for the possibility of the surviving Beatles performing together with the children of their deceased comrades and making it appear a legitimate reunion in some sense, such plan if ever put in effect should only create complications as to the sanctity of the Moptops as a “four-headed monster.”

“There will never be a Beatles reunion,” said Julian when he was interviewed after the idea popped up again during preparations for the London Olympics. 

For die-hard Beatles fans, the case with Led Zep was in essence different. Bonham, who died after passing out of intoxication one fateful night in September 1980, was his band’s drummer, while Lennon, shot dead by a deranged fan in December of the same year, was one of The Beatles’ frequent lead vocalists. Same goes with Harrison who usually did back-up singing in Beatles performances. 

Led Zep, in its first concert in 27 years, arguably still sounded very similar to how they were, especially with Jason trying to keep the identity of his father audibly present. Vocal duties are singularly handled by Plant ever since. So, an official Beatles concert without either Lennon or Harrison would mean shrinking their band synergy’s appeal, and losing the reunion magic altogether, even if would-be organizers of what is deemed by many as an unnecessary move insist that the group play only Beatles songs with Paul McCartney as lone singer. 

McCartney is said to have reacted on the reunion idea at the time Harrison was still alive, wondering why some people would like to let Julian “go through that.” 

Both Led Zep and The Beatles earned high respect from the music community and fans all over the world for their storied careers. The former announced the band’s disbandment in December 1980 while The Beatles ceased to exist as a performing/recording act after McCartney announced his exit in April 1970. They did reunite in the mid-’90s but only through unfinished recordings that digitally implanted the voice of Lennon as featured singer with the rest backing him up. 

Twenty-million fans applied for tickets to the Led Zep concert that boasted a repertoire of 16 tracks, including Dazed And Confused and Black Dog.