^Interesting that you will pass on the Blu Ray Bruce. $26.99 for the Blu Ray Deluxe Version with a DVD of the rehearsals plus a 2 CD set of the show.
Well, I watched it again last night. The crowd in the theater was polite and subdued [re: boring LOL] unlike the fun, outgoing loonies I was ensconced with on the 17th. It did helped in a way for me to focus much better on the performance itself.
Plant’s vocals while it held up through most of the concert does not have that extra gear that he wanted to push through. He tried as he was caught up in the excitement but realizing he can’t cut it and managed around. Page’s solos while sharp were disjointed. Having heard six billion of Zeppelin shows on tape, I could pinpoint certain structures but as it was they were just snippets of what he used to dole out. It worked to a certain extent. I have to give props to Page though on some great wah-wah effects on Trampled Underfoot and No Quarter. Jones did not have that problem but given the compact renditions of the numbers, he was able to adapt. Jason Bonham seems to play faster than the other three who were trying to make the song work at a slower pace. From the vantage point of a casual to average fan, yes, it’s great. If you are a seasoned, invested listener, you would hear the holes in the presentation. Two hours allotted for a sixteen song repertoire for a live band such as Led-Zeppelin has to have some notable trimming. That time frame would have been two thirds of the show in their prime.
There are nits from fans about the film having too much jump cutting from one member to the next and the insertions of the grainy Super 8 footage. The former I didn’t mind since I wanted to see the reactions of each onstage. The latter wasn’t a big deal as it gave it a primitive even nostalgic feel if you like. It was cool to see Jones bobbing and smiling during Black Dog. Page and Plant having an inside laugh at the end of Since I’ve Been Loving You. Page being surprised at Plant being early to sing the first line on Dazed And Confused. There were shots of Jones eyeing Page intently as to when he will start his solos as opposed to hypersensitive fans talking as if he wasn’t enjoying himself. There was Plant raising his eyebrows at, connecting with then goading Page on their call and response activity. I still smile at Plant and Jason Bonham pointing to each other for a job well done dueting on the chorus of Misty Mountain Hop. On another note, there was some writer who was unhappy that he bothered to watch it saying that it fell way short of their early to mid 1970's prowess which he prefers to remember them by. What!? He should have known that going in and set himself up for a disappointment. He is entitled to his opinion inspite of how unrealistic and delusional they were. Fool...
The sound quality of the theaters did not do justice to what I think lies ahead with the Blu Ray version that will likely have a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio surround track. I could somewhat hear Jones’ bass guitar and pedals. Where’s the Alembic, Jonesy? Or maybe I missed it? Jason Bonham’s bass drum however did not have that wallop. Absolutely no bottom end on both screenings. Surround activity was fine with crowd noise/singing at acceptable levels with effective panning of Plant’s voice during No Quarter, the echoes of the violin bow and the sonic calls of the theremin. The satellite feed from a remote station was likely compressed to begin with anyway. Picture wise, the screening at the second venue was clearer and not as grainy. I would figure a 1080p resolution would be much more enjoyable. That probably can be even said with an upconverted DVD picture too. Watching the performance at home with a very good system video/audio wise can only enhance the experience. It won’t be the same without the “turn it up” catcalls, the whoops and yeahs, synchronized clapping and singing but I suppose someone and a group of their friends can do that by themselves sans the Skittles.
Good post - I agree for the most part. One thing where I differ a little bit - I thought Robert Plant acquitted himself surprisingly well. He was certainly the one I had the least expectation for and I thought he did a fine job. Plant was always, by far, my least favorite Zep member so I wasn't super emotionally invested in whether he could sing it like the album or not, but I thought he did a fine job. A point I always have to bring up to those that lament the fact that he can't sing like he used to is that he couldn't "sing like he used to" even back then. First off, anything regarding live Zeppelin is somewhat of a moving target anyway ( as far as pinpointing a defining standard for performance) and it's quite evident at least as early as '73, when TSRTS was filmed, that Plant was taking alot of liberty with the melodies ( by that I mean he wasn't hitting the notes he was hitting in the studio even then and was compensating - as a 25-year old). And besides, there's no reason to EVER expect that a singer can do in his mid-60's what he did in his 20's ( yeah, there are exceptions ,but they're just that - exceptions).
Another place I would differ a bit is regarding Jason's performance. I didn't have any problem with Jason's playing or his tempos. As far as tempos go, I'm impressed with his patience. Patience and restraint are paramount for a drummer trying to play Led Zeppelin. John Bonham is sort of known as this beast unleashing barrages of thunderous, triplet fills and that's not what his essence is at all, IMO. All the fireworks is fine and good but if he couldn't hold a groove, he'd just be Keith Moon. Bonham was much more refined than that and when a drummer ( trying to play Zeppelin) loses that, it's over. I'm probably hyper-sensitive to this because I play bass for a Zeppelin tribute band so most of my time onstage is trying to lock into the groove and keep everything locked in ( for better or worse, I'm the primary timekeeper in our band and, for better or worse, alot of people notice it). I couldn't give two shits about the guitar solos or whether the singer gets all the words right or whether the drummer blows everyone away with masterful drum fills ( in the case of the drummer - that's what Moby Dick is for). I've always had the feeling that, with Zeppelin, it's all about the groove. If the groove is lost, everything else is just noise. If all John Bonham had ever had was a snare drum, hi hat, and kick drum, he'd still be a great drummer. Sorry, didn't want to get too far off in the weeds talking about my own situation but what I wanted to say was that I think Jason does a really good job with tempos and is very respectful of the songs. I've seen him doing his Zeppelin tribute on three different tours and I think he really understands what he's doing. I talked to a drummer friend ( a John Bonham freak) last night at our gig and he was lamenting the fact that Jason ( in Celebration Day) doesn't do his fills the way John did - he may be right but as far as I'm concerned that's window dressing. That's one of the things about Zeppelin ( as far as other musicians are concerned) - everybody cares about different aspects of the music, different band members, different tunes, studio vs. live, etc.
There's better drummers overall, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better drummer to be playing Led Zeppelin. I thought Jason did an exemplary job and I was really glad to see him shine in his big moment in the sun. I'd drop everything ( except for my bass) for a chance to play Zeppelin with Jason Bonham.
