Zeppelin without Plant? Five ways to avert a disaster

Led Zeppelin, apparently, is mulling a new album and a tour, but without its defining vocalist, Robert Plant. Giving some heft to longstanding rumors, bassist John Paul Jones was quoted on a BBC Radio report as revealing that the band has been auditioning lead singers. Maybe Leona Lewis is booked.

But despite the BBC's defining headline of "Zeppelin to go back on the road," nothing appears imminent.

"It's got to be right. There's no point in just finding another Robert," Jones said, adding, "You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. ... There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be on board."

Wired's Listening Post beat Pop & Hiss to asking readers if it's Zeppelin without Plant, but no bother. The answer is no -- credit Jones for already acknowledging the dreaded "tribute band" tag. But because there's no new Plant-less Zeppelin music to discuss at the moment, here's five ways to help ensure that Led Zep 2.0 has a fighting chance at working.

1. Don't get anyone who sounds like Plant. Not only are the man's vocals instantly recognizable, but any singer who's even remotely similar is going to veer the project straight into tribute band territory. For the new project to work, it needs to be a complete band, not just the leftover Zep members recording music with someone who kinda-sorta sounds like Plant.

2. Don't call it Led Zeppelin. Let it stand on its own, and not have to live up to every piece of music in the Zeppelin back catalog. Calling it Led Zeppelin is also a disservice to the fans who have been waiting for a reunion tour. Let's be clear: In no way, shape or form is it Led Zeppelin. Its two original members + the drummer's son + someone who's not Robert Plant, and all of that = a band that's not Led Zeppelin.

3. Don't fast-track it. Reunion rumors have been circulating for nearly a year now, stretching back to when the band played a London benefit last December. Surely the pressure is on for the act to get on the road. But since this is not Led Zeppelin (see No. 2), it's going to take time for this new, as-yet-unnamed act to find its footing. Target 2011, which also gives Plant time to change his mind.

4. If this tour does happen, focus on the new album, not Zeppelin material. In fact, don't play any Zeppelin songs until the encore, or near it. Keep focused on the new material. If the band is going through the trouble of recording a new effort, don't pull a Rolling Stones and simply use the album as an excuse to tour and play old Zeppelin material. Sure, "Whole Lotta Love" will get a big rise out of the crowd, but that's taking the easy way out. Zeppelin built its fan-base by challenging it. Has the desire now for some sort of Zeppelin reunion run so deep that fans wouldn't even care who's voicing the songs?

5. Keep tickets under $50. It's one thing to gouge fans for a long-awaited reunion that may never happen again. Led Zeppelin fans would be all too happy to give the band a victory lap. But if Jones and Jimmy Page end up touring the world with a new band, price it as such. Selling high-priced tickets based on decades-old Zeppelin hits, and doing so with someone other than Plant, is essentially forcing fans to pay for a touring Las Vegas show. The millions of Zeppelin fans who couldn't see the act last December deserve more.

--Todd Martens

Photo credit: Associated Press

Comments

[nelson muntz]

THEY will do nothing u suggested---it will totally suck

[Paul]

im so tired of the rumours of a tour and of a record,i completely agree with most of the points made here,but the biggest one not listed is,ITS NOT ZEPPELIN WITHOUT BONHAM........sure Jason did a superb job playing at the reunion gig,and that was just it,a one off show to pay tribute to a friend and mentor,so i see plants point in not wanting to tour,out of respect for his friend and bandmate,it would be like the beatles touring without john lennon,that never happened,i dont know why people insist this should,the music scene is not as it was in the seventies,and trying to jump back in time and create the magic of the band wont work,if you only have 2 out of 4 on stage,to me you only get half of what you expect,and it will surely be a let down to many,im a die hard led zeppelin fan,and hope they dont tour,and like the journalist said,if they do,price it accordingly...............

[michael card]

If Robert Plant does not wish to reunite with Led Zeppelin we have to look at as if Robert Plant quit the band. Jimmy Page put Led Zeppelin (originally The New Yardbirds) together. The Yardbirds continued after Eric Clapton left the band we still called them the Yardbirds. Black Sabbath continued after Ozzy Osbourn left the band, we still call them Black Sabbath. Van Halen... The list goes on and on. jimmys guitar has always been the "voice" of Led Zeppelin. Let them play, It's Jimmy's band. It's Led Zeppelin and I'm stoked.

[Brad]

Jimmy Page is Led Zeppelin -- doesn't matter if Plant is there or not -- rock on!

[paul morgan]

Sorry if Plant s not in band it's a joke, Jimmy Page is great but it ain't Zep unless both are in the band. Would see(and have) Plant do Zep and it was great but Page with someone else is like seeing Judas Priest without Rob Halford.. it don't work

[paul morgan]

Sorry if Plant s not in band it's a joke, Jimmy Page is great but it ain't Zep unless both are in the band. Would see(and have) Plant do Zep and it was great but Page with someone else is like seeing Judas Priest without Rob Halford.. it don't work

[bruno Albouze]

Zeppelin without Plant? Let's think this coming up: Zep Palin? No way :(

[jac glasgow]

you forgot #6 dont do it at all!!!!

[Sandie]

Very nice write Todd Martens, I totally agree with you. I am still hoping this is just talk for passing time, as Robert finishes with Allison. I would like to say, that my heart is broken. Big time, if this is all true. There is NO bigger Zep fan than me. I got to meet Robert when I was 22, (that was 22 years ago), also I've seen him solo several times including the Page/Plant tour. For the life of me, I don't get it. It was like a spiritual thing when I got to tell Plant how much he meant to me, and he totally got it. It was so awesome. This is why I just don't get why he could break so so so many hearts, like mine. I mean, it would be like life coming full circle to see PAGE PLANT JONESY AND BONHAM. I pray.

[john]

Without Plant forget it........that said without Bonham I guess there is no point to it. Page still rocks tho. A true Pre-Raphaelite.

[John Cohoon]

I have a good name for them:

Not Led Zeppelin

[Laura]

Zeppelin without Plant is guaranteed to fall flatter than Queen did without Freddie Mercury. Led Zeppelin wasn't just a band that blazed an historic trail, they created an experience. All four of them. And when Bonham ceased to be, they had the grace and dignity to recognize the loss for precisely what it was: the end of Led Zeppelin as they, and we, knew it.

That Jason is truly his father's son is a testament to the talent that flowed through John's veins, and an honor to behold by those of us who lived the Led Zeppelin experience. To those who came later, it's the difference between cream and "half and half" in your coffee. Yummy and delicious, but with fewer calories.

To try to replace Robert Plant would relegate the legend that is Led Zeppelin to Tasters Choice with powdered Coffeemate.

What was will never be again. It's over the hills and far away, but only as far as your CD or DVD player.

[zorro]

This article makes a few good arguments but it largely misses the point. Rockn'roll doesn't operate on this kind of logic. Zeppelin is a brand. As long as it sounds and feels like Zeppelin, it is Zeppelin. As long as there are some original members.

All these bands have lost key members and kept their name: Stones, Floyd, The Who, Van Halen, Sabbath, Genesis, Deep Purple, Yes, etc., etc., etc. Even without Robert Plant, Zeppelin's core sound will still be there...at least during the instrumental portions of the show.

I saw Zeppelin at the O2 and they were phenomenal. Jason Bonham's drumming is heavily influenced by his dad's style. Not quite as much finesse (don't laugh...Bonzo had some serious jazz chops hidden under his hammer of the gods pounding on the skins) but Jason is legitimately connected the the band through lineage (dad taught him), shared history (he knows the music inside out from seeing them play for 25 years) and talent . It won't matter who the singer is when Page launches into the No Quarter solo with JP and Jason providing the groove. They will burn the house down just like in London.

So a tour with a new singer? Still Led Zeppelin. Would I pay big money to see them? Yes. Would I prefer to see them with Robert Plant as singer? Of course. Absolutely. Plant will always be my favourite ROCK (not bluegrass) singer. But as a fan of rock music, you have to learn to make due and focus on the positive. Great musicians keep dying off or getting replaced...you can either look at the glass as half empty or half full...actually, three quarters full in Zeppelin's case.

[jjazznola]

I don't blame Plant for not joining his mates. His work with Allison Kraus is more like what a 60 year old man should be doing. They were great live. Way more interesting than that lousy reunion. He can't song the old songs anymore. Why try.

[Scott Butler]

Time to call Terry Reid!

[Allison Adler]

Has the desire now for some sort of Zeppelin reunion run so deep that fans wouldn't even care who's voicing the songs?

Oh, I'm afraid so. Just check the message board on ledzeppelin.com.

I think Page and Jones have quite a lot of creativity and passion left in them, and with Jason and whomever else they should choose, will make some great music.

[Golem]

Good for Page and Jones, if they want to work together, with or without Plant. But it's pretty unlikely that they'd call the new project Led Zeppelin without their famous singer involved -- any more than when Page & Plant recorded and toured in the 90s. They should indeed focus on creating new music, but some of this writer's suggestions are nonsense. Even Plant played some Zep tunes on his recent tour with Alison Krauss, as he has on ALL his solo tours, and as Page & Plant did on their tours -- while still taking their new material very seriously. It took nothing away from their current work. So there is no comparison to the Stones, who now bang out worthless studio albums as fast as they can just as an excuse to hit the road for a multi-million-dollar paycheck. Let's just hope Page has forgotten David Coverdale's phone number.

[Steve Wimer]

Where did the Times find this writer? Berkeley? Zeppelin will charge top dollar because they've always been a top dollar draw. It's show business, not socialism. Even though Page ripped off many of his riffs from other performers, everyone loves his guitar work. Plant has always been a screamer and shouldn't be hard to replace. Everyone wants to hear the old material, live, again, or for the first time. As for the Stones, they're the best band in the world, and they've been doing it right for a long time.

[Jack Meoph]

The white boy blues train has left the station a long time ago. The only thing I'm nostalgic for is my hair. Please, go away Led Zeppelin and stay away.

[seano]

Nice list, but wishful thinking. No way these guys will go out as something other than "Led Zeppelin." It's like when Gilmour carried on Pink Floyd without Roger Waters. He could have called it something else, but then they would have played in theaters instead of stadiums, sold a fraction of the records and made a very small splash on the scene and faded quickly.

Something tells me when Led Zeppelin hits the road it will be with Plant. Give him credit: he focused completely on his project with Alison Krauss and didn't want to move the spotlight to a Zep reunion. With that tour done, give him some time, he'll come around.

[zofo]

Zep without plant ? absolutely no way how could they play classics like stairway to heaven without the distinct voice of plant? , they can just about get away with jason on drums as his style is very similar to Bonzo's but he still isn't Bonzo ! he was unique I saw them at their best and was spellbound but its a stretch too far to contemplate playing without Plant after all he co wrote most of the material , I dont understand this trend today of people wanting to see a poor copy of once great bands as any zep fan will tell you they had a special magic on stage its about chemistry I'm very surprised its even being considered as I always thought zep were a cut above the rest and retained their mystique all these years, so please Page /Jones dont sully the name of zep think of the fans who would be appalled at this and wait for Plant so you can do it properly and show the world once again how good you are leave these part re unions to lesser bands like Queen who people dont really care about.

[Eddie]

I love Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page is god, and it breaks my heart to say that none of them have done anything of merit since 1980 -- until Plant & Krauss hooked up. The Firm had potential but fizzled; the Page-Plant tour was mediocre; the Honeydrippers were lame. I agree that Led Zeppelin is Page's band, and I agree that it's not Led Zeppelin without John Bonham, but Jason is the only acceptable replacement for his dad. I agree 100% with the editorial above. If Plant's not there don't call it Led Zeppelin.

[Richard Parsons]

Dear Michael Card,
Black Sabbath sucked after Ozzy left.
If they do this without Plant and still call it Led Zeppelin, may they all die in a fire.

[Colin Todhunter]

Agree with Todd Martens 100%. If Jimmy Page has some new material, then let the new band showcase it. Steven Tyler as the singer - yes, that guy can sing - not so sure if Plant can (certainly not as good as Tyler).

[Jared]

Honestly... those tips are THE BEST to avoid a disaster. Don't call it Led Zeppelin because it wouldn't be Led Zeppelin with a new singer. That is why big companies like Toyota have car lines like Scion... it is still made by them, but they wouldn't risk the reputation of a new product ruining their ENTIRE brand. That is what Led Zeppelin is (a brand). One you lose people's respect, from a failed business venture... VERY rarely will you get it back.