Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert: Difference between revisions
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The Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert was a one-off benefit concert held in memory of music executive Ahmet Ertegün at the O2 Arena in London on December 10, 2007.
Background
On 12 September 2007, it was confirmed during a press conference by promoter Harvey Goldsmith that the surviving members of English rock band Led Zeppelin would reunite for the show, with Jason Bonham filling in on drums.[1] The concert was originally scheduled to take place on 26 November, 2007, and was to help raise money for the Ahmet Ertegün Education Fund, which pays for university scholarships in the UK, US and Turkey.
Tickets were made available via a lottery system through Ahmettribute.com, costing £125 / $250.[2] with all proceeds going to Ahmet's own charity. The website exceeded its bandwidth allowance and crashed almost immediately following the announcement, with the promoter predicting that the gig would cause the "largest demand for one show in history",[3] due to the ticket request site receiving one billion page impressions, with one million people registering for fewer than 20,000 available tickets.
On 1 November 2007, it was announced that Jimmy Page fractured the little finger on his left hand after a fall in his garden and the reunion show was postponed to 10 December 2007.[4]
The concert
The concert opened with "Good Times, Bad Times" and featured several Led Zeppelin classics, including "Dazed and Confused" and "Stairway to Heaven", and closed with the song the band members considered amongst their best, "Kashmir"".[5] The show included two encores, "Whole Lotta Love" and "Rock and Roll".
The show was filmed for a possible DVD release[6] and also featured Paul Rodgers, Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, Paolo Nutini, Chris Squire, Keith Emerson, Alan White, and Foreigner as supporting acts.[7][8] Pete Townshend was scheduled to perform as a supporting act, but pulled out when he heard LEd Zeppelin was performing, saying, "They really don't need me."[9] Other acts considered for the show included a reunited Cream.
A number of celebrities attended the gig, including Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl who praised Jason Bonham's performance,[10] Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, BBC Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles, Lostprophets drummer Ilan Rubin,[11] Paul McCartney, Brian May, [12] David Gilmour, Oasis brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys, U2's The Edge, Bernard Sumner, Dave Mustaine, Peter Gabriel, Mick Jagger, Juliette Lewis, Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson, The Verve's Richard Ashcroft,[13] Marilyn Manson, actor David Boreanaz and many more.
Critical response
Music critics in attendance were unanimous in their praise for the band's performance. NME proclaimed, "What they have done here tonight is proof they can still perform to the level that originally earned them their legendary reputation...We can only hope this isn't the last we see of them."[14]
References
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- ^ "Led Zeppelin confirm reunion gig". BBC. 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ "Led Zeppelin Takes Flight, For One Night Only". Billboard.com. 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ "demand for tickets crashes site". NME. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
- ^ Led Zeppelin Reunion Concert Postponed Due to Fractured Finger
- ^ Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Biography by Ritchie Yorke
- ^ Led Zeppelin Release Reunion DVD - Kerrang.com
- ^ http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/upcoming_releases/led_zep_to_record_new_material.html
- ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/music/news/e3ic4b4426aaea0ba2fbdfea3e2cf8beff2
- ^ "Pete Townshend pulls out of Ahmet Ertegün concert
- ^ http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/33127
- ^ buzznetIlan Rubins take on the gig Retrieved December 12 2007
- ^ brianmay.com
- ^ NME
- ^ http://www.nme.com/news/led-zeppelin/33079
