First report from the Led Zeppelin fans in London

Simon W., a fan from the U.K., won a passcode in the original drawing for the Ahmet Ertegün tribute concert. He wrote me from London, where he and his wife received their tickets and wristbands on Sunday to attend today's concert. They spent about two-and-a-half in line for those and then another two hours in line to buy some merchandise. The whole time, they were able to talk with other likeminded fans.

The O2 arena must just be full of Led Zeppelin fans. Some devoted people, upon receiving their tickets and wristbands, were preparing to spend the night in line. Being the first to arrive, they would be the ones with the best view at the front near the stage. The first to show up had been there since 2 p.m. on Saturday. This is the bearded guy in the photo on the left. Wearing the wool cap is a student seeking a Ph.D. in classical music from Lincoln University in Nebraska. (Update: His name's Mike, and I've actually known him through my newsletter for a few years!) The fan along with him is from Colorado, and they arrived in line on Sunday at 6 a.m. Members of the press spoke the the fans who were earliest to arrive, and the promoter also arranged for these fans to receive all-access passes dated 12.09.07 so they could enter for Led Zeppelin's soundcheck.

(Photos all courtesy of Simon, as well as the details above.)

The soundcheck consisted of five songs. More on that very soon...