The unnamed source who was informant for some leaked information to British tabloid The Sun over the past few weeks is now using the name Myles Kennedy.See here for the story, which doesn't add much to our knowledge.
Hmmm, wasn't this so-called source already pretty much discredited? After all, this is the source that erroneously said Robert Plant had agreed to participating on a Led Zeppelin reunion tour when he really hadn't.
I would be pretty embarrassed about having been the sole source to provide such a mistaken detail. I would offer some word of explanation if not retraction. This source doesn't.
But interesting nonetheless. Just like we've been suspecting: Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham have been rehearsing with Myles Kennedy, the source says.
Still no official word from the guys themselves though. We expect to hear that word soon.
Since someone brought up "conspiracy theories" Ill contribute mine. Thye have LONG known that plant had no intention of working with Zep again. They have either decided to go on without him or, not. Releasing the "rumor" gave plant license to shoot it down, also to test market public opinion on the idea of Led Zeppelin without him, to kind of feed it to us a little at a time. I think this is plausible because plant has stated he dosent give a rats arse about the fans feelings. True enough, except maybe just enough to wait for the krauss tour to be over. Does anyone really think think that it would have been as well attended without exploiting the memory and mystique of Zep? I dont.The second reason is that the other half of the rumor is still out there. Its well known that Page would like to resume work on Led Zeppelin projects, T-bone Burnette confirmed in an interview last spring that Page had "a bunch of new Zeppelin tunes written". Not to mention, that 400 million is a lot of money. So much that reasonable familly men could not just walk away from it.Especially if its something they wanted to do anyway. My opinion is they will announce a new album, and a tour for summer 2009. I hope im right. I have been wrong, once or twice, before. ; )
ReplyDeleteIf I may, interject another argument for using Myles.
ReplyDeleteThe point of a tour is to hear the musicians who made that music that you love on record..to go out and hear them play it live. Heres the problem with Zep:
John's gone, but I think his son taking over the family business for a year or two to allow a new generation to hear his music is something he would approve!
The problem with Plant and his age is that 90 percent of zeppelin vocals are sung in a rare powerful falsetto/head voice that Plant obviously lost the ability to use sometime in the late 70's due to lack of vocal training and constant abuse (it's a fragile ability to be able to sing like that).
Anyone who heard the 02 perfromance can attest that though its one of plant's best in this decade, he still has lost half of his register.
So if its your wish to watch Plant stand on stage with Zep but don't care how the performance sounds and bask in the novelty, obviously you would not get that with Myles. But what you will get is a better performance as I can attest to after seeing Alter Bridge perform "Rock and Roll" live. He is amazing. Myles would give a performance more worthy of your ticket price in my honest opinion.
I love Plant and Zep, but I gotta side with the musicians who want to go out and perform rather than the one that wants to sit on his ass. I know how it feels to want to play and have a member be a jackass and not be a team player. It's not the original Zep, no. But Page and Jonesy were very much masterminds of their music and I think they have the right to stake claim on their band despite critics.
This may be what these guys need to do as musicians to retire and eventually pass on without regret...to not have to wonder.."What if we went out and played this music for people all over the world again? Would it have been some of the most rewarding moments in our lives? Would it have brought joy to many?"
I think deep down inside Plant knows he cant sing those songs every night on a tour. If he does he better enlist a world class vocal coach like Brett Manning or Seth Riggs to go on tour with him.
So my advice to Zep:
Save the bribery cash for lawyers to take the Zep name on tour. You got most of the living individuals who made this band and music willing to go and I don't want to see Plant perform with his heart not in it.
My two cents
Jeremy