LED ZEPPELIN'S CRED TO REMAIN INTACT: PLANT-LESS TOUR PLANS CANCELED

Thank goodness for that. Jimmy Page's manager Peter Mensch told Music Radar that Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham tried out a number of singers for a tour, and none of them worked out. Thank goodness for that. I know Page and Jones just wanted to go out there and rock one more time, but it was just a bad idea. Meanwhile, I hear Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are starting to work on their second album together; I'm sure they'll be performing at the Grammys.

AN OPEN LETTER TO JOHN PAUL JONES

Hi, Mr. John Paul Jones. I've recently written "open letters" to your friend and bandmate Jimmy Page - twice. Actually, one of them was to you and him. I don't mean to come off creepy. But I gotta ask you one last time: Please don't tour as Led Zeppelin without Robert Plant. You will just look silly.



Don't get me wrong: I'd love to see you on the road with Jimmy. Having Jason Bonham on drums is fine with me also. I just think it will look super lame without him. People would love to see you guys play together. They'd love to see and hear you perform Zeppelin songs. Just don't call it Led Zeppelin, because it isn't Led Zeppelin. I mean, when Robert and Jimmy toured without you in the '90s, they just called it "Jimmy Page & Robert Plant." Hey, man, I'm just looking out for you!

ROBERT PLANT DENIES ZEP TOUR RUMORS

Enough with these rumors! That's Robert Plant's attitude. He took the rare move of commenting on his website via a press statement about the Led Zeppelin tour rumors.

It says that after this leg of his tour with Alison Krauss wraps up on October 5, "...Robert has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years. Contrary to a spate of recent reports, Robert Plant will not be touring or recording with Led Zeppelin. Anyone buying tickets online to any such event will be buying bogus tickets.
'It‘s both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward,' Robert Plant said.
'I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects,' he added."

When I wrote about this reunion last week, I'd mentioned rumors that Page, Jones and Bonham were rehearsing with an American singer. Since then, I decided not to write about the rumors that Plant was going to go out with them. Anyway, I guess those were the rumors that Robert was referring to in this statement. So, it looks like Jimmy and John Paul may be taking the Yes route next year: touring with the son of one member, and an "understudy" for another. Not a cool move. Jimmy and John Paul, please, please PLEASE reconsider.

JIMMY PAGE: "TO DO A REUNION, YOU NEED FOUR MEMBERS"

Jimmy Page was at the Toronto Film Festival with Jack White and The Edge to promote It Might Get Loud, the film about the guitar that the three of them are featured in. A journalist asked, point blank, if Led Zeppelin will be reuniting: rumors have been circulating again, since Jason Bonham has been saying that he's been jamming with Jimmy and John Paul Jones. Rolling Stone says that Jimmy said no: "If you're going to do a reunion, you need four members." 

Of course, this probably won't stop rumors from circulating. I guess it must be flattering that so many people ask about it, but annoying (for Page) that he can't do anything about it, as long as Robert Plant doesn't seem interested. 

JASON BONHAM TALKING CRAZY

Apparently, Jason Bonham's term with Foreigner is now up, and he's been jamming with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (but not Robert Plant). He talked about this with a terrestrial radio station, and now it is circulating around the web. I read about it at the hard rock/metal blog Blabbermouth.

I don't see any way that a new Led Zeppelin song can live up to the band's legacy, unless they just do a blues cover. A new album? No way. But - for the love of God - please don't do anything without Robert, guys, it will just make you look lame. Don't do a project with different lead singers on each track. Don't try to replace Robert with a different singer, and especially not David Coverdale.