On November 22, 1987 -- 37 years ago today -- The Empire Strikes Back made its network television debut on NBC. It started with this amazing bit, where Darth Vader broke right into the usual NBC movie intro!
THE LAST TIME - Led Zeppelin performing “Kashmir” at the O2 arena in 2007 for what would be one of the most anticipated reunions in rock and roll history.
Over 20 million people entered a worldwide lottery for the chance at being one of the lucky 18,000 fans in attendance. This concert was done as a tribute to the great Ahmet Ertegun, who was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records.
Fans waited 27 years for a reunion like this following the passing of drummer John Bonham, and as evidence in this clip, it did not disappoint. For such a long hiatus, Zeppelin was firing on all cylinders throughout the 2.5 hour performance on this evening.
Furthermore, the emotion of the night was intensified due to Zeppelin tapping into Bonhams son, Jason Bonham, to fill the big shoes his father had left behind. Robert Plant was as lively as ever, showing his skills as the ultimate frontman, while Jimmy Page’s guitar playing was beyond impressive. John Paul Jones was a true wildcard, adding his thunderous bass and seriously underrated synth skills to the evening. and Jason Bonham did his father proud, perhaps stealing the show with his note-perfect playing on the drum kit.
Recorded in 1974 at Headley Grange, this masterpiece found its home on the iconic double album, ‘Physical Graffiti.’ This song was a defining milestone for the band, all four members have agreed that it was one of their greatest musical achievements. Jimmy was asked by The Edge how this riff came to be during the film “It Might Get Loud”, and he explained that it was born out of him experimenting with the DADGAD tuning, which is similar to a sitar tuning.
Furthermore, he explains he had this song, “Swan Song”, which he had been working on that had a lot of intricate guitar sections on it.
The ending riff to that song was the descending section we hear on “Kashmir” and Jimmy flipped it over on itself to create the riff we know today - truly a hypnotic riff that intoxicates you every time you listen.
Enjoy!
@LIsportsfans It’s a shame all original members are gone and they never got the arena shows they deserve. Damn shame. And none of them had any offspring. It’s like they were sent here from another planet and then taken away too soon.
@LIsportsfans Metallica remade a few for garage inc. all are great. Kirk and Johnny were close friends. Johnny when he moved to LA in retirement became close with Chris Cornell Eddie Vedder. Watch his tribute concert. Great stuff.
@LIsportsfans Try to watch one of their first performances at cbgb’s on YouTube There is barely anyone in the audience. You can see they don’t have their identity yet. They are yelling at each other. Things are falling over. Joey thinks he’s iggy pop. It’s great to watch the beginning of punk
@LIsportsfans I love the list and agree with most of this. On road to ruin- “Questioningly” is a song that doesn’t sound like a Ramones song. Dee Dee wrote it like most of them and it’s this twangy guitar song that grows on you and shows their depth. Listen to it again. But great list!