Zeppelin to reunite for Ertegun one-off

[Pasdaran]

http://www.mp3.com/news/stories/10164.html

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham will play tribute gig at London's O2 arena Nov. 26.

When he passed away last December, Atlantic Records cofounder Ahmet Ertegun was hailed by many as the greatest record man of all time.

The legendary exec apparently retained his powers of persuasion in death, because the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, along with late drummer John Bonham's son Jason, will reunite for a one-off show in tribute to Ertegun at London's 22,000-capacity O2 arena on Nov. 26.

The announcement of the reunion gig--the band's third performance together in 27 years--confirmed the hottest rumor in music over the past several weeks, despite Plant's pseudo-denials.

"During the Zeppelin years, Ahmet Ertegun was a major foundation of solidarity and accord," Plant said of Ertegun. "For us he was Atlantic Records and remained a close friend and conspirator. His performance stands alone as our tribute to the work and the life of our long-standing friend."

The Who's Pete Townshend, former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, Foreigner's Mick Jones, and Scottish newcomer Paolo Nutini will also perform at the event. Profits will benefit the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which provides scholarships to universities in the US, UK, and Ertegun's homeland, Turkey.

Tickets will cost £125 ($254), and will be allocated on a lottery basis through the Ahmettribute.com Web site.

"This is going to be the largest demand for one show in history," show promoter Harvey Goldsmith said today in announcing the event, which will include a two-hour Zeppelin set. "I can only tell from the buzz going around now, but it is really just filtering around the world. I feel there's going to be a huge amount of pressure [on tickets]."

Page, Plant, and Jones initially reformed with Genesis' Phil Collins and Chic/Power Station sticksman Tony Thompson sharing drum duties for a performance at Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985. In May 1988, Jason Bonham, whose father died from a heart attack in 1980, joined the three originals for another show at an Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in New York.

Plant and Page teamed in 1994 for an MTV special, and subsequently toured globally and released two albums. Jones has also released two solo albums, although his post-Zeppelin work has largely concentrated on production and arranging.

The concert will follow the release of a new Atlantic/Rhino two-disc, 24-track best-of Zeppelin set, Mothership, due Nov. 13 in the United States.