Led Zeppelin: Their Disastrous 1985 Live Aid Reunion With Phil Collins

Led Zeppelin's Disastrous 1985 reunion at Live-Aid in Philadelphia.

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Led Zeppelin’s Disastrous Reunion (Live-Aid)

Live Aid in 1985 was a charity concert that was held simultaneously in the UK and America and was put together to help fight the famine in Ethriopia that had been documented the previous year. I don’t think i’ve ever shared this with you guys, but I used to live in ethiopia when i was younger. Yes, i know i’m quite worldly. Live Aid 1985 was the site of several high profile reunions including Black Sabbath, Crosby Still Nash and Young. But that wasn’t what most fans were looking forward to. The charity concert was also the site of the most anticipated reunion was one involving ¾ members of the led zeppelin with drummer phil collins. The performance that day would be remembered as a complete disaster even by the members themselves and today we’re going to explore the stories.

Led Zeppelin would break up in 1980 following the death of drummer john bonham the band would disband. The band would reunite for the first time in 1985 after Live Aid organizer Bob Geldoff convinced the surviving members to appear at the Phildaelphia concert at john f kennedy stadium. . The band would play through a 20 minute long set consisting of three of their classic songs including Rock and Roll, Whole Lotta Love, and Stairway to Heaven. Tony Thompson and Phil Collins filled in on the drums for the performance.

The performance was not remembered for the right reasons.

The performance was marred by a myriad of problems. Bassist john paul jones flew in the day of the show and the band only spent an hour rehearsing the same day. Couple this with the fact that the monitors were acting up and the members couldn’t hear themselves or each other and when guitarist jimmy page was handed a guitar on stage it was out of tune. Couple this with frontman Robert Plant’s vocal problems and it was a performance fans had hoped for.

Frontman Robert Plant would tell Rolling stone 3 years after Live AId . “Emotionally, I was eating every word that I had uttered. And I was hoarse. I’d done three gigs on the trot before I got to Live Aid. We rehearsed in the afternoon, and by the time I got onstage, my voice was long gone.” with Jimmy Page adding years later My main memories, really, were of total panic. John Paul Jones arrived virtually the same day as the show and we had about an hour’s rehearsal before we did it. And that sounds like a bit of a kamikaze stunt, really, when you think of how well everyone else was rehearsed.”

Phil Collins would write about the performance in his book writing I knew the wheels are falling off from early on in the set. I can’t hear Robert clearly from where I’m sat, but I can hear enough to know that he’s not on top of his game. If I’d known it was to be a two-drummer band, I would have removed myself from proceedings long before I got anywhere near Philadelphia.” He would tell q magazine in 2014 in a separate interview "I thought it was just going to be low-key and we'd all get together and have a play.
"But something happened between that conversation and the day - it became a Led Zeppelin reunion. I turned up and I was a square peg in a round hole."
Adding "Robert was happy to see me, but Jimmy wasn't. You could sense I wasn't welcome.
"If I could have walked off, I would have done. But then we'd all be talking about why Phil Collins walked off Live Aid - so I just stuck it out.

While many including some of the band members blamed Collins for at least part of the poor performance with Jimmy Page telling the Sunday Times “The drummer couldn’t get the beginning of ‘Rock And Roll’,”” So we were in real trouble with that. "But at the end of the day, he didn't know anything. We played 'Whole Lotta Love', and he was just there bashing away cluelessly and grinning. I thought that was really a joke."

Collins would blame a lack of rehearsal time as reported by new musical express stating “I didn’t rehearse when I got there, but I listened to ‘Stairway To Heaven’ on Concorde,” he said. “I arrived and went to the caravans, and Robert said: ‘Jimmy Page is belligerent’.”

he would blame other drummer Tony Thompson. Collins would claimed was more trying to make a name for himself should led zeppelin

[savagesword]

For the people who had never seen them, and thought that might be their only chance, I'm sure it was still a very memorable experience.

[normt]

From 1970 to 1973...Led Zeppelin were unstoppable...they would obliviate any other bands...1985 was like seeing Elvis in 1976...

[aperson]

I was in the crowd, and have to admit, after a day of listening to Madonna and stuff, a bad Led Zeppelin set was still good to me.

[EJK]

Phil Collins crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a Concord jet after completing Live Aid Wembley for this performance

[tektoniks_architects]

I was there in Philly at Live Aid....and I can tell you in complete truth, that I would not trade that moment for any amount of money.

[spleefthedude]

I was at live aid in Philly. We were just happy to see zeppelin on stage together and playing zeppelin songs. Nothing disaster about it…we were freaking out!!!

[DirtyCityMick]

Yeah Phil Collins wasn't to blame for Jimmy Page being stoned out of his mind and forgetting how to play the guitar. I call bullshit

[gringochucha]

I‘m a big Genesis fan and Phil Collins was an amazing drummer in his prime, but whoever thought he would‘ve been a good fit for Led Zeppelin clearly didn‘t take their meds that day.

[harrynewiss]

Yes as a 16 year old watching this - and having been brought up on stories from older friends and relatives about how awesome Led Zeppelin were - I struggled to see what the fuss was about. But then, in 2007, I finally did see.

[davehenry]

Like a lot of folks, Led Zeppelin is my all time favorite band. When they were running full tilt, no one could come close to touching them. I choose to look at the Live Aid Reunion like this: They all showed up free of charge to support a great cause that benefited folks who were in dire need of help. And that's a good thing. Nuf said, peace. ☮

[Audioholics]

Phil Collins could easily handle Led Zepplin drum parts by himself back in the day. Just listen to his drumming in Brand X and Genesis Trick of the Tail. Zepplin was always subpar in live perrformances. Genesis was always superb live.

[Orion]

To blame Phil Collins for someone else's Live Aid flop, would be absurd. Phil Collins is a Legend. In any case, the best was left for last, at Live Aid Wembley. And the best was a certain band called Queen. Freddie Mercury was absolutely on fire. And no blaming anyone after THAT performance.

[jer]

I’m just glad that I got to see Page and Plant on both tours in 95 and 98, which wasn’t a disaster. It wasn’t true Zeppelin but it was great.

[joeymorvant]

Led Zeppelin, my favorite band of all time! Love Phil Collins, also(whether with Genesis, or solo).

[harryurz]

What has to remembered is that Phil Collins had already played at Live Aid at Wembley, and it was a stunt by the organisers to fly him to Philly on Concorde to play the same day. Jet lagged and under rehearsed, hardly surprising he got

[christianzafiroglu]

Robert Plant on that reunion gig:

“It was very odd. Everyone was congratulating themselves for being there because that’s what they’d always wanted. Yet there are a lot more important things to want than Page and I staggering around in Philadelphia, me hoarse and him out of tune.”

[Beebalabeeba]

They sounded like me and my friends trying to sound like them that day

[christophermerlot]

I remember watching this on tv when it happened. I was so looking forward to it and it was terrible. Fortunately by the time I saw the Unleded Tour years later Robert and Jimmy were in fine form. Great show.

[dimebagdave]

Whoever requested this one is an absolute legend🔥🔥🔥

[Bloomcycle]

My brother saw Zeppelin back in the 70's at Maple leaf Garden Toronto. He also saw The Stones at the El Macombo in Toronto with only 20 others in the crowd 😎