Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day

This is one of my favorite concert videos that I have ever seen. The performance of Kashmir gives me goosebumps every time I watch it. Jason Bonham, while not as skilled as his father, certainly holds his own with three legends. If you aren't a Zep fan, this concert just might make you one.

Just returned from seeing Led Zepplin's celebration day at Hammersmith Odeon. The film is simply phenomenal, the sound out of this world. Thank you to all involved for blowing the mind of a man who thought he'd seen and heard it all. Thank you to Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones for showing up to introduce the film. Will definitely be going again and again to see this one. Visually the camera work and editing leaves nothing to be desired although I wouldn't have used those square CGI's; they were an unnecessary distraction. The film is emotionally charged right out the gate and caused my eyes to well up through the first two songs. Throughout the film I sat with my hands together as if in prayer, my body occasionally moving in time.

The sound mix is near perfect, I wouldn't change a thing although there was one song I would revisit where the guitar was noticeably lowered to accommodate Robert, this could be more subtle. (I'd have to see it again to be sure though) Actually the mix is perfect. It is brilliantly thought through with incredible attention paid to the emotional value of Led Zeppelin. My hat is off to all involved, you should all be tremendously proud of creating a master piece which will, for all time, set in celluloid the legend of Led Zeppelin.

The previous reviewers have summed up this film perfectly - this was an amazing experience to see Led Zeppelin performing circa 2007 at the O2 Arena in London. The band themselves do not stray from a very tight pattern on stage, but that keeps you close to the music and the performances - yes they have aged, but they still keep it together perfectly. Director Dick Carruthers lets the music do the talking, and while the editing is tight, the camera concentrates on the band, rarely focusing on the audience. Absolutely fantastic. If you've missed them on the big screen, then seek this out on Bluray and DVD in November - you will not be disappointed if you love Zep. The best concert film in a long time.

On December 10th 2007 the seemingly impossible happened. Zed Zeppelin, the world's original super group and one of the few bands in history who could rival The Beatles for fame and popularity at their height, reformed for a one off concert at London's O2 Arena for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert. The show set a world record for ticket demand with over twenty million people (including myself) registering online for a chance of one of the 20,000 tickets. Like close to twenty million others I didn't get a ticket for a show that myself and other fans had been waiting for, for over twenty five years.

Fast forward nearly five years to October 17th 2012 and the concert was screened for one day worldwide in cinemas ahead of a DVD and Blu Ray release on November 19th. This time demand wasn't so high and I managed to get two tickets for a screening at my local multiplex. While in no way the same as seeing the band, my favourite of all time, live, the two hours I sat in the cinema were amazing. The band showed that despite having barely played together in thirty years and missing original drummer John Bonham whose death in 1980 was the trigger for the band's breakup, that they are still able to rock with the best and sounded close to as good as they have on any other live recording I've seen.

One of the problems with seeing a band like Led Zeppelin at the cinema is that it isn't the sort of environment that you can really relax, sing,air guitar or dance in. It was a little awkward at times as a few people bobbed heads or tapped feet. I didn't feel as though I could properly enjoy the show in that environment and think that it is probably better suited to DVD. I had to resist the urge to sing and clap which isn't the most relaxing thing.

Before I go any further I have to make it clear that I may be biased in my review of this concert film as Led Zeppelin is my favourite band. Even so and trying to be as objective as possible, they put on one hell of a show. The film is shot in a fairly conventional manner with close-ups of faces, instruments and the like, spliced with wide shots and some nice super 8 style camera work which is reminiscent of the likes of The Song Remains the Same and the Led Zeppelin DVD. The old looking footage gives a 70s vibe which obviously matches the music. For the most part the camera-work is crisp and looks great in HD. There are plenty of interesting angles and cuts too which add to the visual enjoyment. Unlike Scorsese's Rolling Stones film Shine a Light which seemed to spend as much time on the audience as the band, Celebration Day focuses almost solely on the on stage action with just a couple of cut aways to the audience.

Musically the band sound incredibly tight. The three surviving members last performed together in 1988 and this was their first full length concert since John Bonham's death. Age and time coupled with a falling out between bassist John Paul Jones and singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page appears to have had little effect as the band sound great. Robert Plant's voice is almost indistinguishable from his 1970s self save for a few missed high notes. Jimmy Page is still one of the greatest guitarists of all time and played the concert despite breaking his little finger just a month before the show. John Paul Jones, always the quietest member of the group and the one who seems least at ease on stage played incredibly well on both bass and keyboards. Drummer Jason Bonham, son of John was excellent and has all the ferocity of his father. He slotted straight in despite this being the first gig he'd played with the full band. Not a bad debut gig! It was nice to witness the genuine looks of pride and glee on the faces of the original members as the looked a Bonham Jnr playing his father's parts.

In their eleven year existence Led Zeppelin created some of the most iconic rock music in history with the likes of Whole Lotta Love, Kashmir, Rock and Roll and Dazed and Confused amongst the most popular and enduring songs in rock history. Stairway to Heaven of course transcends even those songs and is frequently voted the most popular song of all time, rock or otherwise. As well as the stalwarts like Kashmir and Stairway the band also perform some of my personal favourites such as No Quarter, Misty Mountain Hop and Trampled Underfoot, a song that always reminds me of my dad. For Your Life is also performed on stage for the first time ever but unfortunately there is no space for more of my favourites such as Communication Breakdown, When the Levee Breaks, Heartbreaker, The Immigrant Song, Gallows Pole or Ramble On. The problem with having such an extensive back catalogue is that there will always be songs that are missed but there could be few arguments that the chosen set was anything but spectacular.

Overall Celebration Day is the sort of thing which is probably more enjoyable at home where you can sit back, enjoy a drink or a smoke and properly rock out to the music. Even so I really enjoyed seeing my favourite band on the big screen and would recommend the forthcoming DVD to hard line fans as well as anyone who just thinks that Zeppelin are some old band what sang that long song. There's enough to satisfy fans and newcomers alike.

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My brother and I had a bet when the show was announced.....If I won, I would take him. If he won, he would take me..... HE WON! Although the film is excellent.... nothing could compare to the energy in the O2 that night.... I know now why Dicky, ( The Director, Editor and One of the Producers) took five years to complete the film. He truly captured the magic of the evening. The way the whole evening was conducted, (Bill Wyman did an excellent job as MC), all of the other "Super Groups", that Ahmet had signed, (Yes... Emmerson, Lake and Palmer...), were there, and the night flowed perfectly... The audience was literally a who's who of the music biz. We stood at mix position, and we could see Sir Paul, Dave Grhol....etc. all within a few feet. Truly an amazing night. Once in a lifetime.