When Led Zeppelin reunited for a show at London’s O2 Arena in 2007, Robert Plant was adamant it was a one-off, special occasion. While the lucrative offers would have tempted most, Plant stood firm, and Pink Floyd played a crucial role in his decision-making process.
There was no amount of money in the world Plant was willing to accept to get back on the road with Led Zeppelin. In his mind, their farewell show at the O2 in memory of Ahmet Ertegun, who founded Atlantic Records, was the perfect way for the group to draw the line under their career. Although his bandmates felt differently and wanted to keep the train rolling, their singer had other ideas.
While the show was a phenomenal success, Plant felt dejected at the end of the concert, and rather than enjoy the after-party, the singer opted to solemnly drink alone. He later recalled to Mojo in 2012: “I ended up in the Marathon pub in Camden, drank four bottles of Keo lager and half a bottle of vodka, then went to bed. Because I had to get away from it. I’d done it. I had to go. It was too heavy. Beautiful, but talk about examining your own mortality! Crazy.”
Demand for the concert was off the charts, with over a million people trying to access tickets for the show at a 20,000-capacity venue. As a result, Zeppelin were reportedly offered an eye-watering $800m offer to tour the show across the world, but it didn’t interest Plant.
In his eyes, Pink Floyd mastered the reunion as an art form with their iconic set at Live 8. Most importantly, they weren’t reuniting for financial gains, they were using their profile to highlight a cause bigger than themselves.
Plant later told Guitar World (via Blabbermouth): “I liked what Floyd at Live 8 — a quick one-off and let’s leave it at that. They did it for a good cause. It’s was the same when Zeppelin did the charity show for Ahmet. We had a prolonged affinity with Ahmet, so if there was ever a reason for [a reunion] to happen, that was it. But the idea of doing it next summer and the summer after that and so on is enough to break me out in hives.”
For their reunion at Hyde Park, Pink Floyd put their personal conflict behind them and stole the show. Bittersweetly, it also marked their final concert with founding member Richard Wright, who passed away shortly afterwards.
Despite Zeppelin and Pink Floyd having been inundated with offers to tour stadiums since their respective splits, they are both acutely aware of how it could dilute their legacy, which they value higher than money. From Plant’s perspective, the band left things on a pristine note, and he’s content playing theatres as a solo artist than stadiums with Zeppelin. Plant has moved on from his former life since the final chapter of the Led Zeppelin story concluded on December 10th, 2007.