The reunion offers have never stopped coming for the three living members of Led Zeppelin, and the speculative amounts of money being thrown at them are always on the rise. Still, save for a few one-off live performances, they’ve never reassembled.
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They’ve basically stayed true to their initial decision to disband in the wake of drummer John Bonham’s unexpected death in 1980. For those three guys, the essence of the band was no more, which would have made a reunion an empty affair.
A Band on Fumes
While John Bonham’s death proved to be the determining factor in Led Zeppelin deciding to quit, there were already signs the band were slowing down. From their debut album in 1969 to the massive Physical Graffiti double album in 1975, there was no more consistent hard rock band in the world. But their output began to weaken after that.
Presence, released in 1976, felt like little more than a holding-pattern record. 1977 would turn out to be a pivotal year in the band’s history, as a tour filled with chaotic, often dangerous incidents soured them on the live experience. The sudden death of Robert Plant’s young son while he was away on that tour essentially put the band on hiatus for an indefinite time.
They returned to recording in 1979 with In Through the Out Door. Interestingly enough, Plant and bassist John Paul Jones came up with many of the musical ideas for the record, while Jimmy Page and Bonham struggled with personal problems. The album, softer and more introspective, seemed like a possible preview of what the band might sound like in years to come.
A Death in the Family
Led Zeppelin played some well-regarded shows in 1980 in England, signaling they were perhaps ready once again to take up the mantle of being the world’s biggest rock band. They scheduled a tour in the United States for autumn of that year. Rehearsals got underway in England in September.
On September 24, Bonham drank heavily before and during that date’s rehearsal session. Late that evening, he and the rest of the band retired to a house Page owned nearby. When a few people went in to rouse him the next afternoon, he was found dead.
At the age of 32, Bonham died from asphyxiation, as he had choked on his vomit. The tour was quickly cancelled and the remaining members of the band laid low for a few months. Speculation in the rock press ran rampant about who the band might get to replace him. After all, other British rock bands like The Rolling Stones and The Who had carried on after losing members, and it was assumed Led Zep might do the same.
A Final Announcement
On December 4, 1980, Led Zeppelin put that speculation to rest. In a statement citing the “loss of our dear friend,” the band announced they would not continue without Bonham. Led Zeppelin’s recording career was finished.
Over the years, Plant and Page have worked together on various projects, albeit not under the Led Zeppelin moniker. As for reunion shows involving the three living members, there were two shaky ones in the ‘80s (including an infamously poor one at Live Aid) and then a triumphant one in 2007. That latter show almost incited a full-scale tour, but an agreement couldn’t be reached.
It’s one of great hypotheticals to imagine what Led Zeppelin might have become had they ripened into maturity, a la a band like the Stones. But it’s hard to begrudge them their decision to end the story, their loyalty to their fallen drummer proving stronger than any temptations to sustain the brand.
Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images
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