Robert Plant has apparently had a change of heart and will join bandmates Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham (John's son) for a full-blown Led Zeppelin reunion tour set to hit the road sometime next year.
According to a report in today’s The Sun, Plant couldn’t stand the thought of being replaced, and the band's apparent plans to tour without him. According to an unnamed source, “The rest of the band had all but given up on Robert joining them, but they were determined to go ahead so had started to seriously explore other avenues.”
Reports in recent weeks said Page, Jones and Bonham had been rehearsing and writing new songs in a London studio with several singers standing in for Plant, one of which—an unnamed American—who had performed so well the band was seriously considering hitting the road without Plant. Apparently, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“When Robert realized the band were serious about doing it without him, it made him think long and hard,” The Sun source said. “He realized he couldn’t face the thought of not being involved.”
The source continued, “The band were over the moon when he told them the news. They are now forging ahead with the tour plans and they can’t wait to get on the road.”
The Sun is reporting that the tour is tentatively set for next summer. And if the response to the band’s one-off reunion show at London’s O2 Arena this past December is an early indicator, a full-scale Led Zeppelin reunion tour will undoubtedly be the biggest tour in the history of music.
Stay tuned for more details as they emerge.—Gabriel J. Hernandez