Taro's Blog

We Need to Talk About How Bad the Live Aid Led Zeppelin Reunion Was
I agree with the writer. Phil Collins was arrogant in refusing to participate in the rehearsal. It was very unprofessional. He should have stepped off the stage. No wonder Jimmy Page and Robert Plant have hated him to this day.

Phil Collins was a drummer for Genesis (then he became the frontman, but that’s another story). But he was a has-been as a drummer in 1995. His solo career soared as a pop singer, and he was the man of the hour then. He claimed he was so busy and had no time to attend the rehearsal. Then, why did he sit behind the drum kit?

The other drummer, Tony Thompson, practiced with the band during rehearsals and played reasonably well on the Live Aid stage. Very professional. After all, Thompson drummed for Chic and Power Station before the Live Aid appearance. It was regretful that he passed away in 2003 at the age of 48.

In 1985, Led Zeppelin performed 3 iconic songs at Live Aid at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. Here is my analysis.

“Rock and Roll” – Collins’ drum was loose and sometimes off. At the end of the song, Page’s Les Paul went out of tune.

“Whole Lotta Love” – Page might have found his guitar went out of tune. However, he was so upset at Collins’ poor performance that he regretfully forgot to replace his guitar with a tuned one. Again, Collins’ drum was loose and sometimes off.

“Stairway to Heaven” – Page replaced Les Paul with tuned EDS-1275 (Double-Neck). The song was perfect until 6:20, because Collins was absent. The tragedy resumed when Collins decided to join. The remainder of the song sucked.