The Led Zeppelin News Email - 15/09/24
A Jason Bonham update and Robert Plant says goodbye for now to Alison Krauss
Hello! Welcome to the 358th Led Zeppelin News email. We email out regular summaries of Led Zeppelin news so that you don't miss anything.
Led Zeppelin
Jason Bonham pulls out of Sammy Hagar’s September tour dates in Japan
Jason Bonham will not return to performing with Sammy Hagar in time for his September tour of Japan, Live Nation Japan announced on September 10.
Bonham has now cancelled all of his upcoming live performances until November amid rumours that his mother, John Bonham’s wife Pat Bonham, is seriously ill.
Live Nation Japan’s announcement said Bonham’s decision not to join Hagar on the tour is due to “an urgent family matter”
Becoming ‘Becoming Led Zeppelin’ again?
The current title of the feature-length documentary about the origins of Led Zeppelin is unclear, even after the film was rated for release in the US.
Last month we revealed that the film, originally premiered in 2021 under the title “Becoming Led Zeppelin”, had been retitled “Introducing Led Zeppelin” by its US distributor Sony Pictures Classics.
This week we spotted that the film rating issued by the Motion Picture Association last month has changed to the former title “Becoming Led Zeppelin”, relegating “Introducing Led Zeppelin” to an “alternate title”.
There is still no sign of the film’s release, despite Jason Bonham telling Eddie Trunk in an interview broadcast last month that it would be screened in September.
The film’s producers and multiple press representatives for its US distributor Sony Pictures Classics continue to ignore LedZepNews’ emails asking what the film’s title is and when fans will be able to see it.
A bidding flurry for John Bonham’s Earls Court drum skin
Ahead of the end of the auction on September 17, a flurry of bids have been placed for a drum skin purportedly used by John Bonham during Led Zeppelin’s five Earls Court performances in 1975.
Bidding on the drum skin has reached £7,500 with nine bids placed so far, the auction website shows. That means the drum skin has already blown past its £3,000 to £5,000 estimate.
Pink Floyd is in talks to sell its catalogue for between $400 million and $500 million
Pink Floyd is reportedly near a deal to sell its catalogue to Sony Music for between $400 million and $500 million, according to reports published by both Variety and The Financial Times this week.
For premium subscribers to the LedZepNews Substack, we published this analysis earlier today of what Pink Floyd’s deal could mean for Led Zeppelin’s catalogue. There are some clear similarities in the status of both bands. We know Helen Grant’s stake in Led Zeppelin is on the table, but could we see more of Led Zeppelin up for sale in the future?
Robert Plant
Robert Plant says ‘until the next time’ to Alison Krauss
Robert Plant has seemingly said goodbye for now to Alison Krauss and their band, writing on Instagram on September 13: “So much real cool joy..until the next time. Thanks to all who sailed with us and raised so many roofs.”
Plant’s wording doesn’t hint at further touring next year with Krauss, a significant difference to his post from July 2023 that confirmed a 2024 tour with Krauss. In that post, he wrote: “Fantastic, exciting..and already feeling the vacuum as it sets in..farewell my friends..til the next trek in '24”
Robert Plant was interviewed for a new Jeff Buckley radio documentary
Robert Plant makes a brief appearance in “Jeff Buckley Forever”, a new two-hour radio documentary about Jeff Buckley that premiered on BBC Radio 6 earlier today. The show is available to listen to on BBC Sounds for the next 28 days here.
Plant’s interview appears at the 1:27:37 point in the show. “I was playing with Jimmy in the mid Nineties when we were working with an Egyptian ensemble and we played in a festival in Switzerland and Jeff Buckley was playing and we went to see him and it was mind-altering, his voice,” Plant says. “And so much conviction. And I mean the thing is when there’s an adamance about putting the point over with singers and what joy.”
A Robert Plant sighting from today
Upcoming events:
September 17 - The auction for a drum skin seemingly used by John Bonham at Earls Court in 1975 will end.
September 21 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Bewdley, UK.
October 8 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Bari, Italy.
October 9 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Naples, Italy.
October 11 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Rome, Italy.
October 12 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Florence, Italy.
October 14 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Bologna, Italy.
October 15 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Turin, Italy.
October 17 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Como, Italy.
October 18 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Bolzano, Italy.
October 20 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Padua, Italy.
October 21 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Trieste, Italy.
October 23 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Brescia, Italy.
October 25 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace at the Baloise Session music festival in Basel, Switzerland.
October 27 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Antwerp, Belgium.
October 29 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Paris, France.
Late October - “Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love: A People’s History” by Richard Houghton will be published.
November 5 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Harrogate, UK.
November 6 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Stockton, UK.
November 23 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Woking, UK.
November 24 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Southend, UK.
2025 - An expanded version of Live at the Greek, the live album featuring Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes, is due to be released.
May 5 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
May 6 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
May 8 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Copenhagen, Denmark.
May 9 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Malmö, Sweden.
May 11 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Gothenburg, Sweden.
May 14 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Oslo, Norway.
May 16 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Stockholm, Sweden.
May 18 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Tampere, Finland.
May 19 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Helsinki, Finland.
May 21 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Tallinn, Estonia.
May 23 - Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Vilnius, Lithuania.
October 2025 - John Paul Jones’ song cycle for Dame Sarah Connolly will premiere in London.
That was our 358th email. Have any questions or feedback? Reply to this email and we'll get back to you.
Follow Led Zeppelin News on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on news as it happens, and check ledzepnews.com for the latest news.