Nineteen years. Three original members, plus the son of the fourth, and one night only at the UK’s largest indoor music venue in front of an 18,000 strong audience, some of whom had bought the tickets for amounts so obscene they were embarrassed to admit to it. That Led Zeppelin’s triumphant (and distressingly short-lived) re-union would end up being released was dictated by the laws of record company economics even before the long-mooted idea came to fruition, the only slight surprise being how long it took and that they limited themselves to only six different formats (double CD, triple vinyl, audio-only bluray, double CD and DVD/Blu-ray and deluxe double CD/double DVD) and no super-deluxe box set containing marbles, scale models of the O2 and a bone from John Bonham’s hand.
Given the fact that anybody who loves rock music will already have the songs covered by this set indelibly scored upon their brain, this review will not seek to debate the merits of the sixteen songs chosen for the simple reason that if every led Zeppelin fan were to sit down and draw up their ideal set list to present to the band, it would inevitably result in a concert covering pretty much every song that Zeppelin ever recorded (certainly from the first six albums), rather it will concentrate on the quality of the content in order to give an overview of what listeners can expect from the various versions available.
Starting with the main DVD, Atlantic have done the decent thing and provided the soundtrack in three formats – Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1 and 2 Ch. Linear PCM – all of which should keep fans happy (whilst true Audiophiles can luxuriate in the Bluray audio version which offers DTS-HD Master Audio in 48 kHz/24-bit resolution, although this does not offer video) and the mix across all three is gloriously clear throughout, the DTS just squeezing the edge over the DD 5.1, although given that not all players handle the former format its grand to have a choice (take note Steven Wilson with your DTS-only releases). The menu whets the appetite with a lengthy loop of ‘kashmir’ but as the extras are housed upon the optional second disc, menu options are in short supply and aside from audio selection the only choices are to start the film or select individual tracks.
Happily for us all, the choice of director was wisely made. Dick Carruthers is a familiar figure on the music scene who has directed (amongst others) acclaimed concert titles by acts such as Portishead, Oasis, The White Stripes, The Manic Street Preachers and Aerosmith. His style is far removed from the horrendous fast-cut, special-effects-laden insanity that seems to possess some directors when let loose near a rock band, and throughout the pacing of the film matches the elegance of the band’s performance with plenty of space given to each member across the two hour show, and enough long-shots of the band to give an impressive indication of the scale of the event. The DVD authoring, equally, allows the full power of Dick Carruthers’ vision to be reproduced on the small screen, with the colours impressively deep and the shots crystal clear even when gazing out from the stage into the darkened recesses of the cavernous O2 arena. The audio, as stated above, easily matches the quality of the visuals on offer. The band’s performance was considered to be of a high standard indeed and while Jimmy page (ably assisted by the obscenely talented Alan Moulder) used overdubs where necessary, these were kept to a minimum, simply because they were not needed. Those with the equipment to enjoy 5.1 sound (in either DTS or DD) will be particularly delighted with the sound which presents the band in blistering clarity, whether on the bombastic ‘whole lotta love’, the mystical ‘kashmir’ or the bluesy ‘nobody’s fault but my own’- it is hard to imagine a better job being done on either video or audio quality here.
As to the performance itself – Led Zeppelin more than live up to their reputation. For sure they were never going to match the power of their young selves (or indeed the memories that long-time fans, lucky enough to witness them first time out, still treasure) but then that was never the point. Rather this was an opportunity to honour the life of Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary executive credited with discovering Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles and many more, whilst simultaneously honouring the career of a band who changed the face of music history with their epic vision. In that respect the band succeed admirably – Jimmy Page playing with a fire and fury that demonstrates the simple truth that passion and feel are every bit as essential to successful guitar work as technical ability, John Paul Jones looking lean and hungry, Jason Bonham channeling his father for a performance that has deservedly garnered near universal praise and Robert Plant demonstrating a vocal prowess that, while perhaps diminished compared to his heyday, still shames singers a quarter of his age. The power and precision with which he dispatches ‘Dazed and confused’ raises the hairs on the back of the neck whilst his shattering delivery of ‘whole lotta love’ has you struggling to believe it’s not the final song, so utterly draining is his cock delivery of the high notes. Thus, whilst vintage performances and similarly vintage memories may trump this aging band, the simple fact remains that the band pacing the stage in 2007 proved how vital a force they remain, even after a gap of nearly two decades, and it is hard to imagine that any but the most churlishly anachronistic would level criticism at the band for not quite matching their peak during this remarkable performance.
The main feature, then, is deserving of unstinting praise, and the double CD set that comes with it (which replicate the concert in its entirety, eight tracks on each disc) is no less impressive. The second DVD, however, is another story and it requires considerable dedication for any but the most Led Zeppelin obsessed to sit down and watch it from start to finish. Offering up the full dress-rehearsal for the show, the second disc has ‘bonus’ written all over it; with everything from the annoyingly distant, static camera (and boy does that get aggravating over two hours) of the positioning to the poorly balanced two channel mix of the audio proving to be lackluster in the extreme. Bearing in mind you’re paying almost five pounds for this extra disc, you want to think very carefully before spending the extra money (especially as the packaging is nothing special either) on such a poorly delivered bonus. Apart from the shoddy rehearsal footage you also get a montage of news clips which runs to barely five minutes and offers no great insight into the concert and the opening screen film. And that’s it. No interviews, no post-gig reminiscences or effort at making the rehearsal footage interesting – it’s a money-making exercise that spoils what is otherwise a near perfect package and fans should certainly not be expected to pay extra for something so utterly hal-assed in its execution.
So in the final analysis ‘Celebration Day’ is a triumph providing you buy one of the standard editions. The packaging is far from inspiring, but at least the cost has been kept low for the standard formats. With vinyl and bluray audio available for audiophiles, a single disc DVD/CD set proving to be immaculately produced, classic rock fans need look no further. However, if you are considering the pricey deluxe edition, our advice is to avoid it all costs unless you are a completist, utterly obsessed with collecting all there is to have no matter what the cost (in which case you probably already have it), as it marks yet another poorly thought out exercise by money-grabbing execs seemingly hell-bent on hammering the nails into the coffin of their own ailing industry. However, let us not end on a sour note. Led Zeppelin emerged, blinking into the light on December 10th 2007, and delivered a well-paced, beautifully performed set that laid a perfect full-stop at the end of a career that reached peaks few can even dream of – and the result is a mesmerizing concert film that flashes by in a blink of an eye despite a two hour run time. Sublime.
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