With the hugely successful Raising Sands Tour now over, having played it’s final date on October 5th at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga, now’s a good time to look back over the last month at just a few highlights. 
Robert and Alison attended the Mercury Prize gala on September 9, 2008 in London, although there didn’t come away with the prestigious award, that went to Elbow, with their album, The Seldom Seen Kid, each nominee received a nomination award. Robert joked in an interview prior to the show “At my age …

A special showing of The Song Remains The Same is to be stage at The Sage in Gateshead 20th November featuring lectures by Dick Carruthers and TV producer Chris Phipps. Billed as The Song Remains the Same: Led Zeppelin – 40 Years Gone, a special event to consider the roots, influences and un-paralleled self-indulgence of four musicians who didn’t need singles, live TV or sleeve notes to captivate generations. The event will include a screening of Led Zeppelin’s legendary concert film ‘The Song Remains the Same’. and Carruthers and Phipps …

Forty years ago this month Jimmy Page’s new group were ensconced in Olympic Studios recording their debut album. Reason enough to dig out that Zep 1 vinyl (my favourite version is an original US pressing on Atlantic SD 8216 with heavy duty cardboard cover).
I’ve also had on that amazing outtake session on the Olympic Gold bootleg CD with raw versions of Babe I’m Gonna Leave You and You Shook me. My they were rocking back then…
The 40th anniversary celebrations culminate here at the November 7 Convention at the Fairfield Hall …

Rhino Records in the US are readying a major new CD box set that includes the complete original ten Led Zeppelin studio albums in original packaging. The set has already been made available in Japan. Special features include the Zep debut album in the turquoise sleeve and the six sleeves for In Through The Out Door are also faithfully reproduced.

Leona Lewis spoke in an interview with the Daily Mail on Saturday about her contribution to the closing ceremony at the Beijing Olympic Games.
‘We were all tied up and bound with these straps,’ she says, ‘It was about 100 degrees, like a sauna, and it was so dark I couldn’t see David at all. He was somewhere to the side of me. I could just hear and feel Jimmy right next to me. The only air I could feel was his breath on my face. Completely surreal.’ 
She is of course …

On Saturday 27th September, Jason Bonham joined Debbie Bonham on stage at the Kiddieminster Town Hall as part of the Kidderminster Music Festival 2008. Thew evening kicked off with musician Kevyn Gammond under his pseudonym, Carlisle Egypt, Kevyn will be remembered as a member of The Band Of Joy and Priory Of Brion, he was joined on stage by Verden Allen, who was Mott The Hoople’s original keyboard player, they played what was described as “an interesting set of avant garde and futuristic music which everyone seemed to enjoy”. Debbie …

Rare Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin photos are to go on display at a Soho gallery in November. The pictures will form part of the Rock Achive Exhibition that will take place at 65–67 Broadwick Street in Soho. Pictures of Bob Dylan, The Who, Razorlight, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley and U2 will also feature in the exhibition. Jill Furmanovsky, who has taken classic images of artists such as Oasis and Blondie, founded Rock Archive in 1998.

Tribute band Boot Led Zeppelin will be leading the celebrations at a special 40th anniversary Led Zeppelin Convention being staged at the famous Croydon Fairfield Hall venue on Friday November 7. The gig will be preceded by a variety of events including a Zep charity auction with a chance to bid for items that will be personally signed by Jimmy Page with all proceeds going to the ABC Trust, guest speakers including Dave Lewis and renowned rock writer Mick Wall who will be talking about and signing copies of his …

With so many rumours and counter rumours floating about, it’s been a job to keep up with the ‘’Will they or won’t they’’ saga in recent weeks. It was therefore something of a relief when official word came through via the Robert Plant web site of the singer’s own intentions.
Given the comments Robert has given in various interviews since the 02 reunion, perhaps it was no real surprise that he has made the decision not to re group with Jimmy JPJ, and Jason.
The big issue now of course is what …

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss