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Though most hard-core Led Zeppelin fans weren’t fortunate enough to witness the band’s recent reunion at the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert in London, we can still relish the music with the re-issuance of their 1976 film, The Song Remains the Same. This two-disc special edition DVD highlights Zeppelin’s 1973 U.S. tour with their three-night performances at Madison Square Garden.
The film opens with a fantasy from personal manager Peter Grant as he sets out in full gangster attire to unload his machine gun in a surreal setting. He then receives a pressing phone call and proceeds to interrupt the band members during their personal time alone or with family, to inform their of their upcoming U.S. tour...to commence the following day.
Though we see the lives of each individual member—lead vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham, it’s the concert that makes this DVD worthwhile. You’ll witness Robert Plant passionately screaming and bopping around the floor, along with the dynamic Jimmy Page on guitar. You’ll hear the band’s best songs, among them “Rock and Roll,” “Black Dog,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Over the Hills and Far Away,” “Dazed and Confused,” and, of course, “Stairway to Heaven.”
Unfortunately, the concert footage is interrupted by tiring fantasy scenes created by each individual band member. This, along with some of the documentary from the concert—like Grant’s temper tantrum over the concessions—impedes the momentum of the music. News reports and confrontations concerning the robbery of $180,000 from Zeppelin’s hotel safe deposit box are sprinkled throughout the film. However, one diversion that is well placed and memorable are flashbacks during Bonham’s long “Moby Dick” drum solo. Here we take a glimpse into the personal life of the late drummer whose death brought an end to the band.
Still, Zeppelin’s The Song Remains the Same DVD is a must for fans of Led Zeppelin, one of the best rock groups of all time. I found myself passing over the “fluff” and repeating the concert footage over and over, still in awe of Page’s guitar magic. Could there be a reunion tour on the horizon with John Bonham’s son, Jason, on drums? We can only hope.
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