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LONDON - The surviving members of Led Zeppelin have announced plans for a one-off comeback concert nearly three decades after the rock legends disbanded.
The group split in 1980 after the death of drummer John Bonham and have performed only a handful of reunion gigs, last taking the stage together 12 years ago at their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The latest show will be held November 26 in London.
Tickets will go for 125 pounds ($254), available by ballot only with winners names chosen at random. Fans can register at a special website (www.ahmettribute.com) for a chance to buy tickets.
The official tickets website crashed shortly after the announcement as fans swarmed it for a chance to see the band, known to many of its fans simply as Zep.
Concert organiser Harvey Goldsmith said he believed it would be a one-off show, not a full-fledged reunion tour, but said the band seemed to be bonding well together again.
Bonham's son, Jason, will wield the drum sticks for the reincarnated Led Zeppelin, joining its founding members: singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones.
The show will be a tribute to the late founder of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun, who signed Led Zeppelin in 1968.
"This performance stands alone as our tribute to the work and the life of our long-standing friend," Plant said in a statement.
Plant and Page have joined forces over the years, notably on an album in 1994, but Jones has been more distant. When Bonham passed away after a long battle with alcoholism, his bandmates said Led Zeppelin had died with him.
Goldsmith said the band was approaching the gig seriously.
"They thought about it very carefully, and even decided to actually rehearse for a few days to see if they could play together again," he told Reuters Television in an interview.
"I only asked them to do 30 minutes and they came back after a week's rehearsals and said they wanted to do a full show.
"So they obviously started to bond back together again. As far as I'm concerned, this is a one-off show, if something materializes after that, I'll be thrilled," Goldmsith added.
The band is scheduled to release a greatest-hits collection, titled "Mothership," on November 13, and bookmaker Ladbrokes has made it odds-on favourite to top album charts.
The band also is reissuing its only live album, "The Song Remains the Same," along with an associated concert movie in November.
"Reunion gigs are all the rage at the moment, and we reckon Led Zeppelin will make the most of their comeback," Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said. "We fully expect to see their older fans, and a new generation of rock lovers, getting behind the group."
The concert is slated for London's 02 Arena, which has a capacity of about 22,000. The Who's Pete Townshend, and Rolling Stone Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings and others will also play on the night.
- REUTERS
