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Live Aid July 13, 1985 Philadelphia Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones played with Phil Collins on Drums


Guest CadillacOfRock

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Green Cat - thanks for posting that. Nice read. I am assuming that was Bob Geldof speaking.

B)

Well I am the T**t as I thought it was a joke, yet just read your post, then looked at his post and then clicked the link, it does seem Geldof did say all this to Jim, blimey, so Plant was up for it to be released...kudos Robert.

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And another thing - I recall a quote from Bob Geldof that after Live Aid the charity organisers told the BBC and the American broadcast crews to wipe any excess footage/multi-track sound so that the event could not be wrongly exploited at some future point. Or something like that. They were concerned about the music overshadowing the fact that Live Aid was about saving lives, not promoting artists.

Anyway, the BBC boys listened and said "Of course we'll wipe whatever you want" and promptly ignored the request. Whereas the Americans took them literally and did just that. That is why the Wembley footage and audio is much better than the JFK video - they had multitracks and alternative footage to use.

I could be wrong as I'm quoting from memory, but in my mind it explains why the perfectionist Zep boys (stand up Master Page) did not want to use the relatively poor video and audio from JFK stadium.

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And another thing - I recall a quote from Bob Geldof that after Live Aid the charity organisers told the BBC and the American broadcast crews to wipe any excess footage/multi-track sound so that the event could not be wrongly exploited at some future point. Or something like that. They were concerned about the music overshadowing the fact that Live Aid was about saving lives, not promoting artists.

Anyway, the BBC boys listened and said "Of course we'll wipe whatever you want" and promptly ignored the request. Whereas the Americans took them literally and did just that. That is why the Wembley footage and audio is much better than the JFK video - they had multitracks and alternative footage to use.

I could be wrong as I'm quoting from memory, but in my mind it explains why the perfectionist Zep boys (stand up Master Page) did not want to use the relatively poor video and audio from JFK stadium.

Well if thats true then I now have to understand his point of you to a point, although others did allow the as you say poor quality audio etc from JFK, I haven't seen the Live Aid DVD so cannot comment, only memory from the day itself.

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  • 2 years later...

SAJ,

do you know who the guy is in the photograph at the right hand side (with the beard)? It's just that he reminds me of one of the LZ roadies - could it be Rex King?

LZ_124.jpg

T-minus 45 minutes and counting

Courtesy Steve A. Jones Archive

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I just watched the footage again, and yeah, it's not perfect, but it is not horrible by a long shot. Collins was bad, and Jimmy has publicly chastised him for that, but the rest was okay. Robert came in too early for the final verse of Stairway, and didn't let Jimmy finish his solo properly, and that threw everyone off a bit. I would not turn my back on this performance, but if I was Jimmy, I would be little embarrassed by yet another cigarette moment at the start of the show. They are terribly cliche and unappealing. Not a bad performance in my view though, considering the scenario and logistics.

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I just watched the footage again, and yeah, it's not perfect, but it is not horrible by a long shot. Collins was bad, and Jimmy has publicly chastised him for that, but the rest was okay. Robert came in too early for the final verse of Stairway, and didn't let Jimmy finish his solo properly, and that threw everyone off a bit. I would not turn my back on this performance, but if I was Jimmy, I would be little embarrassed by yet another cigarette moment at the start of the show. They are terribly cliche and unappealing. Not a bad performance in my view though, considering the scenario and logistics.

Agree 100%.

have heard stories that when handing the guitar to Page, someone dropped it, knocking it horribly out of tune. And Plant being a little pissed that Pagey showed up so late, there was little if any time to rehearse.

Still better than at least 50% of the people who played that day.

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Reading this thread again kind of irks me.

Everyone blasts Collins, who by most accounts, was very helpful in getting Plant going on his solo job. Was he perfect? No, but really, WTH did they have two drummers and Paul Martinez as well on that stage?

Page disses Collins poor play. Yes of course. The fact you showed up so stoned you can barely stand, that obviously had nothing to do with the poor performance. Ever the perfectionist. BS.

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Ya as I was reading this I was like hey PC was good enough for Plants first couple of solo records - so why wouldn't he fit in - I'm guessing PC was "lost" by the time Live Aid came around due to when he was working with Plant they NEVER covered any Zeppelin material (rehersal/live/or in studio). That's probably just the way they wanted it too.

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...And Plant being a little pissed that Pagey showed up so late, there was little if any time to rehearse.

Robert performed at the Rosemont Horizon on July 10th and (reportedly) rehearsed with Jimmy there the following day. I do have a photograph of Jimmy & Robert enjoying themselves at The Checkerboard Lounge in Chicago on July 11th 1985. Robert went on to perform in Detroit on July 12th - the day prior to Live Aid - and attributes that performance as having caused his hoarseness during Live Aid. As a by the way, they also conducted a sound check (without Phil) on Saturday morning for their 8 pm Live Aid performance slot.

Everyone blasts Collins, who by most accounts, was very helpful in getting Plant going on his solo job. Was he perfect? No, but really, WTH did they have two drummers and Paul Martinez as well on that stage?

Phil did contribute to recording six backing tracks in three days at Rockfield Studios in October 1981, and ultimately served as percussionist on Robert's first solo tour. However, the invitation to perform at Live Aid was originally extended to Robert Plant and his band at the time...it would have been rude for Robert to tell Paul Martinez to take a hike. Phil Collins caught flack then and now for seemingly using the event for his own personal gain...using the Concorde after performing in London to also perform in Philadelphia is all well and good (and very rock n' roll) but it is also arguably over the top for what was meant to be a charity event.

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First off, I think Phil Collins is an excellent drummer.. Easily in my top 10 favorites.

Listen to any Gabriel era Genesis, Gabriel's melting face album, some of his solo material, post Gabriel Genesis, Robert Fripp's Exposure, the Brand X material he played on, Robert Plant's 1st 2 solo albums and on and on.. In his day he was an amazing, very innovative drummer.

But he shouldn't have sat in with the biggest reunion of the day if he wasn't prepared ....simple as that.. I think that's what rubbed me wrong about it ...

He had done more than enough good things that day. A very good duet with Sting at Wembley, a flight to Philly, then a solo set, a set with Eric Clapton (which he sounded excellent). He certainly had enough of the days spotlight without sitting in on that!

How Page Plant and Jones let that happen is beyond me.. "What Phil? you don't know the songs?!" Sorry bud! Maybe next time" Besides, the late Tony Thompson had the songs down pat..

But it wasn't all on Phil Collins .. at all.. and he really shouldn't be the lone scapegoat.. Robert sounded hoarse, screwed up STH by cutting off Jimmy's solo (like DL pointed out) and had a pretty bad set overall.. Jimmy did pretty good considering his condition just a year or so earlier. He had one off the cuff solo in WLL that I loved.. Paul Martinez's distorted bass sounded way out of place on STH.. I only saw Collins drop one major clam in (Whole Lotta Love) edit to add.. the WLL ending was a total train wreck.. and I'm not sure who missed the final stop on Rock and Roll ... but that really wasn't that big a deal..

oh yeah and John Paul Jones ... (who had to invite himself!!!!!!!)... sounded absolutely flawless as usual.

Live Aid was obviously wonderful for why it was happening... warts and all.

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Poor JPJ; always the bridesmaid, never the bride. It is regretable how he has been treated over the years. Well said Chase, although I am not a PC fan. I recently read an interview with Phil where he said that he would never play again, and if not for his kids, he would have committed suicide long ago. That's sad too.

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Poor JPJ; always the bridesmaid, never the bride. It is regretable how he has been treated over the years. Well said Chase, although I am not a PC fan. I recently read an interview with Phil where he said that he would never play again, and if not for his kids, he would have committed suicide long ago. That's sad too.

Yes very sad... He was head over heels in love with his last wife, who is beautiful and they divorced.. that and the back problems keeping him from playing must be pretty heartbreaking.

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Yes very sad... He was head over heels in love with his last wife, who is beautiful and they divorced.. that and the back problems keeping him from playing must be pretty heartbreaking.

I didn't realize that Phil Collins' retirement was due to health problems. I'm sorry to read this.

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My face as they took the stage before their Live Aid performance: :yay:

My face after their performance: :blink:

I must be one of the few that was excited to see them take the stage, and just as excited when they were done.

Of course, my only live LZ experience prior to this was TSRTS, and I found that a great big letdown. Dazed was twenty minutes longer than needed, MD was ten minutes longer than needed, etc.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 7 months later...

philcollinssolo2013_638.jpg

Phil Collins says that LED ZEPPELIN's reunion show at Live Aid on July 13, 1985 was "a disaster" and claims that he realized it was "a mistake" as soon as the band started playing.

The GENESIS drummer took the stage at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium for LED ZEPPELIN's first live performance since the death of John Bonham five years earlier. The concert wasn't billed as an official LED ZEPPELIN appearance, which saw Collins was filling in, along with Tony Thompson of CHIC, for Bonham. They played for 20 minutes, giving them enough time to run through "Rock And Roll", "Whole Lotta Love" and "Stairway To Heaven".

"I thought it was just going to be low-key and we'd all get together and have a play," Collins told Q magazine. "But something happened between that conversation and the day — it became a LED ZEPPELIN reunion. I turned up and I was a square peg in a round hole. Robert [Plant, vocals] was happy to see me, but Jimmy [Page, guitar] wasn't."

Collins added: "You could sense I wasn't welcome. If I could have walked off, I would have done. But then we'd all be talking about why Phil Collins walked off Live Aid — so I just stuck it out. It was a disaster, really. Robert wasn't match-fit with his voice and Jimmy was out of it, dribbling. It wasn't my fault it was crap."

Plant told Rolling Stone in 1988 about the performance: "It was horrendous. Emotionally, I was eating every word that I had uttered. And I was hoarse. I'd done three gigs on the trot before I got to Live Aid. We rehearsed in the afternoon, and by the time I got onstage, my voice was long gone."

Page later said about the event: "My main memories, really, were of total panic. John Paul Jones arrived virtually the same day as the show and we had about an hour's rehearsal before we did it. And that sounds like a bit of a kamikaze stunt, really, when you think of how well everyone else was rehearsed."


Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/phil-collins-recalls-led-zeppelin-reunion-disaster/#fQyVIWm9pvpFQA21.99

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philcollinssolo2013_638.jpg

Phil Collins says that LED ZEPPELIN's reunion show at Live Aid on July 13, 1985 was "a disaster" and claims that he realized it was "a mistake" as soon as the band started playing.

The GENESIS drummer took the stage at Philadelphia's JFK Stadium for LED ZEPPELIN's first live performance since the death of John Bonham five years earlier. The concert wasn't billed as an official LED ZEPPELIN appearance, which saw Collins was filling in, along with Tony Thompson of CHIC, for Bonham. They played for 20 minutes, giving them enough time to run through "Rock And Roll", "Whole Lotta Love" and "Stairway To Heaven".

"I thought it was just going to be low-key and we'd all get together and have a play," Collins told Q magazine. "But something happened between that conversation and the day — it became a LED ZEPPELIN reunion. I turned up and I was a square peg in a round hole. Robert [Plant, vocals] was happy to see me, but Jimmy [Page, guitar] wasn't."

Collins added: "You could sense I wasn't welcome. If I could have walked off, I would have done. But then we'd all be talking about why Phil Collins walked off Live Aid — so I just stuck it out. It was a disaster, really. Robert wasn't match-fit with his voice and Jimmy was out of it, dribbling. It wasn't my fault it was crap."

Plant told Rolling Stone in 1988 about the performance: "It was horrendous. Emotionally, I was eating every word that I had uttered. And I was hoarse. I'd done three gigs on the trot before I got to Live Aid. We rehearsed in the afternoon, and by the time I got onstage, my voice was long gone."

Page later said about the event: "My main memories, really, were of total panic. John Paul Jones arrived virtually the same day as the show and we had about an hour's rehearsal before we did it. And that sounds like a bit of a kamikaze stunt, really, when you think of how well everyone else was rehearsed."

Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/phil-collins-recalls-led-zeppelin-reunion-disaster/#fQyVIWm9pvpFQA21.99

Interesting

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It's easier to blame the guy who wasn't a member of the original band than it is to blame two poor performances of the singer and guitar player. I've never bought the whole "guitar was out of tune" routine. If someone as professional and legacy-minded as Page is can't be bothered to check if he's in tune before going into a song, I don't know what to tell you. Bottom line: the video doesn't lie. Collins may not have been on cue in spots, but Robert's voice was shot and Jimmy sounds awful.

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I saw that recently on Blabbermouth. I'm kind of surprised Phil Collins is saying something negative now after all this time… I'm guessing he must have seen or read something that set him off..

I would guess it was something Jimmy said because Phil really went after him… I think Jimmy called Live Aid "shambolic" recently

I wish he did go with his gut though and disappear from the stage.. How could the 1st ever reunion performance of the 3 surviving members of Led Zeppelin at Live Aid ever be considered "Low Key"??

WTF is he talking about?? I respect Phil a lot and he's one of my favorite drummers, but he's off base here..

I don't care if you're playing in front of 50 people either… low key or not … you learn the material… Let alone in front of over 2 billion viewers during the biggest reunion concert of the 80's..

If he thought he was just jamming with Robert's band.. well ok.. He knew that material because he played on most of RP's 1st 2 solo albums.. He didn't know Zeppelin's stuff. Once he figured out it was becoming bigger than he expected, he should have gracefully bowed out .. Tony Thompson knew the set … Phil Collins wasn't needed..

Jimmy didn't make him feel welcome, I would guess (again) because he never even rehearsed with the band!!

At the Atlantic 40th, Phil Collins introduced Robert Plant's solo band and with Ahmet Ertegun introduced the 2nd reunion ... so he couldn't have been too upset about Live Aid.

Rambling here.. but I love how some drummers go in thinking "oh Zeppelin.. that's easy" then they get up there and can't do it like John Bonham.. not even close..

Simon Phillips is one of the best in the world, but he absolutely butchered Stairway To Heaven at the 1st ARM's concerts.

Not rehearsing is a sign that you think you know it already and obviously knowing a song from hearing it is one thing… playing it is a whole different thing ..

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