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Why didn´t they play "Achilles" during the O2 gig?


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Hehe there is no way they would just omit WLL... as mr. Plant said in O2... there are osme songs, that cant be missed... DaC was one of them. WLL is another one of them
;)
.

And just FYI... i LOVED ramble on... I love the song and I loved how they performed it in O2.

My thoughts about ALS is also that it was just too long to play, combined with too demanding (not hard, demanding) to play. They COULD play as long as they wanted, but I am pretty sure they didnt want to play for more then 2 hours. Any musician has to know how demanding it is to pull out a perfect 2 hour show. Not to mention a special show like this... and at the age they have... 2 hour show is already something I was amazed off. I thought they would play like 75-90 minutes show... but 124 minutes of pure power? I dont think they could include another really demanding 10 minute song... Just my thoughts
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in terms of ten minute songs, they did play in my time of dying which is just as long as achilles and I honeslty don't think anyone would question them swapping IMTOD for Achilles..................Achilles is a jimmy favorite, but I think the way they operated was that they all had equal voting on what songs made it in and Robert definitely didn't want the heavy metal of stuff like Achilles which is sad.....he could definitely pull it off vocally though as we've seen from the celebration day release, he's got no trouble wailing away. If Jimmy ever tours again you know he'll bring out Achilles, guy loves that song so very much.

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Plus, we all know that Robert basically vetoed the "heavy metal" songs so there was never a chance that stuff like Immigrant Song or Communication Breakdown would get played.

Really? We all know that???

A) How?

B ) They aren't "heavy metal" anyway.

Personally, I think they played enough long songs in the set - too many for the casual observer - and ALS would have been one too many. yeah I may have changed their set around a little had I had a "wish list" - but they had already topped my wish list by playing the gig in the first place.

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  • 2 weeks later...

i think they picked for your life instead of it to play out of presence, an easier tune to play and sing, in order not to restrain Mr.plant's fine, vocal chords. and it's just as good as ALS, i just don't know when will this song get the bloody appreciation if Fu**ing deserves.

Tea For One as well!

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  • 5 weeks later...

Regarding ALS I'm probably the only one on this forum,-- but I'm not terribly fond of the song. :ohmy: I know it has a hugh fan base but I

can't figure out the attraction. The song (to me) crosses from hard rock into heavy metal big time. Maybe that's it. Or, maybe it's the fact that the

music is driving and relentless. Like the beat of a train running full speed constantly and me running along side unable to catch a breath.

So, I'm personally glad they didn't drop one of the other songs for this. But, like I said I do get this is a big favorite among many (I just don't get why). .............smile.gif missy

Everyone has their opinions and obviously are entitled to them. But - for me - Achilles Last Stand is Zeppelin backed into a corner - Plant not knowing if he'd ever walk again - the band under extreme pressure to record an album in near record time and Pagey being forced to do all of his overdubs in what??? an 18 hour session???

That aside, Achilles is one of THE Zeppelin staples! Of course, w/ out Bonzo, the point is rather moot. But this incredible music that Jimmy came up with and Robert's amazing lyrics - combined w/ the pounding/driving rhythm of Jonsey/Bonham - make this one of the all-time classic rock songs!

It's sad that you don't "get it." Because you really are missing out on a great piece of Zeppelin history!

Amazing music and phenominal lyrics...

It was an April morning

When they told us we should go

And as I turned to you

You smiled at me

How could we say no?

Whoa the fun to have

To live the dreams we always had

Whoa the songs to sing

When we at last return again...

We swept New York a glancing kiss

To those who claim they know

Below the streets that steam and hiss

The Devil’s in his hole…

Whoa to sail away

To sandy lands and other days

Oh to touch the dream

That hides inside and never seen

Yeah...

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

First off, I wasn't there.

That being said...

Is ALS better than For Your Life?

Sure.

Would I have rather heard it than FYL?

Between just those 2, probably.

But instead of bumping For Your Life, which is an incredibly awesome tune even before you consider it's historical status of having never been previously performed, here are a few that I would definitely have sacrificed in order to hear Achilles' Last Stand way before I considered dropping For Your Life:

Good Times, Bad Times

Ramble On

The Song Remains The Same

Rock And Roll

Not that I don't like any of those songs, but they all are way more familiar, and especially in the case of TSRTS and Rock and Roll, have been played live tons.

In fact, given the choice, I would even have forfeited ALL 4 of those songs in order to add ALS and keep For Your Life in the setlist.

But that's just me.

Their rendition of STH was abysmal. They should of dropped that one.

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ALS is just too complex a song to be played live imo, but page did pull it off beautifully at knebworth 79 & I have no idea why he gets so much hate for that seattle version from 77. That was beautiful too.

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ALS is simple on guitar, sounds complicated but isn't

ALS is simple on bass

ALS is demanding on drums, competent drummers have no issues hitting the notes- hitting the feel and rythym changes consistently is hard.

ALS is demanding vocally, the range and simultaneous power required in places is elite

all of this is available in spades.

no idea why ALS was not performed at the O2. I tuned down both a half step and a full step on guitar and it sounds fine. Vocal range is not a problem for Plant although demanding and precise.

Maybe some interviewer can actually ask specifics about how the setlist was selected more than what has already been asked. Until the band says why, its all conjecture.

Guitar

tons of drum covers on YouTube... many are solid. If 17 year old kids can nail it note for note, I suspect a professional like Jason Bonham would nail it.

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