Celebration Day Movie - Forum Reviews

[25 hours a day]

Love reading everybody's Celebration Day reviews (well except for the one from the troll) especially Deborah J's & Tony D's- very well written! I really can't add anything different to what's already been said, so I'll just say that the movie is absolutely all-around amazing & was well worth the wait- loved every minute of it! (Oh and one more thing- Best. Kashmir. Ever.)

Nice to see a lot of new posters here in this thread too- welcome to the forum!

Thank You,Tim

[slave to zep]

Just back from seeing it at Event Cinemas, Tuggerah (Australian east coast). Using SuperDave's format for a quickie before I dash off to several other forums (notably Joe Bonamassa's and My Les Paul) to implore those in later time zones to NOT MISS THIS MOVIE

Sound

I thought it wasn't loud enough at the beginning but was turned up not too long into the show. The quality and clarity of the mix and surround effect was sensational

Visuals

What has been edited here is just amazing. I guess there was many cameras the choose such intimate, close, expressive action from. There was more view of and from the crowd than I'd expected from earlier reviews. The incorporation of the computer graphics on the video screen into the movie at certain times was great, most notably in Kashmir.

Performances (As a band and individual)

What can I say - superb virtuosity all round. And to see it close up - WOW

Theater Experience

More comfortable than I was at the O2!

Pre-Show Experience

Unfortunately little, not many in attendance, complex quiet. Poorly promoted for mine.

Positives and Negatives (If applicable)

Strangely, I was a little underwhelmed when Good Times Bad Times started and recalled that also happened at the O2. Both may have had something to do with the sound (mix / feedback, live and the volume in the cinema). I started off being worried what my friends were thinking

I was pleasantly surprised to find that more of the dialogue about Jason's vocals before Misty Mountain Hop was left in than I was led to believe.

Favorite moments and what blew you away

(And these weren't the same as the concert...) Nobody's Fault But Mine was just brilliant, Misty Mountain Hop great including Jason's vocals, Kashmir was "colossal" and the visual editing in Rock and Roll. The expressive interaction between band members and their apparent joy just makes this movie.

Was it a get together with friends and the feeling it created amongst

My friends thought is was fantastic. Was great to see slave to zep there. I was confident she'd enjoy it!

Overall impression of the movie and experience

All I wanted it to be and more. Can't wait until the DVD comes out here on 16 Nov. I rather expected at the time of the concert I'd be watching it on DVD in 4-5 months time. There's no way it would have been as good if done that quickly. But SO GLAD I saw it on the big screen.

it was great to see you, too!

i loved every minute of it!

[slave to zep]

to quote mr plant ..... it was SPECTACOOOLAR!

[ledzepfilm]

The Movie

The movie started around 9:50. The lights dimmed, and the logos show up. The cheering of some 20,000 fans are heard. To hear the Pulse report was cool as hell.

Without any interuption, Jason starts GTBT. They errupt through the first 3 songs (GTBT, Ramble On, and Black Dog without any breaks. By the fourth song, Robert says "Good evening!", and Jimmy starts IMTOD. There was so much power in that song. If I remember correctly, they did For Your Life, Trampled Underfoot (I loved Robert's plantation here), and Nobody's Fault But Mine. No Quarter really impressed me. Since I've Been Loving You was a great rendition, and Jimmy was sounding as better as ever. Dazed and Confused really made me sick. Stairway was just, Stairway (We did it, Ahmet!) The Song Remains the Same, Misty Mountain Hop, and Kashmir had some exceptional playing from Jason. The crowd cheering was cut short, I think, and the band breaks into WLL. Again, they leave and come back to the stage, and do RnR. Jason was really trying to show off here, I think. And to see that LED ZEPPELIN logo in all it's glory, and the 8mm film dying out ended the film well.

Review

I honestly think the movie was better was expected. The audio and video were top notch, and the performance quality was almost impeccible throughout the whole thing. I'll note some specific reviews in the next categories.

Sound

The sound mixture was balanced perfectly. At the theater, I could hear the guitar, vocals, drums, and bass/keyboards clearly. I remember praising about Jason's snare sound, it was that good. Jimmy's tone was so warm and just like in the old days, and JPJ's bass was the meat and potatoes of the mix. The thing that made me think that they barely touched the audio, is at one point in Good Times Bad Times, Robert forgot to sing one part of the chorus, and it was left raw. It was a great experience. And, for all the noise complaints about it being too low, at 9:50 at night, I don't want booming loud music, my theater had a reasonable volume. The Dazed trainwreck is slightly corrected, as Jason still comes in early with the triplets.

Visuals

I am an extremely visual person. I have the ability to tell the right shot from the wrong. And unlike the past two releases, the audio matched up perfectly to the video. The camera mixes were slow and steady in slower songs, and more panned and intense at other points. And the super 8 camera in the crowd was amazing to see too. The icing on the cake was the 8mm film dying out at the end.

Performances (As a band and individual)

Robert: Robert was up and down for me at this show. In Kashmir he made some great screams, but in SIBLY not so much.

Jimmy: Jimmy seemed excited for the event. He was smiling, interacting with Jason, Robert, and Jonsey, and although he was a tad sloppy at times, he was polished.

Jonesy: JPJ never disapoints. Watching him up close, with his logo on a gold plaque on the body of his guitar, playing the bass like a mad man was great. His keyboard work was top notch (No Quarter!) as usual.

Jason: Jason was very good at reprising his dad. He had his own style mixed in with his dads style, and I loved Bonzo's logo on the bottom of his Zildjians. The only thing that got to me was him using a double kick pedal.

Band: The band was mostly tight (Minus DAC, that was an abomination), and seemed excited to play.

Theater Experience

I got to the theater almost the minute before the movie started, but I didn't miss much. Barely any audience noise (There were only 8 people total at the theater), The atmosphere was there, and the quality was amazing. The only negative thing was that the lights were slowly lighting up throughout the movie, and I did miss parts of NFBM because of a bathroom break, but overall the experience was quick and easy.

Pre-Show Experience

There really wasn't any preshow experience for me, I just finished with rehearsal, and I went from there.

Premieres: Celebrity sightings and Band Members in attendance

Sadly, there was none. However, my friend's friend saw me at the theater.

Positives and Negatives (If applicable)

Erm.... I stated all of those above.

Favorite moments and what blew you away

Kashmir really blew me away in HQ audio and HD film. I've seen it all before, but never like this.

Was it a get together with friends and the feeling it created amongst?

No, I didn't go with any friends.

Overall impression of the movie and experience

I'll rate out of 10.

Movie: 9 out of 10

Audio: 8 out of 10

Visuals: 9.5 out of 10

Performance: 8.5 out of 10

Experience at the theater: 9 out of 10

Overall: 8.8 out of 10

[Rock the Theremin]

How did I not find out about this until 1 hour before showtime in my area ? - (Floyds Knobs, Indiana) it was showing yesterday as well yet this is first i've heard about it so disappointed I can't go.

LED ZEPPELIN is my all time FAVORITE band - Will this be available for purchase & if so any idea as to when ?

Hi Cyvexis - It will be out on DVD / Blu Ray Nov. 19. Be sure to check it out

[Reggie29]

I've had a couple of days to get over the initial impact of the event, analyse it (the film) and process what I experienced and put everything back into perspective.

Here's my take.

Audio / Sound

Brilliant, the level was ok but it should have been much louder with more bottom end, inadequate mixing by the cinemas sound / projectionist.

Visual

Stunning close ups individually and collectively with more long distance views required, perhaps a few overhead shots may have contributed something different.

Impressive backdrops when they were shown and 16mm was ok and not as much used as some would suggest.

Cinerama, Extremescreen or IMAX are the only ways to watch this. The digital key issues that have been documented here are something that the distributors should have sorted out PRIOR to the screenings.

Performance

Tight but loose, sometimes sloppy but always with passion and feeling and enjoyment by the members to be up there playing.

John Paul Jones

Solid on bass and keyboards as always.

Jimmy Page

A master class in how to play guitar and stage presence.

Robert Plant

Any doubts about his vocal ability were finally put to rest and he proved onec and for all that if he was inclined he could and can still do it.

Jason Bonham

Nailed every song and if one closed their eyes you would swear it was Bonzo, whom he almost certainly channeled.

Dad would be so proud as were the others.

Highlights

IMTOD, FYL, D&C, NQ and Kashmir.

Wish list

If there were three songs I wanted to add to the set they would be, WIAWSNB, TRS and ITE and an acoustic number or two like GTC and TTW.

Can't have everything, right?

Final Analysis

This should be compulsory / mandatory viewing for anyone studying Event Management or Music Promotion and even Cinematography.

They wrote the book now see the movie.

That is Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day.

[zepscoda]

Its been 24 hours and I'm still on such a high. Once I get a chance, I'll post a better review then the one word "wow" that I managed to post after the movie last night.....smiles....the same smiles from when I was 16 gathered around the boom box in 1985 listening to Live Aid......the same smile at 19 watching the Atlantic 40th on a small TV.....but last nights smile was tenfold the others!

[25 hours a day]

24 hrs later I have sooo many more good reflections of what was a Great Movie/Concert:

Like others have posted,the Smiles(genuine IMHO) between all the guys during the entire concert.

Every one of the Four gave absolutely everything their bodies and heart could muster,but Jimmy left nothing on the stage.He was Fuckin slobberin,sweatin,droolin and playin the Fuck out of every rig he strapped on.I think JP is as good presently as he ever has been if not BETTER.

I learned how much JPJ means to this band.Good for you JPJ,you finally got the Air time that You deserve.BTW,Inever knew how much of a role you play in Kashmir,phenominal.

Jason,you KILLED it and Youre Dad must be sooo proud.Although,I really wanted to see you beat the Fuck out of that Gong ant the end of WLL and the frame catch fire like in MSG in NY.

Robert is Robert,and there will never be another at His Level(maybee Elvis).

Great History Guys,and thank you.Cheers,Tim

[supersonic395]

16mm was ok and not as much used as some would suggest.

There was no 16mm film.

It was 8mm.

To interchange them is akin to casually interchanging Led Zeppelin and Oasis as the same thing.

[Reggie29]

There was no 16mm film.

It was 8mm.

To interchange them is akin to casually interchanging Led Zeppelin and Oasis as the same thing.

Whatever it was it wasn't such a bad thing, unlike your analogy.

[Melcórë]

It's been almost twenty-four hours since I saw the film...a lot of the details have probably escaped me now, but I'll attempt to give my opinions and impressions here.

To begin with: My theatre (in the suburbs of Toronto) didn't have any of the sound issues that I've seen repeated ad nauseum in fan reviews - instead, they left the lights on until the opening bars of "Good Times, Bad Times." (Thank God they shut them off then - if they hadn't, the guy who was cursing and sputtering a few rows ahead of me would have been unbearable.)

Overall, I was very impressed with the film - I've listened to the boots and watched the various audience cams, but they always left me feeling a little flat. As others before me have mentioned, the best parts of the film were the tight shots where you're able to see the joy and interaction between the band members - they were having a ball, and so was I! One of the very first statements I made to my girlfriend (a musician and sort-of Zeppelin fan, who was very pleased with the movie) afterward was: "I didn't learn anything from the movie; it didn't teach me anything I don't know about Zeppelin." I know Zeppelin is my favourite band, and that, at least to me, they are the pinnacle - what I did get from Celebration Day is what I've already said/implied: A better understanding/feel for the O2 concert, and raucous joy at seeing the smiles on their faces.

I've seen a lot of complaints about the lack of Percy's banter - I didn't notice much of it gone. Maybe they just kept all the parts (save for Jason's "I can't quit you, babe...") that I remembered. Everyone in my theatre laughed at Robert's comments about Robert Johnson before "Trampled"; some people "whoa'd!" when they went into "Dazed"; there was a younger black guy a few rows ahead of me who was having the time of his life - his head never stopped moving, and his eyes were fixed on the screen. The experience was awesome!

Hmm, what about the songs...the openers ("Good Times, Bad Times" and "Ramble On") fell a little flat for me - my heart sped up at first, and then slowed down a bit. "Black Dog" was okay. The concert didn't enthrall me until "In My Time of Dying" - that blew me away! "For Your Life" was pretty awesome, too - I wish they'd stayed still for a few minutes, though, so I could see the screen at the back and get the full effect of the show. (Sidebar: I hope the DVD/BR uses the "angle" function at some point. That would be cool. ) I've never been a huge fan of the O2 "Trampled," but it sounded a lot better to me when multi-tracked. "Nobody's Fault But Mine" was pretty awesome - the homage to Blind Willie Johnson in Percy's prelude to the performance ellicited a good response from the audience. One of the highlights of the night, at least for me, was "No Quarter" - listening on the bootlegs, I didn't really "get" the O2 version...until last night. Getting to see those close-ups of Jonesy...something about the cinematography of that song made it work for me. "Since" was great - that being said, the last two songs suffer (at least in my eyes) because of the near-definitive versions we already have released (HTWWW for "Since" and TSRTS for "No Quarter").

"Dazed" didn't do much for me - other people, like I've noted, loved it...the down-tuning really bothered me on the aud tapes, and it did last night, too. The mess was still there, somehow, in the middle, but it was better...my girlfriend always finds the O2 "Stairway" weird due to the down-tuning - it worked much better for me than did "Dazed." I had goosebumps watching that - some people laughed at the closing shot of the song, with Robert's hands on his arse. "The Song Remains the Same"...eh, obviously prefer vintage (and even P&P) versions, but it wasn't awful. "Misty Mountain Hop"? Awesome, had me pumping my legs and drumming along with Jason - although I've always liked their live renditions, and still think the 2003/2007 version is my absolute favourite. "Kashmir" wasn't really a revelation for me, like it was for some - I knew they performed it well on the night. It sounds magnificent in the film, but I'm still saddened that they didn't phase Jason's drums...he made a superb effort, but his father cannot be surpassed on that song.

The encores were awesome - I wish "Whole Lotta' Love" had more theremin.

In terms of the overall cinematography and film aspect: The quick edits didn't bother me - maybe I'm used to them? Nor did the Super 8 film interspliced with the other cameras...what did bug me (and my girlfriend) were the constant slow-mo shots - what was up with those? Also, there appeared to be one or two cameramen behind Jason - aside from a couple of shots, it looks like essentially none of what they filmed was used. Some people have complained Jonesy didn't get enough time - I thought he got a lot, but it's hard to focus on someone so intent in the moment they look like they're grimacing ( ) - but I wanted close-up shots of the drums, or even one raised and off to the side (ala Earls Court). The audio mix? Eh...the sound at the theatre wasn't perfect - like I noted, we didn't have the volume difficulties, but we did have a crappy surround set-up.

If I had to give Celebration Day some kind of score, it would be perfect - numerically, a 10/10. I wasn't entirely blown away, but I wasn't left feeling unsatisfied. It was literally the best that Zeppelin could have been, twenty-seven years after the passing of our Bonzo. It was a triumph on the night, and a triumph last night in that small theatre - it wasn't a large one at all, and the seats were less than half full. I say that's because, unless you're a diehard Zeppelin fan - or you have an asshole friend like me on Facebook, re-posting everything about the release in the days leading up - you probably would have missed the release altogether. I'm sure Q107 and 94.9 (local radio stations) mentioned it, but not nearly enough - the local newspapers were awfully quiet about it, from what I saw.

I'm sorry if this has been overly verbose or rambling. The experience caused a lot of emotions to come up to the surface - I nearly teared up a couple of times, but didn't quite. I'm very thankful for this experience: I now have some inkling what it was like to be there that night, maybe more so than much of the audience.

EDIT: Oh, I was kind of pissed off at the "Inspired by Jake Holmes" bit for the "Dazed" credit. Must have been part of the deal he made - money and a writing credit...forty-odd years on! Hah!

[alinds]

Some person in my theatre busted out a lighter for stairway lol

[stacilayne]

Incredible! I saw it at Universal City Walk in L.A. last night with two friends, and we all loved it. I wrote a mini-review on it, in my blog

http://stacilaynewilson.blogspot.com/2012/10/led-zeppelin-biopic.html

I was so amazed by the audience reaction.

Staci Layne

[Wolfman]

I freaking loved it. Brought back so many great memories from that night. I didn't realize how much they were smiling during the show and I loved JPJ fretless bass. My only minor complaint was that they cut out Robert's comments before Kashmir. Those comments showed how important the reunion was to people around the globe. Otherwise, a masterpiece.

[The Pagemeister]

Last night I went to the premier of the Led Zeppelin "movie". Aside from the fact that the theater couldn't get the sound system to work, the audience continually screamed "LOUDER", the LAPD was called and I left during the 2nd song and got a refund, the movie was good....

OK, I'm just kidding about it being good. Plant can't sing, Jones looks like he'd rather be at Guitar Center buying a 9 string bass, Page sounded wooden, and the film was constantly cutting away to super 8 clips. Don't these guys get it? Thank god they didn't have a reunion tour, they suck.

Reading the posts this morning, I see that this was a common problem around the world. I had tickets to this concert when it was staged and ended up selling them. I waited 5 years to see what I missed and now I'm glad I sold my tickets. These guys look like complete idiots up on stage and you know why? Because unlike the Stones or Clapton, these guys aren't out there year after year performing. They sit at home re-living the glory days of their pre-1975 catalog and finally come out of retirement to do one concert? This is so typical of Jimmy Page's crap. When John Bonham died he sat upstairs in his room for 2 years obsessing over the death of his band.

No chemistry on stage at the O2, none whatsoever.

Jimmy, do the world a favor. Take all the outtakes, audio, photos, etc, and just release them to the general public. Stop screwing with the fans. You're a jerk for doing this, seriously. You gonna take all these things with you to the grave? You tell the public "I'm working on a special project" after this concert, then release this self-indulgent book that you charge $750 for and all it has is a bunch of photos???

This film shouldn't have been called "Celebration Day", it should have been titled "The song doesn't remain the same, the record is just skipping".

I hope Jimmy Page reads the comments on this website (and why wouldn't he, it's not like he's busy making music).

I've been a fan of Led Zeppelin since they formed. After last night, I'm going to ebay all the stuff I had you and Robert sign for me, I'm done with you and your pathetic treatment of the fans.

Are the rest of you so blinded by the legend of a band that had at most 6 good years that you continue to treat them like gods? WFT is wrong with the fans? A true fan can be impartial, and call crap crap. Grow up.

.....shmuck......

[jsherbioni]

Went to see Led Zepagain (tribute band) in a club in Victoria BC Canada last week what a great experience...good sound, act and musical definition. Last

night went to see Celebration!!!! Holy Hanna...I was blown away...being 60 year old male and having the chance to grow up with this music, this was one of the best shows I have ever seen and it was on the screen. Thanks to all the band members and production staff for the event...it was over the top for this long time fan.

J Sherbioni

[DAS]

All I can say is !

[Queen of Light]

Some person in my theatre busted out a lighter for stairway lol

As it should have been ! Back in the day at the 70's shows it was all about the lighters! Now its the cameraphones . Whatever eh? Its all light. I'll give my reviews after tomorrows final showing. Last nights viewing was about love. Tonights viewing was all about stimulation, and tomorrows will be just pure joy!

[ledzepfvr]

Saw the show at Edwards IMAX in Temecula. What a great show. I was rocking from beginning to end as was everyone else. Cheering and clapping after each song made the atmosphere almost like being there. But not quite. I thought about our members here and the other few thousand who were lucky enough to have been there. You could feel the electricity of the night. The sound issue at the beginning of the show seems to be all around and I was thinking that maybe it was the event company that sent the digital feed to all the venues that didn't have the sound turned up. After about 15 minutes into the show the sound seemed to be right and our theatre finally turned down the lights too.

I noticed Jimmys amps that said OR GE and it took me a couple of looks to figure it out. The band played great and loved that JPJ, RP and JP seemed like surrogate dads letting Jason shine. Seeing them close up, rather than what I've seen on my bootleg, was great.

I was looking for any movie posters to have a picture taken with it, but to no avail. I guess since it was a one time event, none were posted. Oh well, maybe I will get one for Christmas with dvd.

Thanks for all the previous reviews. Reading them was great. I am not as articulate in analyzing and making reviews. I just know I loved it.

[Wolfman]

ex-zep-fan= Jack Bruce

[the body electric]

Saw it last night at a theater in Chandler, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix.

The volume was a drag. People complained, but to no avail. Highlights were For Your Life, Ramble On, Dazed, and Nobody's Fault But Mine, among many others. I loved how they did Nobody's Fault. It was glorious.

They played Kashmir the way I always thought they should have played it live. More faithful to the album version.

Although I have heard Stairway To Heaven ten trillion times in my life, the opening notes of this song on Celebration Day had a sadness about them that struck me and moved me to tears. Not sure how to describe why. Just sad. Made me reflect on my years with this band.

Jones showed that he is the shifty glue that held a lot of this together back in the day. We all knew that. Plant's voice is better than I thought it would be, tempting many of us to wonder why they can't tour soon or why they didn't in the nineties, at least as Led Zeppelin. Page doesn't seem to be in a place where his guitar is an extension of his being like it was in the early seventies. But then again, what musician has had that type of relationship. Not many.

The smiles that the camera caught were absolutely priceless. Man. That filled me with joy.

Some of the shots of the crowd showed people on the side just sitting in their seats. That's what happens when only the wealthy can afford tickets as hard to come by as that one.

Can you imagine what it would have sounded like if all of us were there.

Seeing them much older on screen than I see them in my mind's eye was tough. As I get older I am aware not only of my mortality, but sometimes also that of my heroes. As members of this forum our time on this planet is limited, but I sometimes forget that Page, Plant, and Jones are living treasures whose time here is also limited.

The solution, as always, is to place an album on the player and drop the needle on the vinyl.

Overall, I was thrilled with their performance. They were tight, and I was so grateful they gave us something new that we can all enjoy for years to come.

Forty years ago a hippy neighbor came over to my mom's apartment with an album with some old guy on the cover with a load of sticks on his back. I was eight.

That day my life changed forever.

Peace.

In The Light since 1972.

Trampled Under Foot. My life with Led Zeppelin.

http://petedelorean.tumblr.com/

[DAS]

Wolfman

[Reggie29]

One thing about Kashmir for me, was, it proved beyond all doubt that it sounds better played on his Les Paul rather than, the Danelectro.

Then as it was, so again it shall be.......

[renounce]

Saw the movie with my partner in Vue cinema Norwich UK on Wed night. Cinema only 3/4 full which was a shame, but what an experience! To my ears they absolutely nailed every song (with the possible exception of STH which I thought Jimmy handled a little clunkily and without the beautiful arpeggios of the TSRTS version.) Standouts for me were D and C (JImmy still has the mystique), FYL (stunning with those whammy bar chords and rock tight backing), and Kashmir (this took the cinema crowd to a place beyond mere music with Robert in particular almost unbelievable on this.)

Amazing how comfortable and relaxed the four of them appeared as this was a 'one shot only' deal with an awful lot to lose. If they'd repeated MSG '88 here then their entire post-Bonzo live reputation would have been lost and those ready to ridicule would have had a feast.

As far as the sound and visuals went, we couldn't really ask for more could we? The sound was damn near perfect to me, overflowing with raw power but abundant with clarity, precision, detail, and separation between instruments. The visuals too were pretty damn stunning. I, like others on the forum, could have lived without so much 16mm stuff which, to me, just spolied a few shots (noticeably the shot of Page smiling appreciatively at Plant's awesomely powerful 'oooo' in Kasmir, this was visible on the bootleg but replaced by grainy 16mm on the movie.) Ah well, an insignificant gripe.

Who cares that these guys now look old on stage? They are old. If anything this gives me heart (as I enter middle-age) that getting older may just not be so bad.

As one born in 1970 this is as close as I'll ever get to 'seeing' them and feel very grateful that they put this out.

Thank you Led Zeppelin, you gave us so much.

[TheLastSpartan]

Christ Almighty it was amazing. Anyone here go to the Tulsa, Oklahoma IMAX showing?