Exactly...and maybe that really is the answer to Robert's decision. Maybe he really feels the legacy is in the can, and anything further would diminish that legacy. While I can appreciate that point of view, I certainly don't agree - especially considering how good they apparently sounded at O2

Just to clarify, Coverdale became a US Citizen in 2007.

Absolutely correct here - ultimately if RP doesn't see the importance of this effort, and has that much against doing it he should remain out of the picture. The type of view he has that I have seen posted elsewhere has been in the line of "I don't want to be a bunch of old guys following the Stones around"..or something to that effect. It is still strange he is balking since the quality of the show at O2 by all accounts (including Plant's own) was that the group was dead on...performing to the standards of the 70's even (perhaps even better 'cause everyone is sober now). That being the case, there seems no risk of spoiling the legacy. I can't see any down side, but can't read RP's mind either. Certainly he doesn't "OWE" us fans anything. If it isn't in his heart, if he truly can't see the importance of doing this more than the O2 gig, then indeed it is his choice. It is just a shame if it doesn't happen, thats all.

I can understand Robert's "been there, done that" view of reviving Led Zeppelin for a current world tour. As a working musician and a creative mind, regurgitating past work for the sake of nostalgia would not be a satisfying prospect. Yet, I think he is not quite appreciating the situation for what it is. Rock music is an art form, no ifs, ands or buts. It is a creative and significant force in the art of the 20th century. Led Zeppelin was one of the defining agents for this genre. Their contribution was unique. Their creations timeless. It is no stretch to say that their place in the creative output of human kind is at an elevation equal to that of the greatest artists who have ever lived - Bach, Mozart, Robert Johnson, Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, Elvis, the Beatles - key contributors to the human experience. That is the place Led Zeppelin holds. They are legends in music while they are yet alive. Robert is perhaps viewing a Led Zeppelin reunion as a cheap play to commercialism, or simply treading a path of the past when he has moved on to entirely new creative forms of music. What he seems not to understand is his place in music history and his rare opportunity to solidify his work in the now, for both fans who saw Zep at their height and those who admire his work with Zep as heroic, legendary foundation of the genre and weren't even alive when the boys were together and had no oportunity to listen to the creators of the music perform it as it needs to be heard. What would Robert have given to meet and listen to Robert Johnson when he was a young British lad developing his musical abilities? While artists can certainly justify their work as personal and proprietary, once their music has reached the level of a major contribution to knowledge and humanity, it ceases to be simply something they own in and of themselves. It enters the domain of human endeavor and belongs to the ages. Led Zeppelin will be listened to and appreciated as long as Western Civilization continues to exist. Their music has achieved this place in history. Bonzo doesn't have the opportunity to share his creativity with us any longer. But, his son does have the opportunity to light the way of his father. Robert, Jimmy and John Paul Jones have the opportunity to share their musical souls in person with literally hundreds of thousands of live human beings who recognize and appreciate the magnitude of the musical accomplishment of Led Zeppelin - here , now, and with recording technology for the future. They all should do this now, for they can. Who knows what tomorrow will bring and maybe the opportunity will cease to exist for the surviving members of the greatest rock and roll band of all time.