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The Sunday People today


poortom

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THE biggest event in ­music history is being planned for Britain’s Olympic summer.

Organisers want the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Madonna and Simon & Garfunkel as headline acts for a 12-night extravaganza.

The Live Aid-style gathering could also see the surviving members of Pink Floyd and Whole Lotta Love rockers Led Zeppelin perform.

More than one million tickets will go on sale for the concerts, which will take place at Hyde Park and Victoria Park during the games.

Other massive acts who will be invited ­include Simon and Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Take That, Jay-Z and the Spice Girls. A source told The People: “Bands are currently being ­approached. The tickets will sell out in no time.

“Everything is being done to make sure this will the ­biggest music extravaganza ever.

“It is going to be huge. The hope is that the organisers can persuade some of the most successful and popular music acts ever to perform.

“Led Zeppelin are at the top of the list. If they willre-form then it will be a ­massive coup for London and the Olympics.

“The idea behind the project is that artists from across the world will come ­together to celebrate the games.

“Pink Floyd coming back ­together would also be huge. It could be the most exciting event to ­happen to London in a long time.”

The Government’s Olympic ­Committee is closely involved with the music shows.

Charities including those linked to the Prince’s Trust will benefit from the concerts, which will be promoted by the Live Nation entertainment company. A source involved with planning the gigs said: “We want to give the country a summer of fun.

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“The concerts will hopefully be shown on television around the world. There are also plans to erect screens up and down the land to show the event. The gigs will all take place through the Olympic fortnight.

“We want the sporting events to be beamed live at the concerts on screens as well.

“The ­combination of Olympic heroes and the biggest names in music is sure to prove an incredible spectacle.”

The first show will kick off on July 28, the night after the opening ceremony.

The gigs will run for a ­further 11 nights between then and the August 12 ­closing ceremony when the Olympic torch will be handed over to Brazilian city Rio.

At the farewell spectacular in Beijing in 2008 the flame became London’s – and Led Zep guitar legend Jimmy Page ­performed Whole Lotta Love on top of a red ­double-decker bus with Leona Lewis singing.

Now organisers are going all out to persuade Page’s ­bandmate Robert Plant to join him for the summer blockbuster.

The source added: “There will be music that will ­appeal to everyone – some for the older generations and those like Take That and the Spice Girls for younger ones.

“There is a massive buzz about it. It is seen as the perfect event to go along with the games.

“The Olympics Committee want to give London something to be excited about.

“They want to make this the biggest and most unforgettable games yet.”

Led Zeppelin split up in 1980 after the death of drummer John Bonham. Page and vocalist Plant have played together ­occasionally with and without bassist John Paul Jones. All three last ­performed as a band in 2007.

katie.hind@people.co.uk

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nothing official, but i remember back to when it was first spotted that they were going to play The O2, it was first spotted as an advert in a national newspaper, then Led Zeppelin came out and said it was true, so fingers crossed. It would be a good gauge to see again what popularity the band still have by the demand for tickets again, it would blow any other groups demand out of the water. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ROBERT, LETS SEE YOU ALL TOGETHER AGAIN MATE. Remember, you only get one crack at life, it isn't a life rehearsal we are all on :D

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"Credible" and "The People" don't normally go together.

However what's written today is fairly measured, and makes it clear that this is all, so far, speculative .

Asking the members of Led Zeppelin if they would like to reform in honour of the Olympics really ought to be top of the concert event organisers' list. If it hasn't occurred to them, they're not doing their job !

Likewise, Danny Boyle who is directing the opening ceremony for the Games themselves must have considered whether, or not, JP's link with the Olympics in Beijing calls for a repeat appearance as the London Games open.. ( You think that one's a no-brainer ? Depends if he wants to remind the world in any way about that bus and the dancers !)

It strikes me that the People has managed not to exaggerate this story. But stand by for the sensationalist version - the other UK tabloids will be running Zep Reunion stories any time now ..

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What the organisers want and what they get, I suspect will not be congruent. The organisers are people who are seeking any opportunity to gain optimum publicity and furnish their own egos with ideas they hope will gain them posterity, e.g. " I was the guy/girl who go Led Zeppelin back together for the Olympics."

Let's keep a sense of proportion, the Olympics comes around every four years and has no formal association with music, the only thing that imbues it with greater importance this time around is the UK is hosting it. The main lure the Olympics has for rock bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd is some of their members like to ingraciate themselves with the British "establishment", especially Royalty, who will have a strong involvement with the Olympics.

I'd say a bigger lure could be the Queen's Diamond Jubillee celebrations.

Indi.

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What a bunch of hooey!

As I made my way through the article my jaw kept dropping lower and lower in stupefaction. This article wasn't written...it was jizzed. It reads more like a publicist's wet dream than anything else..."biggest event in musical history", and all that jazz. Phooey.

Reading that story I kept thinking of the Mr. Creosote scene in Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life"...care for another band? It's WAFER-THIN!

Can you imagine the logistical nightmare having all these concerts the same time as the Olympics would be? Oh, and nothing conjures up the Olympic Spirit of unity, brotherhood and sportsmanship like the cold, egomaniacal misanthropy of Pink Floyd.

My respect will immeasurably increase for any band that says "NO!" to this corporate orgy.

Just say NO, Robert!

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Just say NO, Robert!

I may be wrong but I think I've already seen an article posted here some months back where he (and/or Page) said just that in response to Zeppelin reuniting for the Olympics. At some point Led Zeppelin has to be laid to rest for good. I sincerely believe they did that with the 02 concert. Of course, that's not going to stop people from continuing to clamor for a reunion.

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The wording is purely speculative:

'The Live Aid-style gathering could also see the surviving members of Pink Floyd and Whole Lotta Love rockers Led Zeppelin perform.'

David Gilmour had to make a statement a few weeks ago quashing ill-founded rumours that the Floyd would be reforming for the event. Whoever wrote this garbage hasn't exactly done his/her homework.

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Oh dear whatever next? U2 to pay tax, Thatcher apologising for the 80's? er no. The Olympics will be a logistic disaster. London is Just not big enough to hold events like this. The corporate machine has taken over. It's vastly over budget anyway and I suspect that after the event it will fade into the memory for being the biggest rip off ever. Fancy a ticket for Judo - @ £150? Swimming at £200. A hotel room for £800 for 2 nights. (usual price at £100). And a seat for the closing/opening ceremony - a years wages !!

Can you possibly imagine the amount of people who will flood in to the Capital if Hyde Park entertains the likes of Pink Floyd, Zeppelin and the like? As well as the hoards who will be around for a couple of weeks for the games? NO NO NO

And if The Sunday People said Wolves will win the Premier League - would you believe them?

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its typical Zeppelin, leaving the intrigue to the fans to speculate, why dont they come and and make a statement to say they definiatly not doing it,known Jimmy it would be a good time to get together again and then release the O2 DVD lol (or is that me dreaming lol)

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