KENNEDY CENTER SHOW YOUR REVIEWS WHAT DID YOU THINK?

[Ed A]

Dallas,,,

I noticed the kit also but guess he could always but a new face on the kick...It just would be incredible if it really was...I put the question to Jason on his FB page..

Hopefully we get a response..

Cheers,

B

The original kit was sold long ago at auction.... As far as I know thats Ludwig's replica kit.

[BMINDES]

Ed A..

Thanks for the info...It was wishful thinking! Any idea if it went to an individual or museum etc?

BM

[54Tangerine]

The Obama's looked like they were out on a Saturday night date! The Prez is a cool dude! The Guy Buddy tribute was very good and I discovered Beth Hart, an amazing singer. They saved the best for last! Clearly the three Zep members were enjoying themselves. Robert was harder to read but during Stairway and the bowler hat tribute Robert did appear to tear up. Throughout the tribute I did notice they would, on occasion, look to one another. Jimmy was like a kid in a candy store. He has a certain smile that is almost child-like and utterly charming. Then he saw that big choir he did that smile. Jason was fantastic and I'm sure the delight for the band.The Wilson sisters are consistently great. I would have preferred Nancy on the electric guitar - she is killer. The audience were rocking our for certain! FANTASTIC tribute!

Does anyone know who was Jimmy's date - in the purple dress....sorry do not know how to upload snip.

[the chase]

The original kit was sold long ago at auction.... As far as I know thats Ludwig's replica kit.

Also, a slight difference ... the small tom is on a separate stand like John's early Maple 1969-1970 kit.

I think it even has the Rogers swivel-matic mount like Bonzo's early kit as well as a re-enforcemant stand.

On the original Amber Vista-lites from 1973-1975, the small tom was mounted right on the Bass Drum.

(which could have been modified but like Ed A said they were sold)

[zeppfan18]

Awesome tribute to Zeppelin!

[Led Dirigible]

Oh Man, when i read that O3 Comment, i was hopping around like Fucks, but gladly you sent me back to earth. please people, don't just post comments that ought to kill somebody.

Who knows, maybe here will be an "O3"......

[Ross62]

After Jason tapped his heart with his clenched fist he made a small square with his fingers which I took to be the Zep boys would always have a little piece of his heart.

What a stellar performance by all involved in STH,that one's not going to be easy to forget.

[in_the_evening]

Pretty amazing show all around! Dustin Hoffman an amazing actor, not huge into Letterman but he has created a niche that others are trying to follow along with. The ballet thing, while beautiful, I had trouble getting into. the Buddy Guy tribute was just sssssoooooo good, really one of the most amazing players of the blues ever (allegedly he told someone he and Page should get together and play sometime, wouldn't that be amazing)!. And of course, Zep, the tribute to them was fantastic.

[Dee Dee]

It was nice to see Page enjoying Bonnie Raitt's Sweet Home Chicago. At least I'm not the only one who enjoyed it. No one can belt out the blues like Bonnie!

[ZEPFAN17]

I think Robert was taken back to the days when Led Zeppelin was in their glory and was flooded with memories of John Bonham,I also saw tears in his eyes. Jimmy was having a good time and so was John Paul Jones.The singer for the Foo Fighters was slightly off key. Heart did a great job,Kid Rock did a good job with Ramble On.Jason Bonham was amazing as usual,like father like son.

[Dee Dee]

The Obama's looked like they were out on a Saturday night date! The Prez is a cool dude! The Guy Buddy tribute was very good and I discovered Beth Hart, an amazing singer.

Beth Hart was a pleasant surprise for me and I was wanting to watch because of Beck. I've seen Jeff Beck perform live at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles and the A.R.M.S. concert.

[PlanetPage]

I was wondering what Jimmy really thought as he had to watch someone else play it when's he's played it on his own since in the Arms Concert onwards. :DThe Foo Fighters doing Rock and Roll was horrible, I thought, but I loved the way Ann did Stairway. Robert's moved reaction was so sweet. I loved Jason's and Robert's exhange when he first came out. Actually, Jason in his bowler hat reminded me the pictures of Bonzo in his. I loved the show and Jimmy's reactions. Some were so him and really adorable.

...AEN, I too admired exchange between Jason and Robert, it was a loving tribute to his Father and as "His" disciple...

I loved Heart and the orchestra/Soul Blues Gospel Musicians...truly testimonial to Led Zeppelin for their passion for Blues in their Legendary Career...

[aen27]

Sorry if this was shared elsewhere. Just found it. This is very sweet. Especially Jimmy.

http://youtu.be/-c5-bATFSpw

[Great Sombreo]

Jack Black has no clue... talking about Satan and heavy metal... two things that do NOT define Led Zeppelin... sorry could never stand the guy, ANYBODY but him doing the induction would have been better..... And the Foo Fighters doing their Godawful metal version of Rock and Roll... they also DONT get it...... AND CBS needs to be strangled for the horrible edits!!!.... Stairway needed to be heard complete and in all its glory, they obviously put a ton of work into that between the strings and the choir, etc.... Shame on you CBS!....... That being said, anything having to do with the mighty Zep is always worth watching and I thought that Stairway was VERY touching and the tribute to Bonzo with Jason and the choir all wearing bowler hats brought a tear to my eye as well..... It made me realise how much I miss this band.

Jack Black does have a clue which is why HE was the first on stage to talk about Zep. And IF you have seen them in concert then YOU would understand why he said the satan comment. I got it. If you remember, he said "no one can be that good", and yeah, they were that good, talent above and beyond. And imho, The Stones (HA) and The Beatles are nowhere near what Zep is. I saw the Stones and they were almost as bad as Foreigner which were by far the worst band I ever saw. And AGAIN (and again, and again) Zep are private, they are to themselves and are very humble. They don't react like WE would want them to. They react like they want to react. Humbly.

Jeff

[LedZeppfan77]

Alec Baldwin has always been a huge Led Zeppelin fan. He did a special on them a few years back. Anyways, I loved the event and Ann Wilson 's performance was fabulous. Its the first time I have EVER heard a female vocalist do Stairway to Heaven.

Jimmy Page had a smile on his face pretty much throughout. But Robert seemed to be in very deep thought over it all at times. I believe it was very difficult for him to re visit John Bonham's tragic end and some of the songs themselves seemed to touch him deeply. At times he seemed to have a look on his face like "what am I doing here? Or, am I really here doing this?" I thought I saw a tear in his eye and I am certain he was touched by it all. He probably had thoughts running through his head that he had not visited in some time?

I still wish they had been honored in a seperate event than with Letterman. I am a big fan of Dustin Hoffman, but not of Letterman I must confess. At least he seemed authentic for once in his life. I never cared for him and I never will. Carson and Leno are far better IMO. But that is enough about Letterman. I did not tune in to see him.

Great also that Jason had a role in all of this. It was good that they visited their pasts and where they came from and all. I can't help but think back to the Sunday morning interview with Jimmy seperate from Robert and the perception that Jimmy is still for going out there and playing another tour. But I believe Jimmy is respectfull of Robert and his decisions to not move forward with any future events. Time waits for no one someone once said. and Led Zeppelin are no exception.

It must have fulfilled a dream for Ann and Nancy Wilson to have the opportunity to play in front of their idols and do their most legendary song and no doubt the most legendary song in rock and roll history. Certainly number one amoung ballads. I think it is a great thing they put themselves out there in the limelight. They chose not to for the days of glory when they ruled the world on stage and in record stores. Why, I am no sure, but looking at Robert tends to shed some light on it for me. I don't know if Robert ever really felt comfortable with the camera's and mics pointed at him other than when he was on stage. Jimmy does not seem to mind in the least.

Back to the performers that covered them, I have to rate Heart the best going away. I think Whole Lotta love came in second and then Rock and Roll. Ramble On is one of my all time favorites. But Kid Rock does not do much for me.

All in all, it was truly a night to remember and it was a long overdue tribute to the best damn band to ever walk the planet.

[tazulike88]

Funny all the comments about LZ being heavy metal ... I never thought of them in those terms, but maybe that's because they preceded (I think) that genre. Could say they pointed people toward that kind of music.

I have to admit I don't get the eagerness of some to have a reformed LZ tour. I think the O2 provides that on DVD anytime you want to see it. Unfair to expect men at their age to be able to put on shows as they did night after night 30 years ago. Even with afternoon nap breaks.

It's not about the physical effort at all, it's that the O2 was a perfect end to their careers, and celebration day is somehow even more perfect. they can tour now, and make a reformed led zeppelin, but then they'd be like the rolling stones, four elderly men seeming out of place (althought they will be a million times better than the stones). the one reunion show adds to that taste of ..... (can't find a word) ..... that zeppelin always had. they had fun, they gave us great music, they rocked the biggest stadiums, they can still do it now, but they just don't have to, they can now relax with their families and enjoy a calm peaceful life, as they see the legacy of zeppelin growing more and more everyday.

Don't Tour Again guys, you've done enough, now you can relax.

[pj040403]

Very nice to see the elegant and classy Mrs. Mo Jones sitting behind her musical genius husband of 47 years.

Thanks for the information, I was wondering who were the ladies behind them. Does anyone know for Robert and Jimmy?

[Leather Apron]

I could have done without the Wilson sisters. I always thought their covers of Zep were just awful. Screechy and lame like most of their stuff. They are horrible.

But what a delight were Kid Rock and Lenny Kravitz.

The Foo Fighters I was neutral on. Would have loved to hear them play something Zep outside the box. Maybe When The Levee Breaks or something.

[Rock Historian]

Overall thoughts on the entire Zeppelin tribute.

First off, I F***in' LOVE Jack Black. He's a goof ball, but in a good way. I don't know if Plant in particular took his speech or him rather, that serious - but I think he genuinely loves the band and absolutely knows that Zeppelin is the "Best Band Ever" and ARE better than The Beatles and The Stones. (as he put it) I can't disagree.

I read somewhere on this thread (maybe from the original poster) that "Plant looked like he needed a nap"....

I didn't pick that up at all. I thought he was very alert, and most shots of the band or as individual close-ups showed them as being very stimulated by the tribute, moved and fixated/attentive towards the presentation.

Plant was shown laughing/smiling quite a bit as was Page. And I didn't notice that John Paul Jones was cut from the picture either, as some else mentioned. He was also very engaged.

I was a little disappointed at the extreme edits (due to the timing of the program). That being said , here's what I thought of each performance.

Foo-Fighters - I really dig Dave Grohl, but Taylor Hawkins was flat. I wish they had switched positions for the performance, but it's NO surprise that Grohl would be playing drums for a Zep tribute. After all, John Bonham is his (drumming) idol.

Kid Rock - BIGLY was a tease, because it lasted about 5 seconds. Would have loved to have heard that. I know forum member ":GIGI" was at the show, so I'm sure she got to see the full onslaught of Zeppelin tributes in it's entirety, properly done, as it should be-but that's not how it went down on TV.

I thought Kid's approach to the song was original, but towards the very end I was hoping he would "shut up", with all the unnecessary screaming that really, did more to distract from the beauty of the music more than anything.

Same with Lenny, (on the unnecessary screams at the end) -which sounded terrible IMO, yet he was better. WLL was edited big time. I believe that was John Cougars drummer (Kenny Aronoff) on drums. Nice job!!!

Heart- The best performance of the evening, hands down. Aside from the fact that it was Stairway, with Jason Bonham on drums, it was still - musically, the best performance of the night. It just sounded so tight and well done. No self -indulgent screams, crooning, etc. It was a very classy rendition of a wonderful, classic tune. I don't think many people outside the hard-core Zeppelin fan base would have caught on to the significance of the "boiler hat", but that was awesome. I teared up when Jason looked up at the sky at the near end of the song, as Ann Wilson sang the ending line. That was moving.

Plant was teared up as well. Kodak moment caught in time.

There's no denying the power and realism of what Zeppelin was and still is and their effect on American culture in general.

Led Zeppelin - They did so much to change and transform the face of music, and the industry as a whole. They set "new" standards. They ARE and WILL REMAIN -the Blueprint in which all others create and follow.

God Bless Led Zeppelin!

[DewieCox]

Some great tributes and always nice to see the boys get the credit they deserve.

Jack Black was a great presenter.

Foo Fighters absolutely sucked and should be embarrassed. For Dave Grohl to claim he worships at the alter of Bonzo then play Rock and Roll so sloppily was disgraceful. Like someone said earlier, they just don't get "it" to me.

Kid Rock wasn't great, but predictable. Would've been pretty good if he kept the rap-ish crap out of it.

Lenny Kravitz was really good.

Heart brought the house down. Not a fan of most Zep covers but this one was fantastic. Thought the choir wearing the hats seemed out of touch. Sure, Bonzo wore one like that occasionally, but it's not something I really think of when I think of their image.

Drum kit looked too new to be Bonzo's

JPJ and Plant didn't seem too impressed with any of the musical acts. Page is so enthusiastic about everything Zeppelin, though. Plant was obviously moved by the Stairway/Jason combo, and seemed to be sorta reflective through the whole thing.

[Strider]

Aha, I should have checked to see if there was a KCH review thread to begin with...here's my revised edition:

First off, I've gotta say after watching the broadcast last night, I'm even more happy for Gigi that she got to witness the whole shebang in person...unedited and unadulterated.

And ebk, I so truly wished you had given your other phone number, too!

So, my snapshot impressions in order of the presentation.

The first thing I noticed that made my heart leap was the fact that Led Zeppelin's name was right above Marian Anderson's on the wall of honorees. Marian Anderson is someone I hold in high regard, so to have my favourite band of shrieking monkeys broadcasted to millions sharing space with a woman of her class made me shout a jubilant "Yes!" in exultation.

Speaking of class...Caroline Kennedy never fails to charm me. She looked fantastic and I hear both her mother and father in her voice when she speaks. Which always makes me tear up.

I have loved many Dustin Hoffman movies, so I was disappointed in the clip montage they showed...no "Marathon Man"? No "Little Big Man"? Only one line from "All the President's Men"? Sub-par IMO. Maybe the clip montage was edited down for the broadcast. Gigi, do you remember if there were more clips shown than what was aired last night?

The tributes by Billy Connolly(WHOA! FIRST SURPRISE of the night!), Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts were okay, but the staging was awkward with all those people in the background pantomiming an acting class in New York. Very distracting.

As someone who enjoys ballet and dance, I knew of Natalia Makarova before the Kennedy Center Honors. I saw her on PBS as a kid and in person later on. Her segment was one of the highlights of the night for me, but I could not believe they neglected to mention that she was injured 30 years ago this very month in 1982 on the very stage and very same theatre they were all sitting in, when during a performance of "On Your Toes" at the Kennedy Center, Natalia Makarova was hit by a falling piece of pipe.

Anyway, ballet is so rarely accorded space on Network tv, it was a treat to watch the dancers pay tribute to her. Even better was seeing the clips of the woman herself in action.

Buddy Guy was another one I was looking forward to, knowing that great talents like Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Beth Hart and Jimmie Vaughn and Kip from the Fabulous Thunderbirds were on hand to perform. Of all the great original electric blues giants...B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, etc...Buddy Guy is my favourite and the one I listen to most often these days.

All the performances were very good..

Beth Hart really nailed hers...and the closing "Sweet Home Chicago" was suitably jubilant and how apropos that President Obama is also a Chicago guy. Noticed the camera showed Messrs Jones, Plant and Page often during the Buddy Guy segment...Jimmy especially was digging it, particularly when his buddy Jeff Beck appeared.

As a fan of David Letterman going back to his short-lived quirky morning show, I was kind of disappointed in his segment. I thought they could have chosen better and more representative clips...more from his truly groundbreaking work at NBC and less from the CBS era...and am I wrong in thinking Stephen Colbert was cut? I thought I had read Colbert was part of the tributes and I saw him in the audience. Ray Ramano, who I'm not a fan of, got off a good line or two about Led Zeppelin. I don't know...I was just expecting something more funny and inspired. I'm happy for Dave, though. After all the bullshit with Jay Leno, Dave has the last laugh. You won't see Jay Leno's stupid mug in the Kennedy Center Honors.

Finally, after the 100th Ally CD rate commercial of the night, it was time to rock and roll! The Natalia Marakova and Buddy Guy segments had set artistic and musical peaks for the night and now it was time to see the Zep tribute blow the roof off!

Jack Black was Jack Black...I think everyone had read enough about the show prior to last night that we all knew the jokes beforehand...the bit about Vikings making love, etc. The lads themselves seemed to be amused by it, even the selling your soul to Satan bit.

In fact, one of the parts of the broadcast I enjoyed most was the moments when the camera panned the box where Jones and Mo, Robert and Patty, and Jimmy and his friend were seated. I enjoyed seeing their reactions to the other tributes and their sideways glances, smiles, winks, etc. to each other thru the night. Hell, like the Zeppers, Letterman is a private fellow, so you rarely see him out anywhere with his wife. So it was nice to see her for a change, too.

The Zeppelin clips were okay....although I was lead by some reports to believe that there would be unseen clips in the montage. I didn't see any, but it's possible the montage was edited down from the actual show so maybe the rare stuff got edited out.

Then the musical tribute portion began and I have to be honest, it wasn't a great start. First off, every song seemed heavily edited down to one verse and a solo. Secondly, although the Foo Fighters made a game attempt at "Rock and Roll", Taylor's vocals were awful and just made you miss Robert even more. Where was "Black Dog"? Was there more to "Rock and Roll" or did Taylor really just sing one verse and screech the rest?

At least I got the sublimely weird thrill of seeing hometown Germs-boy Pat Smear playing Led Zeppelin for the President. Having seen both the Germs and Led Zeppelin 35 years ago in 1977, I can say that not in my wildest dreams would I have thought last night was possible in the summer of '77. Strange...very strange how things turn out, seeing the hooligans of your youth in rarefied, establishment settings like the Kennedy Center.

Kid Rock is next...some attempt at "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" before abruptly turning into "Ramble On"...again the heavy hand of the editor. Too bad the editor couldn't have edited out Kid Rock's voice. Horrible gutteral garbage. Who invited this clown?

Why couldn't they have asked Joni Mitchell to do "Going to California" instead? It would have made more sense and been a lot cooler, besides. Led Zeppelin was more than just some metal-hard rock band. The Foos and Kid Cock were cocking it up...making their music seem one-dimensional.

Lenny Kravitz at least was better than Kid Rock, but once again we just got a verse and then the solo...and once again the vocals were weak and pointed out just how difficult it is to sing like Robert Plant. At least during the Buddy Guy tribute they sang the whole song. Why were they doing a hatchet job on Zeppelin? It irked me as a sign of disrespect.

Ahhhh, but finally salvation was at hand in the form of Seattle's own Wilson sisters and Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham.

From the moment Jason strode forth wearing the Clockwork Orange bowler hat that his dad wore on the 1975 tour, I knew at last we might get something musically inspired. How touching it was to see Plant rise up as he and Jason ppinted at each other. I wasn't disappointed...even though it seemed edited once again.

But everyone from Ann and Nancy to Jason to the choirs and orchestra played their HEARTS out. Yeah, the guitar solo seemed flubbed and rushed, but the overall effect and impact of the performance was emotional.

What was really something to see was the shots of EVERYONE from Yo Yo Ma to Alec Baldwin to Debbie Allen to Buddy Guy to the President to Jimmy, John Paul and Robert themselves being moved by the performance. My god, Plant was even moved to tears.

And so was I...I was crying right along with them all. A great emotional wallop to end the night on. It more than made up for the cheesy lameness of Kid Rock and the wan performances of Lenny and the Foos.

I've never seen the Kennedy Center Honors ceremonies made available on DVD before, but now would be a good time to start. For I think there would be tremendous interest in a DVD of the complete unedited show. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for a bootleg DVD.

[LedZeppfan77]

Aha, I should have checked to see if there was a KCH review thread to begin with...here's my revised edition:

First off, I've gotta say after watching the broadcast last night, I'm even more happy for Gigi that she got to witness the whole shebang in person...unedited and unadulterated.

And ebk, I so truly wished you had given your other phone number, too!

So, my snapshot impressions in order of the presentation.

The first thing I noticed that made my heart leap was the fact that Led Zeppelin's name was right above Marian Anderson's on the wall of honorees. Marian Anderson is someone I hold in high regard, so to have my favourite band of shrieking monkeys broadcasted to millions sharing space with a woman of her class made me shout a jubilant "Yes!" in exultation.

Speaking of class...Caroline Kennedy never fails to charm me. She looked fantastic and I hear both her mother and father in her voice when she speaks. Which always makes me tear up.

I have loved many Dustin Hoffman movies, so I was disappointed in the clip montage they showed...no "Marathon Man"? No "Little Big Man"? Only one line from "All the President's Men"? Sub-par IMO. Maybe the clip montage was edited down for the broadcast. Gigi, do you remember if there were more clips shown than what was aired last night?

The tributes by Billy Connolly(WHOA! FIRST SURPRISE of the night!), Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts were okay, but the staging was awkward with all those people in the background pantomiming an acting class in New York. Very distracting.

As someone who enjoys ballet and dance, I knew of Natalia Makarova before the Kennedy Center Honors. I saw her on PBS as a kid and in person later on. Her segment was one of the highlights of the night for me, but I could not believe they neglected to mention that she was injured 30 years ago this very month in 1982 on the very stage and very same theatre they were all sitting in, when during a performance of "On Your Toes" at the Kennedy Center, Natalia Makarova was hit by a falling piece of pipe.

Anyway, ballet is so rarely accorded space on Network tv, it was a treat to watch the dancers pay tribute to her. Even better was seeing the clips of the woman herself in action.

Buddy Guy was another one I was looking forward to, knowing that great talents like Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Beth Hart and Jimmie Vaughn and Kip from the Fabulous Thunderbirds were on hand to perform. Of all the great original electric blues giants...B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, etc...Buddy Guy is my favourite and the one I listen to most often these days.

All the performances were very good..

Beth Hart really nailed hers...and the closing "Sweet Home Chicago" was suitably jubilant and how apropos that President Obama is also a Chicago guy. Noticed the camera showed Messrs Jones, Plant and Page often during the Buddy Guy segment...Jimmy especially was digging it, particularly when his buddy Jeff Beck appeared.

As a fan of David Letterman going back to his short-lived quirky morning show, I was kind of disappointed in his segment. I thought they could have chosen better and more representative clips...more from his truly groundbreaking work at NBC and less from the CBS era...and am I wrong in thinking Stephen Colbert was cut? I thought I had read Colbert was part of the tributes and I saw him in the audience. Ray Ramano, who I'm not a fan of, got off a good line or two about Led Zeppelin. I don't know...I was just expecting something more funny and inspired. I'm happy for Dave, though. After all the bullshit with Jay Leno, Dave has the last laugh. You won't see Jay Leno's stupid mug in the Kennedy Center Honors.

Finally, after the 100th Ally CD rate commercial of the night, it was time to rock and roll! The Natalia Marakova and Buddy Guy segments had set artistic and musical peaks for the night and now it was time to see the Zep tribute blow the roof off!

Jack Black was Jack Black...I think everyone had read enough about the show prior to last night that we all knew the jokes beforehand...the bit about Vikings making love, etc. The lads themselves seemed to be amused by it, even the selling your soul to Satan bit.

In fact, one of the parts of the broadcast I enjoyed most was the moments when the camera panned the box where Jones and Mo, Robert and Patty, and Jimmy and his friend were seated. I enjoyed seeing their reactions to the other tributes and their sideways glances, smiles, winks, etc. to each other thru the night. Hell, like the Zeppers, Letterman is a private fellow, so you rarely see him out anywhere with his wife. So it was nice to see her for a change, too.

The Zeppelin clips were okay....although I was lead by some reports to believe that there would be unseen clips in the montage. I didn't see any, but it's possible the montage was edited down from the actual show so maybe the rare stuff got edited out.

Then the musical tribute portion began and I have to be honest, it wasn't a great start. First off, every song seemed heavily edited down to one verse and a solo. Secondly, although the Foo Fighters made a game attempt at "Rock and Roll", Taylor's vocals were awful and just made you miss Robert even more. Where was "Black Dog"? Was there more to "Rock and Roll" or did Taylor really just sing one verse and screech the rest?

At least I got the sublimely weird thrill of seeing hometown Germs-boy Pat Smear playing Led Zeppelin for the President. Having seen both the Germs and Led Zeppelin 35 years ago in 1977, I can say that not in my wildest dreams would I have thought last night was possible in the summer of '77. Strange...very strange how things turn out, seeing the hooligans of your youth in rarefied, establishment settings like the Kennedy Center.

Kid Rock is next...some attempt at "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" before abruptly turning into "Ramble On"...again the heavy hand of the editor. Too bad the editor couldn't have edited out Kid Rock's voice. Horrible gutteral garbage. Who invited this clown?

Why couldn't they have asked Joni Mitchell to do "Going to California" instead? It would have made more sense and been a lot cooler, besides. Led Zeppelin was more than just some metal-hard rock band. The Foos and Kid Cock were cocking it up...making their music seem one-dimensional.

Lenny Kravitz at least was better than Kid Rock, but once again we just got a verse and then the solo...and once again the vocals were weak and pointed out just how difficult it is to sing like Robert Plant. At least during the Buddy Guy tribute they sang the whole song. Why were they doing a hatchet job on Zeppelin? It irked me as a sign of disrespect.

Ahhhh, but finally salvation was at hand in the form of Seattle's own Wilson sisters and Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham.

From the moment Jason strode forth wearing the Clockwork Orange bowler hat that his dad wore on the 1975 tour, I knew at last we might get something musically inspired. How touching it was to see Plant rise up as he and Jason ppinted at each other. I wasn't disappointed...even though it seemed edited once again.

But everyone from Ann and Nancy to Jason to the choirs and orchestra played their HEARTS out. Yeah, the guitar solo seemed flubbed and rushed, but the overall effect and impact of the performance was emotional.

What was really something to see was the shots of EVERYONE from Yo Yo Ma to Alec Baldwin to Debbie Allen to Buddy Guy to the President to Jimmy, John Paul and Robert themselves being moved by the performance. My god, Plant was even moved to tears.

And so was I...I was crying right along with them all. A great emotional wallop to end the night on. It more than made up for the cheesy lameness of Kid Rock and the wan performances of Lenny and the Foos.

I've never seen the Kennedy Center Honors ceremonies made available on DVD before, but now would be a good time to start. For I think there would be tremendous interest in a DVD of the complete unedited show. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for a bootleg DVD.

Strider, I do agree with your take on the performances 100 percent. I did not like Kid Rock. Has anyone ever hear a female vocalist do Stairway to Heaven? I never have. I have always loved Heart and saw them back in the day. They had some really great songs like Magic Man and Barracuda. I had always heard reports they wanted to open for Led Zeppelin. Of course Led Zeppelin was not known for allowing opening acts. So I am not quite sure if it ever happened? Someone here I am sure is? Do tell. I thought Bonnie Raitt was really great too.

[Shadecatcher]

Aha, I should have checked to see if there was a KCH review thread to begin with...here's my revised edition:

First off, I've gotta say after watching the broadcast last night, I'm even more happy for Gigi that she got to witness the whole shebang in person...unedited and unadulterated.

And ebk, I so truly wished you had given your other phone number, too!

So, my snapshot impressions in order of the presentation.

The first thing I noticed that made my heart leap was the fact that Led Zeppelin's name was right above Marian Anderson's on the wall of honorees. Marian Anderson is someone I hold in high regard, so to have my favourite band of shrieking monkeys broadcasted to millions sharing space with a woman of her class made me shout a jubilant "Yes!" in exultation.

Speaking of class...Caroline Kennedy never fails to charm me. She looked fantastic and I hear both her mother and father in her voice when she speaks. Which always makes me tear up.

I have loved many Dustin Hoffman movies, so I was disappointed in the clip montage they showed...no "Marathon Man"? No "Little Big Man"? Only one line from "All the President's Men"? Sub-par IMO. Maybe the clip montage was edited down for the broadcast. Gigi, do you remember if there were more clips shown than what was aired last night?

The tributes by Billy Connolly(WHOA! FIRST SURPRISE of the night!), Liev Schreiber, Naomi Watts were okay, but the staging was awkward with all those people in the background pantomiming an acting class in New York. Very distracting.

As someone who enjoys ballet and dance, I knew of Natalia Makarova before the Kennedy Center Honors. I saw her on PBS as a kid and in person later on. Her segment was one of the highlights of the night for me, but I could not believe they neglected to mention that she was injured 30 years ago this very month in 1982 on the very stage and very same theatre they were all sitting in, when during a performance of "On Your Toes" at the Kennedy Center, Natalia Makarova was hit by a falling piece of pipe.

Anyway, ballet is so rarely accorded space on Network tv, it was a treat to watch the dancers pay tribute to her. Even better was seeing the clips of the woman herself in action.

Buddy Guy was another one I was looking forward to, knowing that great talents like Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Beth Hart and Jimmie Vaughn and Kip from the Fabulous Thunderbirds were on hand to perform. Of all the great original electric blues giants...B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, etc...Buddy Guy is my favourite and the one I listen to most often these days.

All the performances were very good..

Beth Hart really nailed hers...and the closing "Sweet Home Chicago" was suitably jubilant and how apropos that President Obama is also a Chicago guy. Noticed the camera showed Messrs Jones, Plant and Page often during the Buddy Guy segment...Jimmy especially was digging it, particularly when his buddy Jeff Beck appeared.

As a fan of David Letterman going back to his short-lived quirky morning show, I was kind of disappointed in his segment. I thought they could have chosen better and more representative clips...more from his truly groundbreaking work at NBC and less from the CBS era...and am I wrong in thinking Stephen Colbert was cut? I thought I had read Colbert was part of the tributes and I saw him in the audience. Ray Ramano, who I'm not a fan of, got off a good line or two about Led Zeppelin. I don't know...I was just expecting something more funny and inspired. I'm happy for Dave, though. After all the bullshit with Jay Leno, Dave has the last laugh. You won't see Jay Leno's stupid mug in the Kennedy Center Honors.

Finally, after the 100th Ally CD rate commercial of the night, it was time to rock and roll! The Natalia Marakova and Buddy Guy segments had set artistic and musical peaks for the night and now it was time to see the Zep tribute blow the roof off!

Jack Black was Jack Black...I think everyone had read enough about the show prior to last night that we all knew the jokes beforehand...the bit about Vikings making love, etc. The lads themselves seemed to be amused by it, even the selling your soul to Satan bit.

In fact, one of the parts of the broadcast I enjoyed most was the moments when the camera panned the box where Jones and Mo, Robert and Patty, and Jimmy and his friend were seated. I enjoyed seeing their reactions to the other tributes and their sideways glances, smiles, winks, etc. to each other thru the night. Hell, like the Zeppers, Letterman is a private fellow, so you rarely see him out anywhere with his wife. So it was nice to see her for a change, too.

The Zeppelin clips were okay....although I was lead by some reports to believe that there would be unseen clips in the montage. I didn't see any, but it's possible the montage was edited down from the actual show so maybe the rare stuff got edited out.

Then the musical tribute portion began and I have to be honest, it wasn't a great start. First off, every song seemed heavily edited down to one verse and a solo. Secondly, although the Foo Fighters made a game attempt at "Rock and Roll", Taylor's vocals were awful and just made you miss Robert even more. Where was "Black Dog"? Was there more to "Rock and Roll" or did Taylor really just sing one verse and screech the rest?

At least I got the sublimely weird thrill of seeing hometown Germs-boy Pat Smear playing Led Zeppelin for the President. Having seen both the Germs and Led Zeppelin 35 years ago in 1977, I can say that not in my wildest dreams would I have thought last night was possible in the summer of '77. Strange...very strange how things turn out, seeing the hooligans of your youth in rarefied, establishment settings like the Kennedy Center.

Kid Rock is next...some attempt at "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" before abruptly turning into "Ramble On"...again the heavy hand of the editor. Too bad the editor couldn't have edited out Kid Rock's voice. Horrible gutteral garbage. Who invited this clown?

Why couldn't they have asked Joni Mitchell to do "Going to California" instead? It would have made more sense and been a lot cooler, besides. Led Zeppelin was more than just some metal-hard rock band. The Foos and Kid Cock were cocking it up...making their music seem one-dimensional.

Lenny Kravitz at least was better than Kid Rock, but once again we just got a verse and then the solo...and once again the vocals were weak and pointed out just how difficult it is to sing like Robert Plant. At least during the Buddy Guy tribute they sang the whole song. Why were they doing a hatchet job on Zeppelin? It irked me as a sign of disrespect.

Ahhhh, but finally salvation was at hand in the form of Seattle's own Wilson sisters and Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham.

From the moment Jason strode forth wearing the Clockwork Orange bowler hat that his dad wore on the 1975 tour, I knew at last we might get something musically inspired. How touching it was to see Plant rise up as he and Jason ppinted at each other. I wasn't disappointed...even though it seemed edited once again.

But everyone from Ann and Nancy to Jason to the choirs and orchestra played their HEARTS out. Yeah, the guitar solo seemed flubbed and rushed, but the overall effect and impact of the performance was emotional.

What was really something to see was the shots of EVERYONE from Yo Yo Ma to Alec Baldwin to Debbie Allen to Buddy Guy to the President to Jimmy, John Paul and Robert themselves being moved by the performance. My god, Plant was even moved to tears.

And so was I...I was crying right along with them all. A great emotional wallop to end the night on. It more than made up for the cheesy lameness of Kid Rock and the wan performances of Lenny and the Foos.

I've never seen the Kennedy Center Honors ceremonies made available on DVD before, but now would be a good time to start. For I think there would be tremendous interest in a DVD of the complete unedited show. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for a bootleg DVD.

Are the YouTube Kennedy Honors uploads the full versions or the TV edited ones? It would be a good idea for all the Kennedy Centre honors to be issued on DVD. While you may tune in to see a particular honoree, it's a bonus that you are introduced to other artists performing such as Beth Hart and are reminded of the brilliance of such talents as Marakova.

I have to agree with you about the Hoffman tribute. The stage presentation wasn't that inspired and the film montage didn't highlight his most dramatic roles. Buddy Guy's presentation was good although Bonnie Rait always strikes me as so contained as a performer and I heard the Blues Brothers in my head during Sweet Home Chicago. The finale with the Wilsons, Jason and choir was amazing and heartfelt. I was surprised only Robert teared up, live it must have been so moving.

[ProPlant]

Thanks for the information, I was wondering who were the ladies behind them. Does anyone know for Robert and Jimmy?

Patty was with Robert and there is some question as to who was sitting behind Jimmy. Some say Joan Hudson and others seem to think it was Pat Bonham.

[Dee Dee]

I have loved many Dustin Hoffman movies, so I was disappointed in the clip montage they showed...no "Marathon Man"? No "Little Big Man"? Only one line from "All the President's Men"? Sub-par IMO. Maybe the clip montage was edited down for the broadcast. Gigi, do you remember if there were more clips shown than what was aired last night?

I agree with your comments regarding Marathon Man and Little Big Man but I have a theory as to why Little Big Man was omitted. Keeping in mind that The Kennedy Center Honors is a state function, I believe The Little Big Man may be perceived as a controversial film because it brings up one of the most shameful aspects of the history of the United States. In addition to its omission in The Kennedy Center Honors, I can't help but notice that there has been no revival of this movie, and even though it has been made available for home entertainment, it has been done so with very little publicity. The Little Big Man's depiction of General Custer opens up a page in American history that I believe many Americans would like to keep closed, rightly or wrongly. I believe it is possible that this film may be perceived as more damaging than Kevin Costner's Dances With Wolves.