The Pagemeister Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Led Zeppelin taking tips from Elton John for reunion? Led Zeppelin are taking tips from Elton John ahead of their reunion next week (December 10). The band will take the stage in London at the 02 Arena, which was converted into a gig venue after it began life as the Millennium Dome. However, after seeing several concerts there, guitarist Jimmy Page admitted he may consult the rock 'n' roll knight in order to get the best sound. "The Stones sounded terrible [when they played there], Prince wasn't great, Snow Patrol was just this great monolithic noise," Page told Q Magazine. However John's performance at the venue impressed the guitarist and he admitted he may well seek out advice on how he pulled it off. "The only guy who sounded OK in there was Elton John," explained Page. "So I may talk to his soundman." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warby Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Led Zeppelin taking tips from Elton John for reunion? Led Zeppelin are taking tips from Elton John ahead of their reunion next week (December 10). The band will take the stage in London at the 02 Arena, which was converted into a gig venue after it began life as the Millennium Dome. However, after seeing several concerts there, guitarist Jimmy Page admitted he may consult the rock 'n' roll knight in order to get the best sound. "The Stones sounded terrible [when they played there], Prince wasn't great, Snow Patrol was just this great monolithic noise," Page told Q Magazine. However John's performance at the venue impressed the guitarist and he admitted he may well seek out advice on how he pulled it off. "The only guy who sounded OK in there was Elton John," explained Page. "So I may talk to his soundman." Was at Foo Fighters on Sat 25th Nov and from where we were the sound was pretty good and loud! Probably a difficult venue to get a good sound everywhere. Probably gets the worse the louder you go, like Wembley Arena. A good sound engineer with the latest line-array PA's should be able to get a half decent sound I would think, well I hope so as I am up in the God's for Zep. Cheers Warby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gr3ll Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Wow, that is interesting. Regards, Grell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flipkid Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Hey, at least we know the Boys are doing everything they can to ensure a good show: 100 minutes+ set, months of rehearsals, changing the keys to some of the songs to give Robert a break, and now trying to make sure that the sound (and arena/stadium sound can be awful) is up to the standards they set when they toured in the 70s. I say kudos to Pagey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desirezep Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 OH how interesting I like Elton John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstork Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 I have to say, the Live Aid and Atlantic reunions were so "seat of the pants", and it kind of seemed like Jimmy was along for the ride. I'm impressed and encouraged by the amount of homework he and the band are doing for this show. It really feels like Jimmy has taken a leadership role in preparations for O2. Good for him and good for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJD Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Jason has said in an interview that's posted around here somewhere that he's been working closl;y with the sound man to make sure the sound is right for certain signature sounds which has me hoping they play "When the Levee Breaks". Not that I'll be there but I'm sure there will be some great bootlegs. It'd be hard to get that Levee sound onstage but technology has come a long way so who knows. A lot of people forget your only as good as your week link and in terms on a band the soundman is arguably the most important element. I've seen great sets ruined by bad sound guys and terrible sets that sounded perfect. Plus it's hard to soundcheck and arena because it's empty and sounds totally different. My best guess is Elton John's FOH guy is really experienced and has done shows in the 02 before. The Zeppelin FOH guy will have the benefit of hearing the other bands on the bill and how sound is dispersing throughout the arena. It's a small group of guys that do that stuff on that level so I'm sure they have spoken if it isn't the same guy. The fact that they are a 3 piece is also a huge plus, way less elements to mush together. In terms of volume, I think the idea is to be so loud that the late reflections aren't able to be heard over the direct source. That way the people in teh back and sides are hearing the PA, not whats bouncing off the wall. I saw Aerosmith Last row in the Centrum in Worcester Mass and it was all reflections. The Garden in NYC also sounds terrible, big swirling mess. Saw the police there on their recent reunion and it sounded awful. The new garden (and the old one for that matter) in Boston sounds fantastic, if they do your, I'm going in Boston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nirvana Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 IF the sound at the O2 is so problematic, why the f**k did they agree to play there in the first place?! Too much is at stake for the venue to play a part with bad sound. Why put all the pressure on a soundman? There are plenty of venues that have excellent acoustics, a little more research and one would have been found. People are paying big bucks for this one night and to have it ruined with bad sound would be a crime. I hope Jimmy can get someone in there that knows how to compensate for any reflections, vibrations, feedback, etc. or a lot of people are going to be pissed off! If this wasn't a "one-off" event, you can always say -"Well, next time the sound will be better." Wake up - there may be no "next time". It's got to be right THIS time. Get the right sound man and right sound system, and soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJD Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Where else would they play? There are few arena's that sound good and outdoor shows sound worse, let alone in December! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nirvana Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Where else would they play? There are few arena's that sound good and outdoor shows sound worse, let alone in December! Hey - we waited 27 years!! Why couldn't this all take place in the Spring or Summer...if it HAD to be now, go somewhere besides the London area. Europe has PLENTY of great sounding venues. And for God's sake - make it MORE than one date just in case the sound does suck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Flight Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 The Garden in NYC also sounds terrible, big swirling mess. I totally disagree. I've seen countless shows in that building and most of them sounded fantastic. It may vary from group to group but the last gig I saw there was Roger Waters and it sounded absolutely incredible. Waters even commented during the show that he's played all over the world and nothing sounds like MSG. Edit: From what I've heard The Police were awful, not the venue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Flight Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Double post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeppelinRocks2007 Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 IF the sound at the O2 is so problematic, why the f**k did they agree to play there in the first place?! Too much is at stake for the venue to play a part with bad sound. Why put all the pressure on a soundman? There are plenty of venues that have excellent acoustics, a little more research and one would have been found. People are paying big bucks for this one night and to have it ruined with bad sound would be a crime. I hope Jimmy can get someone in there that knows how to compensate for any reflections, vibrations, feedback, etc. or a lot of people are going to be pissed off! If this wasn't a "one-off" event, you can always say -"Well, next time the sound will be better." Wake up - there may be no "next time". It's got to be right THIS time. Get the right sound man and right sound system, and soon! While Jimmy attended many concerts in the audience at the O2 and never liked the sound there, I assure you that Led Zeppelin never chosed the O2 venue. The choice of venue was chosen by the promoters putting together Ahmet Ertegun tribute show, I believe Harvey Goldsmith was the one who put the show together and picked the O2 for the venue. Led Zeppelin had no choice but to agree to play that venue in tribute to their late friend Ahmet. The O2 is a huge place that can fit millions. Zeppelin is just being very careful to put on the best show possible to make the audience's money worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nirvana Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 While Jimmy attended many concerts in the audience at the O2 and never liked the sound there, I assure you that Led Zeppelin never chosed the O2 venue. The choice of venue was chosen by the promoters putting together Ahmet Ertegun tribute show, I believe Harvey Goldsmith was the one who put the show together and picked the O2 for the venue. Led Zeppelin had no choice but to agree to play that venue in tribute to their late friend Ahmet. The O2 is a huge place that can fit millions. Zeppelin is just being very careful to put on the best show possible to make the audience's money worth. If Jimmy Page came up to Harvey Goldsmith and said "BOO!" HG would jump 50 feet in the air! I can't believe that if there were serious issues with sound in the O2, Jimmy or any Zep member would agree to play their first concert in 27 years there! It wouldn't matter who was the promoter. And, to do justice to Ahmet, they would want to get it right no matter where the venue was. Believe me, nobody fucks with Jimmy when it comes to Zep. They NEED to get this right! Harvey G. or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJD Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 I totally disagree. I've seen countless shows in that building and most of them sounded fantastic. It may vary from group to group but the last gig I saw there was Roger Waters and it sounded absolutely incredible. Waters even commented during the show that he's played all over the world and nothing sounds like MSG. Edit: From what I've heard The Police were awful, not the venue... I will defer to you're experience on this one, the Police was the only show I saw there and based on my co-workers descriptions of the sound there I thought I was experiencing the norm for the venue. And FWIW the Police weren't great... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJD Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 I think the venue comes down to the fact that they wanted to do it in England and there aren't a lot of choices for that size indoor venue. Arena's are inherently bad sounding, I'm willing to bet the 02 is no better or worse than average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirchzep27 Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 This might not be such a big issue, the dynamics of -led zep music live is much different than -the stones, prince or elton john. I saw -the stones 98 at -giants stadium and thought the sound was really bad, but -page/plant 95 at -giants stadium sounded good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poortom Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Iread somewhere that The Royal Alber Hall was going to be the original venue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Flight Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 I saw -the stones 98 at -giants stadium and thought the sound was really bad, but -page/plant 95 at -giants stadium sounded good. They didn't play Giants Stadium in 95 (or ever) they played the arena. I was there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levee Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Iread somewhere that The Royal Albert Hall was going to be the original venue. That would have been nice. You are going right ? I thought so because I have a note that says "Hate poor tom" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirchzep27 Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 They didn't play Giants Stadium in 95 (or ever) they played the arena. I was there.... They played at -the meadowlands...thats giant's stadium no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Flight Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 They played at -the meadowlands...thats giant's stadium no? No. They played the Meadowlands Arena (later renamed The Continental Airlines Arena), not Giants Stadium. There is no confusing the two, Giants Stadium holds 80,000 + for a concert and Page/Plant never played there. Edit: If you were there you would know that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirchzep27 Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 No. They played the Meadowlands Arena (later renamed The Continental Airlines Arena), not Giants Stadium. There is no confusing the two, Giants Stadium holds 80,000 + for a concert and Page/Plant never played there. Edit: If you were there you would know that. Just checked my tickets, yeah -the stones were at -giants stadium and -page/plant were at the meadowlands. I guess that explains the sound difference then. I was at the shows, just was over ten years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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