So, the much hyped Led Zeppelin reunion is done, dusted, over, forgotten. Well, perhaps not forgotten. Yes Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jason 'son of John' Bonham last night took to the stage at London's The O2 to deliver a full on two hour set as the headline act at the much previously reported Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert. And despite all the hype the old rockers had to live up to, all the fan's posting thoughts on news sites this morning seem to conclude Led Zepp delivered the goods, and most of the more formal reviews seem positive too. So well done them.
Of course speculation remains as to whether the reunion really will be a one off, or whether a tour, festival sets or other special gigs will follow. Given the generally positive and frequently glowing reception to this reunion - contrasting somewhat with the response to the band's reunion set at the original Live Aid - many now reckon more Led Zepp shows will definitely follow, though the band themselves remain tight lipped on that. Others also note last night's show was being filmed and expect a DVD release to follow, though perhaps not until late next year.
The other big story around all this, of course, was the prices being paid for touted tickets as the big event approached yesterday afternoon, even though strict rules put in place to stop the touts meant that people paying up to £1800 for tickets from unofficial sources ran the risk of not actually getting in. Promoter Harvey Goldsmith had, of course, hoped to stop the resale of tickets for the charity event, but a number were nevertheless selling over the weekend and yesterday via various auction websites, while touts were still doing business yesterday outside the Dome. According to ticket exchange Viagogo the average resale price for a Led Zepp ticket was £914, seven times the £125 face value, so you can see why the sellers were selling, despite Goldsmith's efforts to make such touting tricky.