Led Zeppelin gig draws close
- 00:01:45
- ITN
Led Zeppelin gig draws close
Legendary rockers Led Zeppelin are in final preparations for their eagerly anticipated one-off gig in memory of the esteemed Ahmet Ertegun.The band will perform for the first time in 19 years in tribute to the music mogul who signed the group to his Atlantic Records label in 1968.The three original members, singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones, will headline the concert with late drummer John Bonham's son, Jason, on drums.The Who's Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, rock band Foreigner and Scottish 20-year-old star Paolo Nutini, are also expected to play.More than 20 million fans from across the globe rushed to register for the £125 tickets, which were allocated by lottery.The tribute concert should have been staged last month at the O2 Arena, in London, but was rescheduled for Monday after Page fractured a finger.Nutini was the final British artist that Istanbul-born Ertegun, who founded Atlantic Records in 1947, mentored before he died last year at the age of 83.His label signed names including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and The Drifters and Ertegun became a mentor to some of the biggest names in music.After making his first move into rock by signing Led Zeppelin he went on to add the Rolling Stones, Cream and Genesis to his label's roster.Profits from the show will go to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which pays for student scholarships to universities in the UK, US and Turkey.Led Zeppelin split when Bonham died in 1980 after a drinking binge.Since then, they have performed only a handful of gigs, including Live Aid in 1985 and an Atlantic Records anniversary gig three years later.© Independent Television News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.
ITN | December 10, 2007
