On This Day, August 11, 1979 …
Led Zeppelin headlined their second night at the Knebworth Festival at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England. It would be their final U.K. show with all four original members.
The festival was the band’s first live show in the U.K. in four years and some of their first concerts after a two-year hiatus following the death of Robert Plant’s son. The performance received some negative reviews from critics, who suggested they were a bit rusty.
The set included such classic tunes as “The Song Remains The Same,” “Celebration Day,” “The Rain Song,” “Achilles Last Stand,” “Stairway to Heaven” and “Whole Lotta Love.”
Although the band went on to play a small European tour following the festival, Knebworth would wind up being their final U.K. show with the all original members, as drummer John Bonham passed away in September 1980 and the band broke up.
Surviving members Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones did play the U.K. one more time: they reunited, along with Bonham’s son Jason on drums, for the Ahmet Urtegun tribute concert at London’s O2 Arena on December 10, 2007.
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