Celebration Day

I bought the 2 CD/BluRay/Bonus DVD version of "Celebration Day" on Amazon. The concert film was recorded December 10th, 2007 at the 02 Arena in London. It was a very special and rare reunion and they only played this gig. The first thing that I did was throw on the BluRay. The sound and picture quality are excellent. Led Zeppelin were THE rock gods of the late 60's and early 70's. They played a huge part of my youth and I have never grown tired of them. It's most unfortunate that I never got to see them perform live, except for the Plant/Page tours of 1995 and 1998. The band look like they are sincerely enjoying themselves and they rock it pretty hard. Jimmy Page is the greatest living guitar player of our time. He simply is on fire during this performance ! John Paul Jones is right on the money as well. He is a beast on the bass. Plant does a great job. Though I did catch a couple of struggles here and there. But at 59 years old, I give him credit. He can still belt it out. Jason Bonham, John Bonham's son does a superb job on drums and holds the band together very well. All the Great songs are in this set. "In My Time of Dying", "Good Times, Bad Times", "Black Dog", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "Dazed and Confused", "Misty Mountain Hop", "No Quarter" and of course "Celebration Day'. The rarity "Stairway to Heaven", Led Zeppelin's biggest hit and one that Robert Plant hated to play live goes over without a hitch. And the shot of the girl in the front crying at the end was a nice touch. They did one of my favorite Led Zeppelin songs "Kashmir" from the "Physical Graffiti" LP. And that gave me goosebumps and brought a couple of tears to my eyes . For me, I would have loved to have heard "Going to California", "Friends", "Immigrant Song" "Hey, Hey What Can I Do?", "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" and "I Can't Quit You Baby". But that is a small fragment of a long list. All in all, it's a brilliant, solid 2 hours of live Zeppelin. 16 songs in all. There are also 2 CD's of the exact same set as the BluRay. The 4th disk is a bonus DVD of Led Zeppelin live at rehearsals, recorded December 6th, 2007 at Shepperton Studios, London. This was their final rehearsal before the 02 Arena show. It is the whole set of songs played in their entirety. The camera is in back of studio, so no close up of the band except for a large video monitor. The sound on the bonus DVD is stellar. Also included is a nice little booklet with linear notes from all 4 members. This deluxe version of "Celebration Day". is for die hard Led Zeppelin fans. I highly recommend this beautiful packaged set. I only wish they would release the Led Zeppelin DVD from 2003 on BluRay with the classic vintage material. Especially the "Earl's Court' performance from 1975. My only problem with "Celebration Day" are the cell phones being held up when they are professionally recording for a concert film. I guess I am "old school". It is safe to say, I will enjoy this set for many years to come. Celebration Day (Deluxe Edition 2CD + 2 DVD (CD sized digipak)

The 1970s have at times been derided as a lost decade in music. Despite the rise of disco and punk and some truly dreadful pop, however, giants walked the earth in those days: the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin and The Who, the holy trinity of British rock. They were huge, but with the death of The Who's Keith Moon in 1978 and the tragedy in Cincinnati in 1979, the loss of John Bonham and the disbanding of Led Zeppelin in 1980, and the release of the last number-one Stones album in 1981, these giants faded away. Yes, the bands or their members continued to record and tour, but it wasn't the same. In the mid-2000s, however, there came a revival of sorts. The Stones and The Who released their last studio albums in 2005 and 2006, but most significantly, Led Zeppelin reunited in 2007 for their final concert at London's O2 Stadium. They had made brief, abortive, and poorly received attempts at reunions in the 80s and 90s, yet this show was worthy in all respects. Millions tried and failed to buy tickets for the one-time-only event, while critics raved. The band proved cohesive and dynamic: Robert Plant was in fine, powerful voice, Jimmy Page played his guitars with precision and passion, John Paul Jones' bass and keyboards helped give the music its stomp, and Jason Bonham ably filled his father's shoes on drums and percussion. The show paid tribute to the late great Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records and champion of many legends, from Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin to the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Ertegun died, ironically, of a backstage fall at the 2006 concert that became "Shine a Light," Martin Scorsese's excellent Rolling Stones documentary. At last "Celebration Day" is being released on both audio and video discs. The thunderous sound is clear and vibrant, the cinematography crisp and tightly focused on band members (though the editing is annoyingly rapid). Recordings are available in no less than nine different formats, but whichever one you buy, I wholeheartedly recommend you choose an edition that includes a DVD or Blu-Ray, as the visual experience of the concert is a must. You really need to see the intensity and camaraderie that the group manifests, the intimate pleasure they take in working together again after so many years. You can pass on the rehearsal disc, which pales by comparison. The impeccably chosen set list, running just over two hours, is full of blues-inspired classics, and Plant credits the original bluesmen whose songs they nicked: Robert Johnson for "Terraplane Blues," used in "Trampled Under Foot," and Blind Willie Johnson for "Nobody's Fault But Mine." The show opens with definitive renditions of "Good Times, Bad Times" from the first album ("Dazed and Confused" gets more than 11 minutes later on), "Ramble On" from the second album (a fantastic version of "Whole Lotta Love" is the penultimate number), and "Black Dog," one of four essential tunes from the fourth album (including "Stairway to Heaven," "Misty Mountain Hop," and "Rock and Roll," which closes the concert with a roar). From the sixth album, "Physical Graffiti," comes another extended song, the 11-minute, gospel-themed "In My Time of Dying" (as well as "Trampled Under Foot" and a positively epic "Kashmir"), and from the seventh album, "Presence," comes "For Your Life" in its first and only live performance (plus "Nobody's Fault But Mine"). "No Quarter" and an energetic "The Song Remains the Same" are taken from the fifth album, "Houses of the Holy," while "Since I've Been Loving You" is the sole song from the third album. Although this show can't quite match Led Zeppelin's peak performances of the 70s, and though it can't include every important song (I would have loved to hear a bit more from the early albums, like "Communication Breakdown," "Living Loving Maid," and "Immigrant Song"), it is nonetheless a joyful triumph and an impressive monument to the enduring greatness of the band and their music. Take it from one who grew up with these songs: they are played and sung without compromise. Robert Plant is quite right in his refusal to attempt a repeat performance. Unlike other members of our geriatric rock royalty, Led Zeppelin went out on top.

PLEASE NOTE that this is a review of "Celebration Day (Blu-ray Audio)," which features only audio and screen menus. There are many packagings of this title available -- almost to the point of absurdity, but hey, it's Led Zeppelin, right? At any rate, the version/disc I'm reviewing here is designed to be played only in Blu-ray players. Honestly, I wanted to hear the music before I committed to buying some version of the video that was shot at the O2 Arena that great night when the mighty Zep took finally took the stage again -- December 10, 2007. And now, after hearing the music, I'm not even sure I NEED any of the video. That's one point I want to emphasize here: No matter what version you buy, don't just get sucked into the visuals. Led Zeppelin was and is a band to be heard. Let's do the nerdy sound quality thing first. Blu-ray Audio, like DVD Audio and SACD, is capable of delivering multichannel sound, so if you have a system with multiple speakers fed by separate channels, you can hear performances in, say, 5.1 channels. The "5" are these speakers: left front, center, left right, surround right, sourround left. The "1" in 5.1 is your subwoofer. Basically, 5.1 or more channels take you beyond the old 2-channel stereo mix, putting you in the middle of the performance. Sometimes this works well, and sometimes not; it depends on many things including the quality of the source material and the skill of the engineers and mixers who re-mix the stuff for 5.1. For two good examples, pick up Pink Floyd's SACD version of "Dark Side of the Moon," and if you can find it because it's out of print, Roxy Music's SACD of "Avalon." So does "Celebration Day" work in 5.1 sound? Yes, phenomenally well, and the reason is that everyone involved in this effort apparently refused to get fancy and cute with it. You won't hear any instruments mixed prominently in the back channels here, although I've certainly heard that used to good effect on some mixes. You won't catch the engineer panning the sound this way and that. No, the reason for the 5.1 here is to re-create the feeling of being in that arena that night. So the band is basically up front, and the back channels are capturing the booming reverb of the O2. You know from the opening song that this is a concert recording. But the effect is kept in check, too; it's got JUST the right amount of thundering ambiance to enhance to performance of the group. There were a couple occasions during quiet songs, and between songs, where I could hear people murmuring or chattering a bit, as if they were standing a few feet to my left or right or behind. Trust me: It's kept to a minimum and it's not intrusive at all. Besides, if that kind of thing bothers you, why would you go to a rock concert anyway? Now to Led Zeppelin's performance: Of course it's impossible to make a perfect comparison to previous Zep shows, mostly because Zeppelin drummer John Bonham died in 1980. Here the drum chair is filled by none other than his son, Jason Bonham, who already has had quite a long career in his own right; his exploits include leading his own namesake band ("Bonham") in the 1980s and 1990s and starring as drummer "A.C." in the 2001 movie "Rock Star." I've always been a fan of his playing but confess that Jason at times has impressed me as being even more of a basher than this father. John Bonham's drumming was hugely powerful, but he also was capable of surprising restraint; he knew when to let up a little and let a song breathe. Well, perhaps Jason just needed seasoning. His playing on "Celebration Day" is nothing less than thrilling from start to finish. He especially seems to be enjoying the slower, burning blues numbers such as "Since I've Been Loving You" and "In My Time of Dying." And the way he interacts with guitarist Jimmy Page on "Dazed and Confused" does remind one of the near-telepathy Page and the elder Bonham used to conjure up on that song. Speaking of Page, before this recording, he hadn't sounded this good and this together in years, having floundered around with various musical projects that didn't seem to add up to much. Perhaps of all the members of the band, he was most attached to it, and left most lost when John Bonham died. Who knows? But on this night, the magic is back under his fingertips. I even ACTIVELY LISTENED to "Stairway to Heaven," which never was my favorite Zeppelin song, and which was played to death by 1970s FM radio programmers. His intro here is especially gentle; you can HEAR him savoring these notes, calling up their power even after having played this so many times in his life. "There's a spirit I get when I look to the west," Plant sings as Page starts digging deeper into "Stairway," and it's a line directed not at six-guns and Stetsons but to Arthurian legend, or at least to "The Lord of the Rings." Plant, too, sounds thoroughly and completely in the moment, glad and happy to be revisiting a proud past. But the man who pushes "Celebration Day" from four-star rating to full five is bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones. His showcase back in the days was always "No Quarter," an eerie song whose misty, moonless-night atmosphere was due largely to Jones' haunting electric piano intro. That's an instrument that fell out of favor even in rock circles a long time ago, partly because it eventually became possible to reproduce the sound of an acoustic concert grand. Jones, though, wisely sticks to the relic here, and hearing it again is stepping into an aural time machine. Welcome back to 1973, ladies and gentlemen! Jones also shines on "Trampled Under Foot" and "Kashmir." Couple of final thoughts: First, you couldn't ask for a better set list; every single Zeppelin studio album is represented by at least one song here, with the exception of "In Through the Out Door" and the compilation/leftovers album "Coda," issued after John Bonham died. In fact, just listing the songs, they ring out, like anthems of time: "Ramble On" ... "Black Dog" ... "Dazed and Confused" ... "Whole Lotta Love" ... "Rock and Roll." This really is a fine, joyous album, truly living up to its title. Audiophiles will appreciate the incredible quality of the Blu-ray mix. And for those who want to hear how Zeppelin sounded live back in the 1960s-1980, I highly recommend "How the West Was Won." There's also the DVD that's just titled "Led Zeppelin." And while some defend it, I've always advised avoiding the live album "The Song Remains the Same," which presents one of their weaker, more self-indulgent performances. Led Zeppelin remains not only a cultural force, which is what people wrongly tend to focus on, but also one of the best bands to come out of the 1960s and find its full expression and potential in the 1970s. In short, this music stands up, decade after decade. Listen ... :)

I tried playing the Amazon's MP3 files of this album but found they were of not great quality. Likely best to just get the Audio Only Blu-Ray of this album. (I'm not sure if the video version includes a Uncompressed PCM 5.1 stream.) Although this is an audio only Blu-Ray, it does export a black and white video title page with the title of each song, per HDMI spec. Personally, I just want the audio and I find the audio file provided is one big blob with no separate tracks. Guessing any software playing the stream will use stream seeks to find the tracks. (And seems to be evident by the slow response when using Windows software players.) An interesting note, I usually tend to avoid LIVE albums as the audience screaming tends to overwhelm the music. Not so with this mix and seems they tended to keep the audience to minimal levels and only heard during the beginning and ends of the tracks. But within the Amazon MP3's, all I heard was audience and bass which was very unlike the quality of the Blu-Ray Audio version. MULTIPLE STREAMS PROVIDED: Thanks to FFMPEG/FFPLAY, here's a quick listing of streams: Stream #0:0[0x1011]: Video: h264 (High) (HDMV / 0x564D4448), yuv420p, 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 90k tbn, 59.94 tbc Stream #0:1[0x1100]: Audio: pcm_bluray (HDMV / 0x564D4448), 48000 Hz, stereo, s32, 2304 kb/s Stream #0:2[0x1101]: Audio: pcm_bluray (HDMV / 0x564D4448), 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), s32, 6912 kb/s Stream #0:3[0x1102]: Audio: dts (DTS-HD MA) ([134][0][0][0] / 0x0086), 48000 Hz, 5.1(side), s16, 1536 kb/s Surprisingly, it looks like Stream #0:2 is the best quality containing 24/32 bit versus DTS at only 16 bit? Albeit, the streams do vary slightly in quality from track to track. So far, my favorite is Stream #2 providing Uncompressed PCM 5.1 sound, exhibiting the best quality. However, I use Linux and seemingly Linux is not able to play through DTS-HD Master streams through to a receiver, and only use pass-through DTS. As such, I'm biased towards PCM and PCM-5.1 streams. (Seems Cyberlink PowerDVD might be remixing or changing the stream header in high-definition or bit-stream mode, but the stream still seems to have identical rates when playing on Linux.) The DTS stream is a bit more dynamic or contains more coherent drum beats (or the attack wave of each drum beat creates more of a pop sound) when compared to the other PCM streams. PCM streams sound somewhat flattened. I guess that's why they call it DTS Coherent Acoustics. The DTS stream is also of slightly lesser quality as previously mentioned, but the DTS encoding makes up for this and any quality difference is almost inaudible. (I think it's been stated, consumers will notice very little difference, unless they're amplifying and playing the music within a large area?) When playing back the Uncompressed PCM 5.1 stream, ensure you're playing through a connection capable of handling the bandwidth such as HDMI. (S/PDIF will downmix to two channels, or software may compress the stream to a compressed Dolby/DTS if you're lucky.) It's difficult to tell if my receiver is playing all six channels over HDMI or only playing two channels, while mirroring the others using it's high quality decoder chip. I should also make mention, after relaxing after dealing with all this encryption stuff for the past weeks, I finally sat back and listened to both PCM5.1 and DTS streams. The PCM streams seem to be slightly overloaded with loudness (AKA Loudness Wars Wikipedia), so I opened the PCM-5.1 stream within Audacity and lessened the gain to -6dB (or -3dB to -6dB) on channels 1-2 or the main two channels. (The two channels were significantly louder than the other 4 channels.) After doing so, I noticed the music sounded much more like music, similar to the older style Led Zeppelin recordings. Further reducing the gain again only on these two channels resulted in a retro 1980's style Robert Plant vocal solo, similar to his riffs within the Nirvana and Tall Cool One albums. (See my note made on 2013.11.03. Seems my Yamaha RX-V375 defaults to PEQ Mixer after using YPAO. Switching off the mixer and ensuring no other Enhanced modes are used, the center channel now definitely seems louder requiring no volume level changes to the channels.) ENCRYPTION: Unfortunately, using Linux MPlayer with AACS to play this Blu-Ray is impossible as MPlayer complains vigorously about encryption errors. I had to again use the expensive $50 Linux version of makemkv program to copy to local hard drive; wasting space, time and energy. I am not a fan of forcing honest people who pay for their products to have to struggle to use encryption and preventing them from enjoying their products. Shrugs. I did notice once I decrypted the streams onto another Blu-Ray for using within Linux, the Blu-Ray would play just fine within the Windows proprietary Blu-Ray Movie player. Plus one here, for not screwing the honest consumer over. ;-) ... Movies tend not to play properly within the proprietary Windows player after copied, giving some FBI warning. Guess it's probably wise to expect blacklisting or problems traveling to other countries criminalizing consumers for playing purchased commercial Blu-Ray media within Linux? FINAL NOTES: You mileage may very with this review, as it's written according to only what I hear. For those seeking higher quality than CD Audio, or higher resolutions than 24 bit 48000 Hz, these are above the range of human hearing. If you have problems with playing Blu-Ray media like I do, might be best to stick with CD or DVD media. 2013.06.10 - After several weeks, I've finally learned how to extract the audio files for my enjoyment and have written a Gentoo Wiki "FFmpeg - Extract Blu-Ray Audio" for others. Another headache with the Blu-ray audio, is making sure the software playing device is playing at the highest audio quality possible rather than down mixing. Best method so far, buy a audio receiver capable of playing 24 Bit PCM WAV files via USB storage devices. Very little degradation versus HDMI and S/PDIF! Also, apparently the Yamaha RX-V375 will only play 16 Bit PCM Microsoft WAV files and not 24 Bit PCM WAV files! Will require a Yamaha >= RX-V475 receiver for 24 bit playback via USB? 2013.06.11 - Added notes about loudness on channels one and two. Cited DTS as being more coherent on drum beat attacks, and DTS Coherent Acoustics. Minor grammar corrections. I'm really glad I purchased the high-resolution. As they say, avoid the eye-candy and go for meat. 2013.11.03 - Just found my RX-V375 defaults to PEQ Equalizer when using YPAO to setup the speakers. Using PEQ remixes the audio and apparently lowers the volume of some of the channels of PCM 5.1 streams. Setting the Equalizer to OFF, and ensure any Enhance modes are switched off, seems to play the audio a little louder within the center channel now.

For millions who have never seen Led Zeppelin "live" and those that missed this concert, this DVD/CD digipak is the next best thing to being there. The way to go when watching this is large-screen TV with home entertainment/Dolby 5.1 Surround. There is an excellent separation of sound with 5.1 not heard when just watching this in stereo and the experience is highly rewarding. Although the band has not played together for 19 years, there is definitely the old chemistry relived among Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and now, newcomer Jason Bonham. The music was exceptionally tight. Page danced and strutted with much of the same magic that he did in "The Song Remains The Same". His fingers have not slowed down at all and he demonstrated the fretboard magic that has made him one of the most influential rock/blues guitarists of all time. The very same cherry-sunburst Les Paul that Page played is the very model that he was one of the first rock musicians to popularize. Although more aged now, Plant's voice can still deliver and it does. People who expect to see him howling like he did 30 years ago would not be in touch with reality. He definitely has limitations but he is still the rocker that he was. The voice of Robert Plant is definitely alive in this performance. When I hear the opening chords of "Good Times/Bad Times" and John Paul Jones' heavy, riffing bass line, I am reliving my youth again. Led Zeppelin is one of the first bands I idolized and John Paul Jones was the first bass player that made me want to learn how to play bass. Jones' playing in this is 6-star on a maximum of 5; he plays numerous basses in this, e.g. 4-string, 4-string fretless, what appears to be a 10-string in "Nobody's Fault But Mine". He also undertook the keyboards in modern format on other songs such as "Misty Mountain Hop", "Trampled Under Foot", "Kashmir", "No Quarter", "Since I've Been Loving You" and "Stairway to Heaven". Lastly, Jason Bonham demonstrated the ability that he has inherited and perfected from the late John Bonham, his father. He anchored the rhythm section on drums and percussion and played all of the Zeppelin songs to the note, even singing backup on a few songs. He and John Paul Jones seemed fairly tight together, holding the lines while Page played rhythm/lead guitars and Plant sang. Overall, this DVD performance is one to remember. There were a few tiny glitches, e.g. JP Jones looking puzzled over at Page's guitar during "In My Time of Dying" because the sustain just didn't seem to be resonating before each verse began. Maybe one or two missed beats in the wild syncopation of Zeppelin's setlist but it was hardly noticeable. The Bonus DVD in this pack is sort of negligible. I really could have done without the rehearsal, where the only camera angle seemed to be from about 100 or more feet straight back. The other two sections, the "media moment", or clip from Tampa many years ago both also seemed insignificant. It would have been better to have perhaps some interviews with the band or backstage banter than this collection of clips, although welcome. The CDs are high-quality representations of the music on the DVD. Honestly, I was more interested in seeing the performance than listening to it on the stereo. The important thing is to remember that this performance was a rare gift. With a decent level of animosity that seems to be hidden as well as band members "busy" with other projects, it may never happen again. Page will be touring on a solo project this year, without the other three. There has been some talk about 2014, but realistically, the band is getting too old to consider a lengthy tour. Even if they do, the odds of landing any tickets for a reasonable amount of money would be slim-to-none. Therefore, this digipak captures a modern musical performance of a legendary band, "frozen" in time.

I was 5 when Zeppelin broke up. I suspect that each person and each generation that discovers Led Zeppeling discovers it their own way. For me, it was the very early 1990s, near the end of high school, when I started tiring of the Top 40 play list. In those days in Los Angeles, there were two revered rock stations: 95.5 KLOS and 97.1 KLSX (one is still there). With call letters like KLSX, what do you think they played? Yup, Classic Rock. It might be me, but classic rock stations those many years ago seemed to play a larger variety of rock than the Clear Channel-controlled rock stations of today. Anyway, the famed DJ Jim Ladd used to spin dreamlike sequences of rock tunes that, if I did drugs, seemed like the perfect companion for a drug-induced haze. In these sequences, he oftened played Zeppelin's In The Light. From that, I was hooked. Those early 90s were the years that the first remastered Zeppelin 4-CD box set was just released, and when I went to college, I used to stalk the local record stores' used section for those CDs. After several months of trying, I did end up with all 4 CDs. I treasure them to this day, not because I play those specific CDs anymore, but they are like a time capsule for me, transporting me way back to those late high school and college days. Together with back catalogs of The Who and Peter Gabriel, Zeppelin took me through those years; they are fused with the story and memories of my life. Fast forward to 2007 (married now, with kids and a house in the suburbs), and the revelation that Zeppelin (with John Bonham's son Jason) would do a reunion with a possibility of a world tour sent me into a dreamlike sequence. Needless to say, I wasn't in the audience for this show, but in the days that followed, I (probably like thousands and thousands of folks everywhere) hunted down every uploaded Youtube clip I could find. The reviews of the show in the press made it seem like a resounding success, but one really couldn't tell from those sparse clips. It's just hard to shake the uneasy feeling that they might have botched their legacy. After all, the 1990s No Quarter reunion record and tour, while blockbusters (and I did have that CD on repeat through many, many hours of college studying), are pretty mediocre now that I listen back--Plant's voice was hoarse and thin, and Page/Plant re-arranged some of their classic songs in unseemly ways. And I also have Page and Plant's followup record, Walking Into Clarksdale, which was a disaster all around. So despite all the strong reviews of that reunion show, I had lots of trepidation when I first put in the Bluray into my 5.1 big screen home theater (you really do need one of these to truly enjoy it). Within the first 3 songs, my unease and anxiety had melted away. Plant's voice is strong, deep, and more expressive than maybe ever. His maturation through his years as a solo artist in his many projects have brought a worldliness and emotive-ness that he never had when he was in his 20s. His goatee and deep wrinkles--when you're able to see them through his still-golden and curly locks--reflect his age and brings weight to what he sings. Page...he probably looked oldest of the bunch with thoroughly white hair. But his playing is more precise and concise than ever before, and that's to the benefit to these songs. The arrogant showmanship of his youth is gone, replaced by a more humble posture that is more endearing. John Paul Jones--who looks the most trim and "young" of the 3 original members--moves deftly between the bass and keys. He completes the chemistry that was lacking in the Page/Plant projects of the 90s. He was what was missing in those 90s tours. They need him. And Jason Bonham...I'm so very glad they kept it all in the family. Jason has grown up and looks even beefier than his dad, and it shows in his playing. I read that he practiced hard--really hard--for this show. But he shows a looseness and comfort with Page, Plant, and Jones that makes it all feel...GOOD. Oh so very good. There is none of the bloat and indulgence of 30-min songs with meandering guitar and drum solos that they were (in)famous for in the 70s (e.g. The Song Remains the Same movie). No, they tear through these tunes almost uniformly with precision and forward momentum. The arrangements are familiar, but with small tweaks in places that give the ear something fresh to hook onto--you need this after listening to the same album tracks and 70s bootlegs for the 500th time. Whether you buy the Bluray or "just" the DVD package, you owe it to yourself to see the footage; the audio CDs by themselves don't do the show justice. You need to see and feel these guys playing. You need to see them in their older, white-haired, wrinkled selves as they pound out these historic songs with the alacrity and power of but greater confidence than their younger selves. You need to see the interplay between them, the glances and smiles to each other, their solidarity when they hunker down around Jason's drum kit. Some here have commented that the Deluxe package with the Bluray, DVD with rehearsal footage, and audio CDs is unnecessary. But I heartily disagree--for the low price of $32 (at the time of this writing), you get everything in a trim CD-sized package at a bargain price. They could have easily put out a lavish box and charged many times that price, but didn't. If you're anything more than a casual Zeppelin fan, you'll *want* the Deluxe set. And, yes, they play Stairway. Sublimely, at that. After the audience chants along with Plant those famous last few words of the legendary track, Plant looks up toward the ceiling of the arena and utters, "Hey Ahmet, we did it." And surely, they did. I'm rather glad now that Zeppelin did this one show, and that's it. These Bluray/DVD/CDs capture that one, magnificant night when the world stopped for 2 hours, turned their attention to these guys, and watched them do their thing. After watching this show, I know now that Zeppelin will never tour again, and they will never put any new material. This is it. Their legacy is secure.

This is an old LIVE performance of the band. It’s Ok.

Recorded sound quality is very good on this blu-ray. Video editing was very tastefully done with reasonable cuts from one camera view to the next. Several moments of zoomed in views of Mr. Page's hands skillfully at work on the guitar were greatly appreciated. I have absolutely loved Led Zeppelin since buying the fourth album in about 1975. But I sat down to watch this performance with 'realistic' expectations-- they have a lot of hard years of livin' behind them and I wasn't expecting finger strength and dexterity to hold up so well, nor Robert's vocals. Boy was I surprised! This performance was in my opinion superior to those captured on the video feature 'The Song Remains the Same'. For me, Robert Plant sang better here than I've ever heard him outside of their studio work. To qualify this, I believe the instruments were downtuned a full step to allow him to hit the 'higher' notes. But no matter... he sounded great and used very appropriate emotion and inflection for the very wide variety of styles represented here. John Paul Jones was dead on as usual on bass and contributed fantastic keyboard parts, especially on No Quarter which is one of my top 5 favorite Zeppelin songs. Bonzo's Lad, Jason is a second generation rock phenomenon and it occurred to me several times during this show that John would be very, VERY proud! My man Jimmy did not disapoint-- he delivered in spades on every song. I'm still amazed how well he held up to the evening's very full set-list. Standout songs to me on this show were Ramble On, No Quarter, For Your Life, Dazed and Confused, ('Since I've Been Loving You' (my all time favorite song--period was very good and Mr. Plant sang most excellently but I felt Jimmy's guitar parts were better on 'The Song Remains The Same' performance). The absolute hit of the entire show for me was Kashmir. It sent shivers down my spine. My least favorite Zeppelin song and probably the only one I could live without from their entire catalog is 'In My Time of Dying'. For me, this one drags out, as it does on the album. Honestly, this is the only Zeppelin song I don't like so evidently I am odd in that opinion since they chose to include it in this historic evening. If you like it on Physical Graffitti, you'll love it here. Outside of that every song was thrilling for me. The bonus DVD is worth watching one time. I may never view it again but I'm kinda glad it was there. I literally thank God in heaven for the fact that these four English gents got together and created the body of work that has brought me more excitement and happiness than any other band-- and for several decades now. The event captured on Celebration Day has now brought me something else to be genuinely grateful for with regard to Led Zeppelin! I am thrilled to have it in my music DVD/Blu-ray collection. We are fortunate they got together for this one marvelous night and now VERY fortunate to have the best seat in the house-- any time we want to sit down to see it again-- and again!