The unpredictable encounter

It's now considered the most impossible of all reunions. Not even lavish offers and proposals of every kind have been enough to convince Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to reform Led Zeppelin. But an unpredictable attempt was also made by a songwriting legend, who got the chance to play an impromptu jam with the two figureheads of the most beloved hard rock brand. Neil Young actually managed to bring Robert Plant and Jimmy Page back onto the same stage for an impromptu jam session that, surprisingly, came close to turning into an actual revival of the band, with the author of "Harvest" as a special guest.

It wouldn't have been the first time the Canadian Loner had performed alongside rock legends: besides having shared the stage with Bob Dylan, he had recorded and played together with Crosby, Stills and Nash. But, despite his enthusiasm, Led Zeppelin weren't ready for a lasting comeback.

The occasion was the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. For the event, Page and Plant returned to performing under the Led Zeppelin name for the first time since 1988. They were joined by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith for the first set, while Neil Young came onstage for the second. Also with them were John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham, son of the late John, on drums.

The first part of the show left neither Page nor Plant satisfied, as they found it uninspired: Page went so far as to call it "a mess." But the second set, with Young on stage, radically changed the mood, reviving the band's pride, which up to that point still seemed marked by the memory of the disastrous performance at Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary concert.

According to Jimmy McDonough's Neil Young biography, "Shakey," the Canadian guitarist was so surprised and satisfied with the result that he pushed for an actual reunion. Together with Led Zeppelin he performed a blistering version of "When The Levee Breaks," and Plant, as a tribute to him, even sang a fragment of "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield. Despite the enthusiasm, the project fizzled out before it began: the band wouldn't return to a stage until December 10, 2007, with the historic concert at London's O2 Arena, their first full show in twenty-seven years - and also their last.

Just recently, 77-year-old Robert Plant made clear once again that Led Zeppelin will never get back together, following that memorable performance at London's O2 Arena in a tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun. For the frontman, that night represented a genuine farewell: "The responsibility was to ourselves, to do it well, with enough feeling... It was a goodbye: goodbye to Ahmet, goodbye to everything. It worked, it was beautiful, and that was it."

Despite offers for a world tour, Plant has always turned them down: doing Led Zeppelin "just for the sake of it" wouldn't be true to the band's spirit. Jimmy Page has also confirmed that Led Zeppelin's future lies in the past, definitively closing the door on a reunion. Plant is currently focused on the Saving Grace project, whose self-titled album will be released on September 26.

Back in 2018, the year of Led Zeppelin's fiftieth anniversary, Robert Plant had already reiterated his skepticism about a reunion. Interviewed by Kentucky radio station 91.9 WFPK, he was asked whether there was any chance of seeing him back on stage with Jimmy Page. Plant had replied: "I have the band in my heart too, no one more than me. But I don't want to do anyone wrong," confirming his refusal to revisit the Led Zeppelin experience.

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06/02/2026