Led Zeppelin Reunion Flames Out

Led Zeppelin is no more. I repeat: Led Zeppelin is no more. While the internet and entertainment talk shows and radio talk shows and... just about everybody have been talking about a Led Zeppelin reunion and tour (sans Robert Plant, who is doing his own thing with Alison Krauss), it seems that the dream has died, almost before they could get it airborne.

Jimmy Page's manager, Peter Mensch, told MusicRadar: "Led Zeppelin are over! If you didn't see them in 2007 [when they played a one-off reunion in London], you missed them. It's done. I can't be any clearer than that."

Rumors have been floating around about a possible Led Zeppelin reunion and tour for years. It picked up steam a few months ago when it was announced that, since Robert Plant had nixed the idea of rejoining the band (opting to continue touring with the beautiful and talented Alison Krauss instead), Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham (son of legendary Led Zeppelin drummer, John Bonham) would be auditioning lead singers for a reunion tour.

Mensch said the band tried out several lead singers but none worked out. He said the idea of Led Zeppelin fying agains was "completely over now." He added, "There are absolutely no plans for them to continue. Zero. Frankly, I wish everybody would stop talking about it."

No chance of that. Now everyone will be talking about what could have been and who could have been a good replacement for Robert Plant. Most people will tell you without hesitation, "Nobody."

Not even David Coverdale (Whitesnake), although Jimmy Page did say that he felt the Coverdale was a better vocalist than Robert Plant when the two recorded "Coverdale Page" in 1993. Still, as good as David Coverdale sounds, he does not sound like Robert Plant. And that is a fact that Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham apparently realized.

So, since everyone will be talking about what could have been, the next best thing to do is to find a complete list of those who tried out and did not make the cut.

One hopeful stand-in that everyone was talking about for a little while was Myles Kennedy, lead singer of Alter Bridge (the three band members were ex-Creed). Now we know that it won't be him.

Or anybody else, for that matter. Not even Great White frontman Jack Russell. Or Randy Jackson from Zebra. Or Dave King of Fastway (now lead singer of Flogging Molly). And one would suggest Jason Bonham's former lead singer for his group Bonham, but Daniel McMaster died in March 2008 of a strep infection.

In a way it is sad that Jimmy Page could not find a vocalist to perform Led Zeppelin's songs, even one that did not sound like Plant at all. (Someone has mentioned that Chris Cornell auditioned and one can only be thankful that a Zeppelin fronted by Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave) did not come to pass.)

Conversely, it adds to the mystique of Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin would not be Zeppelin without Robert Plant.

And Led Zeppelin truly ended with the death of drummer John Bonham.

Robert Plant is currently nominated for a Grammy Award along with Alison Krauss for Record of the Year for "Please Read The Letter" off their album "Raising Sand."

Led Zeppelin has sold over 300 million albums worldwide and 111.5 million in the United States alone (Recording Industry Association of America).

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