But will they tour?
Those looking for clues as to whether they will indeed embark on a world reunion tour have some conflicting evidence. In Fricke’s pre-concert piece, he quoted Page as saying the first rehearsal by the band was “a delight.” Plant told Fricke it was “cathartic and therapeutic.”

Well after the show, Page told Reuters that there is a chance of a Zeppelin tour, but not until after September, after Plant finishes his mini-tour with Alison Krauss. Plant has given out contradictory info: In September, he was quoted as saying, “There’ll be one show and that’ll be it.” In January, after the O2 event, he said: “You never know what is around the corner. It’s just nice to play with those guys.”

Then came a story in England’s Sunday Mirror quoting a source close to Plant as saying that he turned down an offer of 100 million pounds — about $200 million U.S. — for a reunion tour because he wants to leave the December show as the band’s final word. But Plant is not quoted directly in that report.

A cockeyed optimist in his burning Zeppelin T-shirt might conclude that, because the boys had such a blast reliving the old dancing days recently, they might all want to prolong the feeling. That would be the only hope for Zep zealots: The group getting together again to have fun and make music.

“I don’t think they’ve changed all that much from the band that got together in a small room in London in 1968, played ‘Train Kept A Rollin’’ and knew that what they had was rarer than rare, once-in-a-lifetime chemistry,” Crowe said via e-mail. “More than any other band I’ve covered, the group is connected to what it is to be a fan … because they’re fans themselves. Talking to the band members is like talking to somebody who got the best seats in the house — and they did.”

Crowe added: “The success of the show last December sure shows that they can do it. From all indications, it felt right to them on stage. And with Zeppelin, it’s always been about feel.”

Contrary to the $300-per-ticket mercenaries who dominate the arena landscape these days, it was never about money. As Laffitte put it, “They’re all rich beyond comprehension.”

“The show (in London) was a benefit,” Fricke explained. “They didn’t come out to make a buck. They came out to prove a point, to show they were as good as remembered. They did it to honor their mentor and friend.

“It wasn’t just about money. They spent money to do that show right.”

‘People are hungry for substance’
Whatever happens — whether Led Zeppelin tours again, or whether the band members opt to sit back and enjoy us enjoying them — their legacy is as ingrained in rock history as Page’s Les Paul.

For most of Led Zeppelin’s life as a band, disc jockey Jim Ladd was on hand to introduce their music. A fixture on Los Angeles radio since 1969, the Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee can be heard on KLOS 95.5, spinning rock CDs free-form style. He said there is so much interest in Led Zeppelin because the band transcends generational pigeonholing.

“Their music is that good,” Ladd explained. “They’re not just a pop band. It’s in the songwriting, the performance. Led Zeppelin means a lot to a lot of people. Why does any band mean anything? Because the music is so good.

“You never heard this about some pop band. You hear it about the Doors, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin. Because we have so little of that these days, people are hungry for substance. That’s why you have so many young kids in high school turning on to that music of that age. They know we have the Beatles, the Doors, Led Zeppelin, while they have Britney Spears. And that is a direct quote from an 18-year-old who once called my show.”

Five minutes before the recent Led Zeppelin show in London was about to begin, Laffitte went to the bathroom. He didn’t really have to go, but he figured when one of the most storied rock bands in history is about to begin its first full concert since 1980 and you have one of about 20,000 tickets that more than a million people desperately tried to obtain in an online lottery, it’s always a good idea to make a pit stop so you don’t miss any of the show.

“I’ve been going to concerts now for 30 years, and I’ve never been in an arena where there was not one person in line at the concession stands or in the bathroom,” he said. “Everybody was in their seats. The anticipation was nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

If they tour, multiply that whole lotta love by many times over.

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