14 November 2020
Newsdesk
Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page says the COVID-19 pandemic has made him think about “coming back” and performing live again.
The 76-year-old guitarist has been planning a live comeback for the past few years, following his last reunion with the ‘Whole Lotta Love’ rockers in 2007 at the tribute concert hosted at The O2 in London for late Atlantic Record President Ahmet Ertegun.
Going into lockdown due to the coronavirus has crisis has inspired Jimmy to strap on his guitar once again for some concerts once venues re-open.
In an interview with GQ magazine, he said: “When we first went into lockdown I thought, 'Right, now's the time to start thinking about coming back at some point and being able to perform.'”
Jimmy insists the cancellation of concerts all over the world to stop the spread of the potentially deadly respiratory illness has strengthened his belief that “music means nothing” without live performances.
And the one-time Yardbirds member admits he is “worried” about the future of the arts, especially what the lack of opportunities to perform live will do to up-and-coming artists.
He said: “It’s such a very sad and desperate time and what this virus has done internationally to families, to the arts, and everything we love and hold dear and the whole concert situation, it does worry me … I will never be one of those people wholl record alone and send someone a file. I never went into music in the first place to do that, it was for playing together and this is what it means. We need to play with people, we need gigs and we need community. Because without that, music means nothing.
“Playing live is so important for young musicians.
“When we were young, we all had these little gigs, hoping to play somewhere bigger and it's such an important part of that communion of musicians playing together.
"For me it's always been the most important thing.”
