LONDON -- Led Zeppelin proved this week that they've still got it.
Now, the big question is: What are they gonna do with it? Tour the world again? Play some selected dates in major cities? Or go out on the highest note possible and retire to their castles undefeated?
Only the three surviving members of the legendary British rock outfit -- who made a triumphant comeback to the stage by playing their first full concert in 27 years Monday night in London -- can tell you that.
But we can tell you this: There's no good reason why they shouldn't keep this ball rolling. In fact, we'll give you six good reasons -- one for every star we gave their show -- why they should:
1. They sound great. Monday's show was no slapdash reunion like some of their previous get-togethers. It was a precise, well-oiled performance that made it clear the band has done some seriously intense rehearsing and had something to prove. Guitarist Jimmy Page in particular -- who many feared would be the weak link due to his years away from the spotlight -- was stunning, playing some of his old solos in their entirety. And so what if Robert Plant can't hit every high note he used to? He can still hit more than enough of them to get the job done superbly.
2. They look great. Sure, they're all a little greyer on top and a little thicker around the middle. But they've still got the moves -- and they still remember how to pose like the rock gods they are. They should take advantage of that while they still can.
3. They've got the songs. The set list on Monday was a superb mix of hits -- Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Kashmir, Black Dog, Rock and Roll, Dazed and Confused -- and inspired album tracks such as Nobody's Fault But Mine, Trampled Underfoot, In My Time of Dying and the previously unperformed For Your Life. And during a sound check the day before, they reportedly played D'Yer Mak'er and Communication Breakdown. Why learn all those songs to play them once?
4. They've got the audience. More than a million people applied for the 18,000 tickets to this week's show at O2 Arena. In other words, the band could play 50 sold-out shows in a row at the venue -- and still not satisfy demand. Never mind the money; when that many fans are clamouring to see you, only a fool or a sadist would ignore them.
5. They've got the time. With no disrespect to any of them, their solo careers haven't exactly been setting the world on fire. Plant is indisputably the most productive and successful of the three. But it's been a long time since any of his albums or tours generated this much enthusiasm.
6. They seemed to enjoy it. Page and Jones -- not to mention drummer Jason Bonham, son of late stickman John -- seemed to be having the time of their life. Even Plant -- who has mostly loudly denied rumours of a full-scale reunion -- seemed humbled by the reception of the crowd, and perhaps more importantly, pleased by the band's performance. "We did it," he marvelled at one point.
If, after all that, these guys don't realize that being in Led Zeppelin is what they were put on this earth to do, then they've truly lost it.
