The Led Zeppelin guitarist performed Link Wray’s “Rumble” after inducting him
Last night at the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, the legendary Jimmy Page made a rare live appearance to induct his “hero,” Link Wray. The Led Zeppelin guitarist traveled overseas for his first live performance since 2014, playing Wray’s “Rumble” on his iconic red double-neck Gibson SG. Check out video footage of the performance below.
“What is this? In those days, there were many guitar instrumentals, but as a 14 year-old kid who could barely play the guitar, it really had an affect on me,” Page said. “The vigor and the strength and the power in it. And you know something else, it was fearless. It was just phenomenal. The essence of cool.”
Page last played a trio of shows back in 2014. That same year, he curated the reissue of Led Zeppelin’s first three studio albums. Deluxe editions were also released, each containing previously unreleased studio and live material from the recording time frame of that particular album. It was the first installment of what the band said was part of an “extensive reissue program” of all nine of their studio albums. The records have been remastered by Page himself.
“The material on the companion discs presents a portal to the time of the recording of Led Zeppelin,” Page stated at the time. “It is a selection of work in progress with rough mixes, backing tracks, alternate versions and new material recorded at the time.”
He added, “The catalog was last remastered 20 years ago. That’s a long time. Everything is being transferred from analog to a higher-resolution digital format. That’s one of the problems with the Zeppelin stuff. It sounds ridiculous on MP3. You can’t hear what’s there properly.”
Jimmy’s Led Zeppelin bandmate Robert Plant recently made headlines with a rare performance of his own when he sang “Stairway to Heaven” live on stage for the first time in 16 years. The performed the Zeppelin gem at a benefit concert in Oxfordshire, England at a charity show for The Cancer Platform. He was accompanied by none other than founding Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, who leads the charitable initiative, and accomplished bassist Guy Pratt (Pink Floyd, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Gary Moore, Whitesnake). Plant’s set also included two more Zeppelin classics – “Thank You” and “Black Dog.” Stream the full performance of “Stairway to Heaven” below.
Robert Plant last performed “Stairway to Heaven” with Led Zeppelin on December 10, 2007. The performance at the O2 Arena in London was part of the tribute concert to the late Ahmet Ertegun. Erteghun was the founder of Atlantic Records, Zeppelin’s longtime label. The band’s set was eventually released on the live DVD, Celebration Day.