Led Zeppelin turn down $924 million contract
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Led Zeppelin on stage at the O2 Arena: Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page.
Source: Supplied
NO AMOUNT of money is enough for Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant to get the band back together.
The 66-year-old singer walked away from a 35-date tour that would have paid the rock group nearly $ 924 million — ripping up the contract in front of stunned promoters, The Mirror newspaper reported.
British tycoon Sir Richard Branson had planned to reunite the Stairway to Heaven rockers and promoters had even gotten the green light from the other band members.
Led Zeppelin at their 1972 Australian concert in Sydney. Photo: Philip Morris
Source: Supplied
The mega deal would have paid Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones roughly $ 346 million apiece, before taxes, according to The Mirror.
Group members lobbied hard for Plant to join in but he wouldn’t change his mind.
“They have tried to talk him round but there is no chance,” a source close to the group told The Mirror. “His mind is made up and that’s that.”
A big payday would have also gone to Jason Bonham, 48, the son of late drummer John Bonham.
Barack Obama greets Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant (L), Jimmy Page (2R) and John Paul Jones at the White House in 2012.
Source: AFP
The 35 shows would have been split between London, Berlin and a site in New Jersey, according to The Mirror.
“Jimmy, John and Jason signed up immediately,” the source said. “It was a no-brainer for them but Robert asked for 48 hours to think about it. When he said no and ripped up the paperwork he had been given, there was an enormous sense of shock. There is no way they can go ahead without him.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Post.
