For the first time in 30 years, the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin reunites for a benefit gig at London’s O2 Arena. Songs remained the same for 90 glorious minutes.

By Jonathan Zipper

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 12/10/07 – Fans from all over the globe convened Monday night in London to catch the first live Led Zeppelin concert in almost 30 years.

Zeppelin’s last show with a complete set-list was in 1980, before drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham died later that year from a choking incident.

Singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bass / keyboard player John Paul Jones, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, joined forces once again on Monday for a benefit performance at England’s O2 Arena. They kept it in the family, rocking out with Bonham’s son, Jason, on the drums.

The newly formed Zeppelin opened with “Good Times Bad Times,” which seemed rather appropriate given the circumstances – though “Been a Long Time” might have served as well.

The set list for lucky fans ran as follows: Good Times Bad Times, Ramble On, Black Dog, In My Time of Dying, For Your Life, Trampled Under Foot, Nobody’s Fault But Mine, No Quarter, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Dazed And Confused and of course Stairway To Heaven. The band concluded the incredible set with The Song Remains The Same, Misty Mountain Hop, Kashmir, Whole Lotta Love and Rock And Roll.

Over the weekend, Plant talked with London’s “The Sunday Times” about the reunion. “The whole idea of being on a cavalcade of merciless repetition is not what it’s all about,” he said. However, he was quick to offer fans a glimmer of hope that this might not be a one-time deal: “It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to play together from time to time.”

Before the show began, Geoff Jones, a huge Zeppelin fan, shared his excitement with the BBC. “I have not been able to sleep for days,” Jones said. “For me it’s kind of like that Christmas feeling where you know Santa Claus is coming and you’re like a child waiting for the biggest present you’ve ever waited for in your whole life.”

Meanwhile, “The Times” gave the concert a four-star rating, noting that 15 minutes into the hour and a half show, Zeppelin was as good as ever.

“At a rehearsal a few weeks ago, Plant was heard to complain about the challenges of divining a voice of a 20-year-old from the body of a 60-year-old man,” the review read. “He needn’t have worried. Older equipment may take a while to get going, but once the requisite valves heat up, the quality is unmistakable.”

Tickets for the benefit, which was rescheduled from November 26 because of an injury to Page’s hand, went for $250 at face value with many internet scalpers selling theirs at $2,000 or more – and one man paying $168,000 during a charity auction.