"I wanted people to leave the concert saying, I expected them to be good, but I had no idea they could or would deliver like this." Jimmy Page looks back on Led Zeppelin's historic 2007 reunion

Led Zeppelin's reunion for the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert, staged at London's O2 Arena on December 10, 2007, was the most-anticipated gig of the century, with 20 million people worldwide entering an online ballot for tickets. For those lucky enough to score a ticket, it was a night they'd never forget, with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones joined by the late John Bonham's son Jason for a show that reminded everyone why Zeppelin are revered as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

In a new post on Instagram, Jimmy Page has shared his thoughts on, and memories of, the experience.

"Originally, on the night there were going to be Atlantic bands like Foreigner and some others," Page writes, "and it was suggested that we would do a 20 or 30 minutes set. And I thought, I wasn’t going to do that – we needed to do a full-length set, because the energy, power, synergy and synchronicity would build as the show continued. We wouldn’t have been able to achieve that in 20 minutes. We would have always regretted the fact that we didn’t play another hour at least.

"I just really wanted to go out there, play well, and show what we could do. To stand up and be counted, so that people would leave the concert saying, ‘I expected them to be good, but I had no idea they could or would deliver like this.’

"I felt the adrenaline rising as the evening approached," Page continued. "The euphoric tidal wave was overwhelming. We had done the O2 and the response to it was so positive. The spirit of the band was shining."

Classic Rock's Scott Rowley was one of the 19,000 Zeppelin fans in attendance on the night.

"The stage is bathed in white light," he wrote in his review of the night, "the band gathered around the drum riser for much of the gig – not Plant on a pedestal at the front, not Page in a spotlight every time he does a solo.

"The message is clear: this isn’t some bullshit showbiz act. This isn’t the Stones and their travelling jukebox. This is a band. Led fucking Zeppelin. Three old guys (and their sorcerers’ apprentice), sure, but three old guys who can still perform with dignity."

In 2018, Page was asked if Led Zeppelin would ever play again.

"I very much doubt it," he replied. "You've just got to face facts. We've gone past the tenth anniversary of the O2, where we managed to do one serious concert. It wasn't flippant, and we really did rehearse seriously for it, and I'm glad we did. That's the only thing that we've done for such a long time, so I very much doubt we'll do anything else. I really think the time has gone."

A film of their final stand was released in 2012 under the title Celebration Day. "As a recorded concert it gave people the opportunity to experience the alchemy of the evening," Jimmy Page reflects on Instagram.

Watch nine glorious minutes of the film below:

Led Zeppelin - Kashmir (Live from Celebration Day) [Official Video] - YouTube

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