If you were rolling in squillions of dollars, how much would you offer one of your favourite bands to get back together?
Multi-billionaire businessman Richard Branson allegedly offered Robert Plant and his former Led Zeppelin bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones a mind-boggling £500 million (approximately AU$918 million) to reform and tour, to which Robert Plant rejected, as The Mirror reports.
Plant, not interested in the suggested deal, apparently tore up the proposal in front of both promoters and the aforementioned Zeppers. This stunned both Page and Jones, as well as Jason Bonham, son of late drummer John Bonham who was set to fill the shoe’s of his late father on the skins, the three gobsmacked musicians having already agreed to reform and tour once more.
Speaking with The Mirror, a source close to the band explained the situation, “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.”
The source continued, “Branson tried to pull out all of the stops. But even his money was not enough to get Plant to sign up. He is gutted.”
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Although the prospect of the legendary band touring again is unquestionably the dreams of millions of fans around the globe, Plant has made it emphatically clear he is not interested in reforming, “I have to be in some brand new zones quite regularly. It’s an insane thing to do, to go back” the frontman stated.
Earlier this year guitarist Jimmy Page publicly vented his frustrations with Plant stating he was “fed up” with Plant refusing to reform, to which it was later revealed that Plant asked to collaborate with Page but with fresh, acoustic material, not Led Zeppelin, according to The Guardian.
For now, Plant is continuing to work on his solo work, having released his tenth record Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar of September this year.
Sadly, it’s going to take more than money to get one of the world’s greatest bands back together.
