One Year ago...pt 2.

["Nech" <tytlane@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Again... this was my no sleep for Lord knows how many hours post I made to
FBO upon returning to my hotel in the wee hours of the morning. I don;t know
how I found the energy or how I managed to stay coherent. In retrospect I
would just like to add what an incredible feeling it was to not only have
just witness the rehearsal, but to have met up with so many people form
around the world all there for the same thing. And some just to soak in the
vibes.

One of the coolest things was meeting Sunilla and Dave Davies at the Pilot
inn. I have been friends it seems with Sunilla since the first moment this
whole FBO thingy got started. Exchanging emails, pictures birth
announcements, sad news all these long years and finally there we were in
person. It was sureal to be able to give someone a hug you had "known" for
so long yet never met.
It really was a special moment. And same goes for all the other FBO-ers that
I met up with there...and RO-ers, and just people from other avenues of
life. Wyatt and his soon to be fiance, Dave Lewis, El Franko, Tangerineman
and his whole cast of friends from the Great White North, The whole Led
Zeppagain band and their significant others, Eddie Lombardi , SIBLY, DADGAD,
Jameskg,,,all names...now with faces.

Everyone ( well almost ) got a hug...and me, my catchphrase of the
weekend..."I am Nech"


Dec 9th 2007

OK, Last I left you I was still in a quandry as I was ready to just pack
up and go hit London like I did 13 years ago to search out Bron-Yr-Aur.
I new it was in Snowdonia, by the river Dovey, in Wales. That was it.
Winginbg it on a wing and a prayer.  Somehow that seemed like the same
situation with me and my tickets....where? When ? How?  Nerves were
running ragged, although pumped up by the adrenaline of listening to an
unheard show 10/10/69 as I headed into the night when I finally got the
message I was waiting for...ahhh the ticket directions!!!

But wait....WTF was this attachment...nothing but a time in the email
text....I open the attachment and nearly fainted..... I start reading
the first sentence...Dear Rehearsal attendee......

Ever have that feeling that your legs kinda go out from under you? YEah,
I almost hit the floor....OK, I have to be in O2 Sunday 4 o'clock sharp.
No phones, no cameras, subject to body cavity search, any security
breach I forfit my tickets to the show.

HOLY $%^&*  rehearsal.

I won't bore you with my trip out, it was a whirlwind. day starting with
me draining the garden hoses, ending with me in NEwark airport with at
my last count at least 8 other folks I find are going to the show. From
SIBLY from RO, to three cool kats from Guitar world mag. More on them
later. ( we discussed the robot Gibson )

  Getting into London it was a mad dash to get where I'm going and then
be as told at O2 in time for the queue for the rehearsal. That was some
line folks and the surprises were intense to say the least. I recognize
you... Holy Moly !!! How the ?!?!? When the??!!! Never mind...Hugs and
high fives are exchanged as me and several other FBO-ers are there to
share in this joy. From the Whole Led-Zepagain band to none other than
fellow DVD comrade in Arms TangoMan. And After listening in to our tales
of yore an d gore another guy introduces himself. Make that more
FBO-ers...El Franco!!!! How the?!?! What the ??!?!? Nevermind what's
that noise?!?!?!? We listen intently and it's unmistakable...THAT'S
GTBT!!!!!  WOOPIE!!!!!!!  Why aren't we being let in?!?!? Someone's in
there?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aparently an even more in touch group is getting
first dibs on this rehearsal...so be it... I am too dans la lune to
really care.... It sounds like a barnburner!!! OH damn I can't wait...
that ends and soon we begin to hear another tune...and no mistaking this
one either as that bass line snaked its way into our collective
souls...Ramble on!!!!  And sounds Like Plant is belting it out!!!

DAMN DAMN DAMN LET US IN!!!!!!!  Finally someone took charge of this
rather huge line and we begin moving...only to find they're handing out
baggies! ; )   COOL!!! , no wait it's to put any change, keys , any
metal or small object in in preparation for the frisk down. That goes
quick and we are litterally running for the door. Meanwhile some
undecipherable jam had went on.  Sounded like they were redoing a bit of
Ramble on again..or possibly a quick snatch of Wantong Song??? We walk
out onto the floor but are then guided by security up to the seats stage
right...Jimmy's old side!!! But Jimmy Jonesy and Plant are all kinda
huddled together in the middle of the stage talking so what's gonna
happen here?!?!?!  Jimmy's sporting that fab Hollow body Gibson you can
see him with at Ross Halfin's site. Looks like an L5 but with perhaps a
custom tailpiece. Hmmmmmmm what are they gonna do. Then my heart
lurches...Jimmy's got a slide on and I recognize THAT tuning!!!!  And lo
and behold they launch into In My Time Of Dying.....chills
people...chills.....The sound's a bit boomy but that gets tamed and as
they progress along one thing in particular sticks out. Robert's voice
in incredible!!!!!!!!! Jason's driving it along with what I think looks
like a double kick pedal and Jimmy, well Jimmy looks like the cat that
ate the tweety bird. HE IS ALL SMILES!!!! HE IS DANCING!!! HE IS KICKING
HIS HEELS AND TOES IN TIME.. IMO JImmy is in heaven. There's a break in
the sound as snap crackles and pops replace Jimmy's guitar and soundmen
scramble...They don't miss a beat and they continue on. I am in heaven
too. At the end of the song Plant starts ad libbing Honeybee and they
play along before bring it back for one oh my Jesus... Jesus make up
dying bed... and I feel like at this point I can die happy. THEY ROCKED
IT!!!! The gel was there!!!! I lost my voice as I just could not contain
myself....as the small audience clapped along I just had to let out a
huge YEEEAAAHHHHH!!!!! And the crowd took it as their cue to, yeah, so
what if it's a soundcheck...APPLAUSE...LOUD APPLAUSE.... I think the
guys on stage were taken aback, but so appreciated it. YEs, no fetal
position, but I wiped a tear.  Plant was already back as the
Plantationator.... joking and laughing about as he called out " Where
are the children in need people?!?!?!"""  A small group stood up and
Plant in the same swagger of 70's barechested Golden God goes " Well,
I'll see you later during the drum solo!!" Thos ein the know laugherd
ourselves silly.

Meanwhile, the guys are switching gears...Jones has taken off his bass
and is meandering about his keys. He's travelling light these days. Just
two sets it looks like, One definately a large Korg and another smaller
set mounted on top of that. One note...he hit one note and that was
enough....NO QUARTER!  A couple more adjustments as Jason starts hitting
his large gong....gong...gonggg....gong.....Jones continues noodling
teasing us with NQ snippets as Jimmy now brandished his LP. Plant
meanders off stage to the floor for a cuppa tea and they start into NQ.
At first vocal less, but then I do hear some ..where's that coming from
??? And then I realize, It's Jason bending down low and singing through
a drum mike adding an eerie quality to it. When Jimmy hit that first
wahhed riff again...chills. It sounds raw, devlish...dirty and IMO right
on. Jones does just a short solo before Jimmy start in with that
familiar descending riff into his solo. No pinky problems here folks...
Jason belts them all into a crescendo and with the Dogs of Doom Jimmy
breathes life into his theramin and I just had to stand and raise my
hands straight up high... master master!!! And then the second Jimmy wah
PHENOMENAL!!!! As the song ends Jimmy raises the Gibson over his head in
triumph.  Again, I cannot contain myself and scream out to them "We're
not Worthy" in my best Waynes World way.  Also Plant ended up sitting on
the drum riser as the song wound down, perfectly content to let them
have worked this out without him.

  Then something amazing...Jones switches over to his 8 string bass and
he starts plunking out the NFBM riff... once twice... that bass sounds
mean. I guess a bass can sound mean no?! Slightly distorted it could
practically double for Jimmy's riffage. Plant has his harp and launches
right into his solo just as Jimmy also picks up his LP and they are
working out what I believe is going to be a brain breaking start stop
harp affair that is gonna bring the house down. Amazingly it looks liek
Jason's calling the shots on this... As I sit there thinking out loud,
that it's odd to be working on a number this late in the game, I see
what's happening.... the improv, the groove...no no no Jason's saying
listen .... tappa tappa tappa, humming out his idea...they catch on to
it and never play the whole tune, but like I said, if it's what I got
out of it, life is never gonna be the same. At one point Plant kinda
just goes off on his own doing a quick blues harp thingy whilt JPJ,
Jimmy and Jason talk semantics...

  Jones changes up his bass again as Jimmy seems satisfied and done with
it and goes off to don his shades and 3/4 legth black coat for some
posed shots for Ross.  JPJ & Jason do a quick improv of the IMTOD riff.
And Robert and Jimmy leave the stage... JPJ's sporting a wireless that
goes Spinal Tap on him so Andy gets to work on it as Jones takes a quick
stab at another bass before he goes off for some posed shots in front of
his stacks. GK's I belive.

  And yes Jimmy's MArshall has his symbol on 'em. Before I forget
Jason's got the yellow kit with the Zep on the bass. Tympanies as well.

   As the others meander off a tearjerker of a moment. Jason's son with
daddy standing behind him is on the kit. He plays out a couple simple
patterns and gets a round of applause. Looks like Dad says, go ahead son
and that kids laid down some rolls that probably had Bonzo spilling
tears in Heaven. I know it touched me as I had to wipe another away.
Like father, like son, like son.

  As contest winners are being whisked away, a crew guy summons the band
and all the crew onto the Stage for a great big group shot....

  This is gonna be great. So great that I am hoping that all those
cameras on and off stage are not just gonna be for the gargantuan screen
backing the entire stage, but something the whole world can someday see.

Do it for my wife guys...as I called and spoke to her in my croaking
voice, she says they have to, because SHE wants to see it. After all,
Jimmy was such a gentleman...he kissed her hand back in 2003. She likes
that in a man...hey wait!!!!

Afterwards we all make a huge beeline for the Pilot Inn. So many people,
so little time. I can't even begin listing all the names. Literally a
mini FBO convention coupled with an RO one and litterally a worldwide
cacaphony of shiny happy people.

I hope they all post up their memoirs of the evening as I'm spent. I had
gone over 24 hours with no food except for a couple of pints so my head
is throbbing. I ended up following Tangoman and his Canadian entourage
back to the O2 for a Spanish Tapas repast. We close the place down.

Just wait till tomorrow folks. I'll blow your mind.

Werewolf in London,
Nech