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Led Zeppelin & Portishead: Video

You know you want to watch. First up, Zep:

Led Zeppelin - "Whole Lotta Love" (Live at O2 Arena, 12/10/07)

The first thing one notices is: so many dudes, and so much bald. Anyone with a fetish for paunchy bald guys with a lot of money would be in heaven at this show. But then, that riff starts up, sounding even on this cell phone camera like it's being played by the finger of God, and you remember what the fuss is about. Wait, where's my hair going and why am I so flabby around the middle?

Quick, before we get too old, let's watch Portishead:

Portishead - Unknown New Song (Live at ATP 2007, 12/7/07)

Well! Now that's... noisy? Actually, after a minute, the clanking industrial drums become kind of hypnotic, and singer Beth Gibbons' voice is still powerful, both delicate and anguished. It's a catch-22 for bands like this: the reason they gained such enormous adoration was their boundary-pushing innovativeness, but then how do you progress and continue to innovate without losing what made you special? Apparently by out-clamoring Nine Inch Nails. Hmm.

Posted by Party Ben on 12/11/07 at 10:17 AM | Comments (0) | Email | Print

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