On July 7, 1980, Led Zeppelin performed at Eissporthalle in Berlin, Germany. It was the last of 14 overseas dates the band played before attempting to embark on their highly anticipated North American tour the following October.
Nobody knew it at the time, but it would be the last show the band would ever play with all four original members.
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In retrospect, in was quite a feat in itself that Led Zeppelin was even a functioning band in 1980. Just two years earlier in 1978, there was speculation as to whether they would ever play together again. During the group’s 1977 North American tour, lead singer Robert Plant’s son, Karic, suddenly died of a stomach virus. Karic Plant’s death was a culmination of a series of events that had rocked Led Zeppelin since their 1975 tour.
In August of that year, Plant, who was vacationing with his family in Rhodes, Greece, was seriously injured when a car he was driving spun off the road and crashed. The singer is said to have recorded his vocals for the band’s following album ‘Presence’ while sitting in a wheelchair. As a result of Plant’s injuries, any possible future tour dates were put on hold.
Led Zeppelin returned to the road in 1977 and was set to embark on their biggest tour ever, but there were problems from the outset. By this time, guitarist Jimmy Page was battling a heroin addiction, and some have said his on-stage performances suffered as a result. Then, during a late July show in Oakland, drummer John Bonham, Zeppelin security coordinator John Bindon, manager Peter Grant and tour manager Richard Cole were arrested after viciously assaulting a member of promoter Billy Graham’s staff after he struck Grant’s son, who took down a dressing room sign. Days after the second Oakland show, Plant received news that his son was dead. All remaining dates of the tour, including the final show at Philadelphia’s JFK Stadium on August 13, were immediately postponed. Plant’s number one priority was his family, and at the time, he was content with leaving Led Zeppelin altogether to pursue a career in education. It didn’t help matters when Page, bassist John Paul Jones and Grant did not attend his son’s funeral.
One supporter Plant did have during this time, however, was Bonham, who apparently never left his side in the wake of the tragedy. Eventually, Plant returned to Led Zeppelin and the group recorded one more album, 1979’s ‘In Through the Out Door,’ but things were not the same. In addition to Page’s substance abuse issues, Bonham had some issues of his own, and one vice in particular would ultimately weigh heavily in the demise of Led Zeppelin.
Two week’s before Zeppelin’s show in Eissporthalle, Bonham, a notorious drinker, collapsed after only three songs during a concert in Nurembug, Germany. Although the band claimed Bonham was suffering from a food illness, others in attendance have posted on Led Zeppelin’s forum that he was drunk. Moreover, there’s been rumors over the years that the band had been partying at a local disco earlier in the day. While few people know the real story, this turned out to be a rather ominous sign.
On September 24, the band began rehearsals for their return to North America. Throughout the day, Bonham was drinking heavily, apparently consuming about 40 measures of vodka over the span of 12 hours. After arriving at Page’s house later in the evening, Bonham went to bed and never woke up. The next morning, Led Zeppelin’s road manager Ben Lefevr and Jones found him dead. The cause of death was ruled asphyxiation from vomit. John Bonham was just 32 years old.
Despite rumors that drummers Carmine Appice, Cozy Powell and Bad Company’s Simon Kirke (who performed with the band during their second to last show) could possibly take Bonham’s place behind the kit, it was not to be. All 19 tour dates, including three at the Spectrum in Philadelphia (October 22, November 3-4) were cancelled, and on December 4, 1980, Led Zeppelin announced their breakup in a press release.
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Staying true to their convictions, Led Zeppelin have never officially reformed. However, the band did reunite for a performance at Philadelphia’s Live Aid in 1985, as well as several one-off performances over the years. Their most recent show took place at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at the O2 Arena in London on December 10, 2007. Bonham’s son, Jason Bonham, filled in for his late father on drums.
While there’s no known footage of Led Zeppelin’s final concert, you can watch rare footage below of the band’s second to last performance in Munich, Germany on July 5, 1980.
By Joe Vallee
