Thirty-five years ago tonight, Led Zeppelin played their final gig in Eissporthalle in Berlin, Germany, effectively ending one of the most celebrated careers in popular music history. Not that the band knew it at the time: it was the last show on a European tour promoting 1979’s In Through the Out Door, and they were scheduled to hit North America in the fall.
Tragically, drummer John Bonham died of alcohol poisoning on Sept. 25, and that tour was canceled.
Another legendary British quartet, the Who, had recently endured the death of their drummer, Keith Moon; they decided to continue on, with former Small Faces/Faces member Kenney Jones in his place. But that was not the path that Led Zeppelin were going to march down: on Dec., 4, 1980, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones announced to the world that they would split up, via a press release that read:
“We wish it to be known, that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were.” – LED ZEPPELIN
Within two years, Robert Plant kicked off his solo career with his debut album Pictures at Eleven; he still records prolifically and tours frequently today.
Read more of this article on the day of John Bonham’s final show with Led Zeppelin on Radio.com.
