Robert Plant Says He Loved John Bonham ‘Way Too Much’ to Ever Reunite Led Zeppelin Without Him

There’s been plenty of speculation about the reasons for Plant’s resistance for reuniting Led Zeppelin. But Jason Bonham. son of the late Zep drummer John Bonham, who filled in for his father at Zep’s 1988 and 2007 regroupings, says that “Robert’s true reason is a lot deeper,” but also more clear-cut, than many realize.

In a recent interview, Bonham told his side of the story: “I said [to Plant], ‘I’ve got to ask you… are we gonna get the band back together?'” Bonham recalls. “And he said, ‘I loved your dad way too much. It’s not disrespect to you; You know the stuff better than all of us, and no one else who is alive can play it like you. But it’s not the same. I can’t go out there and fake it. I can’t be a jukebox. I can’t go out there and try to do it that way.” Jason also added that Plant also felt strongly about Zep’s declaration shortly after his father’s 1980 death that the band was indeed over.

“He told me, ‘When your father left us, left the world, that was it for Led Zeppelin. We couldn’t do what The Who did. It was too vital.’

“And I got it,” Bonham continues. “I was absolutely fine with that. My dad and Robert, they’d known each other since they were, like, 15. It was a lot deeper for [Plant]. So I was OK with it. It was a great time, and to end it the way it did, with that great concert, was for the best. [Plant] said, ‘We needed to do one more great concert, and then maybe put it to rest.'”

Led Zeppelin’s legacy, of course, has continued with various reissues, including a 2017 catalog overhaul curated by guitarist Jimmy Page. Page, Plant and bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones also began the celebration of the group’s 50th anniversary this year with the publication of the book Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin.

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