In 1976, Led Zeppelin recorded ‘For Your Life’. It took 31 years to reach the stage
Led Zeppelin performed ‘For Your Life’ live for the first time at their 2007 tribute concert for Ahmet Ertegun, 31 years after recording it for Presence. Its appearance gave the often overlooked album a place in the concert’s career-spanning set.
The band had rarely played material from Presence: ‘Achilles Last Stand’ and ‘Nobody’s Fault but Mine’ featured on the 1977 tour and in 1980, while ‘Tea For One’ appeared occasionally. The 1977 tour was cancelled after Robert Plant’s son Karac died. For the 2007 show, Jason Bonham joined the surviving members, and rehearsals over several weeks helped them prepare for a single performance.
In short
- ‘For Your Life’ made its live debut in 2007.
- The song was recorded for 1976’s Presence.
- The tribute concert included material from across the band’s career.
Explained simply
Led Zeppelin were a British rock band whose best-known line-up included singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. Presence, released in 1976, was their seventh studio album and included “For Your Life”, a song they had not played in concert during the band’s original run.
The album came out as the band faced disruption: Plant’s young son Karac died in 1977, and the group cancelled the rest of that year’s tour. Led Zeppelin later stopped performing together after John Bonham died in 1980. The 2007 tribute concert for music executive Ahmet Ertegun brought Plant, Page and Jones together with John Bonham’s son Jason on drums.