Jimmy Page has revealed that the Covid-19 pandemic has made him want to return to live music more than ever.
In an interview with GQ magazine, Page discusses the topic of live music. He had been planning a return to concerts for many years now. The Led Zeppelin guitarist said “When we first went into lockdown I thought, right, now’s the time to start thinking about coming back at some point and being able to perform.”
Page also admitted in the interview the cancellation of concerts all over the world to help end the pandemic has reaffirmed his believe that “music means nothing” without live shows with fans.
“It’s such a very sad and desperate time and what this virus has done internationally to families, to the arts, and everything we love and hold dear and the whole concert situation, it does worry me” he said.
“I will never be one of those people who’ll record alone and send someone a file. I never went into music in the first place to do that, it was for playing together and this is what it means.”
“We need to play with people, we need gigs and we need community. Because without that, music means nothing” said Page.
The legendary guitarist also admitted that he fears for the future of music. He believes that young, promising bands may suffer due to the lockdown and the opportunities younger bands and artists have missed out on due to the pandemic.
“Playing live is so important for young musicians. When we were young, we all had these little gigs, hoping to play somewhere bigger and it’s such an important part of that communion of musicians playing together.”
He concluded “For me it’s always been the most important thing“.
Last month in an interview with Classic Rock, Page admitted that Led Zeppelin were close to touring again. They were ready to hit the road after their 2007 reunion show at London’s 02 Arena. You can read Radio Nova’s report on it here.