The Time That Led Zeppelin Live Aid Performance Bombed

Live Aid was one of the biggest concerts in history, a global event bringing together the biggest names in music to raise funds for famine relief in Africa. On July 13, 1985, the world tuned in to watch legendary acts take the stage in London and Philadelphia. Among them was the highly anticipated Led Zeppelin reunion—an event that should have been historic for all the right reasons. Instead, it became infamous.

In his autobiography, Not Dead Yet, Phil Collins shared his firsthand experience of what it was like to be part of that disastrous set.

A Trainwreck in the Making

Collins had flown in from London after performing with Sting at Wembley, arriving in Philadelphia on the Concorde. But from the moment he stepped on stage with Led Zeppelin, he knew things were going south fast. He recalled:

“I know the wheels are falling off from early on in the set.
“I can’t hear Robert clearly from where I’m sat, but I can hear enough to know that he’s not on top of his game. Ditto Jimmy.”

Adding to the chaos was the presence of two drummers—Collins and Tony Thompson. Collins hadn’t realized it would be a double-drum setup and quickly found himself trying to stay out of the way.

“I don’t take my eyes off Tony Thompson. I’m glued to him. I’m having to follow—he’s taking the heavy-handed lead and has opted to ignore all my advice.”

Collins suspected Thompson saw the gig as an opportunity to secure a future spot with the band.

“Putting myself in his shoes, he’s probably thinking, ‘This is the beginning of a new career. John Bonham isn’t around anymore. They’re gonna want someone. This could be the start of a Led Zeppelin reunion.’”

The Performance Nobody Wants to Remember

The set, which included “Rock and Roll”, “Whole Lotta Love”, and “Stairway to Heaven”, was plagued with mistakes. Collins struggled to keep up, Plant’s vocals were shaky, and Page’s guitar playing was erratic. Collins admitted:

“If I could have left that stage, I would have left, halfway through ‘Stairway’… if not earlier.
“But imagine the coverage of that? Walking off during The Second Coming?”

Once the nightmare performance ended, the embarrassment wasn’t over. Backstage, MTV VJ Alan Hunter was ready to interview the band. The mood was tense, and instead of owning up to the mess, Led Zeppelin members were dismissive and difficult.

“Robert and Jimmy are being difficult, giving vague, cocky answers to straight questions; John Paul Jones is still quieter than a church mouse.”

Shifting the Blame

The band later refused to let their performance be included in the official Live Aid DVD, trying to erase the memory of that disastrous set. But as time went on, Collins found himself unfairly blamed for the failure.

“It couldn’t possibly be the holy Led Zep who were at fault,” he wrote sarcastically. “It was that geezer who came over on Concorde who wasn’t rehearsed. He was the culprit. That show-off.”

Despite the fiasco, Live Aid remains one of the most iconic moments in rock history. But for Collins, Zeppelin’s set was a moment he’d rather forget.