Led Zeppelin reunion: One night only at O2 Arena

Billboard.biz reports today that legendary rock band Led Zeppelin will reunite for a one-off performance at the O2 Arena in London on November 26. According to the report, the "show is a tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder and chairman emeritus Ahmet Ertegun" who died late last year and originally signed the band to Atlantic in 1968. A new two-disc greatest hits album will be released in the United States on November 13 from Atlantic and Rhino, both part of the Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG).

Original members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones will be joined onstage by Jason Bonham, the son of original drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980. In addition, other classic rock acts will perform, including Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman, and Foreigner, with proceeds benefiting the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund. Billboard comments that the fund "provides scholarships to universities in the United States, United Kingdom and Ertegun's homeland, Turkey."

The concert is the third such reunion the band has undertaken since splitting up after Bonham's death in 1980, the first coming in 1985 for Live Aid and the second three years later for a 40th anniversary concert celebrating Atlantic Records. Led Zeppelin is renowned for a variety of reasons, notably their live performances. It's reckless at this point to speculate whether the O2 concert will emulate classic '70s performances, but the excitement that has grown since this announcement was first rumored is certainly proof that the audience is hopeful.