Jimmy Page said the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded him about the importance of live music, with lockdown turning his thoughts toward playing live again.

The Led Zeppelin guitarist has been teasing a stage return since the band's one-off reunion show in 2007. In the 13 years since, he’s mentioned on several occasions that he wanted “to be seen” in the performance arena, although he hasn’t yet brought the idea to fruition.

“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 told GQ in a recent interview (via NME). He added, “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.”

He argued that performance gives music its meaning, explaining, “We need to play with people, we need gigs and we need community. Because without that, music means nothing. 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. For me it’s always been the most important thing.”

Page said the pandemic had created a “very sad and desperate time” for many people, noting that “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.”

 

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