Led Zeppelin have just closed their first full concert show since headlining the Knebworth Festival in 1979, with their fourth album classic ‘Rock And Roll.’

The band played for just over two hours, to just under 20, 000 fans, the audience including former Beatle Paul McCartney, Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys, Kate Moss, Kevin Shields, Neil Finn, Richard Ashcroft and Marilyn Manson.

The band finished at ten past eleven after going on stage promptly at nine, treating the baying air-guitaring crowd with as many classics as time would allow.

Any previous concerns from Jimmy Page and Robert Plant about whether or not they would they would enjoy playing a full live show together after all these years proved unfounded by the time they were through with the first two tracks of ‘Good Times Bad Times’ and ‘Ramble On’.

Full of calm confidence, Plant, Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham were all beaming grins as they ploughed through their inimmitable and iconic back catalogue.

Hit followed hit, all sounding as great as you would imagine live, if you just squinted slightly, you’d not notice their now advancing years.

Plant paused to talk to the audience briefly about five times throughout the set, giving the fans introductions to tracks like ‘Trampled Underfoot’ and ‘Nobody’s Fault But Mine’.

Led Zeppelin played the Presence album track ‘For Your Life’ for the first time ever in public, calling it an “adventure” and it fitted in seamlessly.

‘Kashmir’, with it’s thunderous riffs, and huge hippy patterned images behind the screen took the concert into it’s run of classics’ finale.

The track that readers of www.uncut.co.uk and nme.com today voted song ‘most wanted’ tonight, turned out to be the most energetic, crunchy ten minutes of the night.

‘Whole Lotta Love’ in all it’s glorious trippy power came next, compounding on the electric buzz in the O2 Arena.

Quite a sight watching colour-washed 50ft tall projections of Led Zeppelin playing out behind the figures clad in black on the stage.

Plant then thanked the audience “for the amazing experience, and for supporting Ahmet Ertegun” before the band left the stage to raptuous applause.

Led Zeppelin closed the show with ‘Rock And Roll’, the song that prior to the show, was rumoured most likely to be their opening track.

The lyrics from that track were, in the end, the most fitting act of closure to this historic show.

“Rock And Roll Its been a long time since I rock and rolled,

Its been a long time since I did the stroll.

Ooh, let me get it back, let me get it back,

Let me get it back, baby, where I come from.

Its been a long time, been a long time,

Been a long lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time.

Yes it has.”

Maybe it won’t be so long ’till the next time.

Also performing at tonight’s concert were Foreigner and Paul Rodgers, and Paolo Nutini, as well as other guest artists including Dave Emerson and members of Yes and Bad Company.

You can read Uncut’s first review of the show by clicking here now for John Mulvey’s Wild Mercury Sound blog.

And you can check out some of the fan’s immediate reactions here.

A longer more in-depth review will follow in the next issue of UNCUT magazine.

We’ll have more pictures, reports and fan reactions from the Ahmet Ertegun tribute concert from the morning (December 11).

If you were at the O2 Arena, email us with your reviews and opinions!

Email your views to Uncutaudiencewith@ipcmedia.com

Led Zeppelin played:

Good Times Bad Times

Rock And Roll

Pic credit: Getty Images