For Jimmy Page, his performances on Led Zeppelin albums were just blueprints for their live shows. His main riffs rarely changed, but the guitarist rarely played note-for-note renditions of his solos even as his playing improved in Led Zeppelin. That included “Stairway to Heaven.” Until it didn’t.
Jimmy Page said 1 of his ‘Stairway to Heaven’ solos was different from the rest
Page’s best guitar solos from Led Zeppelin albums — variously played on his Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul guitars, and one Gibson Flying V — remain among the greatest of the classic rock era. Yet when the band performed live, those solos changed as Zep breathed new life into their songs during their concerts.
Long story short — Page almost never played his solos live like he did on the albums. The first time he attempted it happened nearly 20 years after Led Zeppelin broke up. One of Page’s rarest solos had him copy the notes his friend Jeff Beck performed on the Yardbirds’ song “Shapes of Things” while performing with The Black Crowes.
The “Shapes of Things” solo happened in 1999. It was nearly another decade before Page attempted the same feat with a Led Zeppelin song.
When Led Zeppelin’s surviving members — Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones — reunited for a one-off show in 2007, Page played a nearly note-perfect copy of his “Stairway to Heaven” solo.
“I don’t think anybody thought I could actually play it! I guess I just wanted to show I could.”
Jimmy Page speaking to ‘Light & Shade’ author Brad Tolinski
Page often used the song’s theme or general feel to inform his concert “Stairway” solos during Led Zeppelin’s heyday. He might not have nailed every note during the 2007 reunion at London’s O2 Arena, but he came damn close. The fact that he tried made that “Stairway to Heaven” solo unlike any other he played since the 1971 studio version. The band received a resounding applause that imitated the moment Page knew “Stairway” would be a hit.
The 2007 reunion gig was rare for another reason — Plant actually agreed to perform Led Zeppelin’s most famous song. The singer never played it during any of his solo tours after Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980. He agreed to sing it when the surviving trio performed at Live Aid in 1985 and again when they played at Atlantic Records’ 40th anniversary party in 1988. Still, Plant generally felt distanced from the lyrics he wrote quickly in his early 20s.
Jimmy Page wanted to prove people wrong when he played his “Stairway to Heaven” solo at Led Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion show. That approach didn’t happen when they were an active band. Despite the decades between when he recorded it in 1971, Page faithfully recreated his most famous solo almost note-for-note.
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