Arriving in Chicago, Illinois on July 26, 2002, Led Zeppelin LIVE! starring Heartbreaker, the world's greatest Led Zeppelin tribute band,
came down the steps of the Boeing 737 and were immediately rushed by a limousine to the Waterfront Amphitheatre
on the banks of the Illinois River.
They took to the stage and performed all the songs that Led Zeppelin did at the infamous Kezar Stadium
Concert in 1972. Promoter Dena Rhys, of Mars Talent Agency, estimates that up to 5,000 people were present.
People were jammed into the viewing area trying to get a glimpse of the band coming to the stage. No one could
move as the crowd drew closer to what was to be a most memorable event. People came from all over the Midwest.
There were individuals, couples, and families. Every generation was there, from small children to grandparents.
The cheering was deafening as the
crowd screamed and applauded. For the afternoon it was truly 1972 again.
People had brought Led Zeppelin magazines, photos, buttons and other Zeppelin memorabilia to sell and share
with each other. People mentioned they had not brought out some of their Led Zeppelin collection from storage
in years. Some of the people had created handmade signs, saying "Led Zeppelin Forever" and "Zeppelin Rules".
The stories they shared about past Led Zeppelin concerts were funny and touching.
The members of Heartbreaker said for the first time in their career they really felt what it must have been
like to have been Led Zeppelin. Marcus Miller, who plays John Paul Jones, said he could not believe how
he was trembling as he walked onto the stage in front of the cheering crowd. Stephen Vincent, who plays Jimmy
Page, said, "It was surreal. When I looked at my fellow band members I didn't see, Jeff, Rob, and Marcus. I
saw and heard Led Zeppelin."
As Heartbreaker performed for the ecstatic crowd, the band realized that people had not come here to
see merely a reenactment of Led Zeppelin. They had come to experience the total energy and excitement of Led Zeppelin
all over again.
