1985’s Live Aid show was a disaster. The show got headlined by Led Zeppelin and Phil Collins. The event went downhill from the initial moment, and it never got the opportunity to come up. The fans in attendance and the rock lovers felt like they got the worst evening surprise. The people in attendance had hoped that Collins would play better than Paul Martinez as he had a better ability as a musician. On the contrary, ‘Rock and Roll’, ‘Whole Lotta Love’, and ‘Stairway to Heaven’ had various difficulties, and everyone criticized Collins drumming for the problem.
Speaking about the moment in 2020 to Classic Rock, Collins said that he felt like a spare part before the event began. According to Collins, the issues started backstage with no rehearsal, equipment issues, and the frontman Robert Plant losing his voice. He admitted that he listened to the song Stairway to Heaven on his flight and went straight into the vehicle without rehearsal. Jimmy Page was annoyed and aggressive about it.
It’s notable to know that Jimmy worked as the lead guitarist for Zeppelin. Page asked Collins about the song Stairway to Heaven and its notes, but Collins couldn’t tell the lyrics, let alone play the tune. It’s when Page decided to work with Tony Thompson. He had worked as a co-drummer with him in the past. Collins said he felt left out, or rather a spare part and would have left the place if he could.
Page spoke about it to The Sunday Times in 2021 and called it not a very clever decision. Page was Zeppelin’s axeman, and that puts a big responsibility on him. He tried to live up to the expectations, but the decision to come together for the event wasn’t the best.
