Led Zeppelin Reunion Without Robert Plant Was 'Real Close'

Jason Bonham -- the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham -- has revealed he, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones came "real close" to hitting the road together with a new singer under the band's name. They toyed with the idea after vocalist Robert Plant decided to focus on his solo career after the band's triumphant one-off gig at the O2 Arena in December 2007.

Speaking with MusicRadar, Bonham confirmed that the remaining members had worked on new material for almost a year with a view to taking the show on the road, before an unspecified disagreement between Page and Jones put paid to any further activity.

"I think basically, they agreed to disagree," Bonham said. "After a while, it was just time to move on. We did a year of writing and putting stuff together. I loved working with Jimmy and John Paul. It was so much fun."

Bonham also scotched rumours that singer Myles Kennedy -- now working with erstwhile Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash -- was in the frame to replace Robert Plant but refused to be drawn on the identity of the replacement vocalist.

"Somebody else was involved -- and that's all I'll say," he said. "But as I said, I loved the time we had together. I can't even explain it, it was just great."

As previously reported on Spinner, Bonham is gearing up for a 30-date Led Zeppelin tribute tour.