When the surviving members of Led Zeppelin announced they were uniting for a one-off show in December 2007, fans when nuts.
Such was the anticipation that one million people signed up to an online lottery, but only 20,000 were chosen to see the British rock band’s first show in 27 years – an experience not repeated since.
The steep odds of landing a ticket (one in 50) and some of the outrageous ticket prices were enough to put off Ali Khaled from even considering applying online.
Not that he wouldn’t have gone if he had the chance.
The Palestinian journalist and concert lover has regularly flown to London from Dubai for quick weekend trips to see the likes of Kings of Leon and Oasis.
The Led Zeppelin Celebration Day concert, now streaming on the band’s YouTube page until Monday, June 1, was destined to be a lifelong regret until a fateful dinner where Khaled learned that his friend, the Emirati finance executive Sabah Al Binali, managed to snap up tickets.
“He casually mentioned that he came across some hospitality tickets through his business connections and was saying how a colleague wasn’t able to make it,” Khaled says.
“I immediately asked if I could come instead and he said yes. I then asked if I could repay him and he told me not to be silly as we were friends. I just couldn’t believe it.”
The shock and awe of the crowd
That surreal feeling was compounded when Khaled arrived at the packed venue and checked out the lavish hospitality suite situated right of stage.
More than the tasty treats and comfortable seating on offer, what struck Khaled first was the electric atmosphere. This was not the normal rowdy crowd found in major rock shows. The excitement was, instead, tempered with a sense of gratitude and respect.
“There was definitely a sense of awe of what was about to happen,” he says. “Now, don’t forget back at the time the phones were not so great. I only had a Nokia or Blackberry which took bad photos. So there was no one waving their phones around. Everyone was just focusing on the stage.”
Al Binali describes the vibe more vividly: “This was more a journey of reverence rather than ‘let’s go nuts'.”
And it was feeling that extended from the hardcore fans in the front row to those in the ritzy suites, normally a segment of the crowd less interested in the main event.
While Al Binali was joined in the suites with a few clients, he said that everyone was on the same page.
“We were all Led Zeppelin fanatics,” he says. “So, no-one was interested in discussing any business, we were all there for the show.”
And how did it finally feel when the band, bassist John Paul Jones (61 years old at the time), guitarist Jimmy Page (63) and singer Robert Plant (58) walked on to the stage?
“They looked so strong and trim,” Khaled says. “I read that they were in the gym for months to prepare for this and it showed. It was a long concert and the energy was great. This was not of those shows where bands do a comeback and stumble on stage or they phone it in. You can see and hear how much effort they put into everything.”
A band transported
And then there were the songs.
Fans were rewarded with a brilliantly diverse set that included the rock staples Kashmir, Black Dog and Stairway to Heaven, as well as debut full performances of classic tracks Ramble On and For Your Life.
"The sound was spot on and the band were tight," Khaled recalls. "John Paul Jones is just an amazing bassist; Robert Plant's voice was also strong and just to witness Jimmy Page play the guitar in front of you was incredible."
The best part of all, the band members managed to park some of the animosity that dogged their relationship in the late 1970s.
It was an aspect that worried Al Binali during the opening moments of the concert.
“The first few minutes, a lot of us were concerned that there could be some bad vibes left over,” he says. “But you could see that the band transported. It was like a family that may have had a fight but they came back decades later to pick up where they left off.”
Khaled plans to relive those memories by watching the concert film on YouTube. However, he says the slick production could never replicate the feeling of being there.
“I saw the film before and, in a way, it is interesting in that it gives me a different perspective on the concert,” he says. “But of course, being there was just a totally different experience. Because I had a crappy phone at the time, I wish I would have taken better photos and videos of my own. It is a little regret that I have at times.”
Al Binali, on the other hand, hasn’t seen the film and doesn’t plan to.
“I don’t need to see it through someone else’s eyes or their interpretation,” he says. “I have my experience and there is no need to spoil it.”
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Vikram%20Vedha
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Gayatri%2C%20Pushkar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hrithik%20Roshan%2C%20Saif%20Ali%20Khan%2C%20Radhika%20Apte%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
