Drum Teacher Reacts: John Bonham 'Achilles Last Stand' - Led Zeppelin (Live at Knebworth 1979) 

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drum teacher and first time hearing Achilles??? doesn't make sense

Rarely mentioned is how bonham's relationship with john paul jones on stage was a contributing reason for him developing into such a great live drummer. Great foundation jones and bonham. One of the best rhythm sections ever.

Fascinating to see your reaction. I was at this show. Right near the sound desk. The band hadn't played in England for four years and were incredibly nervous. I had seen them before and I could tell how nervous they were as soon as they started. The last time they had played a full tour it ended in tragedy when Plant's son died. No one knew if they would recover. Punk was in full swing and they thought there was a real chance that no one would show up. There were about 200,000 people there and they had to throw together a second show which drew about 100,000. Jimmy was indeed dealing with problems, as was Bonham although you couldn't tell. This track you watched here was about two hours into the show, which in part explains why Jimmy was so sweaty. It was a hot day in August. When they finished and left the stage, 200,000 people sang "You'll never walk alone" to bring them back. When they came out Plant was almost in tears. It was incredibly moving. They practically saved the record industry that year. Album sales were in the toilet (despite what the newspapers were saying about the enormity of punk.) They sold so many copies of the new album that it brought people back into the record stores.

How can anyone listen to this song and NOT say Led Zeppelin is the greatest band to ever exist! Then and now!

The genius of Bonham was that he played drum lines that accentuated the guitar riffs like i've never heard anyone else do. As for him playing in other bands - well he did b4 Zep. I know his son and wife cus' i lived in Worc's in my early days. Used to bump into Plant quite often at the pub in Wolverley near where Plant still lives now. Used to pool with Jason. Anyway i'm bragging but hey, I can.

Jimmy Page was battling a heroin addiction during this period. It must've been incredibly difficult for him. But he survived it all.

Robert Plant described this performance of Achilles as an example of the absolute communication all 4 members had with each other on stage especially Bonham, Page and Jones.

The whole band is so tight on this song, 4 master musicians. IMO they were operating at a completely higher level of musicianship than any band ever at this point. We take for granted how great they were LIVE!!! No over produced stage show, no back up singers, no one back stage playing rhythm to fill the sound. Just 4 master musicians!!!!

That performance was amazing, Those drums sound like bombs going off.

I don’t understand how a drum teacher could be unaware of Bonham’s work.

When Jimmy Page found John Bonham he knew he found his musical dream come true. He knew he could take his music wherever he wanted and Bonham would be right there.

3 instruments, one voice. Live! It's hard to believe that Bonzo was drunk a lot of the time and that Jimmy was fighting Heroin addiction. Their timing, understading of each other on stage and awesome musicality is unmatched to this day. No current band can do this kind of thing. Each song was a journey you shared with them.Thank you, guys.

Such a killer song. The last hours of Led Zeppelin. They were the best blend of art and musical talent.

Its so unreal hearing this song in a faster meter than the recording. Just shows how amazing Bonzo was.

For a split second the camera caught Jimmy smiling at Robert. You could see the absolute joy in his face.

It's amazing to think Bonham had this amount of skill while being a major league alcoholic.

I wish I could hear a Led Zeppelin song again for the first time.

This is why they had to stop, you cant replace any of these gents, all world class musicians!!!!!🔥🔥⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

The speed & power of Bonham is unmatched 10:43-10:46 is incredible

Heroin is a brutal drug but somehow that guy played through it weighing about 110lbs and sweating it out...total pro

Jimmy mentioned that he thought Bonham was best coming into a song rather than having drums right at the start. While that doesn't sound like much it shows that as a composer and arranger he didn't just think about the song but also the players. Like a coach in sports putting his players in the best position to win and allowing them to play to their strengths.

My favorite LZ song by far, for years I thought it was my secret treasure because it's never played on American radio and no one talks about it.

It's so great when the tempo makes you feel like you are riding along side of Achilles into battle.

There chemistry was perfectly balanced in a group of supremely talented individuals.

Achilles Last Stand is one of Zeppelin's best songs. The album Presence is so underrated. Ten Years Gone is another sleeper Zeppelin classic!

You’re spot on with regard to their chemistry. Zeppelin were essentially a cosmic accident. It’s as if some unseen hand arranged for these four to come together at a specific point in time.

I love how Plant wasn't in it just for the money. When they reformed for a one off gig some years ago now, Jimmy wanted to do a world tour. Can you imagine how much the tickets would have cost? But Plant just said "No". He said later he'd done all that stuff for years with Zep and as much as he loved it at the time, musically he just wanted to move on and keep it fresh, by working with other musicians. That decision financially cost him millions. Did he care? Not one bit. Respect.

I drive for a living and the presence album is great start to finish, but this clearly the best track, and I'd listen to it 4 times in a row, and concentrate on the drums, and then the guitar and then the bass and then the lyrics, ... this clip is one of the many that shows Jimmy is the man and always will be he worked a guitar like no one else ... John's timing like you said he's a machine,... isolate the bass sometime, jpj is freaking hammering at the speed of sound.

This was from the first show August 4 I was there that night I was 18 . The definite stand outs for me were Achilles , the start of Kashmir the bass drum went through my chest !! and in the Evening which I hadn't heard before . My dad was picking us up so had to leave while they were playing Heartbreaker (one of their encores )never forget walking in the dark across the fields with Led Zeppelin playing in the distance quite surreal

You forgot to mention John Paul Jones, without him, the band might have been different

Your comment about whether Bonham would have fit in with any other band is on target, in my opinion. Though perhaps it should be phrased in the reverse - whether any other drummer could have fit in with the rest of Led Zeppelin. The band itself gave that as it’s official reason for disbanding after Bonham’s death. In an interview years later Page explained that it was impossible to expect anyone else to not only learn the body of music that they had produced, but to learn to adjust to the improvisations that happened routinely from night to night.

'In my time of dying' to follow up! Ask and ye shall recieve HAHA Any other essentials. Or should I move on from Bonham!?

The reason the band was so tight live...Bonham played to Page...Jones played to Bonham.

When I listen to this song I envision myself riding a dragon into some epic battle from times past.

It's funny you mention Iron Maiden, I bet this song was an inspiration for Steve Harris and his bass gallop technique.

I was there! The videos of this show simply don't do their performance justice! It was awesome... They were on fire. Will treasure the memory 'til the day I expire.....!

Them JPJ bass grooves during Page's solo... Outstanding

I queue up this video nearly every day. It is my favorite live performance. This performance exemplifies why Bonham is the hammer in the phrase "Hammer of the Gods".

I am glad you said progressive, because I always thought "Achilles Last Stand" and the album Presence was very "progressive."

Whatever demons Jimmy was fighting during this time, for Anyone to say that Zeppelin "no longer had it" just isn't telling the truth. Yeah, it might not be your cup of tea, but this performance does not Lie! The four of them are totally in the Zone! The bass drums vocals and guitar are totally out of control!! Check out the song list on this performance, it is over THREE hours long Man! Song after song....once again letting the world know, that Zeppelin is still The Rock Band, period. Cheers!

You would probably enjoy going all the way back to 1969 and watching Bonham perform on How Many More Times live in Danmark radio studio. He was pretty amazing to watch even then. It's a raw gritty early Zeppelin performance that shows how talented they were from the start.

Those were dark days for Jimmy and the band

I haven't watched the whole Knebworth gig, but clearly, looking at the sweat lashing off Jimmy Page (it can't all be coke!), this is some way into the gig. Bonzo plays an incredibly difficult, very long, physically demanding, exhausting song like a f**king metronome. A metronome built by Thor.

The song that inspired the Iron Maiden sound

Every once in awhile, for a second, I will forget how just fucking great Led Zeppelin is; and then...I am reminded. FYI - loved 1979!

Presence is such an underrated album. It's mostly just focused on John and JPJ.

From what I've read John Bonham and Jimmy Page we're having some major substance abuse problems around this time... look how skinny Jimmy is and Bonham doesn't look healthy and to be able to play like that.. it's amazing.

How did the rest of the band stand in front of Bonhams kit and not get knocked down by the sonic boom?

And that my friends are the epic sounds of the "hammer of the gods."🎸🥁

Didn't mean to delay this one. Just wanted to release it at a time I knew I could watch with ya'll and chat in real time!

very few reactions of this one. One of my favorite zeppelin songs. Up there with since ive been loving you and no quarter

In this recording, you almost never hear John Bonham and Jimmy Paige play a note at the same time. They have almost perfect syncopation. It's really incredible!

Incredible performance. No one could have known how close to the end it was for them

My favorite Led Zep song!

This was Page's favorite Led Zeppelin tune.

JPJ and Bonzo what a backbone!!!

Greatest Drummer ever. Best Band ever. Greatest musicians of all time.

Thanks so much for posting this up and for your comments. I was at this concert as a twenty year old, now I’m an old git of 60. Of course Bonzo passed away a few months later and he was very much an accident waiting to happen, but I feel very privileged to have once seen this amazing band. There has never been anyone like them. Nor will there be. The Best.

The last time we got to see them was on Bonzo's birthday in '77 so RP led the whole stadium singing Happy Birthday. They played for 3 1/2 hours. It was like watching history happen.

You should hear the immigrate song.

If I was a drum instructor and this was my first time listening, I'd have to drink more than coffee to mitigate my shock. I think I'd have it on repeat for a couple days at least.

I was a professional guitar player who failed at drums. I could barely try to keep up with Page on some songs, and I am way worse on most. I could never imagine being Bonham, he had a much harder job. That said... there is a reason why Led Zeppelin is the greatest band ever... it’s just a inexplicable tightness and talent. Every person in that band was the best at what they did, and that is why when Bonham died, the whole thing stopped.

Of the whole LZ catalogue personally this track is near impossible to play correctly mind you he was just turned 30.

You should react in my time of dying earls court 1975 live if you havent.

A few things to note about this performance. This was the 1st time (or one of the 1st times they) they played in 2 years. I don't buy into the excess of touring. John Bonham's brother Mick wrote a book about John and filmed the concert footage. He mentioned this was outside and it was very hot and humid. The stage lights made it more so. John Bonham spent the 2 years off working physical labor on him farms, taking his son Jason to motor cross shows and recording with Wings, and Lulu. He also went to see his favorite soul and jazz artists like James Brown and Count Basie and Jam with them. They rehearsed for this show but indoors. They were ready for this show but no one thought it would be as hot as it was with stage lights making it worse, especially Jimmy Page's side of the stage. That's why he was sweating like he was.

You could hear the bass ripping through out the song John Paul Jones need some love too

They were the opening act for Lovin Spoonful when they first went to America..they blew us off the stage ..said the drummer for LS

I hope you listened to the studio version after hearing this. This is my favourite Led Zeppelin song. Intense from start to finish, full of emotion, a masterpiece.

i always get goosebumps when i hear Led Zeppelin...

Pure, raw talent. There will never be another Led Zeppelin. Easily the greatest rock band of all time.

Greatest band EVER!!!! John Bonham was a machine. No one has ever been able to play like him. It took three drummers at Live Aid to try and replace him. They gave it their best shot but couldn't do it. His boy Jason is the only one to even compare. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are in a league of their own.

Future generations will return to this performance and marvel at how ferocious Bonzo, JPJ were together

All of these men were masters of their craft! Greatest band ever!❤

When you really start listening to them and realize that they didn't do any song the same way any two nights it's even more amazing. They are more like old blues and jazz artists who just are so perfect together they are seemingly reading each others minds. Can't play at that pace with that energy and not have amazing chemistry.

Night Flight off of Physical Graffiti is another great drum song of theirs

Will be watching, another is the wonton song, physical graffiti

It happened to the teacher as it does to many: Speechless!! What Led Zeppelin does simply cannot be put into words! I think Page is sweating so much because the musical genius gods are transmitting data into him at a high download rate causing the warp drive to superheat! His solo here is beyond what mere humans can achieve! 🔥

This is one of my favorite zep songs, all 10mins of it

Dude the respect you showed to my favorite band makes me respect you a lot. Subbed.

It's August and Jimmy jumps around a lot with a guitar. It's no wonder at that he's sweating like that. Those lights are a lot of watts as well.

One of my best ever led zeppelin songs, truly awesome

How can you be a Drum teacher and not be Fluent in John Bonham's work...

The drum loving world has really missed out on not having the Drum Cam set up when Bonham was behind the kit.

Zepp had 4 masters at their craft and the chemistry was explosive!

Achilles Last Stand is just one of the incredible songs off 'Presence,' their second to last studio album. Nobody's Fault but Mine, Tea for One, Candy Store Rock and on and on. One of my all-time favorite Zep albums along with Physical Graffiti.

Latter-day Zeppelin would have benefited enormously from a 2nd guitarist, especially live. But Bonham was a one-off. Irreplaceable.

The drum fill at 3:18 is so smooth and quick eso keeping that tempo Bonzo forever

This is my favorite Zeppelin song. To me, this song some how seems to show case the very best of each members talent in the band. I love this song. Super sharp work by all.

I WAS THERE AT 18! The musical highlight of my life. It's like Hendrix. Genius is the word. Like the Beatles, transformative. Of course there are levels of talent. And both are in the zone in differant areas. BOTH ARE ART! Watch BBC How the Beatles saved classical music and their songs are performed by jazz, classical music. My favorite bands? Beatles, Zeppelin and the Doors. All genius ,.unequaled since. Alos Jimmy was not a cokehead but a heroin addict. Far worse. It took them 3 months to get in shape to play this way. They had not played this well since 1973?? Mostly it had been downhill since then due to Boozing woth BOnham and KJimmy's bad habit.

This one just blew my mind. Bonham was SUPERMAN here> Led Zeppelin - Achilles Last Stand (Live in Los Angeles 1977)

Saw them in 77 here in Cali at the Forum when I was 8, no one opened for them, it was over 4 hours of straight music. It was by far one of the best concerts I've ever been to and I've been to well over 80 concerts in my 51 years of life. I don't know of any band John Bonham would have fit into, maybe Rainbow? But I don't know. It's just the way plays in conjunction with Jimmy Page it's insane and the power that he hits the drums with is incredible. The only person who comes close is Jason his son.

Talk about TIGHT !!!!! And thats Passion dripping from Jimmy!!!

Jimmy pages father is sitting on stage too the right watching the whole band perform

Just image if you can how different the history of rock n roll would be if John and Neil swapped bands, After sitting here for 10 minutes pondering the what if butterfly effect this might of had on the world as we know it. Is it just me, after seriously thinking about it, does theme from the Twilight Zone start slowly creeping in

Led Zep’s Prog Epic!! A Rock Masterpiece! 🥁 That Drum break at 10:47 is off the charts in bad Assery!!!

When they recorded the studio version of this they did it in one take and Robert Plant was in a wheelchair with a broken ankle. Their first tour of the United States they open up for a group called Vanilla Fudge

Never heard of Achiles Last Stand? Were you born under a Rock?? Its 1 of there most iconic songs🤔

Chemistry, Chemistry, Chemistry... These guys feed off each other like no others.. You ask.. would John Bonham do as well with any other band ? He was well diverse...I would say yes.. If any other band used him like Led Zeppelin did.. He was such a powerhouse. But if a band hide him in the back.. restrict him.. no! Page said many times... you don't just hear Bonham.. You felt him! Thats why page is always in front of him when they played.

For me, as a non-drummer 'Since I've been Loving You' at Madison Square is pretty much Bonham at his best, just being able to keep time with Page (the song is pretty much an 8 minute guitar solo) and the subtleties are incredible. 'The Song Remains The Same' Live concert is on YT. Well worth checking out....