ALTER BRIDGE Singer Says Jamming With LED ZEPPELIN Members Was 'Surreal'

Vocalist Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE has confirmed that he played several tracks with the instrumental members of LED ZEPPELIN as part of an audition process for a proposed world tour.

Although names such as Jack White, Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl, and Steven Tyler had surfaced as possible vocalists for the new project, rumors have been rampant for months that Page, Jones, and Bonham have been rehearsing with Kennedy, with tentative plans to record and tour without ZEPPELIN vocalist Robert Plant.

Speaking to Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" at this past weekend's (Jan. 15-18) NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which was held in Anaheim, California, Kennedy said, "I am not singing in LED ZEPPELIN or any offshoot of LED ZEPPELIN, but I did have a great opportunity and it was something that I'm very grateful for. But ALTER BRIDGE will go on, and that's that." When asked what it was like jamming with his childhood heroes, Kennedy replied, "Surreal. It was great." On what songs he ended up performing with guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer Jason Bonham, Myles said, "I'll tell that story some day. But for now, it was a good experience, and I'm still pinching myself, let's put it that way."

"The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show"'s interview with Myles Kennedy can be viewed below.

Jimmy Page's manager, Peter Mensch of Q Prime Management, told MusicRadar.com on January 7 that LED ZEPPELIN and any related projects are officially done, stating, "LED ZEPPELIN are over! If you didn't see them in 2007 (when they played a one-off reunion at London's O2 Arena),you missed them. It's done. I can't be any clearer than that." As for reports that Page, John Paul Jones, and Jason Bonham planned to carry on with a new singer, Mensch said, "They tried out a few singers, but no one worked out. That was it. The whole thing is completely over now. There are absolutely no plans for them to continue. Zero. Frankly, I wish everybody would stop talking about it."

This seems to contradict earlier comments made by Mensch on England's BBC 6 Music, in which he defended the decision by Page, Jones, and Bonham to possibly record and tour without ZEPPELIN vocalist Robert Plant.

In that interview, Mensch said, "People don't really understand it. Jimmy Page has been playing guitar professionally since he was 16 years old. Jimmy Page likes being a musician...They decided that if they could find a singer that they thought would fit their bill — whatever their bill was at this stage in their career — that they'd make a record and go on tour."

Despite reuniting in December 2007 for its first concert in nearly two decades, LED ZEPPELIN has resisted offers for a full-blown tour. Plant himself recently announced that he has no plans to tour for the next two years.

If the ZEPPELIN offshoot has fallen through and Kennedy focuses all his attention on ALTER BRIDGE, it is not clear what will happen to the rumored CREED reunion in which the instrumental members of ALTER BRIDGE were going to participate.

ALTER BRIDGE is in the early stages of the writing process for a follow-up to 2007's "Blackbird".