Back in July 1985, music fans got a shock they’ll never forget—Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin suddenly walked on stage to play with The Beach Boys. At first, the pairing sounded strange, almost impossible: the heavy riffs of Zeppelin’s guitar god colliding with the sunny harmonies of California’s favorite surf band. But that night, it worked like magic. The surprise set happened on Independence Day in Philadelphia, nearly five years after John Bonham’s passing had ended Led Zeppelin’s run. Just weeks later, Page would reunite with Robert Plant and John Paul Jones for Live Aid, but for the lucky few in that Philly crowd, they got their own once-in-a-lifetime gift. Under the summer sky, with fireworks in the air, Jimmy Page’s guitar roared alongside The Beach Boys’ voices—and for a few unforgettable moments, rock history bent in the most unexpected, perfect way…
Rock and roll is full of surprises—wild nights, broken guitars, and collaborations that seemed written in the stars. But every once in a while, a […]
