Jeff Buckley and Led Zeppelin

“My main music influences? Love, anger, depression, joy… And Zeppelin.”

Jeff Buckley & Led Zeppelin

Jeff Buckley, Melbourne, February 1996.

Jeff Buckley (1966-1997) was a huge fan of the British heavy rock band Led Zeppelin. He knew their music intimately, could perform it, spoke of them often, and development of his own music was heavily influenced by them. Following his untimely death by drowning in 1997, both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in turn commented on Buckley and his music in a number of interviews, with Page especially struck by him, as both singer and guitar player.

The story of Jeff's love of Led Zeppelin can be found within numerous articles, books and videos on the late lamented singer, songwriter and guitarist. It was often said that he was Page and Plant all rolled into one. With this admiration going both ways, it is obvious that the two groups Page & Plant, and Buckley, would seek to meet up and possibly collaborate. Sadly, that was not to be, though it had been raised during the latter's Australian tour of February 1996.

Encounters

In all, there are three instances known where the three came in contact, both near and far. They were:

#1 Glastonbury Festival, England, 24 June 1995. Jeff performed on Saturday, 24 June 1995 and the Page & Plant band the following day. Page mentioned hearing him from afar. He and Plant performed the following day. It is not known if Jeff saw that performance.

#2 Eurockeenes festival, Belfort, France, 9 July 1995. Following his performance, Jeff mounted the scaffolding on the left side of the stage to watch the Page & Plant band performance. Film of the concert reveals his precarious position, hanging on to the scaffolding.

Jeff Buckley's death-defying stunt at Page-Plant concert, MojoPin1983, 27 August 2025, YouTube, duration: 2.53 minutes.

Fellow performer Ben Harper was involved in the incident as noted in the video, observing it directly. Whether Page and Plant were aware at the time is unknown.

#3 Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, 28 February 1996. The Page and Plant band toured Australia during February 1996 and Page saw Jeff Buckley live during this period. Both were in Melbourne at the end of February 1996, with Buckley performing on 28 & 29 February at the Palais Theatre and The Palace respectively before heading off to a Sydney concert on Friday 1 March, whilst Page and Plant were performing at Melbourne Park on Thursday 29 February and Friday 1 March.

Page specifically refers to seeing Jeff at his "penultimate concert" which would have been his penultimate Melbourne concert on Wednesday 28 February. It also seems likely that Plant was with him as well, though he may have also seen Buckley elsewhere. Both bands were touring under the auspices of Frontier Touring Company, so they were very much aware of each other at the time. In the following radio interview from 2014 Page refers to an Australian interview in which Jeff mentioned how he was keen to work with him at some stage. He also mentions somewhat forlornly how Jeff was singing Whole Lotta Love a cappella at the time of his drowning in 1997.

Jimmy Page about Jeff Buckley, Ana G., May 2014, YouTube, duration: 1.29 minutes.

Brad Pitt and Jimmy Page on Jeff Buckley, MojoPin1983, 23 December 2017, YouTube, duration: 5.25 minutes.

In addition, the following comment by Jimmy Page appeared on his Facebook site on 1 March 2020 and add to the information we have on a possible Melbourne encounter:

On this day in 1996, I saw Jeff Buckley perform in Melbourne.⁣ Jeff Buckley was something of an ethereal spirit: a musical magician whose album 'Grace' showcased a unique talent. His name was on the lips of all musos from the release of that album and for the next two years.⁣ I had heard him sing a couple of songs at a distance on the Other Stage at Glastonbury [Saturday, 24 June 1995], where Page and Plant were headlining [Sunday, 25 June 1995]: you could feel him, it was extraordinary. I had listened intently to 'Grace' whilst I was on tour and made a point to see him at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne on this day in 1996 [NB actually Wednesday 28 February]. ⁣His level of communication through the dynamics of his music, vocals, lyrics, guitar playing and rapport built to something of a spiritual communion. ⁣I know those that witnessed him would agree. ⁣That night after the show he had invited me to work with him on his next album. Unfortunately, I never saw him again but he left a tantalising legacy.

Apart from the wrong date - Page and Plant were performing at Melbourne Park on 1 March 1996 - this comment would suggest that the two met after the show, though in the 2014 radio interview Page had stated that the working together comment was only reported in a music magazine. It had also been stated that Buckley recalled both he and Page crying when they met. Was this after the Melbourne show? It may well have been as this is the only known instance of their ever possibly meeting in person, though the details remain sketchy. Page did also mention that on seeing Jeff live "It was absolutely scary", realizing how good he was. Perhaps it was a similar reaction to when Eric Clapton first saw Jimi Hendrix, or the same with Jeff Beck who felt at the time that perhaps he should give up the guitar!

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References

Apter, Jeff, A Pure Drop: The Life of Jeff Buckley, Omnibus Press, 2009, 277p.

Berg, Amy (director), It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley [documentary], Magnolia Pictures, 2025, duration: 107 minutes.

Brad Pitt and Jimmy Page on Jeff Buckley, MojoPin1983, 23 December 2017, YouTube, duration: 5.25 minutes.

Bret, David, Trailblazers: The tragic lives of Gram Parsons, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, JR Books, 2009, 256p.

Browne, David, Dream Brother: the lives and music of Jeff and Tim Buckley, 4th Estate, London, 2001, 381p.

Buckley, Jeff, Forget Her - official video, Jeff Buckley Music, duration: 4.39 minutes.

------, Hallelujah - official video, Jeff Buckley Music, duration: 6.33 minutes.

CamiJoan, Mystery White Boy [blog], Tumblr, 24 February 2016.

Coffman, Tim, Jimmy Page's wholesome meeting with Jeff Buckley: "They actually cried", Far Out Magazine, 24 February 2024.

Cyr, Merri, Jeff Buckley: A Wished for Song - A portrait with photographs and interviews, Hal Leonard Corp., 2002, 160p.

-----, 25 Years of Grace: Tribute to Jeff Buckley's Classic Album, Nero, 2019.

Guibert, Mary and David Browne (editors), Jeff Buckley: In His Own Voice, Da Capo, 2019, 304p.

Hill, Sherry B., Jeff Buckley: From shadows of legacy to a timeless voice - The inspiring story of a soul searching for his own light, The Author, 2025, 131p.

Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You [documentary], BBC Four, 2002, duration: 60 minutes.

Jeff Buckley, DISCOG, accessed 29 July 2025.

Jeff Buckley album sales, bestsellingalbums.org, accessed 29 July 2025.

Jeff Buckley - Australia [August - September] 1995, Frontier Touring, accessed 29 July 2025.

Jeff Buckley - The Hard Luck Tour of Australia and New Zealand [February] 1996, Frontier Touring, accessed 29 July 2025.

Jeff Buckley gigs, Setlist.fm, accessed 20 June 2025.

Jimmy Page about Jeff Buckley, Ana G., May 2014, YouTube, duration: 1.29 minutes.

Jimmy Page Robert Plant - Australia [February - March] 1996, Frontier Touring, accessed 6 October 2025.

Light, Alan, Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the unlikely ascent of Hallelujah, Atria Paperback, New York, 2013, 288p.

Lory, Dave and Jim Irvin, Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah to the Last Goodbye, Post Hill Press, 2019, 288p.

Lucas, Gary, Touched by Grace: My time with Jeff Buckley, Outline Press, 2013, 320p.

Maplethorpe, Dale, How Jeff Buckley risked death in front of Led Zeppelin: "Oh shit!", Far Out Magazine, 16 September 2025.

Miles, Daniel, Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah may not have reached its heights without Australia, ABC News / Live at the Wireless, Sydney, 14 September 2024.

Moffatt, Stephen, Amazing Grace from Katie Noonan and her Sydney Festival Jeff Buckley [30th Anniversary] show, The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 26 January 2025.

Reynolds, Anthony, Jeff Buckley: Mystery White Boy Blues, Plexus, 2008, 256p.

Runtagh, Jordan, Jeff Buckley's Grace: 10 things you didn't know, Rolling Stone, 23 August 2019.

Southland, The unfinished life of Jeff Buckley: A story of sound, sorrow, and the search for a self that could stay, Noise and Fable Press, 2025, 104p.

Taylor, Tom, "It was absolutely scary": The performer who blew Led Zeppelin away, Far Out Magazine, 21 February 2025.

Wikipedia, Forget Her, Wikipedia, accessed 19 June 2025.

-----, Jeff Buckley, Wikipedia, accessed 27 July 2025.

Zharoff, Elizabeth, One of the greatest inspirations: An in-depth analysis of Jeff Buckley, The Singing Hole, 7 December 2022, YouTube, duration: 25.56 minutes.

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Last updated: 7 October 2025

Michael Organ, Australia

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