Jimmy Page surprised the audience with his appearance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony last Friday, November 3. The event, held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, featured Page honoring the late musician Link Wray with a musical performance.
The evening began with a pre-recorded message from the guitarist, where he shared his memories of hearing Wray’s ‘Rumble’ as a teenager. This instrumental track, according to Page, had an impact on him at the time, as he recalled:
“What is this? In those days, there were many guitar instrumentals, but as a 14-year-old kid who could barely play the guitar, it really had an effect on me: the vigor and the strength and the power in it. And you know something else — it was fearless. It was just phenomenal. The essence of cool.”
After the message, Jimmy Page made a live appearance on stage for the first time in eight years, playing the said track on his Gibson double-neck guitar.
Page’s Break From Live Shows
Page last took the stage in November 2015 at a benefit show in Seattle’s Experience Music Project Museum. He performed with members of various bands, including Alice In Chains and Guns N’ Roses, during the event.
The guitarist had mentioned in a past chat with The Week his interest in touring again but noted that he hadn’t yet put together a band for this purpose:
“I know people want to hear me play. I want to hear me play, too… I’m really starting to get myself enthused and limbered up for putting something together… That, for me, is exactly how things should be. I want to surprise people.”
While some reported that the guitarist’s age also played a role in his absence from the stage, Page shared that the Covid lockdown reflamed his interest in live performances back in 2020, although he repeated his wish for a group setting to GQ magazine.