Led Zeppelin – The 1980s, Part One

His reluctance to do so persisted despite the success of the In Through the Out Door album and the band's return to the stage at the 1979 Knebworth Festival after a two-year absence.

[1]Grant had been concerned about the band's lengthy absence from one of its primary markets, and had correctly viewed the European tour as a way of rekindling Plant's interest in performing in America.

While Jones's view of the state of Led Zeppelin on the eve of the 1980 North American tour was a positive one, writer Chris Welch saw things differently.

[4]Welch and writers Dave Lewis and Mick Wall particularly questioned John Bonham's physical and emotional fitness to tour North America at that stage.

He was particularly nervous about the potential backlash he might experience in the U.S. from his involvement in the backstage brawl at the Oakland Coliseum during Led Zeppelin's 1977 tour.

[5] As Bonham grew older, moreover, the demands of touring—along with the effects of his alcohol and drug use—took an increasing toll on his energy and stamina, and by 1980 he was struggling with fatigue.