When Rock Royalty Met The King.
It’s one of those incredible “rock royalty meets the king” stories that almost feels mythical now. In May of 1974, the members of Led Zeppelin were in Los Angeles during a break in their tour schedule when they decided to go see Elvis Presley perform at the Forum in Inglewood, California. By that point, Zeppelin were arguably the biggest rock band in the world, selling out massive arenas, traveling on their private jet “The Starship,” and living every bit of the larger-than-life rock lifestyle. But even they were starstruck by Elvis. Jimmy Page later described Elvis as almost untouchable in their minds, not just a singer, but the origin point for modern rock and roll. Remember, all of Zeppelin grew up in postwar Britain listening to American blues, rockabilly, and early rock records. Elvis wasn’t just influential to them; he was foundational. The story goes that after the show, Elvis invited the band backstage. Robert Plant, who was probably the biggest Elvis fan in the group, was especially overwhelmed. Plant had always openly borrowed from Elvis’s charisma and stage presence, though filtered through Zeppelin’s mystical hard-rock energy. Plant once reflected that when Elvis walked into the room, the energy changed instantly. That’s really the heart of the story: Led Zeppelin were giants themselves, but in Elvis’s presence they suddenly felt like kids who grew up staring at album covers.