Led Zeppelin return to the stage

BBC

Led Zeppelin have opened their first concert for 19 years at London's 02 arena with Good Times Bad Times, the first track of their debut album.

More than one million people took part in a ballot for just 9,000 pairs of tickets for the show.

The thousands of fans spent the day receiving their passes for the one-off tribute gig amid tight security.

One fan Geoff Jones said: "I have not been able to sleep for days." Another paid £83,000 for a pair of tickets.

Mr Jones added: "For me it's kind of like that Christmas feeling where you know Santa Claus is coming and you're like a child waiting for the biggest present you've ever waited for in your whole life."

There was huge demand to get into the one-off gig, which sees Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones performing together for the first time since the late 1980s.

The show opened with news footage comparing the impact of Led Zeppelin and The Beatles, before a dazzling light show started the set.

The band, who have sold an estimated 300m albums, are performing a 90-minute set as part of the concert in memory of late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.

In an attempt to beat touts, fans were told they would not get a pass unless they presented not only the photo ID, but also the credit card they used to book their tickets and the confirmation code they received at the time.

But that has not stopped some eBay sellers claiming to have tickets, with some selling for up to £1,800 each.

BBC Radio 2 listener Kenneth Donnell, from Glasgow, had the most expensive tickets - after paying £83,000 for a pair of passes in an auction for Children In Need.

Promoter Harvey Goldsmith, who staged Live Aid and Live 8, said the reunion had probably generated more interest than "any show I've done".

The concert had been postponed from 26 November after guitarist Page fractured a finger.

The three surviving members of Led Zeppelin were joined by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham.

Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Foreigner and Paolo Nutini - all Ertegun signings - were also performing.