By now, meeting any one of the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin had, in all honesty, become routine. We knew the ins and the outs, they places to be, and when to be there. In November of 2001, John Paul Jones hit the road again, this time as an opening act for King Crimson to promote his Thunderthief album. That meant it was time for Mike and I to hit the road once again.
This time around, Mike decided that he no longer wanted his mandolin signed by just Jimmy. He now wanted the autographs of JPJ and Robert too. Objective number one was to get his mandolin signed on this tour.
After JPJ�s set, we made a break for the Hyatt and patiently waited in the hotel bar for the band to return from the gig, hoping the information we had was correct.
Keeping our streak alive, in walked John Paul Jones and his band. Mike approached him first and showed him his mandolin. Intrigued by Jimmy�s signature already scribbled on the spine, JPJ took the mandolin from Mike, studied it, and then strummed it a few times.
It was a short but successful night that left us with one more goal � to get the mandolin signed by Robert. Eventually, that would happen four years later during our latest mission. One you can read about here.
Thanks for Reading,
A.L./M.T.
