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Led Zeppelin rarely worked with other musicians on their albums. That aligns with the band’s tendency to do things their way. Founding guitarist Jimmy Page insisted Zep sign with Atlantic Records so they wouldn’t share a label with Eric Clapton. Most albums consisted of only Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham playing the songs. Still, at the height of their popularity, Led Zeppelin shared the stage with a member of The Rolling Stones — sort of.

Robert Plant (left) and Jimmy Page perform with Led Zeppelin in 1973, two years before they had a member of The Rolling Stones crash their concert to play an encore.
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin | Laurance Ratner/WireImage

Led Zeppelin rarely worked with other musicians

Led Zeppelin rarely worked with other musicians on their albums. And they didn’t really need to bring in any outside help.

Jones capably played multiple instruments and was an expert arranger. Bonham ranks as one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll drummers. Plant’s distinctive voice was like another instrument, and Page was an innovative guitarist, songwriter, and producer who maximized the talents of his bandmates.

Still, Led Zeppelin let other musicians crash the studio from time to time. Fairport Convention’s Sandy Denny dueted with Plant on “Battle of Evermore” from Led Zeppelin IV. Ian Stewart, a founding member of The Rolling Stones, played piano on “Rock and Roll” on the same album. Stewart also performed on “Boogie With Stu,” an underrated Led Zeppelin song that appeared on Physical Graffiti.

It was another member of The Rolling Stones — sort of — who crashed a Led Zeppelin concert in 1975.

Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones crashed a Led Zeppelin concert in 1975 and played an encore with the band

Led Zeppelin burst onto the music scene in 1969. The Rolling Stones had just entered what many call their peak, with Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed hitting shelves in 1968 and 1969, respectively. 

By 1975, Led Zeppelin laid claim to being the biggest band in the world, but they received some help at a New York concert stop early that year. Ronnie Wood, who helped write Rolling Stones hit before he officially joined the band, crashed a Feb. 13 gig and joined Led Zeppelin for an encore performance of “Communication Breakdown,” according to the book Led Zeppelin FAQ by George Case.

So what did Wood play that night? Our guess is that he likely held down the rhythm guitar while Page performed his scorching “Communication Breakdown” solo during the concert. Page would have played the rhythm part on the album, but he couldn’t recreate the sound as the lone guitarist in concert.

Wood wasn’t quite in the Stones in February when he joined Led Zeppelin on stage, but he had one foot in the door. Wood was about to join the Stones’ recording sessions for Black and Blue in March 1975, and he became an official member of The Rolling Stones a few weeks later.

Wood’s concert appearance wasn’t the first time members of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones crossed paths.

Members of Zep and The Rolling Stones played together before Wood joined the concert encore

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Members of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones were both part of an intertwined network of London musicians before Wood crashed Zep’s 1975 concert.

He made it famous in Led Zeppelin, but Page first bowed his guitar on a 1967 movie soundtrack composed by Rolling Stones member Brian Jones. John Paul Jones arranged the strings on “She’s a Rainbow” from the Stones’ 1967 album Their Satanic Majesties Request. 

Page played guitar on Stones songs before, during, and after his Led Zeppelin days. As a session performer, he played on the demo track for “Heart of Stone” in 1964. A decade later, he soloed on the song “Scarlet,” which remained in the Stones’ vault for 46 years. Page played the solo on the 1986 Stones song “One Hit (To the Body).”

Page considered Small Faces singer Steve Marriott for Led Zeppelin before Plant blew him away performing at a strange venue. Marriott formed the Small Faces, which morphed into the Faces featuring Ronnie Wood when Marriott departed.

Wood crashed a Led Zeppelin concert in 1975,  just before he became a full-fledged member of The Rolling Stones. Yet that was hardly the first time the members of the two bands crossed paths.

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