Led Zeppelin Members Was So Excited When Heart Covered ‘Stairway To Heaven’

Let’s take a look back at Heart‘s performance of Led Zeppelin‘s classic “Stairway To Heaven,” with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and the former President Obama on the audience at the 35th Kennedy Center Honors on December 2, 2012.

The Led Zeppelin received the Kennedy Center Honors and Heart performed the tribute with Jason Bonham, which ended with standing ovation. Nancy Wilson recalled:

“Oh my god, no pressure, right?! [laughs] Jimmy, Robert, John Paul, a few dignitaries, the President, the First Lady. Good Lordy! It was one of those moments where your professionalism has to be there. You have to have the most focus of your life. Before we went out there, I had to get my fingers really warmed up. It was winter, and it was cold and drafty backstage. You can’t play Stairway to Heaven with cold fingers in front of Jimmy Page!”

While, singer Ann Wilson said of the performance:

“I actually felt every second of it as a real, not to overstate it, but pretty damn close to orgasmic in terms of bliss. I felt wide awake and alive, and I felt the emotional content of the song all the way down to the ground. It was really authentic. The emotions involved in performing that were wide awake and in the moment.”

It’s not a secret that Ann is a fan of Led Zeppelin. She even admitted that she once offered to audition as the band’s vocalist and replace Plant. Watch their performance below.