As the Mirror reports, the vocalist ripped up Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson's contract in front of astonished promoters after all the other bandmembers signed up. according with ultimate.guitar.com
The tour would have earned Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jonesabout $300 million (£190million) each before tax.
Although he reportedly considered it for 48 hours, Plant simply didn't think it was the right thing to do. "They have tried to talk him round but there is no chance," the source said. "His mind is made up and that's that."
As for Branson, the Virgin tycoon is a lifelong fan of Led Zep and was even preparing to rebrand one of his Jumbo jets "The Starship" to "Stairway to Heaven" in order to transport the band around venues.
Additionally, the source noted that the shows were planned to take place in London at the O2, Berlin and New Jersey. The group was also promised around $110 million (£70 million) of merchandise profit and given an additional option to extend the trek to 45 shows.
The majority of the money would have been split between the three co-founders, while drummer Jason Bonham, the son of legendary John Bonham, would have received a regular wage.
"Jimmy, John and Jason signed up immediately," the source said. "It was a no-brainer for them but Robert asked for 48 hours to think about it. When he said no and ripped up the paperwork he had been given, there was an enormous sense of shock. There is no way they can go ahead without him."
Recently revealed finding band's long-lost recordings that might even be included on the new Led Zeppelin box set. And interestingly enough, two of the songs feature bassist John Paul Jones on lead vocals. "I found some quarter-inch spools recently, and I had a meeting with Jimmy [Page], and we baked them up and listened to them, and there's some very, very interesting bits and pieces that probably will turn up on these things," he said.