The real guitar heroes

10 months ago 06th Sep 08:15

In a time when wannabe musicians needed much more than an Xbox and a copy of 'Guitar Hero III' to fulfil their dreams of rock superstardom, a legion of future guitar gods were born.Held back by the limited entertainment value of prancing around their bedrooms strumming a broom handle, these fast-fingered virtuosos quickly developed into the axe-wielding legends deserved of our 'devil horned' salutes today.But with the likes of Jimmy Page, 64, Eric Clapton, 63, and Jeff Beck, 64, all nearing retirement age, a generation of classic rockers will soon have to swap their leather trousers for a comfortable pair of slippers and a cardigan, leaving today's music scene to a new generation. The noughties have seen the return of some of the 20th Century's best-loved pluckers and strummers.Fans threw their virtual cash at eBay faster than you can say "buying a stairway to heaven" when Page announced Led Zeppelin would return for a one-off charity concert last year.No sooner had the band - honoured with the most Outstanding Achievement award by GQ magazine this week - taken their 'final' bow, rumours the group would continue performing quickly emerged.In June this year, Page followed the critically-worshipped performance with another ground-breaking act when he joined Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl onstage at their Wembley Stadium gig.