Would anyone cite some examples of pushing (before a beat) and pulling (after a beat) in popular songs?
I am very familiar with Bonham and Moon's entire catalog but I can't think of any examples of either.
You won't find a good answer here, because it's difficult to prove. For example, if a drummer plays a beat, but the bassist plays behind the drums (pulling), then it would sound like the drummer is pushing, right? If the opposite is happening, you could say that the drummer is pulling. So, it's a relative thing, and it depends as much on the other musicians as it does on the drummer. If the drummer pushes the beat slightly, but the bass player is used to playing ahead of the drummer, then an acceleration is likely to occur (and a deceleration is likely, if both musicians are in the habit of pulling).
In amateur/hobbyist playing situations, when one musician pushes or pulls, it's by a considerable amount, and the rest of the band will often speed up or slow down to accommodate the player. So, in order to have some kind of a push or pull within a band, everyone has to have very good control of their time.
And, finally, if there's a click track involved, musicians will play in front or behind the metronome as desired. As a drummer, this is an excellent, pro-level skill to develop.
Here's a very good video demonstrating how playing ahead/behind/on-center works in real life. Note that it all sounds good, but which one sounds most appropriate to you is a matter of personal taste, and can change depending on the group, the song, or even the moment.
