duckman Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 The Offenburg 1973 show is an exceptional one, no doubt about that. The tape in circulation is fantastic and the performance a no brainer. There are two things that kept me wondering First ; Offenburg is a beautiful but also a pretty small city (according to Wiki it has less than 60000 citizens). So why on earth would Zep want to include a town such as this include in their tour schedule ? The other issue is when you listen to the audience tape, there's this French speaking chap in the audience ("assie salope!", which means sit down b*tch). Offenburg is not too far removed from France, but to me that is rather awkward. Please fellow Zep heads –young and old- let your light shine on this enigma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 (edited) I've been to Offenburg and photographed the venue. This was the last German date on the tour and the next was in France so it makes sense from a routing standpoint to play along the border and also explains the presence of at least one French-speaking attendee. It must be said many famous musicians played Offenburg in the 70s (and to this day). It's a beautiful area located at the edge of the Black Forest with a suitable venue. Edited August 14, 2011 by SteveAJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 It is not an enigma at all to me. There are several factors that go into planning a tour. Logistics, the simple act of getting ffom point A to point B, available accomodations, all play a part in how a tour is routed. Steve has already explained the obvious reason for why Offenburg, as it was a natural way to transition the tour from Germany to France. But, as one who was in Germany for almost 3 years, and traveled throughout Europe extensively, I can tell you the main consideration in planning any tour, but especially a European tour, is the ready availability of suitable venues. In the early 70s, Europe was sadly lacking in suitable concert venues, especially if a band got more popular and outgrew the bars and clubs. Unlike America, where just about every city had venues of every size from clubs to youth recreation centers to university halls to theatres to basketball/hockey arenas to outdoor amphitheatres and football stadiums, most of which could provide decent sound with the proper gear and a good soundman. All Europe had was lots of stoney churches. Plus, they had serious power issues. Many is the time a band's gig would be marred because the power would go off and on, because the band's amps were overloading the power supply. Even in the early 80s, which is when I was there, while probably better than the 70s, some cities were sadly lacking. I was based in Nürnberg, which is a fairly large, major city. But most of the bands that toured Germany would often bypass Nürnberg and play tiny nearby Erlangen instead, all because they had a suitable midsize hall and Nürnberg did not. In all the time I was there I think I only saw two or three shows in Nürnberg, one being the 1984 Monsters of Rock, which turned out to be the last show of the David Lee Roth-era Van Halen. Meanwhile, during that same time span I saw about a dozen or more shows in Erlangen, which was puny compared to Nürnberg. It's no wonder many bands preferred to tour the States rather than deal with the hassles of touring Europe. For instance, you're touring the US, you can go from state to state with no trouble...nobody asks for your passport. The only time you have to show it is when you arrive and when you leave. In Europe, every time you cross a border you get checked. As for the mix of audiences, again I don't see the enigma...Offenburg is close to the border, it makes sense you're going to have some French, and probably some Belgian and Swiss too. One group you could almost guarantee would be at almost any rock show in Europe, especially Germany, was American GI's, such as myself, stationed at bases around the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecongo Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 That show is a pure joy, with Jimmy at his technical peak, breathtaking really. Glad they played there and doubly glad someone taped it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckman Posted August 14, 2011 Author Share Posted August 14, 2011 As for the mix of audiences, again I don't see the enigma...Offenburg is close to the border, it makes sense you're going to have some French, and probably some Belgian and Swiss too. Thanks Guys, Learned a lot from your insights. It makes perfect sense. I've also checked the Ortenau Halle website (they're completely up to date and state of the art) and it is indeed a very nice venue. @Strider My main issue was that both French and Germans (and Brits and Spanish,...for that matter) are very chauvinistic. Shouting words like "Assie Salope" in predominantly German speaking audience would have the same effect as me shouting at MSG : "de volgende keer als je in Gent komt, trakteer ik op een goeie Tripel" (Now check that one out!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixpense Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 The band was was on fire during the March 73 Germany shows; Especially Bonzo and Page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Interesting stuff and opinions on all accounts. Probably, my favorite LZ show from 1973. Hamburg is great too, but the SB version is incomplete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef free Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Interesting stuff and opinions on all accounts. Probably, my favorite LZ show from 1973. Hamburg is great too, but the SB version is incomplete. Are you saying that there is some soundboard from Offenburg, or from Hamburg? Offenburg soundboard would be AWESOME (Jimmy)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3hrsoflunacy Posted August 15, 2011 Share Posted August 15, 2011 Are you saying that there is some soundboard from Offenburg, or from Hamburg? Offenburg soundboard would be AWESOME (Jimmy)! Chef, There are 2 separate audience recordings for Offenburg. Hamburg also has 2 separate audience recordings, as well as an incomplete SBD recording (last 21min of Dazed, 8min of Stairway, and last 24min of WLL). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Are you saying that there is some soundboard from Offenburg, or from Hamburg? Offenburg soundboard would be AWESOME (Jimmy)! I was referring to the incomplete SB from Hamburg. WLL medley is awesome and really cooks. A great moment is when they begin You're So Square and right after Robert says You're So Square for the first time, adn JP and Bonzo really get this song going in full throttle. May be my favorite cover version by Zep with this version (excluding those that appeared on studio albums). I think Zep were possibly at their musical peak for the Europe '73 shows. A little off in the beginning in the UK and in Paris too at the end of this tour. Robert was having some vocal problems, but overall sang very well for these run of shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bishlap Posted September 13, 2018 Share Posted September 13, 2018 the Offenburg 73 show(s) are the finest rock guitar playing I've ever heard in over 60 years of listening/playing /attending concerts. To listen to Jimmy Page in '75 or '77 at his best is garbage compared to the 73 Jimmy, specifically the Germany show. I'm late to the party, but just got my hands on Offenburg 1973. Incredible bootleg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted September 14, 2018 Share Posted September 14, 2018 This is the version I have of March 24, 1973 Offenburg...here mistitled as Offenbach. Jimmy's guitar is so razor-sharp and clear the taper must have been in front of Jimmy's amps. I can't find a listing for this anywhere...not even Zeppelin Art has it listed. Must be a home-made job. Picked it up for $8 in the used bin at a record shop 20 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IpMan Posted September 16, 2018 Share Posted September 16, 2018 On 9/14/2018 at 2:23 PM, Strider said: This is the version I have of March 24, 1973 Offenburg...here mistitled as Offenbach. Jimmy's guitar is so razor-sharp and clear the taper must have been in front of Jimmy's amps. I can't find a listing for this anywhere...not even Zeppelin Art has it listed. Must be a home-made job. Picked it up for $8 in the used bin at a record shop 20 years ago. You Sean are one lucky bastard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moby_Dick_Ale Posted September 17, 2018 Share Posted September 17, 2018 On 8/14/2011 at 8:56 PM, duckman said: On 8/14/2011 at 7:02 PM, Strider said: As for the mix of audiences, again I don't see the enigma...Offenburg is close to the border, it makes sense you're going to have some French, and probably some Belgian and Swiss too. Thanks Guys, Learned a lot from your insights. It makes perfect sense. I've also checked the Ortenau Halle website (they're completely up to date and state of the art) and it is indeed a very nice venue. @Strider My main issue was that both French and Germans (and Brits and Spanish,...for that matter) are very chauvinistic. Shouting words like "Assie Salope" in predominantly German speaking audience would have the same effect as me shouting at MSG : "de volgende keer als je in Gent komt, trakteer ik op een goeie Tripel" (Now check that one out!) Bedankt voor het aanbod Duckman. Een Westvleteren 12 sla ik niet af... (Thanks for the offer Duckman. I won't refuse a Westvleteren 12...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluribus Posted July 14, 2019 Share Posted July 14, 2019 The No Label version of this show is up on Dime right now. Sounds killer. I forgot how much I liked this show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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