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Los Angeles, CA- The Forum- June 23, 1977


DavidZoso

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This was another of the magical nights from the six night stand at the Forum in Los Angeles. The other being of course the first night -June 21, 1977. But there was several things that made this show very unique.

The first being that during The Song Remains the Same- Jimmy' guitar strap come undone and as you can see in the one pic- his guitar tech-(Raymond Thomas) is trying to get it back on but is not in time to do the normal segue to the next song-Sick Again. So we have a pause between the two songs- the only time this happend on the whole tour. Now I have a photo on here that is supposed to be from this night and they are clearly playing Sick Again. But our very own Strider was at this show and he says that they couldn't get the guitar strap fixed so Jimmy got another axe- which would have been one of the Les Pauls. I also have a pic of Jimmy still wearing shades and the white scarf and I had postd it as being Nobody's Fault but Mine but it could also be Sick Again. I do know I have seen him playing the Les Paul in a pic from I think Baton Rouge and he still has the sun glasses and scarf on as well, so that one would be Nobody's Fault but Mine for sure.

The playing at this show is just fantastic- this has to be my favorite version of No Quarter ever and I really like some of the versions from earlier in the tour with Nutcracker added but this one is top notch for me.

One of the other things that is different and considered a mistake/trainwreck by most people- But I think is cool. During Kashmir in the break down section. Jimmy and John Paul Jones get lost but eventually make their way out of it. The true Tight but Looseness indeed. This same thing happend at a few other shows- the ones I can think of off hand is New York 6-7-77(more towards the end) and Zurich 6-29-80.

One of the real special things is the appearance of Keith Moon playing with Bonzo during Moby Dick and then coming back for the encore of Whole Lotta Love and Rock and Roll. This would be the last time he would be on a stage live in the US because of his untimely death. I love when he is talking into the mic and says : I will be back later in the year with my backing group haha. He would only play 2 more live shows with the Who and they were both recorded and filmed for the Kids are Alright. The first being in Kilburn Dec 1977 and the last at Shepperton studios in May 1978.

The other unique thing about this show is that a female fan by the name of -Irene Rumbaugh- made a black jacket for Jimmy Page and then sent it to the general manager- I am guessing the manager for the Forum as she doesn't say Peter Grant and with it a letter that says she would be at the show on June 23, 1977. Well her dreams came true as Jimmy came out during the encore and wore the jacket she made. Truly Superb.

Then of course this was the true Badgeholder show.

Video footage link:

http://www.ledzeppel...lm-w-keith-moon

Setlist:

The Song Remains The Same

Sick Again

Nobody's Fault But Mine

Over the Hills and Far Away

Since I've Been Loving You

No Quarter

Ten Years Gone

The Battle of Evermore

Going to California

Black Country Woman

Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

White Summer ~ Black Mountainside

Kashmir

Trampled Underfoot

Moby Dick- with Keith Moon

Guitar solo

Achilles Last Stand

Stairway to Heaven

Encore:

Whole Lotta Love ~ Rock and Roll- with Keith Moon

The Song Remains the Same

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The Song Remains the Same

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Welcome to Three hours of Lunacy. ( Jimmy's strap comes off the Doubleneck and Raymond Thomas is trying to hook it back on-it causes them to delay the start of next song-Sick Again. The only time on the whole tour where there was a pause between the two songs)

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Sick Again-( this is supposed to be from this show but Strider says he switched axes after the guitar strap snafu above)

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Sick or Nobody's Fault but Mine ( I just love this pic-Ultimate Coolness)

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Over the Hills and Far Away

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No Quarter

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No Quarter

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Moby Dick- with Keith Moon joining John Bonham

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Moby Dick- with Keith Moon joining John Bonham

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Moby Dick- with Keith Moon joining John Bonham

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Guitar solo

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Violin Bow solo

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Violin Bow solo

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Violin Bow solo

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Achilles Last Stand

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Achilles Last Stand

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Achilles Last Stand

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Either Kashmir or Stairway to Heaven

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Either Kashmir or Stairway to Heaven

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Stairway to Heaven

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Stairway to Heaven

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Stairway to Heaven

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Stairway to Heaven

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Stairway to Heaven

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Stairway to Heaven

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Ah, 'For Badge Holders Only', my very first bootleg! Very excellent photos! Although the fourth and fifth Stairway to Heaven photos are from 5/18/77, I can tell by Bonzo's shirt. The first pic of Jimmy playing Trampled Under Foot is my background on twitter, lol.

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Wow, great shots!

I think though that the first two color Stairway shots are actually from another night. Bonham had his Swan Song sweater on for the whole Badgeholders show, and in those two shots you posted he has on his TSRTS MSG black shortsleeve shirt instead. Maybe from another night of the LA run?

Also, there are a couple of superb black and white shots of Moon on Bonham's drums on the cover of the bootleg "The Brothers In Pinball" which are worth seeking out. I think the two different covers have the two different photos.

Also, there is another nice up-close version of the broken strap shot here:

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Wow, great shots!

I think though that the first two color Stairway shots are actually from another night. Bonham had his Swan Song sweater on for the whole Badgeholders show, and in those two shots you posted he has on his TSRTS MSG black shortsleeve shirt instead. Maybe from another night of the LA run?

The two pics in question are, as bamf4k said above, from 5/18/1977.
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Ah, 'For Badge Holders Only', my very first bootleg! Very excellent photos! Although the fourth and fifth Stairway to Heaven photos are from 5/18/77, I can tell by Bonzo's shirt. The first pic of Jimmy playing Trampled Under Foot is my background on twitter, lol.

Ok very good eye- sometimes I file these pics and am only human and sometimes a pic or 2 might sneak in that looks similar. But I have to tell you - you are wrong about it being the 5-18-77 Birmingham show and I am gonna show you why- in the two pics I am posting- Bonzo's design on his shirt doesn't go up as far in the 2 Stairway pics in question.

I will tell you where the pics are from. Either Largo 5-28-77 - Jimmy wore the black dragon suit for the first 3/4 of the show -but I am sure just like he did at the LA 6-22-77 after Moby Dick he came back out in the full white dragon suit and Bonzo is wearing another black shirt with some kinda design on it. If it isn't that show it is the next and final show in Largo 5-30-77 as Bonzo is wearing the same black shirt with the design which I cannot make out but it is not 5-18-77. He also wore this same shirt at the next show in Greensboro 5-31-77 but it is not from that show because Robert wore a silver blouse but I posted a pic of Bonzo from that show because the shirt is a lil clearer. Also Bonzo wore the long sleeve black swan song shirt one other time and that was in New York 6-11-77.

5-18-77- Birmingham, AL (design on shirt goes up further on the sides than Stairway pics)

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Birmingham, AL 5-18-77

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Largo 5-28-77

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Largo 5-30-77

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Greensboro, NC 5-31-77 ( this is the show I think the 2 stairway to heaven shots are from because the desing looks similar and the one from Birmingham looks more like the one from TSRTS 1973 movie and the one from 5-28-77 in the other pic below this one)

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Largo 5-28-77 Other shot - this pics shirt looks like the one from Birmingham but not the 2 stairway pics)

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But in the end maybe it is the same shirt and just looks different in certain pics but the design doesn't seem to go up to the shoulders on the sides like in Birmingham. haha

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Very good eye to you as well, sir! I never even noticed that Bonzo wore the TSRTS shirt on other '77 dates. I admit I have been bested.

No one has been bested- we are here to enjoy the mysterys of Led Zep and help each other there are some things I have racked my brain over and still can't figure out but will eventually - hopefully.
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  • 2 months later...

WOW! Simply WOW! :notworthy:

Omce again, another yeoman effort by our DavidZoso.

How many different sources did these photos come from, David? The LA Times only published two nondescript photos from this gig, and Creem's coverage of the 77 tour was concentrated mainly on the earlier Chicago/Pontiac dates. So I have never seen most of these photos before.

I wonder if Irene made it to the end of the show to see her jacket worn by Jimmy? Those concerts were over three hours and some people would leave after Stairway to 'beat the traffic'. Irene, if you're out there, did you stay for the encore?

Oh, and don't take my memory as gospel. It's as hazy as the marijuana smoke flowing thru the Forum that night. Whether he was playing the double-neck or the Les Paul on Sick Again I can't remember for certain.

I do remember Jimmy having an inordinate amount of trouble with his gear during the 1977 Forum shows: broken straps, broken strings, amp and pedal glitches.

Anyway, thanks for the flashback to that great night...For Badgeholders Only!!!

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What's with Jimmy's stage attire in a few of the photos?  White dragon pants with black top part?
I can't tell in the pictures what exactly the top part is. Is this the gig where his pants were sliding down?  
Great pictures :D

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