Led Zeppelin Over Europe 1980

[Jimmy's Dragon Suit]

If they would have added For Your Life, Tea For One, Royal Orleans, Wearing and Tearing, Carouselambra, and a good PG number like The Rover or Ten Years Gone, they could have had a modern, streamlined set focused on the three most recent albums: ITTOD, Presence and PG.

Get rid of Black Dog, White Summer, SIBLY, Rain Song, maybe even Train Kept a Rolling. Think how effective Wearing and Tearing would have been as an opener...and it would have segued nicely into Nobody's Fault But Mine.

Everything you mentioned would be perfect for the 1980 tour setlist. Wearing and Tearing as an opener would be more explosive than TKAR live. I would cream my shorts if I could hear a live version with Bonzo. Adding more songs to the setlist from Presence (my favorite album) should of been imperative for the 1980 tour.

[Nutrocker]

Well....for me the Over Europe tour had lost most of the magic that the previous ones had, even like 1977 tour...the vibe from the crowd isn't there and the band (without exceptions ) doesn't seem to enjoy being on stage.

Take for example Robert, who can be heard clearly saying "What a fuckin' horrible place" (!!) in Hannover's soundboard from 6-24-80. It might have been very tough for him touring at that particular time. Watching his bandmate (Jimmy) playing so sloppy must have been a very awkward moment too.

Again, I don't doubt Plant had his moments of thinking, "What the fuck am I doing here?!" during the tour. I'm sure he was already used to Page's vices by then, but it still must have been disheartening to see Page in such rough shape. Add to that the occasionally unenthusiastic reaction from some of the audiences (witness Robert's "Well this song isn't guaranteed to wake you..." quip in Rotterdam, or the aforementioned "Fuckin' horrible place!" in regard to Hannover, which is a dreadful performance IMO) and you can see why Robert Plant probably figured he should have stayed at home with the family.

But, my biggest problem with Over Europe is the unbelievable dryness of the soundboards....even worse from what we have from 77 tour....I can't stand them. The only shows overall that i really enjoy are Zurich and the audience tape of Munich gig (which is actually a good show for the tour's standards)...

Anyway, what i like particulary for the setlist is that it doesn't include long drum solos of 35 minutes and the band decided to do something completely different.....If only Carouselambra was included too like Hot Dog and All Of My Love....

That tour was a teaser about the band's music approach during the 1980's that we never managed to see.....unfortunately...

Yeah, them 1980 soundboards are pretty dry- a bit too mid-rangey for my tastes (I threw a bit of EQ into the mix for my compilation to try and alleviate that issue a little bit.) Indeed, the audience tapes tend to give these shows a completely different perspective.

I think the band realized by that point that thirty minute drum solos and the like just weren't where it was at anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if they looked back on the 1977 tour with some embarrassment over all the self-indulgent solo pieces and whatnot. The 1979 gigs were the first step towards scaling things back in that regard.

P.S Any news about the rumoured pro-shot b/w footage from Zurich ? Do we have any new evidence or someone who knows about it ?

As always, the source of the rumour should lend itself to any sort of credibility.

Adding more songs to the setlist from Presence (my favorite album) should of been imperative for the 1980 tour.

I'll drink to that!

[SuperStatic]

IMO ITTOD and the Led Zeppelin over Europe tour 1980 were valiant attempts to be "reborn" by a band that had been on the verge of oblivion just a few short years earlier.

Agreed they had a ways to go before they totally recovered the mojo they had before all hell broke loose in 77, but I think they would have pulled it off eventually. To bad we'll likely never know.

[LedZebedee]

All the more shocking considering it was their first European tour in seven years...sure, the British music press may still have been licking Punk's ass in 1980 but you'd think the seven year layoff might have garnered some press.

Compare with the hype the 1975 Earls Court gigs got.

What was amazing was they did'nt even bother to send any journalists over to review the gigs! I remember them being branded "the last irrelevant dinosaurs of rock" which was a hell of a fall from grace from the adulation and acclaim they got 5 years previously at Earls Court! Sadly the performances only vindicated the general apathy. Shame it all had to end on such a low note!

[Nutrocker]

What was amazing was they did'nt even bother to send any journalists over to review the gigs!

No English journalists at all?! Fucking hell...that suggests to me that the British music media had an antipathy towards Zeppelin that went beyond the media's embracing of Punk/New Wave. I know, they always sort of struggled for acceptance in their native land, but the British press basically ignoring the '80 tour must have hurt. Mind ya, IIRC, the British music journalists more or less slagged off the Knebworth shows too...

Zeppelin certainly didn't deserve that kind of ignorance...it strikes me as being a very deliberate move on the part of the British press.

[SteveAJones]

What was amazing was they did'nt even bother to send any journalists over to review the gigs!

Actually, it's not strictly true as Steve Gett did review the Munich concert for Melody Maker; it's the cover story for the July 12th issue.

However, my records show he may well have been the only UK journalist to do so.

Led Zeppelin Uber-Alles! (Translation: Led Zeppelin Over All)

Munich's Marineplatz was bustling with shoppers, street salesmen and a variety of sideshow acts including ballet dancers and fire-eaters. Contrasted with the discreet bourgeoisie were several denim-clad German youths displaying Led Zeppelin ephemera.

Noticing my Zep T-shirt a couple of them approvingly greeted me with: "Led Zeppelin! Led Zeppelin! Ja! Ja!" After a lengthy absence "the boys were back in town" and every¬one knew it.

Down in the U-Bahn (the city's underground train system) an array of fans was making its way to the gigantic Olympic Hall for the evening's concert. Meanwhile, several miles away at the Hilton Hotel, other Deutsch devotees were lurking in the lobby hoping to glimpse their idols. Earlier the band had appeared briefly to sign autographs but now were up in their rooms, closely guarded by security as they relaxed prior to the show.

While Zeppelin fever has for the past few weeks enveloped the Continent, not a word has appeared in the English press on what marks the act's first tour for three years.

A number of diehard fans have crossed the Channel in the past fortnight to witness the gigs - but there has been no media coverage whatsoever on Zeppelin's long-awaited return to work. Amazing, when one considers that the band are still by far the most popular outfit in the world.

En route to Munich, encounters with a number of Zep fanatics revealed that the dates have been going extremely well. There seemed to be a feeling of total rejuvenation within the group. The majority of the concerts had sold out and the only minor problem had been the cancellation of the Nuremberg show due to John Bonham's sheer physical exhaustion.

Munich's Olympic Hall was packed long before the band were due on at 9pm. Souvenir salesmen and the refreshment stands cleaned up during the wait, then shortly before nine kids were anxiously seeking vantage points to watch the gig.

The auditorium is not dissimilar to Wembley, except that there is no seating in the Arena. Consequently fans surged forward to the front huddling together like the proverbial sardines, so that eventually the familiar figure of Harvey Goldsmith emerged to persuade everyone to move back. "This request will be repeated in German," he announced. It wasn't. I suspect it would have been ignored.

Just after a quarter past nine the houselights were switched off, the cue for Munich's Olympic Hall to erupt with more force than a volcano as Zeppelin were greeted with Teutonic fervour. In view of the uncertainty that the band would ever do another concert after Knebworth last year, this was indeed a magical moment.

Fantasy soon turned to reality as the stage illuminated and Jimmy Page hammered out the beginning of "Train Kept A Rollin".

It took some time before Robert fully unleashed, and at the start of the show it was hard to hear him properly, but once under way his vocal performance was tremendous. The second number was "Nobody's Fault But Mine", after which Page himself took the microphone to bid good evening to the crowd and introduce "Black Dog" - incredible but true, Jimmy Page actually speaks on stage!

Indeed it was Jimmy, most of all, who epitomised the new-found enthusiasm of the group. His guitar playing was excellent - rough at times but any errors were covered by moments of inspired genius.

Page dropped his trusty Les Paul in favour of a Strat for "In the Evening" which featured a marvellously serene keyboard passage from John Paul Jones in the slow section. He switched again to his twin-neck Gibson for the softer "Rain Song" and it was here that Plant really came into his element.

The euphoric attitude of the band was communicated with the ensuing song "Hot Dog", and the country and western tune from "In Through The Out Door".

Robert made continual pleas for the fans to spread out and ease the discomfort of those in the front, but like Harvey Goldsmith he was fighting an impossible task. The set had been altered slightly from Knebworth with "No Quarter" and Jimmy's violin bow extravanganza having been dropped.

After "All My love" Robert once again implored everyone in the arena to move back, slipping in his familiar cries of "Push! Push! Push!" - this made an appropriate intro for "Trampled Underfoot". Again Page stole the show with sparkling lead breaks and some wah-wah at the end was possibly the finest guitar of the night.

This was followed by "Since I've Been Lovin' You", a classic in its own right, which anyone who has ever witnessed Zeppelin live will attest is a gem in concert. Here Page and Plant shared the limelight with tremendous guitar and vocal blues.

"This is the first tour we've done for three years," proclaimed Robert, "and it's certainly been an interesting sketch! And after this - well, who knows?"

Following Plant's brief remarks the band launched headfirst into "Achilles' Last Stand" where Bonzo proved his talents as a sticks man. Next came Jimmy's guitar interlude, based around "White Summer" and "Black Mountain Side". He sat on a chair, alone on stage, but even then wasn't able to stop moving around. To me, this was the only tedious part of the show, which to that juncture had run very smoothly without any lengthy solos.

The whole concert reflected Zeppelin getting back to basics and I think perhaps it might be as well not to include the Page solo spot in order to sustain impetus throughout. Certainly Page has ample opportunity to show his skills during the set and in fact on the preceding number, "Since I've Been Lovin' You", he handled an elongated lead break. He finished his virtuoso display by leading into "Kashmir". Then came the climax of the set as Zep played their anthem "Stairway to Heaven".

Following the completion of the main set, another drum kit was set up on stage between Robert's mike stand and John Paul Jones' keyboards, which naturally bewildered the audience.

Then, after a rendition of "Rock And Roll", Robert introduced Bad Company's Simon Kirke.

Together the five musicians delivered an extended version of "Whole Lotta Love". Plant was accompanied by Page on backing vocals (!) and this made a fine ending to the show. When it was over, the band quit the stage to tumultuous applause.

It was one of the most enjoyable gigs I have experienced and certainly the best this year. The group enjoyed themselves as much as the audience.

Steve Gett, Melody Maker, July 12, 1980 issue,UK

[Stormbringer]

If I might indulge myself on what a dream (for me) setlist would have been on Over Europe...

1. The Rover

2. How Many More Times

3. Lemon Song/Bring it on Home

4. Walters Walk/Wearing and Tearing

5. In the Light

6. No Quarter

7. For Your Life

8. Tea For One

9. In The Evening

10. Achilles Last Stand

11.The Ocean/I Can't Quit You Baby

12. Kashmir

Encore(s)

13. Thank You/Tangerine

14. Four Sticks

15. Wanton Song/WLL/CB

WOW... This one setlist would NEVER EVER occure to me. I would have never thought of such a setlist.

BUT

Its AWESOME setlist!!!! Thats whole lotta different zeppelin then we "know". Total different aproach, that would just lighten things up. If I could go back in time and somehow manage to visit such a show, with such a setlist, I know I would feel the same... and prolly literally WET my pents on the spot while being there (Well they could play whatever jodling ukulele song and I would wet myself cos I see Led Zep, but thats another story).

Good job on this one.

[Nutrocker]

Actually, it's not strictly true as Steve Gett did review the Munich concert for Melody Maker; it's the cover story for the July 12th issue.

However, my records show he may well have been the only UK journalist to do so.

Led Zeppelin Uber-Alles! (Translation: Led Zeppelin Over All)

Eye thank yew for posting the review, Steve.

Fortunately Mr Gett happened to catch one of the better 1980 performances...

[LedZebedee]

Actually, it's not strictly true as Steve Gett did review the Munich concert for Melody Maker; it's the cover story for the July 12th issue.

However, my records show he may well have been the only UK journalist to do so.

Led Zeppelin Uber-Alles! (Translation: Led Zeppelin Over All)

Munich's Marineplatz was bustling with shoppers, street salesmen and a variety of sideshow acts including ballet dancers and fire-eaters. Contrasted with the discreet bourgeoisie were several denim-clad German youths displaying Led Zeppelin ephemera.

Noticing my Zep T-shirt a couple of them approvingly greeted me with: "Led Zeppelin! Led Zeppelin! Ja! Ja!" After a lengthy absence "the boys were back in town" and every¬one knew it.

Down in the U-Bahn (the city's underground train system) an array of fans was making its way to the gigantic Olympic Hall for the evening's concert. Meanwhile, several miles away at the Hilton Hotel, other Deutsch devotees were lurking in the lobby hoping to glimpse their idols. Earlier the band had appeared briefly to sign autographs but now were up in their rooms, closely guarded by security as they relaxed prior to the show.

While Zeppelin fever has for the past few weeks enveloped the Continent, not a word has appeared in the English press on what marks the act's first tour for three years.

A number of diehard fans have crossed the Channel in the past fortnight to witness the gigs - but there has been no media coverage whatsoever on Zeppelin's long-awaited return to work. Amazing, when one considers that the band are still by far the most popular outfit in the world.

En route to Munich, encounters with a number of Zep fanatics revealed that the dates have been going extremely well. There seemed to be a feeling of total rejuvenation within the group. The majority of the concerts had sold out and the only minor problem had been the cancellation of the Nuremberg show due to John Bonham's sheer physical exhaustion.

Munich's Olympic Hall was packed long before the band were due on at 9pm. Souvenir salesmen and the refreshment stands cleaned up during the wait, then shortly before nine kids were anxiously seeking vantage points to watch the gig.

The auditorium is not dissimilar to Wembley, except that there is no seating in the Arena. Consequently fans surged forward to the front huddling together like the proverbial sardines, so that eventually the familiar figure of Harvey Goldsmith emerged to persuade everyone to move back. "This request will be repeated in German," he announced. It wasn't. I suspect it would have been ignored.

Just after a quarter past nine the houselights were switched off, the cue for Munich's Olympic Hall to erupt with more force than a volcano as Zeppelin were greeted with Teutonic fervour. In view of the uncertainty that the band would ever do another concert after Knebworth last year, this was indeed a magical moment.

Fantasy soon turned to reality as the stage illuminated and Jimmy Page hammered out the beginning of "Train Kept A Rollin".

It took some time before Robert fully unleashed, and at the start of the show it was hard to hear him properly, but once under way his vocal performance was tremendous. The second number was "Nobody's Fault But Mine", after which Page himself took the microphone to bid good evening to the crowd and introduce "Black Dog" - incredible but true, Jimmy Page actually speaks on stage!

Indeed it was Jimmy, most of all, who epitomised the new-found enthusiasm of the group. His guitar playing was excellent - rough at times but any errors were covered by moments of inspired genius.

Page dropped his trusty Les Paul in favour of a Strat for "In the Evening" which featured a marvellously serene keyboard passage from John Paul Jones in the slow section. He switched again to his twin-neck Gibson for the softer "Rain Song" and it was here that Plant really came into his element.

The euphoric attitude of the band was communicated with the ensuing song "Hot Dog", and the country and western tune from "In Through The Out Door".

Robert made continual pleas for the fans to spread out and ease the discomfort of those in the front, but like Harvey Goldsmith he was fighting an impossible task. The set had been altered slightly from Knebworth with "No Quarter" and Jimmy's violin bow extravanganza having been dropped.

After "All My love" Robert once again implored everyone in the arena to move back, slipping in his familiar cries of "Push! Push! Push!" - this made an appropriate intro for "Trampled Underfoot". Again Page stole the show with sparkling lead breaks and some wah-wah at the end was possibly the finest guitar of the night.

This was followed by "Since I've Been Lovin' You", a classic in its own right, which anyone who has ever witnessed Zeppelin live will attest is a gem in concert. Here Page and Plant shared the limelight with tremendous guitar and vocal blues.

"This is the first tour we've done for three years," proclaimed Robert, "and it's certainly been an interesting sketch! And after this - well, who knows?"

Following Plant's brief remarks the band launched headfirst into "Achilles' Last Stand" where Bonzo proved his talents as a sticks man. Next came Jimmy's guitar interlude, based around "White Summer" and "Black Mountain Side". He sat on a chair, alone on stage, but even then wasn't able to stop moving around. To me, this was the only tedious part of the show, which to that juncture had run very smoothly without any lengthy solos.

The whole concert reflected Zeppelin getting back to basics and I think perhaps it might be as well not to include the Page solo spot in order to sustain impetus throughout. Certainly Page has ample opportunity to show his skills during the set and in fact on the preceding number, "Since I've Been Lovin' You", he handled an elongated lead break. He finished his virtuoso display by leading into "Kashmir". Then came the climax of the set as Zep played their anthem "Stairway to Heaven".

Following the completion of the main set, another drum kit was set up on stage between Robert's mike stand and John Paul Jones' keyboards, which naturally bewildered the audience.

Then, after a rendition of "Rock And Roll", Robert introduced Bad Company's Simon Kirke.

Together the five musicians delivered an extended version of "Whole Lotta Love". Plant was accompanied by Page on backing vocals (!) and this made a fine ending to the show. When it was over, the band quit the stage to tumultuous applause.

It was one of the most enjoyable gigs I have experienced and certainly the best this year. The group enjoyed themselves as much as the audience.

Steve Gett, Melody Maker, July 12, 1980 issue,UK

I stand corrected! Not seen this review before but I know Steve Gett was a massive Zep fan so maybe he had to plead and beg to go? It was very un-hip to be a Zep-loving journalist at the time in the UK music press! I remember Sounds magazine were banned by Zeppelin from having an information tent for the fans at Knebworth for calling them boring old dinosaurs which I thought was a bit petty.

[Dallas Knebs]

WOW... This one setlist would NEVER EVER occure to me. I would have never thought of such a setlist.

BUT

Its AWESOME setlist!!!!

you are very kind and thank you... looking at these lists it reminds me during sleepless nights in college I used to make ultimate concert sets by transferring from LP to a mix cassette. (TDK and Denon) I did one that pulled exclusively from from LZII and PG. My room mates enjoyed it so much I had to make them copies. That was even before Walkmans® were around. I was in several gigging bands through college and after, when things needed a lift we covered Led Zeppelin. Top 40 got us the gigs, Led Zeppelin got us booked again. Loved playing In the Light in small clubs. What a response. It shut the people up who were screaming for Freebird.

[Strider]

I just discovered I have the Brussels show, too...so I have 5 1980 shows.

Anyway, I've given it some thought and herewith submit my ideal setlist for the 1980 European(and if it had happened, the 1980 US) Campaign.

In making this list, I took into account the state of the band mentally and physically...no more 3-hour plus marathons with endless show-off solos. No more Heartbreakers and other particularly tricky solos for Mr. Page to navigate.

I also took note that the last European tour had been in 1973. Europe had already goten the best of the early Zeppelin catalogue on the 1969-73 tours. But they had not heard anything from Physical Graffiti, Presence and ITTOD. I don't count the two warm-up dates in 1975 and 1979.

That, along with the rise of Van Halen, punk and the NWOHM bands, and a cultural shift away from long self-indulgent solos and towards a more propulsive, energized concert experience, led me to focus on the more recent albums, and the more hard-driving riff-based songs from the older albums. No more hoary white-boy-blues jams.

I also was considerate to Jonesey's needs and tried to group the keyboard-based songs together, so he wasn't constantly hopping back and forth between bass and keyboards.

The total set time for my setlist is around 2 hours. The songs listed with a slash are ones that the band could alternate depending on mood, or if they were playing two nights in one city, they could play one on each night...i.e. "Tea For One" one night/ "I'm Gonna Crawl" the next.

Strider's 1980 setlist:

1. Wearing and Tearing

2. The Rover (with Jimmy's fuzzed and phased guitar solo at end morphing into the intro to NBFBM)

3. Nobody's Fault But Mine

4. For Your Life

5. The Ocean(complete w/ "we've done 4 already" intro)

6. Royal Orleans

7. Ten Years Gone

8. Tea For One/ I'm Gonna Crawl

9. In the Light/ Carouselambra

10. In the Evening

11. Hot Dog

12. Trampled Under Foot

13. Houses of the Holy/ The Wanton Song

14. Achilles Last Stand

15. Kashmir

Encores:

16. Dancing Days

17. Whole Lotta Love

Any thoughts?

[TheLastSpartan]

I just discovered I have the Brussels show, too...so I have 5 1980 shows.

Anyway, I've given it some thought and herewith submit my ideal setlist for the 1980 European(and if it had happened, the 1980 US) Campaign.

In making this list, I took into account the state of the band mentally and physically...no more 3-hour plus marathons with endless show-off solos. No more Heartbreakers and other particularly tricky solos for Mr. Page to navigate.

I also took note that the last European tour had been in 1973. Europe had already goten the best of the early Zeppelin catalogue on the 1969-73 tours. But they had not heard anything from Physical Graffiti, Presence and ITTOD. I don't count the two warm-up dates in 1975 and 1979.

That, along with the rise of Van Halen, punk and the NWOHM bands, and a cultural shift away from long self-indulgent solos and towards a more propulsive, energized concert experience, led me to focus on the more recent albums, and the more hard-driving riff-based songs from the older albums. No more hoary white-boy-blues jams.

I also was considerate to Jonesey's needs and tried to group the keyboard-based songs together, so he wasn't constantly hopping back and forth between bass and keyboards.

The total set time for my setlist is around 2 hours. The songs listed with a slash are ones that the band could alternate depending on mood, or if they were playing two nights in one city, they could play one on each night...i.e. "Tea For One" one night/ "I'm Gonna Crawl" the next.

Strider's 1980 setlist:

1. Wearing and Tearing

2. The Rover (with Jimmy's fuzzed and phased guitar solo at end morphing into the intro to NBFBM)

3. Nobody's Fault But Mine

4. For Your Life

5. The Ocean(complete w/ "we've done 4 already" intro)

6. Royal Orleans

7. Ten Years Gone

8. Tea For One/ I'm Gonna Crawl

9. In the Light/ Carouselambra

10. In the Evening

11. Hot Dog

12. Trampled Under Foot

13. Houses of the Holy/ The Wanton Song

14. Achilles Last Stand

15. Kashmir

Encores:

16. Dancing Days

17. Whole Lotta Love

Any thoughts?

What about Earls Court, do you count that ? Anyways, seems like a good setlist! I think I may make some adjustments to mine...

[TheLastSpartan]

1. Sick Again

2. For Your Life

4. Hot Dog

5. Trampled Under Foot

6. All My Love

7. In The Light

8. Caresoulambra

9. Celebration Day

10. The Rain Song

11. Kashmir

12. Stairway To Heaven

13. Whole Lotta Love

14. Rock And Roll

[Strider]

What about Earls Court, do you count that ? Anyways, seems like a good setlist! I think I may make some adjustments to mine...

Nope. Continental Europe and the UK are two entirely different things to me. A tour is a tour is a tour. Which is why I consider the 1980 European tour the first European tour since the March-April 1973 Euro tour.

[kirchzep27]

Thats a cool setlist strider, i think the rover and nobody's fault idea would work well. I also like the alternating song idea, made me think if achilles and kashmir were alternating to close a show...it would further in making each show that more unique. also considering that achilles and kashmir were only 4 and 5 yrs old, still new tunes. It would let some fans down of course, would work though, keeping the material changing.

Until this thread, i had never read/knew that the 1980 us tour was planned as a one month tour. This changes my perspective on led zeppelin at that time, because it seems like they were more concerned with the future of the band and jimmy page getting into the shape he was able to get to, with the firm and outrider tour...and maybe slowing things down. As opposed to another album/tour. It seems they were standing by each other, the band supporting plant and the band supporting page, in their respective states at the time.

Also they were still creative in the studio, for them to produce the material of ittod and stuff on coda, so the drug use didnt seem to hinder that aspect of the band/w page. just my opinion of course, but i totally agree that the live aspect of zeppelin wasnt the same and further scaling back and changing the setlist would have been invigorating for the band and the fans.

For what it was, they did scale down the setlist and were heading in the right direction, I consider it a successful album and tour overall.

[Dallas Knebs]

each show that more unique. also considering that achilles and kashmir were only 4 and 5 yrs old, still new tunes. It would let some fans down of course, would work though, keeping the material changing.

I had not considered this... interesting point middlezep

[Stormbringer]

you are very kind and thank you... looking at these lists it reminds me during sleepless nights in college I used to make ultimate concert sets by transferring from LP to a mix cassette. (TDK and Denon) I did one that pulled exclusively from from LZII and PG. My room mates enjoyed it so much I had to make them copies. That was even before Walkmans® were around. I was in several gigging bands through college and after, when things needed a lift we covered Led Zeppelin. Top 40 got us the gigs, Led Zeppelin got us booked again. Loved playing In the Light in small clubs. What a response. It shut the people up who were screaming for Freebird.

That sounds just great. A well known czech band "Žlutý pes" is covering Freebird on their concerts. Its a great song, but I can imagine In The Light shutting everyone wanting it up:).

We never covered Zeps with my band, which is a shame. We jammed on RaR on some rehearsals, but never played it live, altho we are doing this kind of music... John Mayer, Joe Bonamasa, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, BB King... classic Blues-Rock... and some Zeps would fit in so well... but I didnt manage to push any Zeppelin through just yet . I hope I will tho. I would love to hear your version of In The Light as its one of my favourite Zep tunes.

Cheers.

[And You Know How It Is?]

I just discovered I have the Brussels show, too...so I have 5 1980 shows.

Anyway, I've given it some thought and herewith submit my ideal setlist for the 1980 European(and if it had happened, the 1980 US) Campaign.

In making this list, I took into account the state of the band mentally and physically...no more 3-hour plus marathons with endless show-off solos. No more Heartbreakers and other particularly tricky solos for Mr. Page to navigate.

I also took note that the last European tour had been in 1973. Europe had already goten the best of the early Zeppelin catalogue on the 1969-73 tours. But they had not heard anything from Physical Graffiti, Presence and ITTOD. I don't count the two warm-up dates in 1975 and 1979.

That, along with the rise of Van Halen, punk and the NWOHM bands, and a cultural shift away from long self-indulgent solos and towards a more propulsive, energized concert experience, led me to focus on the more recent albums, and the more hard-driving riff-based songs from the older albums. No more hoary white-boy-blues jams.

I also was considerate to Jonesey's needs and tried to group the keyboard-based songs together, so he wasn't constantly hopping back and forth between bass and keyboards.

The total set time for my setlist is around 2 hours. The songs listed with a slash are ones that the band could alternate depending on mood, or if they were playing two nights in one city, they could play one on each night...i.e. "Tea For One" one night/ "I'm Gonna Crawl" the next.

Strider's 1980 setlist:

1. Wearing and Tearing

2. The Rover (with Jimmy's fuzzed and phased guitar solo at end morphing into the intro to NBFBM)

3. Nobody's Fault But Mine

4. For Your Life

5. The Ocean(complete w/ "we've done 4 already" intro)

6. Royal Orleans

7. Ten Years Gone

8. Tea For One/ I'm Gonna Crawl

9. In the Light/ Carouselambra

10. In the Evening

11. Hot Dog

12. Trampled Under Foot

13. Houses of the Holy/ The Wanton Song

14. Achilles Last Stand

15. Kashmir

Encores:

16. Dancing Days

17. Whole Lotta Love

Any thoughts?

It's sure fun to speculate what could have been. I have a different take on two of your points:

1. Both Heartbreakers performed Over Europe were outstanding versions (Rotterdam and Zurich). Pagey would have continued to play that as an encore occasionally, when he was feeling it, during the American tour. So, with 19 American dates lined up for October and November, I believe he would have brought out Heartbreaker as an encore 4-5 times. I also believe, in general, they would have kept the 2nd encore on rotation between CB, Heartbreaker and WLL, basis how into the show the crowd was, and how they (maybe just Pagey) were feeling physically (3 min CB, 9 min Heartbreaker, 15 min WLL).

2. America was where they dominated and became big. And being away for 3 years, I truly believe they would have added 3 songs to the set list from Europe, and the shows would have been 2.5 hours versus 2 hours, give or take 10 minutes, versus Over Europe.

So, using my set list posted earlier in this thread on what changes to the set I would have made for Over Europe, in bold font are the 3 added songs I'm guessing would be added for Led Zep - The 1980's Part 1 setlist:

Custard Pie

Nobody's Fault But Mine

Black Dog

In The Evening

Over the Hills and Far Away

Hot Dog

The Rain Song

All My Love

Trampled Underfoot

Carouselambra

I'm Gonna Crawl

Achilles Last Stand

Wearing and Tearing

Sick Again

Kashmir (no WS/BM preceeding)

Stairway To Heaven

Encores;

Rock and Roll

alternate nightly between Whole Lotta Love/Heartbreaker/Communication Breakdown

[kirchzep27]

^^They probably would never do it w/those two songs, dallas knebs, but that whole alternating songs and exploring their catalogue notion is interesting isnt it. Fans would be wondering...which one will they play ya know. When i saw jimmy page in 88, the radio djs were talking about how at some shows he was playing train kept a rollin and some shows not. He did play train kept a rollin, at the show i saw, so of course that was cool.

A question for musicians on the board, how would have john paul jones have played carouselambra on the us tour? that bass line would be impossible on bass pedals, so would that be modified, or just left out. I'm thinking that even a moderate bass line on pedals would be difficult, with the fast keyboard riffs on that song.

[Nutrocker]

I am pretty sure they would have kept "Train Kept A Rollin'" as the opener; I believe they chose it as the first song in Europe as a symbol of how they were trying to get back to their roots as a band.

The problem I'm noticing with some of these proposed "Alternate 1980 setlists" is that they seem to be catering towards the diehard fans who love the deep cuts as opposed to the casual fans who are only familiar with the 'hits' (I notice the same sort of thing when it comes to debating Rolling Stones setlists as well). I mean, for example, in spite of Plant's contempt for the song, there's no way in hell they wouldn't have played "Stairway To Heaven". Other 'warhorses' -the songs they generally played as encores in 1980- would have been in there as well. When planning a setlist there has to be happy medium between pleasing the casual fans and the fanboys and girls.

Again, I've no real issues with the songs they played in 1980, just the order they played them in (as in spreading out "Rain Song", "Hot Dog" and "All My Love" over the course of the set, not back to back). And, yeah, I'm sure tunes would have been added for the U.S. tour...but I'm sure that aside from "Carouselambra" (which we know they planned on playing) they would have been tried and tested songs like "Over The Hills" and "Sick Again"- nothing obscure, and nothing they'd never done before, probably. We may not look at it this way, but Led Zeppelin tended to play it pretty safe when it came to their setlists, they tried to please everybody.

[SteveAJones]

I'd like for No Quarter to be retained and hear JPJ's medley incorporate I'm Your Boogie Man, Get Down On It and We Are Family.

[Strider]

I'd like for No Quarter to be retained and hear JPJ's medley incorporate I'm Your Boogie Man, Get Down On It and We Are Family.

What? No Star Wars Cantina Song?!?

Don't you have some fan interviews to conduct? Uncle Byrn from Liverpool is waiting.

[SteveAJones]

What? No Star Wars Cantina Song?!?

It may not be a mastertape labeled "John Paul Jones - day off - Amsterdam hotel - June 22, 1980" but isn't it pretty to think so?

[Nutrocker]

What? No Star Wars Cantina Song?!?

:lol:

Throw in the tune from Jabba's palace in Return Of The Jedi for good measure! (1983 or 1997 versions)

[ListenToThis]

Having listened to the entire 1980 tour over the past two months or so I figured I would briefly list my findings:

Plant - consistent throughout the whole tour. Voice at its weakest just prior to Nuremberg and strongest at Munich I'd say.

Jones - really started to let loose in the WLL jams towards the end of the tour. Otherwise Jones being Jones.

Page - steady enough in the beginning. Best night was perhaps Vienna, showing fluency even in White Summer (an exception is the Boogie Chillin within WLL, a train wreak). First night in Mannheim is a low point, struggles throughout. Berlin is also not in the hall of fame.

Bonham - the most inconsistent of the tour (one could argue Page was consistently below par so). He starts off very strong, playing excellent at Dortmund, Koln, Brussels and particularly Rotterdam, which featured his most adventurous and aggressive ALS. At the next show in Bremen he is very playful and jovial, and plays quite impressively at times but also lazy at others, with ALS doing a 180 into a rather linear exercise from him. Next in Hannover his playing is again lazy with a few moments of inspiration but much less than Bremen, and for what its worth I believe his silence during the drum break in ALS was on purpose and actually is quite cool to hear - I know of no other show where he did this. He does not stay at the riser for WS and appears to have begun partying a little earlier than he should have - he returns to play the most lackluster version of Kashmir I have ever heard. For the rest of the show his playing is low key.

Vienna is perhaps the worst performance of his career that doesn't involve him knowingly eating far too many rhinestones. The most linear of a drum pattern (virtually the same beat) is featured on every song, with only the most crucial of deviations being undertaken (like the guitar flourish in STH). Even during the excellent WLL chaos section, where Page really squeezes out some awesome sounds, his playing is boring and abysmal.

Ripe for a theory here. Perhaps he read a review of one of the early shows during these few days and found it to be critical. Perhaps he was unhappy with his efforts to date and gave up temporarily. Maybe he just got too homesick and/or comfortable after the first few shows and started drinking more behind the scenes. Anyway the following day he spent the afternoon at a disco in Roth approx 15 miles south of Nuremberg and likely was not in a good frame of mind with regard to his drumming abilities. As we all know he showed up worse for wear and made it through only three songs of the evening's performance.

At Zurich he recovers well seemingly keen to reaffirm his role. His playing is not however as sharp as it was at the first few gigs of the tour. ALS is again rather linear and will stay that way for the rest of the tour (again after Rotterdam his approach to the tune seemingly changed).

Frankfurt, both Mannheim shows and Munich are all relatively played well, with bursts of energy mixed in with lulls of fatigue.

In Berlin he seems to pick and choose what songs he is interested in, playing hard on TKAR, TUF, Kashmir, RnR and WLL. The others are rather plain.

It is frustrating that Page's best night (Vienna) was met with Bonham's worst. Only the first four shows, and then to a slightly lesser extent Bremen, feature both Page and Bonham playing to the best of their abilities (for 1980). Those who have only heard Zurich, Frankfurt, Munich and/or Berlin are strongly encouraged to seek out Dortmund, Cologne, Brussels or Rotterdam - shows where all cylinders are firing and before a more "relaxed" approach to pre-show preparation and presentation was taken.

Disclaimer: all that stuff you just read, and hopefully liked reading, is just my opinion.