Nutrocker Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Well this tour was never meant to be great, it was just to help build them into being great in America. Thing is, they still probably wouldn't have been "great" in the States, either...I bet quite a few of the punters would have been thinking "What the hell has happened to these guys...it's only been three years!" I reckon the American tour would have had a similar ratio of "good but not great" shows (like Zurich or Frankfurt) to out and out disasters, and probably at least one more Nuremburg-type incident where the show would have been aborted (if not outright cancelled at the last minute). I could also envision Robert Plant having absolutely zero tolerance for any bullshit from the audience, firecrackers and whatnot...maybe not Roger Waters-like tantrums but I could see Robert having the same sort of attitude onstage that he did in Hannover, which would hinder the band even more. Great performances for 1980, yes. But when viewing the whole of Zeppelin's live career 1980 doesn't really stand up. There are just better versions of almost every song in the set from different tours. SIBLY was often rough as guts, even on the Frankfurt show which is rated highly the guitar sounds pretty darn out of tune. Sadly Jimmy just wasn't up to snuff at this point, sure he was capable of occasionally having moments of greatness within the set but he never consistently played a whole show in 1980 at the standard of say Heartbreaker in Zurich, other parts of that show are nowhere near that level of playing. The same could be said about '77 (my fav tour) but Page was more consistent then imo. White Summer should have been nowhere near the setlist in 1980, its like Jimmy was trying to prove (maybe to himself) that he could still pull it off in the state he was in but sadly he ends up making a meal of it night after night, at least in '77 White Summer was mostly passable and sometimes great. Cheers, Tom- I was expecting to be crucified for what I said a couple of posts above, good to know others agree with me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutrocker Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 ...As to the actual topic at hand: if you had to pick ONE 1980 show to convince a naysayer, which would it be? I do believe if someone had a gun to my head I would be leaning towards Munich. I plan on dusting that one off next, I think, but even though it's been a while IMO that was about as good as the Europe '80 tour got, even better than Frankfurt or Zurich. That said, I had Cleveland 28-4-77 cranked up on Saturday night while watching the Canucks kick Philly's ass 5-zip Now, 28-4-77, as I've said more than once, is probably the most consistently well played 1977 performance- better than any of the New York or LA shows in my not so humble opinion. NONE of the 1980 performances even come fucking close to matching that level...which is kinda sad commentary when ya think on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrledhed Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 You shouldn't listen to any 1980 concerts. That's my answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juxtiphi Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 Frankfurt, hands down the best and most enjoyable performance from the tour all the way around and the recording sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithril46 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 The thing is Zep was never designed to sound too controlled or ordinary. Even earlier they made a few mistakes, rough spots, but The overwhelming onslaught trumped all. In 1980 even Bonzo was 1/2 gone, and the lack of power together with the careless mistakes just sunk the band for most of those Euro gigs. IMO If Zep had gone to the U.S. someone would have ended up in a Hospital or dead, and the press would have torn the band to pieces. I don't know why anyone would think that somehow magically The band would have greatly improved their shows in the U.S.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Dounim Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 You shouldn't listen to any 1980 concerts. That's my answer. I can't believe people actually think this way. All of Zep is worth hearing, whatever state they were in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badgeholder Still Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I can't believe people actually think this way. All of Zep is worth hearing, whatever state they were in. I kinda thought he was being facetious. Maybe not. But considering how so many in this thread go on and on about the shows not living up the their personal standards, i'm inclined to agree with that advice. All kinds of interesting stuff happened on the Tour Over Europe. But if you can't accept the shows for what they are, you'd be better off just skipping them. Montreaux 1970 is always just a mouse click away (or should be). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithril46 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I would say that just for interest's sake I could listen to 20 or 30 minutes of any 80' show. But unfortunately my brain is wired a certain Way from hearing earlier Zep tours which seemed far more energetic and exotic, "mystical", etc., than the 80' tour. I guess for some The 80' tour is just different, simply a change of pace, not better or worse than any other tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
in_the_evening Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I used to belong to a Zep forum that was ultimately dismantled because the head founder fell ill, and I never found out what happend. PlanetZeppelin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11kschmi Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 With so much negativity (which i agree with) to the live act and the performance of the band in 1980.... Do you guys think that they could have produced a quality zeppelin album in 1981? I mean we had a few sprinkles of greatness in the studio a year or two before with songs like "Fire." Could they have pulled it together for a whole album? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutrocker Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 With so much negativity (which i agree with) to the live act and the performance of the band in 1980.... Do you guys think that they could have produced a quality zeppelin album in 1981? I mean we had a few sprinkles of greatness in the studio a year or two before with songs like "Fire." Could they have pulled it together for a whole album? Innaresting question. Personally I think the making of Zeppelin's follow-up to In Through The Out Door would have been like pulling teeth, with Page and Bonham wanting a "heavier" type album and Plant and Jones wanting to remain textural and experimental. I bet there would have been a shitload of artistic disagreements behind the scenes, and probably a lot of compromises being made that the members likely wouldn't have wanted to make. Page in particular really would have had to have stepped up his game big time, not only with his playing but as a producer as well (IMO). A co-producer -or even an outside producer- might have been a good idea (though I admit I am hard pressed to say who might have been a suitable outside producer for Zeppelin) Would it have been a good album? Hard to say, really- I can't help but feel that a "1981" Led Zeppelin album would have sounded like a cross between Pictures At Eleven and Death Wish II with a bit more Jones/Bonham influence thrown in, so make of that what you will... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunter19877 Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 i love every year and i have every concert they ever performed on bootleg (well i mean the ones that were recorded or SBD, There are only a few concerts that just were not recorded) But i dont listen to any of the 80s concerts, I just dont like how they cut the show pretty much in half! No more long solos, no more dazed! All of their improvisation is gone! They just played some songs and thats it. I really dont like the 80 tour.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutrocker Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 i love every year and i have every concert they ever performed on bootleg (well i mean the ones that were recorded or SBD, There are only a few concerts that just were not recorded) But i dont listen to any of the 80s concerts, I just dont like how they cut the show pretty much in half! No more long solos, no more dazed! All of their improvisation is gone! They just played some songs and thats it. I really dont like the 80 tour.... What's funny about the 1980 shows is that off the top of my head Berlin is the only one where they really let it all hang out and played, with varying degrees of success Zep fans just have to look at the '80 shows as a band that really did have a different approach to their live performances...but by then most of the other groups had cut out the thirty minute songs they played live as well. I can appreciate what Zeppelin was doing in 1980, but it's like I have to be in the mood to listen to a 1980 performance, it's not like 1977 or what came before at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunter19877 Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 What's funny about the 1980 shows is that off the top of my head Berlin is the only one where they really let it all hang out and played, with varying degrees of success Zep fans just have to look at the '80 shows as a band that really did have a different approach to their live performances...but by then most of the other groups had cut out the thirty minute songs they played live as well. I can appreciate what Zeppelin was doing in 1980, but it's like I have to be in the mood to listen to a 1980 performance, it's not like 1977 or what came before at all. Agreed! I think the berlin show is the one i was just listening to when i wrote this lol. I do appreciate everything they did, I just really cant get into an 80s show. Im too in love with their 77 and 75 shows. And their extremely lively 69 threw 73 shows This is one of my favorites Just cause Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
No Quota Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Munich to me has the best SIBLY. It was a hybrid of I'm Gonna Crawl and SIBLY. Very emotional solos with sustained notes, much like the O2. WLL freak out in Berlin is one for the books. 1980 warts and all I still love. Imagine judging the 75 and 77 tour on the early Chicago runs. It takes time to get momentum and cohesion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IpMan Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Let's see, Rotterdam for one. Listen to Heartbreaker for this show...best version ever IMO. Plant's vocals are the most aggressive I have ever heard from him on this song, and in the right key. Plus...a BIG plus, Jimmy is not on fire, he is fucking blazing!!! The way he re-does the bridge is brilliant, the solos are fast as hell with no mistakes, and his version of Buree during the break before he goes completely apeshit is the clearest, loudest, and most accurate rendition he probably ever did. And, Jimmy's tone is the shit. I you have not heard this version, I suggest you amble on over to YouTube and check it out...better yet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef free Posted August 29, 2015 Share Posted August 29, 2015 Let's see, Rotterdam for one. Listen to Heartbreaker for this show...best version ever IMO. Plant's vocals are the most aggressive I have ever heard from him on this song, and in the right key. Plus...a BIG plus, Jimmy is not on fire, he is fucking blazing!!! The way he re-does the bridge is brilliant, the solos are fast as hell with no mistakes, and his version of Buree during the break before he goes completely apeshit is the clearest, loudest, and most accurate rendition he probably ever did. And, Jimmy's tone is the shit. I you have not heard this version, I suggest you amble on over to YouTube and check it out...better yet: "Nice little workout" indeed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ListenToThis Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I was just listening to Rotterdam a few days ago and thought the same about "Heartbreaker" - simply a stunning version. Plant's vocals at the very end are amazing and Page is indeed blazing through his a cappella and accompanied solos. Brilliant and a true sign that the group still had it when they were believing in themselves, which was the case for the first four shows straight through. There is a dip in Bremen and the first night in Mannheim where they were likely hesitant to look each other in the eye and acknowledge that it was indeed harder to pull it off every night. That's the difference about '80, at times each one very likely wondered, just for a show or two, once or twice, offstage or maybe on, that perhaps this wasn't such a good idea anymore. Regardless, the Rotterdam citizens came around after a low key initial reception to show the band that the audience could still be won over by the mighty balloon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithril46 Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 The thing is every tour is totally different. Even the EC's shows are even besides the different songs quite apart from the rest of the 75' tour. The 80' tour IMO is so different in outlook, appearance, performance,song length etc., that it is really almost a different band. Although there are stretches of some shows that I can listen to with pleasure, for the most part it's hard for me to remain enthused for more than a half hour. Page and Bonzo, although maybe more consistent then 77', are also in turn noticeably less powerful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IpMan Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 ^ You are correct, Zep in 1980 were a completely different band, however to me that was s good thing. As a musician you have two choices, either change with the times or live in the past. I think the bands "cut the waffle" approach was the best idea they had in years. This was not 1973' and even by 77' 30-40 minutes jams were just stupid for most people outside of deadheads and prog-rock aficionados. Plus, Jimmy was no longer capable, physically, to pull off a 20 minute solo without wearing himself out and then shitting on the rest of the show. The thing is I find myself listening to my 1980 boots over almost anything else because for the boots I have (Vienna, Frankfurt, and a few songs fro Rotterdam) the band is in very good form, enthusiastic, and I no longer have to suffer through a 30 minute drum solo or noise solo from Jimmy. The ONLY gripe, and it is a minor one, I have with the 80' tour is the run of Rain Song, Hot Dog, All My Love in the setlist. I like all of those songs but in that order it kinds put the audience to sleep. They should have put All My Love as the first encore and then followed it with a scorcher like BD, Communication Breakdown, Heartbreaker, or, better yet, Wearing and Tearing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bram Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 did the perpetrator of the famous firecracker incident 26 jun 1980 Vienna ever come forward to promoters on the night? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bram Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 can anybody explain the reason behind the ''I thank you'' used by plant at most Europe '80 shows ,I know its a catchphrase by comedian/actor Arthur askey who was still alive at this time does it mean that zep were watching videos of old big and stinker(askey and Murdoch) films on the tour bus or something...I appreciate this post may mean absolutely nothing to anybody other than brits of a certain age Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anniemouse Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I suppose anything is possible as I read Plants favourite comedian was Frank Carson who appeared with Plant and Cozy Powell (he is in the dress) on the clip of the UK children's show Tiswas. Oddest clip ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithril46 Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Yeah I as well thought Plant's patter with the audience was quite eccentric on this tour. He was always knownfor his Plantations, but theyr'e real odd. And IPman probably suggested the best listens of the 80' tour. Still, Ifind the musical changes so drastic on this tour that It would be like having half a Floyd show with no keyboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluecongo Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 I personally love the 80 tour. Frankfurt, Zurich, Rotterdam, Munich, Cologne, lots of good shows in there and the band is clearly trying. When the drugs and booze kicked in too hard, Mannheim, Hannover, Berlin, yeah it weren't so good. but it's Zep, and you don't have the full story if you leave a chapter out. The sound and feel of that tour was a harbinger of what Jimmy and Bonzo wanted on the next album, metallic and driving. its hard for me to listen to 69-70 Zep, as fantastic as they were Roberts constant high pitch wailing grates on me. They were more one dimensional then too, they just had so much more depth in 1980 and when they were in sync it was still awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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