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1977 North American Tour - 40th Anniversary


ZepHead315

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Today marks the 40th anniversary of the start of Led Zeppelin's last tour of America in 1977. On this night 40 years ago, they were playing the first show of the tour at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium (which we sadly do not have a recording of). I've always been fascinated by this tour, as it marks the end of an era for a lot of things: It was the last time Zeppelin would perform on an "epic" scale (long tours in sold-out arenas and stadiums, shows that were 3+ hours long, long jams in the middle of songs), the last time they would perform an acoustic set, and the last time Plant seemed to really be into it. I really think Karac's death made him lose a lot of enthusiasm for playing in the band.

In spite of its well-known problems, I've always really liked this tour and it's one of my favorites. A good reason for this is probably that the first complete Zeppelin bootleg I ever heard was Listen to This Eddie. I can still remember when I played it for the first time: That sense of building anticipation, the crowd roaring, the soundcheck. And then The Song Remains the Same started...and my jaw dropped on the floor! I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Bonzo was going absolutely nuts, seeming to be on the verge of destroying his drum kit. Page's tone was downright nasty and heavy. Jones was racing along on bass. And Plant was singing with enthusiasm and passion. I was floored. This was a MILLION times better than the studio version which I had grown accustomed to. Over the course of the next couple of days I listened to the remainder of the show whenever I had free time. When I finished, I was never the same. That was the moment when I got into Zeppelin bootlegs. That was the moment when Zeppelin became my all-time favorite live band. Nothing will ever come close to that feeling I had.

I suppose because of this, whenever I think of this tour, I think of those LA shows, even though the entire tour was not up to that level. For me, these are my favorite concerts by anyone. Sure, on a technical level each member of the band may have had a superior night elsewhere (with maybe the exception of Bonzo), but I just love how locked in to one another they sound. I love the setlist (even though the drum solo and noise solo can wear thin), which perfectly sums up most of their career. I love the enthusiasm and the clear joy they have in playing in their "home away from home". I love all the references to badgeholders. Most of all, I love the sound. We are truly lucky that Mr. Mike Millard was there for four of those six glorious nights and was able to capture those shows in fantastic sound quality.

I could go on and on about why I really like this tour, but I think Strider did a great job of summing up the feelings of fellow '77 fans in another thread. If I may quote him:

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When I think of a rock and roll tour, I think of a band on the road for months at a time hitting all the regions of the country. I think of endless days of speculation and anticipation and media reports coming in as the band marches across the country, the buzz building and building until you think you are going to burst with excitement when the band at last comes to your town.

By the mid-70s, after Led Zeppelin and the Stones and Elton John and others laid the groundwork for the modern rock tour, it was common-place for bands to tour for more than 30 or 40 shows in the U.S.

But for most of the early years, a Led Zeppelin tour barely lasted a month or more. Even in 1972, while the Stones were blazing around America, when Led Zeppelin toured the Led Zeppelin IV album, they played only 19 shows on that summer tour. No shows in San Francisco, Chicago, Texas, or anywhere in the Deep South.

1973 was their first real bona-fide multi-month cross-country tour of America. 36 shows and this time Led Zeppelin did hit the south and San Francisco and Chicago and many other places they had neglected. That was a great tour.

In 1975, they had another boffo tour...but even at 38 shows across three months, it seemed short. Again there were places ignored...no San Francisco/Oakland dates, for instance. Other issues hampered the tour...the band's health and the fact that the majority of the tour took place in the freezing winter, which exacerbated the band's health issues.

The 1977 U.S. Tour, on the other hand, felt different right from the beginning. For one thing, it was a spring-summer tour. Warm weather and warm vibes. Like 1973, they hit all the regions of the country, playing places they missed in 1975. 51 total dates scheduled from April to August...of which 44 were played before Karac's tragic passing forced the cancellation of the rest of the dates. The 1977 tour was not only covered by Creem, Circus, and the rock media and daily newspapers of the cities on the tour. It was also covered by the national mainstream press such as Time and Newsweek.

The sound system, the staging, the light show and special effects. Everything was a leap above what had come previously. 

And now let us talk about the concert itself. Everyone mentions Tempe. Ok, Tempe was bad...or that's what one hears from the available tape.

But how many "bad" shows were there really on the 1977 tour? I can vouch for the LA Forum run...not a bad show in the bunch. Even the one I missed, the 22nd of June, is top-notch. Best "Over the Hills" solo Jimmy ever played...and maybe the best "No Quarter" of the Forum week.

All the New York shows sound like they were good shows...some like the June 7th reach epic heights. So between LA and NY, that's 12 good to great shows right there.

Both Cleveland shows, Cincinnati, Pontiac Silverdome, Atlanta, Ft. Worth, Houston, and two of the Largo Center, MD shows (May 28 and 30) all sound like passable good shows to me...the worst of them is still above average.

So far we have two Largo shows and Tempe that one could objectively rank as below average. That makes 3 bad shows and 21 above average or better shows.

Chicago I have only heard in fragments, so I cannot really vouch for those dates. But let's go ahead and concede that the show where Jimmy collapsed was not a good night for the band. Nor can I make a judgement on all the early dates that have not surfaced in any form. I never received Freezer's Baton Rouge tape. But people that have heard it rave about the show.

Tampa was rained out but what they did play sounds like it would have been a killer show.

That leaves San Diego and the third leg of the tour. I haven't listened to San Diego or the Oakland shows in years. I recall Bonham being deathly ill during the San Diego show so I cut the band some slack for that night. The Oakland shows I recall not being impressed compared to the Forum shows, but I don't know that I would say they were bad shows...the quality or non-quality of the audience tape may hinder one's judgement of a show.

Last but not least, we have the Seattle Kingdome show, which I have previously reconsidered on this Forum and found it to be quite enjoyable, especially via the audience tape.

So, let us say the San Diego and one of the Oakland shows were bad.

That means that out of a 44 date tour, we only have evidence of 6 "bad" shows: Tempe, San Diego, Oakland, Chicago, and two Largos. 27 shows are good-to-great and we are still waiting on tapes for the rest.

That is a pretty good ratio and hardly the disaster people try to make the 1977 tour seem.

Basically, this thread is for any and all discussion of the '77 tour. Favorite concerts, songs, moments, etc. Feel free to post any concert memories as well if you were one of the lucky ones to see Zeppelin in person on this tour!

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2 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

Basically, this thread is for any and all discussion of the '77 tour. Favorite concerts, songs, moments, etc. Feel free to post any concert memories as well if you were one of the lucky ones to see Zeppelin in person on this tour!

As much as I would like, I really don't have anything to add here, unless perhaps I dig out some old photographs from '77 and post 'em. It's been 40 years, fair enough, and previously discussed to the moon and back.

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1 hour ago, SteveAJones said:

As much as I would like, I really don't have anything to add here, unless perhaps I dig out some old photographs from '77 and post 'em. It's been 40 years, fair enough, and previously discussed to the moon and back.

By chance, do you, or does anyone have high resolution pictures of the April 10th show when Jimmy is in the Stormtrooper outfit?

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7 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the start of Led Zeppelin's last tour of America in 1977. On this night 40 years ago, they were playing the first show of the tour at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium (which we sadly do not have a recording of).

Well, you're not missing anything from the opening date in Dallas. I was there, 10 rows back in the center. They were rusty. It was more like a dress rehearsal, and Robert jokingly said as much from the stage that night. But hey, it was Led Zeppelin... so an average show by them is better than most good shows by any lesser band.

The Houston and Ft. Worth shows in late May were a different matter. I was at both shows, and they were both great! It's fitting that the last Led Zeppelin show I ever saw was in FT. Worth, the first place I ever saw the band perform, in 1970. Both were excellent shows to witness, and book-ended my live Led Zeppelin experiences.

There was never any visuals broadcast on the Summit big screen during their performance. So rumors of a taping will stay just that until evidence should arise.

It's my opinion that their excesses on the road in '77 got the best of them at times, in a way that exceeded anything that had come before.

But when they had it together in '77, what a spectacle it was, to see and hear!

The choice of TSRTS as the '77 opening was the most powerful LZ opening that I had ever witnessed.

"Ten Years Gone" was the highlight for the Houston show.

The highlight of the Ft. Worth concert was their mesmerizing otherworldly performance of "Kashmir".

Many will only ever have boots to reference these shows by. But, I tell you, that being there, well the "magik" in the room, just isn't done justice by a tape.

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5 hours ago, CBR_1000RR said:

By chance, do you, or does anyone have high resolution pictures of the April 10th show when Jimmy is in the Stormtrooper outfit?

I'll check to see what I have as photographic prints and scan them in. Quite a few shots from that show have been posted here in the past by others.

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22 minutes ago, The Rover said:

Well, you're not missing anything from the opening date in Dallas. I was there, 10 rows back in the center. They were rusty. It was more like a dress rehearsal, and Robert jokingly said as much from the stage that night. But hey, it was Led Zeppelin... so an average show by them is better than most good shows by any lesser band.

The Houston and Ft. Worth shows in late May were a different matter. I was at both shows, and they were both great! It's fitting that the last Led Zeppelin show I ever saw was in FT. Worth, the first place I ever saw the band perform, in 1970. Both were excellent shows to witness, and book-ended my live Led Zeppelin experiences.

There was never any visuals broadcast on the Summit big screen during their performance. So rumors of a taping will stay just that until evidence should arise.

It's my opinion that their excesses on the road in '77 got the best of them at times, in a way that exceeded anything that had come before.

But when they had it together in '77, what a spectacle it was, to see and hear!

The choice of TSRTS as the '77 opening was the most powerful LZ opening that I had ever witnessed.

"Ten Years Gone" was the highlight for the Houston show.

The highlight of the Ft. Worth concert was their mesmerizing otherworldly performance of "Kashmir".

Many will only ever have boots to reference these shows by. But, I tell you, that being there, well the "magik" in the room, just isn't done justice by a tape.

I must say I'm very jealous of you! Yeah, I was pretty sure that Dallas wasn't a very good performance (by their standards). I've heard that Oklahoma City (the 1st bootleg from this tour, which I have not yet heard myself) was rusty as well, so I can only imagine how rough Dallas was. 

Houston and Fort Worth are indeed great shows. It must have been a real treat to have seen and heard Bonzo in Houston. His performance there is insane and right up there with LTTE!

I will also agree that this tour is where the excesses really began to take their toll, especially with Jimmy. He was rough at times in '75, but you could at least blame rustiness and the broken finger for that. In '77, it was the drugs. Tbh, I don't think it truly became a big problem for him until the third leg. He had some off nights before (4/9, a couple of the Landover shows, etc.), but for the most part he was at least passable for much of the first two legs. But when that third leg started...man, it wasn't pretty!

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Maybe the biggest issue I take with this tour is that I feel that after having heard LTTE, I have no reason to go back and listen to other dates. The first forum show is a lot of fun to be sure. Yet they very rarely changed it up from show to show. The tour just kinda of feels monotonous to me That doesn't mean I haven't gone back and listened to other shows like 4/28 (which is also quite good) but I don't have a reason to search them out. It's really the lack of spontaneity to go along with Jimmy's diminished skills. Now I know that there was apparently a great light show and everything but as someone who never attended one of the shows and just has audio to go by, that doesn't really matter to me.

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June 11 Madison Square Garden.  Waiting until after 9 pm in a packed house of people going generally nuts.  So many firecrackers and cherry bombs.  A thick, dense haze of smoke from a variety of materials.  When they hit the stage it was so overwhelming.  I can clearly remember the wall of sound and the drums - as one person once described it, like artillery shots.  The crowd was over the top as soon as the lights went out, and when they hit the stage it was bedlam.  "Three hours of lunacy" indeed Robert.  One sound that really struck me was the guitar tone in the Rover.  I was so glad they were playing the Rover !  (this was in the old days when it was not really easy to know the set list in advance).  Then in  an instant they went into Sick Again, and for a split second I was actually disappointed.  What?  They are not playing the  Rover ?? What the hell just happened?  Oh wow, they are playing Sick Again !  In about 2 seconds I forgot all about the Rover.    

 

I just came across this recording of the show on YouTube.  So much better than previous recordings I had.

 

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Maybe the first night of the tour was a little rusty. But the important fact of the April 1, 1977 Dallas concert was not how good it was, it was that the band actually performed at all.

After two years of postponements, cancellations, delays, caused by first, Plant's accident in Greece in 1975, and second, his tonsillitis at the beginning of 1977, news that the tour had at last begun and the machinery was in gear was all a fan wanted to know by that point. 

That is why Robert Hilburn's article in the April 5, 1977 L.A. Times was so welcome...it was proof in black-and-white that the tour had begun. The wheels were in motion...and I had a setlist to anticipate!

Los Angeles Times Tuesday April 5, 1977 View Section IV Page 1

Led Zeppelin Lands Safely in Dallas

By Robert Hilburn

Times Pop Music Critic

DALLAS - Led Zeppelin, generally conceded to be the world's most popular rock 'n' roll band, has fond memories of this Texas city.

 

It was here at the Dallas Pop Festival in 1969 that the then-recently formed English band climaxed a triumphant U.S. tour that established it as a major new force in rock. It was also in Dallas four years ago that a local oil man's daughter hired a private jet to follow Zeppelin's plane out of town.

 

But neither those or other Dallas memories begin to match the importance-or emotionalism-of Zeppelin's appearance last weekend at the Dallas Memorial Auditorium.

 

The band, whose future has been in doubt since lead singer Robert Plant severely injured his right foot in a near-fatal 1975 auto crash, returned to live shows Friday night with a stirring performance that reassured both the group and its fans about Zeppelin's ability to continue.

 

There were lots of rough spots in the band's first appearance in nearly two years, but there was only jubilation on the faces of Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham after the three-hour show as they raced to limousines for the ride to the airport.

 

Later, inside the luxury Boeing 707 that the band has chartered for its U.S. tour, the group embraced with the emotionalism of a high school team that just won the state championship.

 

"Sure, it was emotional," Plant said, relaxing in a New Orleans hotel room the next afternoon. "We had just cleared the biggest hurdle of our career. It was a chapter in my life that I never really knew if I'd be able to see.

 

"I tried to keep a positive attitude in the months after the accident, but even after I was able to walk again I didn't know how the foot would holdup on stage. Even the rehearsals didn't prove it to me. I was so nervous before we went on stage last night that I almost threw up. I could feel the tenseness in my throat for the first couple of songs. I kept telling myself to loosen up.

 

"The whole show possessed an element of emotionalism that I've never known before. I could just as easily have knelt on the stage and cried. I was so happy. I don't think I've ever sung better in America. I mean I'd have liked for everybody who ever wanted to see us to have been there..."

 

Plant, 28, was vacationing with his wife and their two children when the auto accident occurred on a small Greek island. Doctors said he wouldn't be able to walk for at least six months. There was even a chance he would be crippled.

 

Though touring was still out of the question, Plant had recovered well enough by late 1975 to record the "Presence" album with the band. But he had to sit on a stool during the 18 days of recording.

 

With doctors warning another serious blow to the foot could leave him crippled, he went through a terrifying moment during the session. Caught up in the excitement of one of the tracks, he slipped and put his full weight on the foot for the first time since the accident.

 

"Jimmy (Page) flew through the air and tried to hold me up, but I just sank. They took me to the hospital to make sure I hadn't reopened the fracture." In light of the incident, the band titled the track "Achilles Last Stand".

 

With doctors' assurances that Plant's foot could stand up to the strain of his flashy, stallion-like prancing on stage, Zeppelin finally scheduled a U.S. tour for this spring. It was to have begun Feb. 27 in Ft. Worth. But it had to be canceled. Ironically, Plant was again the reason. He came down with tonsilitis just before the band, which had been rehearsing for weeks in England, was ready to come to the United States. The illness added to his frustration.

 

"We had rehearsed right up until the week before we were due to come over here, which, I can see now, was probably pushing things a bit too much," Plant said.

 

"After the rehearsals, I went to Wales. I was in the hills when I woke up one morning with a soreness in my throat. I thought, 'Oh, good Lord, isn't there any end to this?' I had a fever that went clear off the thermometer.

 

"I felt even worse because it was me again causing the problems. I haven't been away from performing this long since I was 14."

 

On the first two legs of the rescheduled tour, Led Zeppelin will be seen by more than 700,000 persons in 40 shows. More than 108,000 will see the group in its six sold-out shows starting June 21 at the Inglewood Forum. It's the first time a rock group has ever played six nights at the 18,700-seat facility.

 

Because of the delays, Plant, understandably, was the first member of the band to come to the hotel lobby Friday night for the ride to the auditorium. He chatted good-naturedly with a few fans and posed for pictures for amateur photographers.

 

When the band stepped on stage just after 8, the audience roared its appreciation. Though much has been written about the aggressive nature of Zeppelin's audience in responding to the band's high-energy musical assault, the tone Friday was one of warmth. The audience, one sensed, was simply glad to see its band.

 

"I was afraid we'd never be able to see them again," said Carol Morett, a 17-year-old from neighboring Ft. Worth. "When the tour was canceled the first time, I was afraid it was something wrong with Robert's leg. I thought the thing about tonsilitis was just an excuse. I'm so glad to see he's OK. He's the greatest. This whole band is the greatest."

 

Never a critic's favorite, Zeppelin, too, played with an eagerness and joy that was contagious. I still think they'd be more effective-considering the limitation of much of their material-to cut an hour out of their set, thus shedding some of the excess.

 

But the audience-even after two encores-seemed ready for more. The applause could still be heard from the hall as the limousines pulled onto the street after the show.

 

"You can't pretend last night's concert was the greatest we've ever done, but there was something between us after that long gap that enabled us-in certain songs, where we really got hold of it-to go far beyond where we had been before," Plant said Saturday in New Orleans.

 

Yes, he said, he had thought about not being able to return to the band. "I wouldn't have compromised. I couldn't have gone on a stage and sat on a stool all night. I've got to be able to move around.

 

"As much as you can develop a wonderfully warm rapport with people, the natural thing is to watch someone's weak point, particularly when so much has been written about my foot. It would be just, 'Aw, look, he ain't doin' it right; he's slowed down.' And I just wouldn't have been able to take that.

 

"I just kept kicking the foot down on the stage real hard last night to show myself I could do it. In fact, I paid the price. It got a little sore. But it'll come around. I'm just out of condition.

 

"There are a few things I won't be able to do because of the foot. I can't play soccer because the contact could reinjure it. But it's not something to brood about.

 

"After two more years off, there's nothing in the world I want to do more than get on that stage. If every night could be like last night, then I'll be overjoyed. I just can't wait."

Zeppelin Song Book

Led Zeppelin's opening-night song selection (subject to change on future dates): "The Song Remains the Same", "Sick Again", "Nobody's Fault but Mine", "In My Time of Dying", "Since I've Been Loving You", "No Quarter", "Ten Years Gone", "Battle of Evermore", "Going to California", "Black Country Woman", "Bron-y-ar" (sic), "Kashmir", "Moby Dick", "Dazed and Confused"(instrumental only), "Achilles Last Stand", "Stairway to Heaven". Encores: "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll".

 

Copyright Los Angeles Times.

Now, the most important thing I took from this article was for the first time since I started going to see Led Zeppelin in concert, I had advance notice of what the setlist would most likely be. Previously, I could only guess...sure concert warhorses like Stairway, Rock and Roll, and Dazed and Confused were a given, and I had a few bootlegs of older tours. But the 1977 tour was the first time I knew going in what was going to be played, and in what order...I knew the opening would be TSRTS and what the acoustic set would entail. I was ecstatic that "Achilles" and "Ten Years Gone" were in...but somewhat bummed that yet again, no "The Rover" or "When the Levee Breaks" or "Immigrant Song".

 

I was intrigued by what was meant by "Dazed and Confused"(instrumental only)...would they only play the fast solo part? The whole song but with no lyrics? What the hell did that mean?

 

I have a feeling Mike Millard also read this article, and that it helped him plan on when to make his tape swaps...if you listen to "Listen to This, Eddie", it is remarkable how perfect he timed his flips and didn't miss much music, considering it was the first night.

 

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Hard to believe it was 40 years ago today I saw them in St Paul, I hope a recording comes to light some day.

Page said it was one of the better shows of the tour, TU was part of the main set ,encores were RR and BD which was rarely played in 77  

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On ‎4‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 0:06 AM, John M said:

June 11 Madison Square Garden.  Waiting until after 9 pm in a packed house of people going generally nuts.  So many firecrackers and cherry bombs.  A thick, dense haze of smoke from a variety of materials.  When they hit the stage it was so overwhelming.  I can clearly remember the wall of sound and the drums - as one person once described it, like artillery shots.  The crowd was over the top as soon as the lights went out, and when they hit the stage it was bedlam.  "Three hours of lunacy" indeed Robert.  One sound that really struck me was the guitar tone in the Rover.  I was so glad they were playing the Rover !  (this was in the old days when it was not really easy to know the set list in advance).  Then in  an instant they went into Sick Again, and for a split second I was actually disappointed.  What?  They are not playing the  Rover ?? What the hell just happened?  Oh wow, they are playing Sick Again !  In about 2 seconds I forgot all about the Rover.    

 

I just came across this recording of the show on YouTube.  So much better than previous recordings I had.

 

Got this playing thru Winamp in my office right now.  Sounds glorious.  Very good recording of a great night at MSG.

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^soundboard of that show is among the top of my wish list. Want to hear the unheard Bonzo's Birthday 5/31/77 show the most. If it smokes like the night before, it will be a real treat. 3/3/75 sure didn't disappoint, speaking of unheard shows.

Of course I'll go bonkers when we get another 1977 soundboard, but I'm really hoping the next one is from the New York run or the LA run. I've been dying to hear an Over the Hills, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, or Communication Breakdown from '77 in soundboard quality. Can't imagine hearing the powerful band the 5/30 soundboard displays... Fortunately there are some great audience recordings we can drool over... 4/28 comes to mind. Robert's best latter years voice, Bonzo at the top of his game, Jimmy changing up his sound into a dark mysterious clean beast, Jonesy changing up his sound, and the balance of 1977 live was great too. Jimmy wasn't always in the very forefront of the mix. So much can be said about 1977 gigs that make them almost sound like a different band compared to the sound of 1973 and 1975, which was almost the same sound they've had live since '71 or '72.

Zeppelin live in 1977 kicks ass.

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15 minutes ago, Dirty Work said:

Of course I'll go bonkers when we get another 1977 soundboard, but I'm really hoping the next one is from the New York run or the LA run. I've been dying to hear an Over the Hills, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, or Communication Breakdown from '77 in soundboard quality.

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again: my number one soundboard wish from 77 is a soundboard of 6/22/77. The Millard recordings are so good that I'd be fine with those shows (6/21, 6/23, 6/25, and 6/27) without a soundboard. But 6/22/77 contains my favorite versions of IMTOD and OTHAFA and one of the best versions of Achilles Last Stand ever (even with Page breaking a string). Would LOVE to hear Page's OTHAFA solo in soundboard quality here. He is absolutely tearing it up there!

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13 hours ago, Dirty Work said:

^soundboard of that show is among the top of my wish list. Want to hear the unheard Bonzo's Birthday 5/31/77 show the most. If it smokes like the night before, it will be a real treat. 3/3/75 sure didn't disappoint, speaking of unheard shows.

Of course I'll go bonkers when we get another 1977 soundboard, but I'm really hoping the next one is from the New York run or the LA run. I've been dying to hear an Over the Hills, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, or Communication Breakdown from '77 in soundboard quality. Can't imagine hearing the powerful band the 5/30 soundboard displays... Fortunately there are some great audience recordings we can drool over... 4/28 comes to mind. Robert's best latter years voice, Bonzo at the top of his game, Jimmy changing up his sound into a dark mysterious clean beast, Jonesy changing up his sound, and the balance of 1977 live was great too. Jimmy wasn't always in the very forefront of the mix. So much can be said about 1977 gigs that make them almost sound like a different band compared to the sound of 1973 and 1975, which was almost the same sound they've had live since '71 or '72.

Zeppelin live in 1977 kicks ass.

Preach it brother!

12 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again: my number one soundboard wish from 77 is a soundboard of 6/22/77. The Millard recordings are so good that I'd be fine with those shows (6/21, 6/23, 6/25, and 6/27) without a soundboard. But 6/22/77 contains my favorite versions of IMTOD and OTHAFA and one of the best versions of Achilles Last Stand ever (even with Page breaking a string). Would LOVE to hear Page's OTHAFA solo in soundboard quality here. He is absolutely tearing it up there!

Yes, June 22 and 26 are the only L.A. '77 shows we really need soundboard recordings for.  

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22 hours ago, ZepHead315 said:

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again: my number one soundboard wish from 77 is a soundboard of 6/22/77. The Millard recordings are so good that I'd be fine with those shows (6/21, 6/23, 6/25, and 6/27) without a soundboard. But 6/22/77 contains my favorite versions of IMTOD and OTHAFA and one of the best versions of Achilles Last Stand ever (even with Page breaking a string). Would LOVE to hear Page's OTHAFA solo in soundboard quality here. He is absolutely tearing it up there!

Also one of the best (post-'71 at least) Stairway's--no "does anyone remember laughter?" and Jimmy jumps straight into the solo after the fanfare without staying on the 12-string for the extra bar or two like usual.  An incredibly fluid and focused solo, I might add, and one which actually keeps gaining momentum right through the transition back to the final verse!

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Yesterday I was listening to June 21, 1977 and I was thinking back to when I saw Zeppelin on June 11, 1977.  I was trying to remember what it was like to hear that show for the first time and it struck me that I had never heard White Summer before that show.  I had never even heard of White Summer.  I didn't know Zeppelin bootlegs existed, and I had no Yardbirds albums.  

I recall wondering what Jimmy was playing when he sat down by himself.  As he weaved his way through White Summer I was quite intrigued as to what this was and where it was going.  I thought he is making this up on the spot?  Then I realized it had morphed into something familiar, it was Black Mountain Side !  Wow. This is amazing.  He is playing Black Mountain Side!

Then as it built to a climax, he stood up, kicked the chair back and the band blasted off into Kashmir.  We have all heard that a thousand times now but it was so overwhelming then.  One of my enduring memories of that show.

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On 4/22/2017 at 6:34 AM, John M said:

He is playing Black Mountain Side!

Then as it built to a climax, he stood up, kicked the chair back and the band blasted off into Kashmir.  We have all heard that a thousand times now but it was so overwhelming then.  One of my enduring memories of that show.

Also for me. You had to have been there to see and hear and feel what was going on. "Kashmir" was the climax of the entire evening for me. It was particularly powerful the night of May 22nd, in Ft. Worth. If only we could have a multi-track release from any of those "good" nights of the '77 US Tour!!!

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58 minutes ago, The Rover said:

Also for me. You had to have been there to see and hear and feel what was going on. "Kashmir" was the climax of the entire evening for me. It was particularly powerful the night of May 22nd, in Ft. Worth. If only we could have a multi-track release from any of those "good" nights of the '77 US Tour!!!

Brilliant use of the harmoniser for Percy on the wasted land part it gives me goosebumps when I hear it.

 

This is the tour where they become the biggest thing since sliced bread for me.

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