Agreed. I actually think the 29th Dazed is very close to the 27th...was surprised to arrive at that conclusion, but I did after my anniversary listens this past July.

Exactly. LMAO...sadly, I think our best hope now is Jason having a more liberal view of what's release-worthy once he inherits the keys to the vault (assuming it would go to him after the three of them, which perhaps isn't a safe assumption?). Obviously I hope that's not anytime soon... They should really hire an archivist/legacy manager like the Grateful Dead have done. It helps to have someone with a bit more of an "outsider"'s perspective, even if they're a diehard fan.

LOL, that always frustrates me too, but I'd be willing to bet that those in attendance went home talking about him playing above his head and either forgot or didn't notice the bit of slop that resulted from it. I have to remind myself of that sometimes: these bands were playing with the people in the seats in mind, and them alone...not we "armchair quarterbacks" decades later. Yeah, I'll concede Page has some loose moments on RAR>SA, but the other three are so good and the energy is so high I'm able to not notice it when I so choose...sometimes ignorance is bliss 😂😎 I'd say 3/21 STH is one of the best of all time btw...great structure to the solo, keeps the momentum building the whole way (and it's a long one...clocks in just under 13 minutes), which didn't always happen.

Off the top of my head, going chronologically: 2/3, 2/8, 2/12, 2/13, 2/28, 3/3, 3/5, 3/11, 3/12, 3/19-21. I think his playing in '75 gets a bad rap sometimes due to him being more reserved at Earls Court for whatever reason...he was pretty fiery most of the time on the North American tour. As a matter of fact, I have an episode planned for about a month from now with two fellow drummers in the community detailing the evolution of his playing across the entirety of their live career! I quite like 5/25 as well. If it had the Dazed from the night before, I would have no complaints! No, it's not Plant's best night of the year, but it's '75...I consider great vocals a bonus if they happen to be there 😂 You're bang on about 3/27 NQ. If you're able to listen to what Page was trying to play, I think it's one of his best-structured NQ solos in terms of the sense of plot and emotional arc...just not his absolute best execution. That lick he hits just before the motif from the studio version (and the crowd's response) gives me chills every time! Jones' solo is one of his best and most concise, and the groove between he and Bonzo is probably my fav. Plus, Plant gets quite an air raid in on the outro for good measure! 3/27 is one of his better nights of the year... Lol, fair enough! Exactly. I agree, it was the highlight of most '75 shows.

Lmao, fair enough 😂 Art is subjective at the end of the day...there are a few shows (Zepp and other bands) that have never clicked with me to the extent that they do for others, despite my best efforts. I agree, it's nice to hear differing perspectives. I'm a drummer, so I love getting a guitarist's perspective -- like reading these nitpicks. Oh, I have a big soft spot for 3/27, which is a bit less popular of an opinion to have 😅 It's the longest show of their career if you only count the music (i.e. eliminate all Plantations, gaps between songs, etc.) and has the longest average song length by quite a bit, reaching that length with just 15 songs! The other three that cross 3h 40m in total run time (incl. gaps) -- 3/21/75, 5/25/75 & 6/27/77 -- are 17, 20 and 21 songs, respectively. Not that length is directly correlated to quality, but I think it's cool to hear them stretching everything out like that on the last night. That NQ is one of my favourites. Oh, interesting. I'd nominate 3/27's groove section as a challenger! 3/20 is an amazing NQ for sure, and finished second to 3/21 in my ranking of the '75 NQs last year: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1119254/8206579 I should explore classical more than I have, to be honest. I took a few courses on it in university and always enjoy what I hear, but sort of forget to listen to it/don't know where to start 😅 I will listen to some Debussy now 👍 Agreed on the cinematic quality of NQ, especially in March '75. I ended up using some pretty fantastical language trying to describe them on the podcast 😂

3/21 is actually my personal favourite show of their entire career, factoring sound quality, setlist, etc. I freely admit that it's not a perfect technical performance and that the "vibes" (which are A++) and all of the other intangibles influence my opinion greatly. I think part of it is, when you listen to the whole tour chronologically, it's really rewarding to hear them finally put it all together for one that has that epic quality like an Osaka '71 or Seattle '72 (not in their league technically speaking, I know). On the technical side, I personally feel that 3/21/75 is Jones' best show of their career. Of course he was the most consistent member by far, but I do find that his creativity is really off the charts in March '75. The setlist allows him to "show off" a lot, and the recordings make it so easy to hear all of his brilliance. I think 3/21 is the best of the bunch for him; my favourite piano solo of his in NQ — and crazy playing throughout the jam — and some mind-blowing bass playing throughout...check TSRTS! My copy of 4/27/69 is titled The Jimi Page Experience; you could call 3/21/75 The John Paul Jones Experience...

Yup...TSRTS is great, but imagine if the tapes had started rolling 10 day earlier 😩 Glad to hear you're on a nice Zepp binge after such a long time away! You started your break when I was born 🤣

Update: I will be doing the same thing for the '77 NQ's this year... 🤭 Expect it mid-July or so...

I agree -- the 'weather-worn' feel suits "The Rain Song." 3/19 is a great show indeed.

Yes, I saw the announcement of that! Not sure if I'll make it over there for it, but I have seen Plant -- 6/15/18 at Budweiser Stage in Toronto.

That's a shame the Buffalo show didn't happen -- and of course a bigger tragedy as far as why it didn't. That would've been a huge show...I've seen the Stones and U2 at the Ralph. I actually like it better for concerts than Bills games LOL. I do remember The Ocean, and no, I'm not him...I was born in '95! Wish I could've seen Zepp!

Oh, very nice! Was that the only time you saw them? Yeah, it's definitely the best of the four in my opinion. May 28 is pretty good too, but the 25 & 26 are quite bland at best. Yes, I probably would have rated it a tad higher if not for the situation with my dog -- I enjoyed it more on the anniversary this year! Yes, she's still with me in spirit ☺️ We also got another of the same breed (Samoyed) about a year ago now, so that helps...

I'm in the same boat. I think the only one I've heard is 11/16 Ipswich 🤔 I'll be doing that as well -- and covering it on my podcast to report my findings! 🧐 Speaking of which, this seems as relevant a place as any to drop this... I had the pleasure of being joined by @ledzepfilm on my show this week to discuss Japan '71 for the 50th anniversary: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1119254/9385762

One of my favourites as well and yes, Jimmy is particularly active between songs at this show. As far as William Combus is concerned, I have no idea 🤣

Precisely. I'd also be curious to see how a 3/12 matrix would turn out.

I would only add that Jones has some particularly fantastic bass playing, especially on OTHAFA -- that return!

Blueberry Hill wouldn't be near the top of my list, simply because the sound quality we have is pretty great. I would rather get one of the missing shows like Seattle or the Honolulu evening show than Blueberry Hill for sure. The 9/19/70 evening show is probably the best show of their career, so of course it would be extremely high on my list, but I'm not sure how hopeful we should be that many/any 1970 soundboards exist. Would love the rest of 9/29 -- and 9/28 -- or anything else from Japan '71...or any of the missing clubs shows...or anything from '71, probably their best year. Copenhagen '79 would not be high on my list at all -- both audience recordings are pretty darn good and I think both shows are overrated. As @JohnOsbourne says, 3/12/75 Long Beach is high on my list, as are the remaining missing '75 shows -- particularly 1/11 Rotterdam. A Providence (or Baltimore) '73 SBD would be high on my list as well, as would 6/22/77 or 6/26/77. Excluding shows with no recording as of yet, which are obviously desirable no matter what year they're from IMO, I think the ultimate soundboard holy grail is 6/19/72 Seattle. To me, it has the largest disparity between sound and performance quality -- it's arguably second only to 9/19/70 E as far as their greatest shows, and its sound quality is pretty poor. You can get through it with seasoned bootleg ears for sure, but it's the show in most dire need of an upgrade IMO, not to mention the cuts -- particularly during the longest string of encores they ever did. As far as your original question though, with the number of "holy grails" still out there and the speed at which they seem to be released, I doubt we will ever be satisfied.

A Top 10 show indeed and one I look forward to listening to each May 3 -- along with another time or two throughout the year! I just finished Stairway, and I have to say, it might just be my favourite version. Besides nailing all of the high notes in the final verse, that howl Plant lets out just before Bonham enters is one of my favourite moments of his ever. Page never "comes up for air" once during his solo, either.

Agreed. Dazed is definitely a highlight -- better than both Tokyo versions, but not as good as either Osaka version.

Love that "Walk Don't Run" intro!

You left out the best '73 version IMO: July 21 in Providence! July 17 Seattle and July 20 Boston are excellent as well.

Agreed, especially with respect to the WLL medley -- some very interesting selections, but a bit of an awkward flow compared to the others on the tour.

Lol, it's all good...I got a kick out of it!

Neither! 😖 May 3, 1971!

Copenhagen 😉