thanks strider, your concert poets are some of my favorites on this forum.
i know how trudy felt during the bow solo. i saw the firm at the omni in atlanta in 85 and 86, and both times i was struck by how evil the bow solo sounded. i knew the srts version and tons of bootleg versions note for note, but to hear it live in an arena was something quite different. the concrete floor literally vibrated under our feet, and you heard and felt high and low frequencies that you just don't hear when you listen to a recording. like your great description of bonham and jones' tones, you felt the bass in your guts, and the screeching highs could induce vertigo. people who didn't see it live will not understand how LOUD it was! in 85 my best friend was with me and we looked at each other and said the same thing, "evil!" we were fourteen and fifteen at the time, and it was the relatively mild and well lit firm (although there was a laser pyramid). i can only imagine how zeppelin with all the heightened drama, lights, fog and vibes must have appeared to an eleven year old girl.
and as for the naysayers who doubt that a ten year old could be so affected, i doubt that they realize the atmosphere of the time. i think kids grew up faster then, just based on the kids i knew in the later 70s and the cultural references that i know. look at the age of the "new generation" of groupies that were around then. when you're young and sober you remember everything, and if it's something as important as a rock concert (let alone a zep concert) it sticks with you forever. my first concert was ozzy osbourne in 1983, i was thirteen and i could still describe it in detail as you have if it was worth it. but it's not!
thanks again strider, and all the others who chime in with the detailed minutia of the times. it really makes me feel like i was there.