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Louisville, KY - Freedom Hall - Kentucky Fair & Expo Center-April 25, 1977


DavidZoso

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While watching the concert itself, did you happen to notice Jonesy's little misstep during No Quarter (where he starts to play the main theme too soon after Nutrocker)?

I have to admit, that, during the show, with everything that was going on, I cannot honestly remember the error being made, but I do remember that the lead-in to No Quarter was very lengthy, and in the crush of the body heat, it seemed to wind on a bit too long.

On the upside, the song did quite a bit to calm people down for a short spell....

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I have to admit, that, during the show, with everything that was going on, I cannot honestly remember the error being made, but I do remember that the lead-in to No Quarter was very lengthy, and in the crush of the body heat, it seemed to wind on a bit too long.

On the upside, the song did quite a bit to calm people down for a short spell....

Haha, yeah I figured. Do you remember how the volume level was at this show compared to other concerts? And great pictures by the way!

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Haha, yeah I figured. Do you remember how the volume level was at this show compared to other concerts? And great pictures by the way!

The volume was loud, from the start, but it was amazingly clear.

It was impressive, for me, #1 because very few bands in that venue, over the years, could actually fill the place with decent sound, and do it well; and #2, because my original seat was way back in the boonies, where the sound would normally be more echo than anything - but from the opening chords it was like a blast to the face and senses [but one that put a big smile on my face, and made me "have to" get closer].

It was also startling, because I could not remember a band there before then, that sounded that "good", and in that venue!

I had to get closer, in my mind, in order to get the pictures that I'd bought the camera for, on that same day, and to see and hear things from an even better vantage point.

A few notable examples of bands who managed to fill Freedom Hall with a good sound mix, included the Grateful Dead, on the "Wall of Sound" tour, in 1974 [but they were smart, and only used half of the hall to perform in]; and ZZ Top [off the top of my head, I think it was for the "Deguello" tour...in the late 70's]. The Stones in 1981 did a decent job of the sound, as well [but I was in the first ten rows for that one, so I can't say what it sounded like, at the back of the hall]...

And thanks for the compliment on the pictures!

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Hi Michael - did you photograph any other concerts either by Zeppelin or other shows?

Hello LZ77,

Unfortunately, this would be the only Led Zeppelin show I would attend & photograph.

The list of concerts that I took pictures at would be too extensive to go into here, at the moment, but I want to give you a quick answer:

I took photos at many shows between the years of '77 - '92, and the other performers ranged from Patti Smith; Peter Gabriel; Richard & Linda Thompson; Weather Report [with Jaco Pastorius]; Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; The Cocteau Twins; The Mekons; Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers; Pink Floyd on the "Animals" Tour [although that was another 'rough show' with mixed results]; Talking Heads; Doc & Merle Watson ........ just to name a few :)

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^ WOW! would love to see some of Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, and Wings if you have any....

I must say again that I for one truly appreciate you sharing your great Zeppelin photos. I wish other photographers were as kind as you.

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^ WOW! would love to see some of Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, and Wings if you have any....

I must say again that I for one truly appreciate you sharing your great Zeppelin photos. I wish other photographers were as kind as you.

I'm only too happy to promote my photos, if there is a willing audience! :whistling:

Sorry to say I don't have any Wings....I haven't gotten around to working on my Fleetwood Mac snaps yet [that will take some time, as other bands are more pressing for me at the moment, and the photos were taken from such a distance away, that they aren't all that great to begin with].

In the meantime, here is a "hurried" example of one Pink Floyd shot, if it is allowed on this site?post-20314-0-34774600-1336697732.jpg

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I'm only too happy to promote my photos, if there is a willing audience! :whistling:

Sorry to say I don't have any Wings....I haven't gotten around to working on my Fleetwood Mac snaps yet [that will take some time, as other bands are more pressing for me at the moment, and the photos were taken from such a distance away, that they aren't all that great to begin with].

In the meantime, here is a "hurried" example of one Pink Floyd shot, if it is allowed on this site?post-20314-0-34774600-1336697732.jpg

That is Dogs being performed-one of my favs. :)

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Hello David Zoso,

The above photo that you posted must have been found on my Flickr link, as it didn't make it past the first round of submissions [probably as it isn't so very clear, but I personally like the lighting effect in the image..].

I am pretty sure that this is from the "White Summer ~ Black Mountainside" segment of the concert, and that is either a guitar pick in Page's mouth, as he is playing with his fingers, if I recall correctly, or a ciggie - in which case he's still playing with a pick....

I will be sending the last batch of photos for submission to the Timeline, sometime later this week, after I've touched up a few images. I will have to do considerable work on a couple of other images, so they won't be sent for a while.

In the meantime, the link to the Flickr account, where a couple more images that didn't "make the cut" can be found, is here:

http://www.flickr.co.../michael_conen/

Davd Zoso, thanks very much for your contributions and comments!

Michael

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Hello David Zoso,

The above photo that you posted must have been found on my Flickr link, as it didn't make it past the first round of submissions [probably as it isn't so very clear, but I personally like the lighting effect in the image..].

I am pretty sure that this is from the "White Summer ~ Black Mountainside" segment of the concert, and that is either a guitar pick in Page's mouth, as he is playing with his fingers, if I recall correctly, or a ciggie - in which case he's still playing with a pick....

I will be sending the last batch of photos for submission to the Timeline, sometime later this week, after I've touched up a few images. I will have to do considerable work on a couple of other images, so they won't be sent for a while.

In the meantime, the link to the Flickr account, where a couple more images that didn't "make the cut" can be found, is here:

http://www.flickr.co.../michael_conen/

Davd Zoso, thanks very much for your contributions and comments!

Michael

Michael -yes I got that pic from the flickr account- but even though it is out of focus or whatever I like it to :D but I would agree with you on what is being played except Jimmy is standing up and I would then point to it being the guitar solo before he goes over to the theremin- then the violin bow part. I would have labeled the pic (Guitar solo) but it is kinda at the angle of the first photos you took at the beginning of the show before you moved over to John Paul Jone's side.

I can see now that it could be from that side because when I saw Jimmy on both of the Firm tours he did that guitar solo bit during The Chase and he would come to the front of the stage and go all the way over to one side then the other- so that is what that is.

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Michael -yes I got that pic from the flickr account- but even though it is out of focus or whatever I like it to :D but I would agree with you on what is being played except Jimmy is standing up and I would then point to it being the guitar solo before he goes over to the theremin- then the violin bow part. I would have labeled the pic (Guitar solo) but it is kinda at the angle of the first photos you took at the beginning of the show before you moved over to John Paul Jone's side.

I can see now that it could be from that side because when I saw Jimmy on both of the Firm tours he did that guitar solo bit during The Chase and he would come to the front of the stage and go all the way over to one side then the other- so that is what that is.

David,

I've underlined the section of your comment that actually is the correct order of events. I went back and looked at the negatives again, and that is exactly what shows up in their sequence, so it should be named "Guitar Solo" after all. :)

He definitely moved about on the stage, as you can see from my original angle of pictures (the black and whites, at the very beginning of the show), when he was more often on the left side, from the audience view......but as I positioned myself at that side later, he wouldn't make it over there so much, until the encore, when I was lifted onto someone's shoulders, and "tried" to take a few shots without heads, arms and hands in the way......I ended up with a series of very blurry shots, but managed a decent one, as a result [Page - Rock n Roll].

Nearly done with the last few to submit, and they will appear very soon. Thanks for setting things straight there!

Michael

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Given that there were many incidents during the 77 tour of people throwing stuff at the band, letting of rockets and fire crackers etc, was anyone ever arrested and convicted of these offences?

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Given that there were many incidents during the 77 tour of people throwing stuff at the band, letting of rockets and fire crackers etc, was anyone ever arrested and convicted of these offences?

barney2EH,

I cannot say from firsthand experience that I ever saw anyone actually arrested or even yanked from the audience at the few Louisville shows that I attended, and this occurred [the Zeppelin show, and Pink Floyd being the ones that stand out....]

Part of the problem was, essentially, unless someone was willing to point out the rat, or could be pointed out by the performers themselves, it was very unlikely that the perpetrator would be caught in a dark, moving mass of people, especially since half of them (or more) were stoned out of their gourds, in the first place.

Plus, in a "general admission" scenario, it was very easy for people to quickly disappear, since nearly everyone else was paying attention to the stage, and not so much to those around you: hence, the quick exit was almost always an option....

Unless someone was being unrelenting in their obnoxiousness, you wouldn't be paying much attention to anyone else [of course, occasionally there'd be a very attractive woman standing next to you, but, ah ....... you get the picture, no doubt!]

I'd be curious to know if the case were any different at other venues, but I'd bet there were very few punishments meted out, back in the day.

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Yeah, it sound like total chaos. Must have been so exciting though. To say I'm jealous of people who were there is a bit of an understatement. I saw most of the big names back in the day but Zep is not on my CV godammit.

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  • 2 weeks later...

A few more, courtesy of Michael Conen:

louisville77_marquee.jpg

louisville77_mc1.jpg

louisville77_mc2.jpg

louisville77_mc3.jpg

I wanted to say "Thanks! Sam", and to save DavidZoso some time, by naming the pictures for him :)

The marquee photo speaks for itself, and the snapshot of Jimmy playing on the chair is from the "White Summer/Black Mountainside" segment.

The other two photos - Jimmy playing the Dan Electro in front of the kick drum, and Plant with the green lights in the background - are both from "Kashmir".

That's all from the Louisville show, for the time being......I'll have a few more to share in the weeks ahead, after some touch-ups are completed.

michael

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  • 2 months later...

How do we know for sure they didn't perform Trampled Underfoot at this show?

mrledhed,

I am almost certain it wasn't played, because, as we discussed earlier, I am not a fan of the song, in the first place, and would certainly remember it being played - if it had been - because it would have triggered animated discussions amongst my friends, at the time [about its merits, performance quality, etc....].

The second reason I don't believe it was performed, is because what little evidence exists from the show, up to this point in time, doesn't have the song on the recordings. See here, for a bit of reference [i am not encouraging the sales of such items, I'm just using it for reference!]:

http://www.rambleonzep.com/dates/1977-04-25.htm

I hope it can put the question to rest for you. Remember: the crowd was, at times, on the verge of getting out of hand, and the proposed slot for its performance [toward the end of the show] would have prolonged things, so I think the band really just wanted to get it over with, and move on. Just guessing, on my part.

michael

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  • 2 months later...

It has been awhile, and I have been quite busy working on other concert photos of mine, but here's one more that I am still working on [playing with different color combinations].

The original negative is quite damaged [many moves over many years], and this was taken with the house lights down, and no flash, but I've "revived" it, somewhat.

A few more images will follow in the weeks ahead, once I am satisfied with the results. Thanks for your interest, all of you!

post-20314-0-64019900-1354186516_thumb.j

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  • 2 months later...

Well, a few weeks turned into a few months.....

I've worked on the last images that I think are worth sharing [the remaining pictures would only interest the hard-core fan, since they are out-of-focus, or simply not that good].

The previous image of Robert Plant was always a personal challenge, to try and resurrect from the shadows, and I think I've finally managed a decent working image for you to see, now:post-20314-0-56645000-1361636860_thumb.j

In addition, I will share two more images that do not compare with the others that I have already posted, but *may* interest a few of you.......

Sadly, I was not able to get any clear color snapshots of either, John Paul Jones, or John Bonham, principally because I was shooting from the audience, and it was not possible to move around on the floor, in order to get a clear angle to work from. Keep that in mind when looking at the next image, which was taken during the finale of "Stairway to Heaven" [i'm pretty certain].....One of the few moments that a cymbal wasn't blocking John Bonham's face, from where I was positioned:

post-20314-0-14904200-1361637333_thumb.j

The final image I am posting, is of Jimmy Page. This snapshot was taken whilst sitting on top of a stranger's shoulders, during the encore of "Rock 'n' Roll". You might imagine what the crowd was like, during those final few minutes of the concert, especially in the area stretching from the first 50 feet, or so, from the stage! My new friend was completely caught up in dancing happily along to the song, while I was on his shoulders, attempting to take a few [unblocked] photographs! The resulting images were *very* blurred -- but I decided to play a little with this negative, and see what it would reveal........

Not for everyone, I am certain, but interesting......hardly looks like Mr. Page, aside from the stage garb, but I think the profile of his face, and the way the colors came out, make for an almost "painted" image. I'll let you decide its merits:

post-20314-0-19467700-1361638094_thumb.j

This is all there is, for the foreseeable future, as far as the frames from the Louisville, 1977 show are concerned. Thanks for the comments, and interest, and I hope somebody finds an image or two that they thought was worth their time ;)

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Well, a few weeks turned into a few months.....

I've worked on the last images that I think are worth sharing [the remaining pictures would only interest the hard-core fan, since they are out-of-focus, or simply not that good].

The previous image of Robert Plant was always a personal challenge, to try and resurrect from the shadows, and I think I've finally managed a decent working image for you to see, now:post-20314-0-56645000-1361636860_thumb.j

In addition, I will share two more images that do not compare with the others that I have already posted, but *may* interest a few of you.......

Sadly, I was not able to get any clear color snapshots of either, John Paul Jones, or John Bonham, principally because I was shooting from the audience, and it was not possible to move around on the floor, in order to get a clear angle to work from. Keep that in mind when looking at the next image, which was taken during the finale of "Stairway to Heaven" [i'm pretty certain].....One of the few moments that a cymbal wasn't blocking John Bonham's face, from where I was positioned:

post-20314-0-14904200-1361637333_thumb.j

The final image I am posting, is of Jimmy Page. This snapshot was taken whilst sitting on top of a stranger's shoulders, during the encore of "Rock 'n' Roll". You might imagine what the crowd was like, during those final few minutes of the concert, especially in the area stretching from the first 50 feet, or so, from the stage! My new friend was completely caught up in dancing happily along to the song, while I was on his shoulders, attempting to take a few [unblocked] photographs! The resulting images were *very* blurred -- but I decided to play a little with this negative, and see what it would reveal........

Not for everyone, I am certain, but interesting......hardly looks like Mr. Page, aside from the stage garb, but I think the profile of his face, and the way the colors came out, make for an almost "painted" image. I'll let you decide its merits:

post-20314-0-19467700-1361638094_thumb.j

This is all there is, for the foreseeable future, as far as the frames from the Louisville, 1977 show are concerned. Thanks for the comments, and interest, and I hope somebody finds an image or two that they thought was worth their time ;)

Michael, good to hear from you and thank you.. I totally love Jimmy's Dragon Suit, very focused, the colors and textures shine right through, (we know who it is!!) quite unique actually, and picture of Robert in both of the colors looks perfect...Thank you thus far...!!

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Michael, good to hear from you and thank you.. I totally love Jimmy's Dragon Suit, very focused, the colors and textures shine right through, (we know who it is!!) quite unique actually, and picture of Robert in both of the colors looks perfect...Thank you thus far...!!

PlanetPage,

Thanks very much for the kind words - and patience! Happy to hear that they were worth posting. I may get around to posting one more "treatment" of the Robert Plant photo, later in the week, as I feel it has another feel to it....

Take good care!

mc

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