Administrators sam_webmaster Posted February 13, 2018 Administrators Share Posted February 13, 2018 A tidbit of info adding some further evidence to the rumoured Memphis 2/10/69 gig.http://www.ledzeppelin.com/show/february-10-1969 State University (Field House) So far, the main source of this date was from from an interview/article with Jimmy Page in Boston, January 1969: "From Boston, the LZ goes to the Fillmore East, Toronto, Chicago, (would you believe) Memphis and a closing date in Miami." There are a few fan comments on the Timeline page, but still unclear. Additional confirmation: I recently noticed, in JP's interview in ‘ROCK’ 1970 he mentions wanting to record at Sun Studios: “I wanted to, but old Sam Phillips wouldn't do it. It was on the first tour and I suppose he thought who the Christ are they and he wasn't really interested. It had always been a dream of mine to record at Sun.” April 1970: Detailed account by Atlantic rep Phillip Rauls describes RP and JP going to Sun (taking into consideration JP's comment above, apparently now for the second time), but it was closed. http://www.ledzeppelin.com/lzprogrammes/lzrauls.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Just to double-check I have just scoured online newspaper archives for Memphis 1969...once again nothing found. However, according to my notes, when Jimmy was compiling On This Day features for his website he said (paraphrasing) "...fearing police tactics following the concert, the band was driven through the night to Miami". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 Clearly this recollection of Memphis 1969 is inaccurate (keys to the city was 1970) but interesting nonetheless: http://jimmypagemusic.blogspot.jp/2016/02/on-this-day-10-february.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators sam_webmaster Posted February 14, 2018 Author Administrators Share Posted February 14, 2018 1 hour ago, SteveAJones said: Clearly this recollection of Memphis 1969 is inaccurate (keys to the city was 1970) but interesting nonetheless: http://jimmypagemusic.blogspot.jp/2016/02/on-this-day-10-february.html Yes, that's about their 1970 date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 1 hour ago, sam_webmaster said: Yes, that's about their 1970 date. What intrigues me is it alludes to driving all night to Miami, which would have been the next date in Feb '69. We know from Phillip Rauls account the band was flown to Phoenix the morning after Memphis '70 show. Setting that aside, we have Plant's onstage comment in '70 about them having waited their whole lives to get there (Memphis). If they had performed in Memphis in '69 that comment would be nonsensical and almost certainly never uttered to begin with? I trust the veracity of Plant's comments in the moment far more than than a Page interview in print or his fading recollections expressed years afterward. Just spit balling for a moment, what if what actually happened was they'd merely wanted to and perhaps even intended to perform in or (visit) Memphis in Feb '69, possibly with the goal of doing some recording at Sun Studios, but for whatever reason all of that fell through? Perhaps the reason was a decision was made to enjoy five days of r&r in Miami following the Chicago date on Feb 8? You'll recall that just prior to those two Chicago dates Bonzo had traveled all the way to England and back on account of Jason's head injury requiring stitches. He must have been more than a bit jet lagged and knackered! Additionally, and more to the point, I have nothing on them from Feb 9 to Feb 13. They completely dropped off the radar, so to speak, aside from the alleged Memphis show on Feb 10. If they weren't just whisked down to Miami on Feb 9 for r&r it seems to me we would have SOMETHING on them for this five day period...a photo, a ticket stub, a public sighting, a press report. I've got nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators sam_webmaster Posted February 14, 2018 Author Administrators Share Posted February 14, 2018 1 hour ago, SteveAJones said: What intrigues me is it alludes to driving all night to Miami, which would have been the next date in Feb '69. We know from Phillip Rauls account the band was flown to Phoenix the morning after Memphis '70 show. Setting that aside, we have Plant's onstage comment in '70 about them having waited their whole lives to get there (Memphis). If they had performed in Memphis in '69 that comment would be nonsensical and almost certainly never uttered to begin with? I trust the veracity of Plant's comments in the moment far more than than a Page interview in print or his fading recollections expressed years afterward. Just spit balling for a moment, what if what actually happened was they'd merely wanted to and perhaps even intended to perform in or (visit) Memphis in Feb '69, possibly with the goal of doing some recording at Sun Studios, but for whatever reason all of that fell through? Perhaps the reason was a decision was made to enjoy five days of r&r in Miami following the Chicago date on Feb 8? You'll recall that just prior to those two Chicago dates Bonzo had traveled all the way to England and back on account of Jason's head injury requiring stitches. He must have been more than a bit jet lagged and knackered! Additionally, and more to the point, I have nothing on them from Feb 9 to Feb 13. They completely dropped off the radar, so to speak, aside from the alleged Memphis show on Feb 10. If they weren't just whisked down to Miami on Feb 9 for r&r it seems to me we would have SOMETHING on them for this five day period...a photo, a ticket stub, a public sighting, a press report. I've got nothing. I believe his statement in '70 is accurate and I think it's reasonable to conclude they were in Memphis on 2/10/69. Along with the other reference in the Boston interview (Jan. '69), they were passing right near Memphis driving towards Miami from Chicago. Whether a gig actually occurred is still up for debate... could have been a tentative date that fell through in the end. Or, they may have done a show, but was a small/forgettable gig and since they had no luck at Sun, decided to drive direct to Miami afterwards, for the next gigs at the Image Club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 ^^^ I understand your viewpoint much better now. Driving from CHICAGO to Miami would account for their whereabouts on Feb 9th, and would likely put them in the vicinity of Memphis enroute, although a gig occurring there on Feb 10 is still up for debate. This contribution from SteveZ98... Here's a Plantation from the Memphis 1970 show which seems to indicate that the 1970 show was the band's first gig in the city: "Thank you. Good night. Everybody feel alright? We've waited for a long time to come to Memphis, in fact, ever since we were born, I think." Given Robert's love of early rock music, it seems unlikely that he'd have forgotten that a little over a year earlier they were in the city that played such a formative roll in it. -------------------- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.