Dave Lewis's book, Led Zeppelin The Concert File, has the only image I have ever seen from this performance, on page 333. The book is small in size, which makes the picture even smaller, and tough to scan. A verbal description: Jimmy on the left, his hair flying towards Robert, great shot of Jimmy in action playing his guitar (can't tell if it is his Les Paul, but definitely not the black beauty). Robert rather still in photo, his new shorter hair style, left hand on mike, covering his mouth. His right hand below by his waist holding mike cord and a cigarette. The contrast between Jimmy's long hair and Robert's new shorter hair is quite striking. Great picture!

Steve, On this date, November 7, 1969, Zep played the 2nd of a 3 night stay at the infamous Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The opening act was The Bonzo Dog Band. I don't know anything about them (I'll look them up shortly), but their name got me thinking: could they, or their band name, be the source for John Bonham's Bonzo nickname? I don't recall when Bonzo received that nickname, but it makes me think if he didn't have this nickname by these concert dates in San Francisco, maybe someone close to the band saw this opening act name, and decided Bonham should have the nickname Bonzo? Little bit of a stretch, but thought I'd ask.

Steve, This one may be a bit of a stretch, sort of along the lines of the mysterious Iceland show set list from June 1970, and whether or not any of the newly recorded 3rd album songs were played at that show: I just read an interview Robert did with the local press in Holland, the day after Zep's first gig in 18 months (Rotterdam, January 11, 1975) and before the next warm up gig in Brussels on the 12th. Robert allegedly messed up the lyrics to Stairway in Rotterdam, and suggested in the interview that Zep played too many songs at the Rotterdam show (for the first live show in 18 months), and that Zep wouldn't or shouldn't play as many for Brussels the next night. Because Brussels was recorded, we know the set list. But Rotterdam, no live show exists, nor to our knowledge, a review with a set list. As a result, this makes this request a stretch, so apologies in advance for the mystery question: would you possibly know if Zep played some songs in Rotterdam, that they did not play in Brussels, or maybe even the rest of the '75 US Tour? The other mystery adding to this question, is that unlike 1977, we don't have a tour rehearsal report on what songs were attempted prior to the start of the 1975 tour, other than what we have live on all 1975 shows (the exception being, I thought I read they tried Custard Pie in rehearsal, but never tried onstage, unless possibly Rotterdam). A mini mystery that may go unsolved!

BBC Version June 1969, hands down for me. "I got those West Bromwich Blues yeah, and not a single thing I can do, no...I guess I must be really hooked!"

Steve, Thanks to the Fritz Rau thread, I have a question regarding Zep's very first German appearance: March 27,1969. A mimed TV show appearance on the Beat Club, where they lip synced to two Zep 1 album cuts. Two days earlier, they were in Staines, UK filming (which we now have on the Zep DVD). Then on the 28th, back to London for the Marquee gig. So, curious why they would fly over to Germany just to do the TV show, and not fit in any live gigs? Seems strange. They could have played a date in Germany on the 26th, or even a gig after their filmed performance on the 27th. It would be just less than a year later when Zep did their first actual live gigs in Germany.

Could very well be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere on this forum that Robert no longer owns equal shares to Jimmy and Jonesy, that he sold some/all a number of years back?

Thanks Steve, I didn't know the origins of Bumbershoot, and had no idea it affected Zep's ability to play in Seattle that tour! Great learning!

Steve, Having just returned from the beautiful city of Seattle, how come Zep skipped Seattle on the 1971 US Tour? The NBA Supersonics weren't even at preseason training camp when that US tour started in Vancouver August 19th, so it's not like the venue (Coliseum) wasn't available. You look at how much the band loved Seattle: playing there in Dec 1968, 3 times in 1969, Spring of 1970, September 1970 (the first 6 US Tours) and then every tour from 1972 on. Furthermore, in Bonzo's words, that 1971 tour was the longest they had been away from America to date, and he wondered whether or not they would be received well in the States after such a long layoff (heaven forbid...11 months!), so you'd think they would want to play Seattle, to reaffirm that connection. To me, all this adds up to a broken down negotiation between Grant and the local promoter(s)...I just don't see how Zep skips Seattle on that 1971 tour, without something behind the scene maybe causing them to skip Seattle for that one tour?

Badgeholders, or more specifically, Sgt Page's Badgeholders Club Band

That being the case, one has to wonder why no Nassau Coliseum during the June '77 tour run? Hockey and NBA (New York Nets final season at Nassau was '76-'77, and they didn't make the playoffs) weren't a factor in Nassau Coliseum availability.

Steve, September 3, 1971 Madison Square Garden. How exactly does part of stage collapse during the encores? Didn't happen when they first played there in 1970, nor any return trips from 1973 on (another mystery: why did Zep avoid MSG in 1972, and decide to play Nassau Coliseum in Long Island instead). I read that fans had rushed the stage when they came back out for the encores, but then the equipment wasn't working properly for the last encore, Rock and Roll. Seems like there is more to the story...just can't see MSG falling apart like that.

Belfast, Ireland March 5, 1971. Absolutely BOMBASTIC!!!

Steve, Having recently listened to the fantastic Ireland shows kicking off the Spring 1971 Back to the Clubs Tour, it seemed the band really enjoyed themselves. Verified as well it seems, basis Chris Welch's written recap. I got the sense that Zep would have surely gone back to Ireland. How come they never did? They certainly had an opportunity during the UK Tours in Fall '71, Winter '72-'73. I wonder if they ever considered Ireland as well during the aborted tours of '75 and '77, had Robert not endured his personal tragedies, when there were touring plans post Earls Court and post US Tour '77?

I can see why one would choose both sides to this argument, but here is my two cents: No matter what condition Cole was in during the 1977 tour, he sure wasn't the only one in "party mode". And, to manage the funds as he did, among his many other duties (even the perceived loss of $10,000 which was later found and confirmed by Grant to be an error), he did a GREAT job managing the money and protecting his mates (yes, more than employers)during the largest tour ever under taken by the band, at a time when the band was at its Zenith in popularity, along with an all time high in threats to members of the band. Oakland incident notwithstanding (and we don't know ALL the facts), Cole was excellent in his job in 1977! If one were to base his behavior as a means to be fired, frankly, John Bonham should have been fired too.

Hi Steve, I just read somewhere, and I'll see if I can find the source, that Zep were banned from the Edgewater following their July 1973 stay, due to mudsharks lying all over the hotel/rooms, and stinking up the place! Have you read that as well? If so, I wonder where they stayed in Seattle in 1975 and 1977?

Hey Steve, you might have missed this a few responses back. Bumping this up, thanks.

Thank you Sam! That was the photo I remembered from Jason's show. Great picture of his Dad!

Steve, In Dave Lewis's Feather in the Wind - Over Europe 1980 book, he cites Bonzo having gone on holiday after his phone chat with Dave at the end of July. Did he do his usual South of France trip in August 1980?

On Jason Bonham's very first Led Zep Experience tour, after the opening 3 songs, Jason showed a few pictures of Bonzo, one of which Jason said was taken about a week before his 9/25/80 death. I remember it being outside, in an area by a barn if I remember correctly. What I thought was interesting, was that in that in the picture, Bonzo had his full beard back. He had shaved the beard prior to the Munich show on 7/5, so he grew that back pretty quickly from that July 5 Munich date to around the date of that picture, September 18. Unfortunately, as it was from the Bonham family photo collection, we only got to see it at the show (unless someone took a picture or video of that segment showing that picture, and can post here). That's the only photo I have ever seen of any of them between the dates you've asked about.

Misty Mountain Hop 7-23-79...ha ha, what a great trainwreck! Almost as bad as its live debut in the same city (coincidently) almost 8 years earlier! But I love love love this song, so I can bear it. At least it was better the next night! Although, I will say, I think it was a mistake for Jonesy to play this on a grand piano versus keyboards in all '79 shows! I think it would have been better on keyboards!

You're favourite, really? Since there's no OTHAFA in the setlist, and that was one of the high points of the concerts for me, I'm skeptical of calling any '77 show lacking OTHAFA the best. +1!!! OTHAFA improved the '77 setlist big time! But Strider, you did also attend 6/25/77, right? IMHO, the strongest IMTOD from the '77 tour, especially with Robert ripping into Little Richard "Rip It Up" towards the end so vocally powerful! And I did love the only CB performed that tour that night...but I digress, back to Pontiac!

The Ann Arbor Sun (Ann Arbor, MI), February 14, 1975 Cash me In? (he really meant Sick Again). Wonder how he came up with this title? After all, the song's name doesn't appear anywhere in the lyrics, and Robert usually didn't introduce the song's title when he finished and welcomed the audience for the first time throughout the '75 tour. Can't completely bash the review though, after all, Jimmy is swigging from the Jack Daniels bottle in the infamous back stage photo from this show! And we know Robert's voice was shot from the flu. More surprising would be JPJ and Bonzo not performing up to par. Then again, I haven't heard this show, so maybe it was bad.

Woo hoo! A Tempe '77 Pro Shot!!! That's a real must see!!!! :lol: Hey Nutrocker, between you and this great find by PlanetPage, and this review from the ASU State Press, I would love to see this just to prove that Jimmy was better than advertised, and Plant was the one who hurt this show more than Jimmy. Yes, Jimmy's solo on TUF was bad, but they hadn't played that for six weeks, and ALS, well, if you had pyro technics going off unexpectedly by your ears...I'm sure you'd be off your game on that song too. But in listening to this show again, your right: Plant really is terrible. Battle of Evermore and Going to California are awful vocally, and I did notice on ALS he didn't help matters by coming in early on one of the verses in that song. Outside all of that though, I'd want this pro shot to see the first half of the show, which by the many reviews, was allegedly decent. Oh, and it would be funny to see Plant helping Jimmy with his foot pedals on OTHAFA, ha ha! http://forums.ledzep...z-july-20-1977/

Train Kept a Rollin' 9/2/70 Channeling the Fillmore and Winterland across the Bay one year earlier...definitely!

Yes, this incredible find by PlanetPage a couple months ago confirms the above pictures were NOT Tempe '77! http://forums.ledzeppelin.com/index.php?/topic/18226-lztempe-az-july-20-1977/