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Posts posted by SuperDave
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I'm just guessing but Plant's voice and also the sound of Jimmy's guitar and the soloing he is doing remind me of the Winterland and Fillmore West shows of April, 1969.
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23 hours ago, Strider said:
Sorry, there is no way Led Zeppelin's numbers will rank up with the Stones, Springsteen, U2, et al at this point in time. At best I would estimate Led Zeppelin's total concert attendance to be somewhere around 4 to 5 million, and that is being generous.
That does not mean they were not the top concert draw in their time. It just means they did not last long enough to reap the rewards of their hard work in establishing the modern arena concert circuit. It was the Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, and Who tours from 1969-1973 that made it possible for later bands to have a national circuit of arenas and halls to play across the country that were able to handle the power and P.A. requirements of rock music. Touring is much easier for bands today than it was back in the day. The touring infrastructure just did not exist back then like it does today. Before that, you had to deal with sketchy promoters, venue managers who had no idea of how to present a rock band, rickety ticketing systems, and hostile chambers of commerce, hotels, church groups, politicians and redneck cops who thought rock music was turning the youth of America into commie devil-worshippers. If you were a band from the UK or Europe, you also had to deal with the visa restrictions of the time.
Before 1973, most of Led Zeppelin's tours were rarely more than a month long. It was not until the 1977 tour that they had a tour over 40 shows...they were scheduled to play 52 and ended up playing 44 before Plant's son died and the rest of the dates were cancelled. Of course, Led Zeppelin didn't seem to like playing giant outdoor stadiums as much as The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd and other acts. Unlike the Stones, who booked mostly large football and baseball stadiums on their 1978 and 1981 tours, Led Zeppelin's 1977 tour was mostly indoor arenas of 10,000 - 20,000 size. In 1973 Led Zeppelin played a few outdoor stadiums and they had a 1975 summer tour of large stadiums booked but had to cancel when Plant had his car crash. If the 1975 and 1977 tours had gone on, Led Zeppelin's overall numbers would be a bit higher.
The 1981 Rolling Stones tour and the 1982 Who tour were the modern day game-changers. Both of those tours were over 50 shows and sold out stadiums across the country and raked in millions and millions of dollars.
Here are some other tours of note from that time. Let's start with two of Led Zeppelin's hard-rock competitors, Van Halen and AC/DC.
Van Halen's first headlining tour in 1979: 108 shows
Van Halen 1980 tour: 124 shows
Van Halen 1981 tour: 81 shows
Van Halen 1982-83 tour: 97 shows
Van Halen 1984: 101 shows
AC/DC 1979 tour: 99 shows
AC/DC 1980 tour: 143 shows
AC/DC 1981-82 tour: 90 shows
Bruce Springsteen 1984-85 Born in the USA tour: 157 shows
U2 1987 Joshua Tree tour: 110 shows
Both the Springsteen and U2 tours were similar in that the tours started out in indoor arenas like the Forum and the Sports Arena and then by the end they were selling out multiple days at the LA Coliseum football stadium.
But if you look at those figures above, the only way Led Zeppelin could have kept up is if they had had a major attitude adjustment and a change in living habits. Remember, even when Led Zeppelin was only touring for a month at a time and barely doing 30 - 40 shows a year, John Paul Jones and Bonham and Plant were whining about being on the road and away from their families. Imagine the whining if they had to play a 100-date tour.
So, even if Bonham had lived and the band survived to tour in the 1980s and beyond, would they have had the work ethic and desire to do so at the pace of those other bands? Because that is the only way they would accrue total concert attendance numbers in the 20+ million range needed to be in the top 10.
Great info and numbers regarding these tours. It was definitely a different era as you backed it up. The two Page and Plant tours of 1995-6 and in 1998 were much larger in shows played than and Led Zeppelin tour. I forget how many dates they played in 1998, but it began around late February or early March and ran through nearly the end of the year with some breaks in between. I think the first tour in 1995-96 was something like 115 shows beginning in the states and finishing in Japan.
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19 hours ago, luvlz2 said:
Dead and Company Play Final Show: Videos and Setlist - https://ultimateclassicrock.com/dead-and-company-final-show/
An amazing era comes to an end. John Mayer was an amazing addition to this touring ensemble. He was so locked in with the band. Glad I got to see the two NYC shows at Citi Field a few weeks ago. They were so on for them as they were for the whole tour. All in all, I saw Dead & Company 11 times beginning in June, 2016.
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14 minutes ago, Jimmy's Dragon Suit said:
I know this show gets bashed a lot but there are plenty of gems in this show and it's one of my favorite of the '77 tour. Also includes my favorite performance of Moby Dick. Bonzo saved the best for last.
I was about to say nearly the same thing about this show as it's a good one. It's always L.A., NYC, Landover and Cleveland that get the praise. Many great shows outside of those cities during the '77 tour. Even though there were a lot of problems during the tour.
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Then there is always this. This isn't offensive in any way as the band didn't think so!
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On 7/4/2023 at 2:36 AM, Strider said:
Eh, what can you do when it's a woman? Lisa asked me out to the LA Philharmonic weeks ago and already splurged for the tickets.
Besides, I have seen TSRTS well over 100 times and it'll play in one of the local theatres again soon. And I'm sure I'll have another chance to catch the Hipgnosis doc.
You have a very good reason for sure!
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On 7/1/2023 at 1:53 AM, Strider said:
Definitely not broadcasted. If it had been, then you would have seen bootlegs of the show popping up immediately, much like the April 1, 1971 Paris Theatre BBC show was everywhere following the broadcast.
Good point and definitely. Like whenever JP worked on any archive release or any of those greatest hits projects certain tracks became available on the market. With the first box set there were things like the great outtake of No Quarter and Jennings Farm Blues among them and the second set of this three years later we got some of the Zep I alternate takes as well as Baby Come On Home. Also with the first box set there were a few tracks that appeared that would later be on HTWWW. This always seems to happen with these releases.
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On 7/2/2023 at 3:24 PM, Zep Hed said:
"Were supposed to" Seems rather a hope. A sound plan but failure to secure Plant's and JPJ's commitment adds up to more than a minor oversight.
The thing is Plant and Jones did see the original cut of the film and seemed quite pleased with it.
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On 7/2/2023 at 5:43 PM, Strider said:
The American Cinematheque in Los Angeles is showing the Hipgnosis documentary Tuesday July 11 at 7pm at the Los Feliz Theatre.
https://www.americancinematheque.com/now-showing/squaring-the-circle-the-story-of-hipgnosis-7-11-23/
To be followed by a screening of "The Song Remains the Same" at 9:30pm.
https://www.americancinematheque.com/now-showing/the-song-remains-the-same-7-11-23/
Unfortunately I am already committed to another event that night and there is no way I can back out now.
Unfortunately for you Strider. I know you'd like to put Zeppelin as your number one priority, but sometimes it just doesn't work out! Next time!
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SO sorry about the loss of your very gifted son. He had so much love for the world and enjoyed helping others. I hope the members of LZ can be contacted and give a nice tribute to your son who was such a big fan of the band and gave him so much joy.
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58 minutes ago, Strider said:
CDs at work. Or if I want to listen to a show that I don't have on CD, I connect my phone or pad to the work stereo and play the uploaded concert thru youtube...usually one of Led Zeppelin Boots or conneyfogel's uploads.
CDs in a car.
When I am commuting or travelling, I listen on headphones thru youtube on my phone. I used to take CDs with me and use a portable CD player but I got tired of having to carry stuff with me.
At home, I listen to my vinyl or CDs or DVDs through the home stereo. I'll also put on youtube on my TV (which is also connected to the stereo) and watch/listen that way. It's a good way to clean house without having to stop every 20 minutes or so to flip the record.
I long ago got rid of my Zeppelin cassette tapes (or had them eaten by the cassette player) and I never had 8-tracks.
Strider, We are so alike as this is exactly how I listen to various Zeppelin concerts. That's The Way to do it!
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Jimmy's work on the soundtrack to DW II was overall very good. Unfortunately, the movie was not. The original film is very good.
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4 hours ago, Rock Historian said:
Yes I do!!! Same over here Dave. Let's keep in touch
Sounds good!
I purchased 4 of 5 years of TZ on Prime. One of seasons isn't available as a season purchase but $ 1.99 per episode, while the other full seasons were $19.99. Thought those were a good deal.
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Very cool my friend. Thanks for posting. Been a while since we talked. I still do my annual NYE ritual and you know what that is!
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It's actually from their Summer tour of 2000 and more specifically Jones Beach in NY. It was a record store day release a few years ago.
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10 hours ago, Ian Smith said:
Oh I love Plant's voice on that one. He was pushing himself for sure. Missed a few notes but that adds to his greatness. Love that they played these rare gems.
Very cool! The real gems were played on the Japan 1996 tour. Sets were very different each night.
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16 hours ago, Dog-of-Doom said:
Thanks! Sounded great. Definitely gonna add that to the playlist. Cheers!
No problem. It's a great version. I love Jimmy's extended guitar intro on this.
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7 hours ago, Dog-of-Doom said:
Was not aware of night flight. I should have been, I’m very fond of Page and Plant in ‘98 as page really picked up momentum by that point. Will look it up. Yea I’ve been made aware of hots on and fool in the rain, cheers will definitely give them a listen. Apparently candy store rock was also performed by Page and Plant at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2001
Here you go!
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Page and Plant also played Night Flight in the UK on their 1998 tour as well. Hots On was played by Page and the Crowes during their summer 2000 tour. Foolin the Rain played by Robert Plant with Pearl Jam during a Hurricane Katrina benefit over 15 years ago.
This was a great list and enjoyed seeing what your faves were and includes many of my favorite versions. Well done!
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This is awesome and love this version. The instruments sound so clear. Hope other things are unearthed and find their way to us.
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On 3/16/2023 at 10:53 PM, Strider said:
50th anniversary of Vienna. Sheer Godhead.
One of my faves from Europe '73 tour.
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On 3/16/2023 at 10:53 PM, Strider said:
50th anniversary of Vienna. Sheer Godhead.
One of my faves from Europe '73 tour.
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Steve, send me a link when you have time. Thanks.
Baby, Please Come Home (You've Been Gone Too Long)
in Led Zeppelin Master Forum
Posted
What a find you have and an amazing story to go along with it. Well done!