Ummm, if you are quoting this from a news report, you should cite the source. It's considered bad form not to attribute quoted material.

Prequel, schmequel... Nawww, since it's Ridley Scott, I'll probably give it a shot. As long as he keeps Hayden Christensen and Jar Jar Binks far, far away from it, it should be okay. That's why Christopher Nolan has developed such a large group of devotees; he is one of the few modern action directors that doesn't overdo the CGI. He prefers doing it the old-fashioned way...think of that amazing gravity-free fight sequence in "Inception". They actually built a long replica of that hallway that they could rotate while the actors were inside to simulate weightlessness. That scene wouldn't have looked as good or as cool if they just CGIed it. Nolan is also one of the few who has resisted the 3D gimmick.

I find the whole show to be off, not just from the drum solo onwards. Jimmy's solo in TSRTS is anemic and IMTOD sounds slow and leaden...Bonzo's fills and timing seem off. Nothing realy gels for any length of time. Just when you think they'll get it together, something happens for it to all fall apart again. Definitely not one for the highlight-reel.

I remember seeing that Tampa '73 photo in Creem magazine. That was the confirmation that Led Zeppelin was more popular than people, especially the media, realized. I like that Manchester '71 poster, too...one of the few times they played the "Theme from Shaft".

Who, me? Seriously, my luck on these internet things is practically nil...didn't get chosen during the O2 reunion ticket scramble and now this. Shut out again. Oh well...

^^^Haven't heard the Four Blocks in the Snow version, but I know Godfather's "That's Alright New York" blows away any version of "Flying Circus" out there. Unlike a lot of soundboards, you get a sense of the crowd on this version. Pretty good list tmtomh...I recently made a list for a friend of what I consider the 50 essential Led Zeppelin concerts, and just about every one on your list is on mine. I don't have any of the Landover 77 shows on my list...instead, I put May 22, 77 Ft. Worth. In addition, I have 11-16-71 Ipswich; 2-16-72 Adelaide; 2-27-72 Sydney; 6-19-72 Seattle; 6-25-72 LA; 7-17-73 Seattle; 2-28-75 Baton Rouge, LA; and 8-4-79 Knebworth on my list. I can't believe no one has pointed this out yet, but the Fillmore West was in San Francisco NOT Los Angeles.

Thanks for all the replies, folks. It's been enjoyable reading all of your responses and the striking thing is that so far, nobody's first concert has been embarrassing. No New Kids on the Block or Loverboy concerts. Were you the redhead girl in Mickey Mouse ears? My Big Brother took me to Cal Jam '74. Ontario Motor Speedway may have been a great race track, but it was a terrible place for a concert. And my god, you are right...it was HOT HOT HOT! My memories of Cal Jam are mostly similar to yours, with a few variations...didn't care for Deep Purple's set all that much, and I remember the Eagles while it is Seals and Crofts that I always forget about, haha. The spinning piano during ELP was simultaneously amazing and ridiculous. I kept hoping that it was secured and wouldn't go flying off and crashing into the audience. I've always thought the need for Punk arose from this day alone.

Thanks Kate. They sounded great...they're all 15-17. The group was 20 in number. The Clippers won the game, too...beating the Atlanta Hawks. Having trouble uploading the video from my phone to youtube or to here, however. What I am happy about tonight is after the outstanding concert I went to last night(of Montreal & Deerhoof), and not getting to bed until 3am, I proceeded to sleep and sleep and sleep...and just to be sure, sleep some more. I didn't up til almost 8pm tonight; nearly 17 hours of beautiful, continuous, deep sleep. Man, I slept so long I had three different dreams! Then, upon waking up, I had one of those immensely satisfying pisses, where you just stand there for a minute and go "ahhhhhhhhh".

What are you going on about? Because your post WAS NOT deleted, nor did anyone mention it being deleted. And can someone please clarify this whole "Jaguars funds abortion providers" thing? How exactly do they do that? For one thing, Jacksonville perennially loses money, so there aren't much profits to go anywhere other than to paying player and coaching salaries and to the owners. The Jets are panicking. Yes, Sanchez didn't look great last season but I still think he's better than Tebow. If this Tebow thing blows up in the Jets' faces, Rex Ryan will be a goner. The League HAD to come down hard on the Saints, so I was expecting harsh penalties. Once you start dealing with money in the locker room and enticements to players, you are entering the realm of a type of gambling and circumventing the salary cap, and the NFL has always been very sensitive when it comes to that. Not to mention purposely injuring players, which antagonizes the Players Union. Whether Payton knew about it or not, as head coach he, and the Saints, were going to get hit.

ESPN is reporting that Peyton Manning is going to sign with Denver and Denver will trade Tim Tebow. There goes the neighborhood...the AFC West just got more difficult for the Raiders. And who wants Tebow? Besides Jacksonville, of course.

A friend of mine got an e-mail for the Signed deluxe...HOORAY! No e-mail for me.

This is easy...ALBUMS, natch!!! It's not even close; and it's not limited to Led Zeppelin. Whether I am listening to Led Zeppelin, Judy Garland, Albert Ayler, King Crimson, Goldfrapp, Igor Stravinsky or Rose Maddox, it is via their albums all the way. Not that I don't have a few compilations that have a variety of different artists...movie soundtracks, house/rave/chill music comps, magazine cd samplers, record label best of comps(Stax, Alligator, Sun Studios, etc.). But even then, it's an album I am listening to, whether it is an album of one artist or many.

The other great thing about vinyl and listening to records with friends is that because there are two sides which require you to flip it over when one side is finished, it allows a break to soak in the music you've just heard and if you're with friends, maybe discuss what you've just heard. Consider Led Zeppelin I...when I first listened to this album, I remember being stunned by "Dazed and Confused", which closes side one...it floored me. Because it was the end of the side, I was able to just lay there in silence, my feeble young mind trying to absorb the sonic maelstrom I had just heard. After a few minutes, I was then able to rouse myself from my reverie and proceed to side 2. With a cd or a digital mp3 file, you don't get that natural break. You have no time to savour Dazed and Confused because the organ soon heralds the beginning of "Your Time Is Gonna Come". Anyway, TODAY is the day we find out if we're the chosen ones. Just so I'm clear on the time zone difference...1800 hrs GMT is 11:00am PST, right? Good luck to everyone!!!

Funny how things can look differently to different people. When I was writing that in my post-St. Patrick's Day fog, I was thinking I wished I could remember MORE details about the concert. To me, my post didn't seem as detailed as some of my other concert posts. I mean, if it wasn't for the fact that the setlists were listed at some of the respective band's websites, I couldn't tell you all the songs they played either. It was only the fact that "Heart of the Sunrise" was my favourite Yes song, and "War Pigs" my favourite Sabbath tune, that helped me know they played these songs that night. Since you always go to a gig hoping the band will play your favourite song, you tend to remember it when they do. As for Wild Turkey, that band has been long forgotten for the most part...only the fact that their name is on the concert ad I have allowed me to remember them. It's amazing what you can find on YouTube, though. Just now, before coming here to post, I discovered some Wild Turkey clips...nothing from the concert, but a few "Battle Hymn" album tracks. Of course, being young and sober certainly helped...the concerts I was sober at are clearer than the ones where I was drunk or stoned. I would write about some concerts in my journal, but sometimes I would forget...and by 1982, I had pretty much stopped keeping journals. Another thing that helps is the number of times I have seen a band. The fewer times you see a band, the easier it is to keep the setlists clear in your head. I saw Yes and Black Sabbath less than 10 times each in concert, and each time I saw them it was tied to a certain album. For instance, this March 17, 72 show was the "Fragile" Tour for Yes and "Masters of Reality" for Sabbath. The next time I saw each band, it was "Close to the Edge" for Yes and "Sabbath Vol. 4" for BS...and so on. Contrast that with bands, especially local bands, that I saw 30 or 40 times or more...bands such as Jane's Addiction, Thelonious Monster, Fishbone. Since those shows were often club shows, and they were playing songs that weren't released on an album yet, it's harder to keep the details of those gigs straight...they all tend to be one big blur until about 1988 when they started to release actual albums and tour nationally. Before then, it was just another drunken night at the Scream or Raji's. Hey, about the Boston show you saw: was Tom Scholz wearing those goofy gym shorts when you saw them? I have the Wolfgang's Vault app on my phone and I often use it to listen to shows during my commuting, and that Tanglewood Who show is a beast! You're one lucky dude to see the Who then, as I consider the 1970-71 Who to be the prime era. Unfortunately I didn't get to see them until 1973, when they were still somewhat potent, but the lifestyle was beginning to affect Keith Moon. I am curious what you recall about It's a Beautiful Day's performance, dazedcat? I was always curious about this band...I only had that one album with the great cover art...but they had pretty much ceased to exist by the time I started to going to shows. Were they any good live? That is wicked cool, Ally! So that means every time I listen to my "Pb" bootleg I am hearing your voice among the crowd...I can say, "That's ally screaming!"

Tonight, March 17, was the 40th anniversary of my FIRST rock concert: Black Sabbath Yes Wild Turkey March 17, 1972 @ Swing Auditorium, San Bernadino, California. This was the concert that lit the fuse, that began my expanding thirst for live rock n roll. There are primarily two modes of experiencing music: 1. Via a recording through a stereo or some music playing device; and 2. A live performance, either given by yourself or some other musicians. Each method has its benefits. A recording is usually the benefit of optimum acoustic conditions and pristine clarity of sound. Mistakes can be fixed in the studio through mixing or recording another take. In concert, the sound is subject to the whims of the equipment and the acoustical limitations of the venue. The sound is generally louder and rawer than what you hear on a recording, even a recording of a live show. But what you may lose in sonic perfection, you gain in the knowledge that the musicians are making music right before you at that very moment in time. A concert, by its very nature, is more spontaneous and visceral than a recording...even with bands that don't deviate much from their studio records in concert. There are some who prefer listening to music via recordings than in concert. Others prefer the live concert experience to records. Some like both equally. Up until 40 years ago tonight, I hadn't had a chance to form an opinion one way or another. I've ruminated a couple times before how my early passion for music, and rock n roll in particular, was inculcated, largely through my father. There was no question I loved music, was even a sort of music geek. And after seeing the films "Woodstock" and "Monterey Pop", and hearing albums such as "Get Your Ya Yas Out" and "Live at Leeds", I started to get the yearning to see a concert...especially Led Zeppelin, who by 1971 had become my favourite band. My parents decided that I was too young to subject my ears to a rock concert, decreeing I would have to wait until I was 10 years old. Which wouldn't happen until 1972. All thru 1970 and 1971, bands came to Southern California to play concerts, including Led Zeppelin, and I would have to sit in my room and suffer not being able to go, and wishing 1972 would hurry up and get here. Fortune, in a way, smiled on me though, for my dad divorced my stepmother soon after Christmas 1971. At this time in 1972, we were living in Tustin, California, which is in Orange County. My father had me for the weekend of March 17-19, Friday thru Sunday night. He picked me up after school that Friday and said he had a surprise for me. Now, one quirk about my dad's music tastes is that he loved those early prog bands: Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Yes, King Crimson. He didn't like the 50s rock n roll he heard growing up, preferring jazz and classical. He didn't even like the Beatles until "Sgt. Pepper's". Rolling Stones, Dylan, Cream, Hendrix, the Band, CCR, Joni Mitchell, The Who...those are the bands I grew up hearing. But he didn't like Led Zeppelin. No matter how I tried...he just couldn't get past his dislike of Robert's singing style. And this is a guy who liked Alice Cooper!?! Anyway, back to the prog. By 1972, thanks to my dad, I had learned to like some prog myself. I didn't much care for ELP's "Tarkus" but I did like the first album and parts of "Pictures at an Exhibition". An embarrassing moment of my life happened in junior high. Our home room teacher would allow us to listen to music on Fridays and when it was my turn to bring a record of my choosing to class, I brought the first "Emerson, Lake & Palmer" album. We didn't make it to the second side as everyone seemed to hate it and complained until it was replaced by Elton John's "Don't Shoot the Piano Player". I never lived that day down...I was a weirdo in the eyes of my classmates after that. But enough of ELP...the two prog albums I probably listened to most in 71-72 were King Crimson's "In the Court of the Crimson King" and Yes " Fragile". So when my dad picked me up from school on St. Patrick's Day in 1972 and told me the surprise he had for me was that he was taking me to see my first concert, I almost cried on the spot. In fact, I probably got so emotional that it took a while before it registered with me what bands we were going to see...Black Sabbath and Yes. Two bands I liked...not as much as Zeppelin or the Stones, but certainly more than Deep Purple and Grand Funk Railroad. Then on Sunday afternoon, we were going to the King Crimson show at the Santa Monica Civic. The catch was that I wasn't to tell my stepmom about going to the shows, as since I wasn't officially 10 yet, he wasn't sure she would approve of me going. I assured him I could keep a secret. The Black Sabbath/Yes tour had already played the LA Forum a couple days prior to the March 17 date...but it being a school night and being that the Forum was farther away from Orange County than San Berdu, the Swing Auditorium show was just more convenient, even if it lacked the glamour and cachet of a Forum gig. The Swing Auditorium was a fading, ugly barn of a building with wooden benches around the floor area and a weird tinsel ceiling. It was on the same locale as the National Orange Show Center and, while not as large as the Forum or even Long Beach Arena, it held about 8,000 or so...maybe up to 10,000. The Swing was razed in 1981 after a plane crashed into it. The sound wasn't great, but it was better than some other venues I experienced that year...it was probably most similar to the Hollywood Palladium's sound, perhaps slightly better. My dad provided me with earplugs to wear and I put them in as we finally made it into the Swing. It definitely was a trip being amongst a crowd that size for the first time...10,000 isn't as large as a Forum crowd but it's still a lot of people in an enclosed space. All breathing on you it sometimes seemed. Oh, and let's just say Black Sabbath drew some interesting fans, particularly in the Inland Empire, which is far different than LA or Hollywood. Since there were tickets still being advertised in the paper in the days leading up to the show, I don't think the concert was sold out. But it was still a good-sized crowd. In fact, it was probably good for box office when they added Yes to the bill...as popular as Yes had become, there was probably a sizeable segment who came just for Yes. The first band was Wild Turkey and I had no clue who they were...only finding out later that it was an offshoot of sorts from Jethro Tull. The original bass player from Tull, Glenn Cornick(the dude who always seemed to wear a headband) left in 1971 to form Wild Turkey. Cannot say I remember much about the band one way or another. Never got one of their albums and their music didn't strike me as being out of the ordinary. I suppose they were a passable hard rock band with a tinge of Tull about them. I bet if I dig thru my archives I'll discover they were the opening act for several concerts I saw in the 70s. Here's an interesting interview with Glenn Cornick about Jethro Tull and Wild Turkey: http://psychedelicbaby.blogspot.com/2011/12/glenn-cornick-interview-about-jethro.html?m=1 There was probably the usual impatience of the crowd wanting to see Yes or Black Sabbath, but I don't remember anything too violent. I know me and my dad were anxious for them to finish so Yes could take the stage. Yes was definitely the band he came for...he was only tolerating Black Sabbath for my sake. At this time in 1972, Yes was exploding..."Fragile" had been out for a few months and the FM rock stations were playing "Roundabout" constantly, along with the earlier "Your Move/I've Seen All Good People". But the song I really loved most from "Fragile" was "Heart of the Sunrise". I could have done without some of the things like "Cans and Brahms", but "Heart of the Sunrise" was great enough for me to overlook the flaws of the album. Plus, there was "Mood for a Day". Now, to me, the classic Yes line-up will always be the Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman and Bill Bruford era. The group that recorded "Fragile" and "Close to the Edge". So I consider myself lucky that I got to see the last tour with this line-up. Bill Bruford would soon leave Yes for King Crimson. Since Yes was second on the bill, they couldn't do their whole show, but at least I got to hear them do "Heart of the Sunrise"(all hail the mighty mellotron!) and "I've Seen All Good People". Not to mention their famous "Firebird Suite" intro music, which pleased me and my dad immensely, both of us being Stravinsky fans. Yes didn't move around much or put on a "show" per se, but then, as this was my first concert I didn't have much to compare them to, haha. As far as I knew, all bands played like that. But what Yes lacked in showmanship they more than made up for with musicianship. Even with the less than pristine acoustics, you could sense the band's musical prowess. The whole enormity of being at my first rock concert was such that the entire night was a blur rushing by...so much that I don't remember anything that was said or much in the way of song details for the most part. Just that it was louder than anything I had heard or felt in my life...even with the earplugs...but that it also gave me this warm glowing feeling inside. Watching a band play and hearing the music they were playing immediately come forth from the speakers in a massive tidal wave of sound was thrilling beyond words. And it was about to get LOUDER! For after Yes and a bit of a wait while they changed the stage setup, it was time for the headliners, Black Sabbath to take the stage. Touring behind "Masters of Reality", my favourite Black Sabbath album, this was a lean and mean Black Sabbath. My dad wasn't liking it so much, but I was in headbanging heaven. Obviously not as diverse or as much finesse as Yes, the music of Black Sabbath was all brute force and power riffs and crushing volume. Bones and things rattled in your body as you felt the bass vibrations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq1tmbnAkn4&feature=youtube_gdata_player Again, I couldn't tell you much about the setlist other than there were a few from "Masters...". Oh, and with the exception of Ozzy(who came off as odd more than scary, despite what the Bible-thumpers said), the band barely moved around...just like Yes. It seemed odd as well watching Tony Iommi playing guitar left-handed. You are so used to seeing a guitar pointed a certain way that it kind of jars your senses when coming across a lefty. What really jarred the senses though, was the way a guitar sounds live in concert coming through the amplifiers and PA stacks. The hum and buzz and the harmonic overtones...it really knocked me for a loop. I might have let out a few cheers and claps, but I think for most of the set...hell, for most of the night I was just silently taking the whole experience in and not let it overwhelm me. Even with snacks and a bathroom break, my stamina was fading about the time of the drum solo. I barely made it to the end of the concert. But make it I, and my dad, did. My first rock concert was under my belt. My ears were ringing, my head was pounding, my body felt like it had been punched by every one of Bill Ward's hit of the drum. Yet I felt so alive, so giddy. If this is what a concert did to you, I wanted more. Of course, more was about to come...as a couple days later we were going to the King Crimson concert. Anyway, that was my first concert. Now it is your turn...what was your first concert?

It's not even 5pm in the afternoon and some drunk bimbo is hurling her guts out in front of me on the sidewalk of Hollywood Blvd. Stay classy, L.A.

You're in for a good time, then!

NFL: Oakland Raiders NCAA: University of Southern California Trojans (USC) Soccer: Ireland, Germany, U.S. Bundesliga: FC Nürnberg Premiere League: Liverpool F.C., Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.

Good luck. May your surgeon have a steady hand.

I did a double-take when I saw the name Bill Evans(he's dead!) until I realized it was a different Bill Evans than the late great jazz pianist. That must have been one hell of a jam session last night.

BOO! HISS!

Does that include BD's hose pipe? WTF...did I just say that?!?

Happy Aussie Mum's Day to ya Kate! Hope BD made you breakfast, at least!

Freaking raining cats and dogs in L.A. today. More thunderstorms predicted for Sunday, which is the same day as the L.A. Marathon...which means traffic and chaos, haha.

Thanks Walter for starting the 2012 Thread and saving me the trouble. The NFL year doesn't run on the calendar year. The 2012 season actually began this past Tuesday, meaning the week before last was the final week of the 2011 season...Peyton Manning's release was pretty much the final official act of 2011, as all League business had to be completed by 4pm last Friday afternoon of March 9 to count for the year 2011. So Walter your timing was perfect on the new thread. The 2012 season officially is underway. Rick, the best news your beloved Bills received after the Mario signing is the fact that Peyton Manning will NOT be signing with Miami. Too early for me to have any clue about the Raiders...even if they hadn't spent the money signing Carson Palmer, I doubt they would have been able to land Peyton Manning. San Francisco tossing their hat into the Manning-ring spices things up. But the way the media is covering this is bonkers. I passed an electronic store yesterday with a display case of televisions, and on the screens was footage of what looked to me like one of those car chases the news regulary interrups programming with out here in L.A. On closer inspection, I saw that the tvs were tuned to ESPN and they were showing live coverage of Peyton Manning driving from the airport to meet with the Titans. Yep...cars heading down a highway. That's what ESPN was breathlessly showing.