Dyer Maker. As a teenage metal head I couldn't tolerate it, but I learned to appreciate the spirit of it. And Bonham gets some killer drum fills in.

Well yes, they did perform. But what kind of impression did they realistically make? Were they back with a vengeance or doing the dinosaur rock? I admittedly haven't read up much on the outcome of the shows, but now I'm interested.

Even more to the point then considering it produced one of the worst outings ever by Page. It should have been a realization that Page (and others) had problems, and those problems should have priority over a tour. But there's no doubt they were eager to show off the new material.

Nitpicking Page 8/11/1979 Knebworth (Welcome to the 1979 Knebworth Festival- Watchtower) The second Knebworth show carries a hefty reputation as a bad performance on Jimmy's part. This is listed as a "soundboard" but most likely a video feed. TSRTS- Kicks off with a thunderous start, sounding promising. First solo- almost the whole of 2:29-2:58 is an articulation disaster. Plant is sounding pretty good. Outro solo- ....alright, if you handed a guitar to someone who'd never played one before but knew how the song went and asked them to guess at the notes, this is exactly what it would sound like. Everything is here except Jim. "C". Celebration Day- Sloppy intro. 0:39-0:44, playing out of key. Solo- Surprisingly good. Outro solo- Page attempts some leads for six measures but jumps back into the main riff and ends it. Probably a smart move. "B". Black Dog- Good start. 1:37, though aided by effects, Plant gets a good scream in. Solo- The opening runs aren't too bad, but he tenses up after that and starts struggling. 4:14-4:18, I don't think he actually hits any notes here. This version is comparable to some '75 versions, but that's not good. At least the delay effect helps mask it a little. "B". NFBM- Solid intro. 2:05, Jones drops out for a few seconds. Harmonica- not bad, but seems very half-hearted. Solo- Okay until 4:22, where he goes off the rails a bit. "B". OTHAFA- Intro is played loosely. 1:15, some equipment issues. Solo- The phrasing really isn't bad, but of course there's serious articulation problems. 4:05, some flubs on the exit phrase. Page struggles badly on the outro, but if you watch the video you'll see he had a broken string. "C+". MMH- Page whips out a different guitar for this (I forget what it was). Plant sounds great here, better than '73. Solo- fairly rough, but he makes it through. The riff repeats adequately until it ends. "B+". SIBLY- Intro is decent until 1:01, where he trips up a bit. 1:58, wrong chord. Solo- rough around the edges, but otherwise played and phrased fairly well. The last half is pretty solid. I've gotta critique Jones' footwork a little as the bass tones weren't quite as solid as usual, often dropping out. "B", though it's a lively version. No Quarter- Solid intro. Jones- Pretty standard routine until 5:07, where he plays a very nice, but short phrase. The pre solo jam creeps in very nicely. Solo- 6:55, some surprisingly nimble runs. Page has loosened up quite a bit and playing very well. 8:41, poor articulation. Overall an excellent solo. The return is good though Plant is a little squeaky. Page gets some decent licks in for the ending. "B+". Hot Dog- A decent intro, though Page's riffing during the opening measures is very loose. Solid verses. Solo- First half is played well, but Page is inaudible after 3:03. Solid ending. I'll give it a generous "B+" despite not being able to hear the solo. The Rain Song- 0:40-0:45, some strained picking. Again at 1:12. 3:47, someone cranks up the volume on Jones' bass notes. Rock section- Page becomes inaudible. 5:05, one of the best screams I've heard from Plant. 6:42, some off notes and a rough ending. Page was very tense throughout and the bad audio doesn't help. "B" at best. WS/BMS- White Summer is played wonderfully and moves along at a perfect pace. Very good version. BMS- 4:47, hands tense up a bit. Again at 5:12. "B+". Kashmir- A perfectly good performance, but man is this mix bland. "A" performance, but I couldn't listen twice. Trampled Underfoot- Kicks off fairly well. 1:11, wrong notes. 2:23, something is seriously off with Jimmy at the beginning of Jones' solo, where Jones holds off for a couple bars to let Jimmy get sorted out. Solo- He puts in the effort, some parts sound okay, but toward the end it's blatant "fingers stuck in strings". His chording afterwards still sounds dreadful. Jones gets some cool keyboard licks in on the outro. 5:38, sounds like someone pushed the band off the stage while they were playing. "C". Sick Again- Good start. Page still a little stiff on the chords. Solo- Really not bad. Plant has excellent enthusiasm and sounds good. Outro solo- I knew it was too good to be true, and here's the slopfest I was expecting. "B". Achilles- Decent intro, though Jones' bass is twanging pretty hard on the high notes. First solo (3:35)- Page does some nifty hybrid picking ont the second measure. 3:54-4:00, a good series of runs. 4:18-4:21, straining those bends. 4:42-4:47, sticky. Second solo (6:25)- Jones and Bonham lock into an amazing groove while Page barely gets through. Third solo (7:51)- Sounds like Page abandons the delay effect and just attempts a straight solo, playing with some frustration. The outro features some cool experimental chording but ends awkwardly. "B". In The Evening- Good start, but that bass pedal synth is overbearing and very cheesy. Solo- Drowned in wah effect, but not bad. 4:46, Page disappears. Outro solo- Some basic runs before he starts the whammy bar sideshow. I'll chalk the poor impression of this one up mostly to the extremely bland sound of the boot. And it really sounds terrible. "B". Stairway- 0:34, off note by Jones. 3:28, cool piano riff. Once the tempo picks up it starts sounding really good, with excellent piano work from Jones. Solo- Good start but loses the flow at 5:44. 6:14, some good noodling on the slow part but off the tracks once it picks back up. Fairly sloppy solo. 8:03, the chording on this last part sounded fantastic. "B". Rock And Roll- Good, energetic kickoff. Solo- A little sticky, but not bad at all. Bonham's ending drum fill is excellent. "B+". WLL- Solid start. 1:23, solo almost totally botched as Page wasn't prepared. You Need Love is pretty solid overall. Boogie Chillen is played well, with a slightly sticky but good solo. Decent ending. The solo really, really brings it down, but I'll be nice and go "B". Communication Breakdown- Plant's voice is very rough after he over-did it on the WLL screams, but there's still good energy. Solo- Not too bad, a little messy. A fairly good ending performance for such a lackluster show. "B+". Final Assessment- If you take Page out of the equation this is a solid, energetic performance on most accounts. But, Jimmy being the all important cog he is, puts a stain on the entire show. Plant sounds excellent, even getting some of the characteristic raspiness back to his vocals. Bonham and Jones are solid as usual. Highlights are an excellent White Summer and a surprisingly good No Quarter. To be honest, and in all seriousness, I'm actually surprised the 1980 tour ever happened after this show. It's hard to imagine the guys didn't say "Look Jimmy, you're a mess. Let's take some time off, maybe do some side projects, and see what happens from there." I have a personal theory that these shows were taped purposely by the band and intended for a possible video release, but shelved because of the lackluster performance. The fact that they dressed identically at both shows (though a week apart) supports this, and also the fact that it was indeed released years later lol. That kinda makes you wonder about the other video feeds. (As a teenager I paid $45 for a VHS of this show.)

Nope. I came here to watch this awesome remaster (well done btw) and question the absolute insanity of saying Page plays better here than anytime in 73. You can "enjoy" anything you want, but don't spread misinformation about the band's technical ability. As a true fan of the group I think it's very important to stay on the level and not spout over glorified, misunderstood bullshit that sidesteps the truth. That's unfair to the band's legacy. I "enjoy" Tempe 77, but I'm not gonna say Page plays better than 73 and I will verbally punch anyone in the nuts who does. And if I say something equally ridiculous (like my unpopular opinion of Bonzo) then I expect the fans on here to give me the same punishment.

I think this show hurts the opinion of Zep in 77 (especially if you watch the video). Plant's voice is pretty rough compared to most other 77 shows. Page, though not disastrous, certainly isn't as fluid as NY or LA. Bonham is killing it though. But the video- poor Jimmy looking like he's extremely hungover with his custom made suit hanging on him like a drape on a hat stand. It's kinda sad. As far as performance, I guess I just hold them to higher standards than everyone else. Those frustrated, forced, "out of ideas" bends and runs he does on the second SA solo literally sound like a kid who's been playing for a year jamming to a Led Zeppelin song. Maybe others can't hear it, but I sure as hell can. I guess I'm just cursed to be disappointed while everyone else enjoys unprofessional musicianship.

" U WOT MATE? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class...." Page plays terribly on Sick Again and if you can't tell then I'd question your musical sensibility. He does pretty good on the last half of the show though.

Plant made this comment right after "Sick Again", which featured some seriously sloppy playing by Page. Plant was obviously covering for it with a lame excuse. You've just lost all credibility.

Big-leg=Ghetto booty. Sir MixaLot wasn't exactly original.

Yeah, I suppose. Somehow, Jimmy and Jonesy are looking healthier than ever.

Absolutely. Certainly wasn't putting them down. Just saying things went in a different direction.

Robert's looking pretty rough.

I've got a lot of money saying you never find it.

Absolutely. It's not a complicated track instrumentally and is loose enough to allow some improv. I'm more impressed with Plant's lyrical delivery than anything. Just absolutely perfect.

It's honestly the height of sophistication in popular music. It's the coolest of the cool and when those rockabilly boys of the 50s started popping up, everything turned juvenile. You should watch Sweet And Lowdown. It's highly dramatized (like Whiplash), but gives a good representation of jazz guitar.

Oh, I got the rest of it. It's just the same old rhetoric that keeps deterring (and misunderstanding) from my point.

And there's more to it than just triplets and groove. Nobody seems to get that. I'm not even talking about flash. I'm just saying Bonham was pretty mediocre technically. It's fascinating how no one can accept that.

My point was that if you take away the amazing tuning, monstrous triplets, and addictive grooves, there were drummers (rock drummers) who were just far more skilled when it comes to incorporating the entire kit and varying their accents and phrases. Of course this goes out the door when one says "Bonham only played what was needed". Sure, that makes Charlie Watts better than Bonham. I'll omit Baker considering he came strictly from jazz. Barrie Barlow for one was much more adept to structure. Artimus Pyle accented the beat like nobody's business. Moon is debatable. Do we even have to compare Bonham to Palmer? It would be comparing grooves and muscle to finesse and expertise. This is only touching the surface. My point is that Bonham's drumming was basic, but extremely impressive. Much like Tony Iommi's guitar playing. It's really in response to anyone who brags about Bonzo's technicality. He just wasn't that technical. Now go ahead and make a statement about groove.

No, you don't get it. My original comment didn't mention anything about jazz, it just got pushed in that direction. And it keeps getting pushed around in different directions because nobody gets it or won't accept my controversial opinion.

I'll be the first to admit that sounded overly harsh, but it was poor wording on my part. And again, no one on here is even attempting to understand my point. It's all "How dare you!" comments.

I thought the same the first time I saw TSRTS Dazed and Confused. Plant trying to mimic Page's playing near the end with dying cat sounds made me cringe hard core. I was like "Stop already, geez".

I don't think it was a case of anything being over demanding. It was more that songs like TYG sounded thin without some rhythm guitar. Although I don't think Jones'contribution made a difference anyway. So my controversial opinion is that Jones should've tossed that three necked turkey (which looked ridiculous anyway) in the trash and just provided Page with a bass line instead.

Now that's an important name in rock music.