In terms of consistency and mental creativity vs dexterity/fluidity I think you may be on to something. I don't know how consistent he was in 88, but when I saw him (10/11/88) he was incredible. I got the boot of the show not long after he played, and it was/is fantastic. Just wanted to mention that as I think it's in the same conversation of what you're suggesting here regarding 98 and the passage of time. I haven't listened to every show from 88, 95/96, 98, etc so I appreciate it when others have taken the time to listen and re-listen to all of it and point out the good shows, most consistent years, etc. A few weeks back, I listened to a NQ from 75 back to back with NQ from New Orleans 98, just for funesies. Page sounded really, really good. He didn't have the same level of fluidity, but he made up for it with just being an amazing player. My own thing I say all the time is his playing comes from somewhere else. It really does sound magic.

I think 8-21 stands out mainly due to Robert having one of his best nights of the year, and of course famously shredding the fuck out of his voice on R+R at the end. Jimmy is on fire (basically a given in 71) and Bonzo is highly ... shall we say, energetic. There are definitely some unique versions of songs from 8-21 lol (listen closely to "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll" to hear what I mean). The WLL love medley is great, and all the encores (Weekend!) are great. As far as 8-22, I've already rambled about that one above. If you don't wanna hear the whole thing, I'd recommend checking out SIBLY, Black Dog and Dazed.

That's all great to hear. And hopefully the weather teaches the drivers in that area to be better at defensive driving, space cushion, etc. Driving was pretty chill here in Sac until all the SoCal and Bay Area people moved out here in droves. Now, it's stressful every time you get on the highway. Idiots tailgating each other at 70 mph, sometimes 5 of them in a row (I see this on a regular basis). It's almost impressive, the level of crushing stupidity out there. I've read drivers in Chicago proper can be crazy, but from what I've dealt with the past 18 months, I think I can handle any driving environment now 😂

Well, THAT f-ing rocked. Wow. I saw them 2 weeks earlier in Mountain View, and it was also a great show. This made me wanna re-watch, and luckily some kind soul put up the first few songs (video) on YT.

However, we do have communicators (pic from the web, not my hand or landfill toy):

Got it, thanks Electrophile! These are all the exact pros and cons I've read about Chicago for a while now. If we move out there, it won't be for quite a while so plenty of time to think stuff over. The #1 deterrent for me is driving on black ice. It's only happened to me once here in Cali, and if my driving skills weren't better (and really I think a lot of luck was involved), I wouldn't be here right now lol. It was a close call on the highway, really ugly scene.

For anyone interested, adding another underrated show: 8-22-71, second night in LA. I think this show is overshadowed by the previous night where Robert was having an incredible night, the amazing encores, etc. However, on their second night, Jimmy is absolutely on fire and is having, to my ears anyway, one of his best nights of the year. Start to finish, he's just in the zone and sounds magic (The "Black Dog" from this show is insane). Robert actually doesn't sound bad at all, and his voice gets better as the show goes on. Dazed in particular sounds incredible. In the coda, Jimmy is playing some really pretty stuff, almost Dead-like. Robert makes some pretty bad errors in both CD and STH, which is kind of comical because he's telling the crowd to keep quiet for the beginning - and then he sounds like he's actually forgotten the lyrics in a couple spots 😂 Bonzo also sounds kinda tired in some spots with this show but then picks it up by the end. Maybe they both partied too hard the night before and didn't sleep much? Anyway, I think it's a fun, relaxed performance with a blazing Jimmy all the way through. A really, really fun listen which has been on my rotation all this week. The sound quality is spotty, but when it's good (thankfully it's good on Dazed), it's really good for an audience recording.

D+C from the Sydney show is just sick. I love how they continued on with the theme from Shaft like they did a few months earlier in the UK. Except this time, Bonzo and Jonesy are playing the theme while Jimmy plays a completely different guitar part that sounds great, a very fun and playful riff. He reintroduces the fun riff right before the Mars section.

"Robert Plant has Italian concert promoter proposition women for him at bar." Jonesy documents efforts with camera.

That's what I like about this pic. The guy with the sideburns is the focus of the shot, and Robert Plant is just some random dude in the foreground. She could be annoyed, she could just have a random look on her face like people do when they don't realize they're being looked at, she could be trying to make out what he's saying if she's Italian and he's English (or vice versa) .. so many questions lol. I can't tell if she's annoyed ("why you always touching on your jacket? it's too big for you, did you know that? you suck!!") or worried ("how is he not picking up the signal that I am not interested, I'm here for the rockers") or just drunk ("when will I learn not to slam limoncello?").

My gf is from Geneva near Chicago. She says it really doesn't get too bad out there, as far as cold. I looked at average monthly high/low temps, and I could work with that. I like the cold, myself. But I"m not crazy about snow (well, the mess that comes with snow I should say) and black ice lol. I should probably go on reddit to ask this, but one internet forum in my life is enough for me 😂 What are your fav and least fav things about living in the midwest? We're considering moving out there (Chicago area) down the road. I'm working on her to keep her here in Cali, maybe get out to Chico (love the vibe out there, it's like Sacramento before all the bay area people wrecked it), but that's a whole nother conversation.

It was absolutely perfect today. The whole weekend was, too. My gf lives in the bay (and I'm originally from there), and I spend about 50% of my time there. If it was 59 and sunny every day, I could live with that.

Thanks ZepHead315. Been on a Dazed kick recently and am loving this. This show has yet another stupidly good (and unique) version from March 73

Yeah seeing them in such a small venue would have been amazing!

Just got into the Aussie shows last year. I'm addicted to the Sydney show atm, it's incredible.

Still in the grips of Zep fever, alternating between the following shows lately: 8-22-71 (second night in LA and hot hot HOT) Sydney 72 Both Glasgow shows from Dec 72

Re-watched PTA's love letter to Kubrick the other night, "The Master" "I'm read all over"

Since posting that less than a month ago, this (3/27) version has actually grown on me a bit. I don't mind less energy in the guitar solo as I think it suits the vibe of the song. Like the 3/10 San Diego version, which has that laid back solo and is one of my favorites. Good point on JPJ's role. I can get biased with my own preferences, as it's my fav song from the 75 tour and Jimmy's solo is the main reason for that,, along with how they were synching as a band during the number. I should give 5/23 another listen, that one has never really clicked with me. I love the JPJ solo from St, Louis the most, mainly because he's driving this incredible groove that is upbeat and the band is just locked in. But I also love Jonesey's solo at 3/20 Vancouver. It sounds so dream-like, like something out of a movie score almost. Like he'd been listening to Debussy earlier in the day or something lol.

Good catch! I never noticed that before.

Yeah, Chicago 1-22 is my fav live version of Wanton Song. It sounds an awful lot like the album version while retaining it's own feel. I think sticking with Dazed from HTWW and SRTS makes sense, but they are a bit similar. If you want one different in style from the SRTS version, I think a 71 version is the way to go, assuming there's room for it. I think most forum members would point you to one of the Japan 71 versions, as they are killer and have great audio. I personally love versions from the UK Fall 71 tour, Ipswitch has the best sound quality, but Leicester isn't far behind(and is one of the best Dazed of the year,, absolutely smokin). OTHAFA is tricky in that I think the solos were best in 75, but Robert clearly sounded best in 72 and 73. Vienna seems to have the best of all worlds to my ears, I've always loved that version. And the Vienna Fireworks matrix version has just fantastic sound quality.

You bet, happy to help! We're all passionate about Zep, and it's cool to see how invested in this project you are. Discovering new Zep shows for the first time is the best. I've discovered a bunch of new ones myself after taking a very long break from listening. This forum was the main driver for me to join myself after lurking/reading different opinions about different shows I hadn't heard yet.

Dazed was so consistently good in 71 and 72, you could almost close your eyes and point to a random show, and it would be a good version. Some versions that are new to me (and stupidly good) that I've made friends with lately: San Bernadino 72 Sydney 72 LA Forum 8-22-71 (second night)

Been on a Dazed kick recently so I thought I'd bring back this old thread. The ones I listen to the most are: Leicester 71 Bradford 73 Vienna 73 Essen 73 There are so many killer versions though so special mentions for: Copenhagen 71 Glasgow (first night) 72 Manchester 72 Hamburg 73 Offenberg 73 Mobile 73 Providence 73 MSG 2-7-75 Philly 75 Earl's Court 5-17-75 Earl's Court 5-24-75 (mainly for the magical Woodstock/bow section + nostalgia bias)

^ This. Also, I think Carouselambra has some of Robert's best lyrics ever. Robert guarded his privacy and liked to sing in more general terms (for the most part) during his time with Zep. But starting with Presence, he got more real, and this track specifically is as real as it gets. You can hear it in his voice as well ... powerful stuff. I sometimes wonder if his vocals weren't low in the original mix for the song as a decision made by him - keeping the mystery. He sings about some painful stuff directly related to the band, but doesn't want it clear and in your face (which he may have also considered to be a bit lame/cheesy). Keeping those dark lyrics low in the mix, in a way, is very Zep-like and suits the dark mysterious vibe of the song and album in general, A rare glimpse of the inner feelings of a band member (and through that glimpse a snapshot of the inner dynamic of the world's most mysterious band in 1978) are provided here, which the album cover also hints at. We're on the outside looking in through a very dirty window. Some of the dirt is wiped off, and we see the lone figure at the bar a bit more clearly. Still mysterious, and I'm sure clues abound if one were to look. No one played with mystery quite like Zep. Having said all that, love "The Epic" as well, and it's also my go-to for the song.

He's def underrated as a bassist. Killer sense of timing and feel. I love what he did with "Echoes". "Have a Cigar" bass line is also pretty dope.