What an incredible quote! Not only do I agree with Jerry about Kerouac's books opening doors (as they did for me), it also applies to my experiences with Led Zeppelin. Thanks for that.

That is great that your friend's mom drove you to the concert - in my case, we relied on mass transit to get us to the venues. Like you, I was also rockin at a very early age - thanks to my friend's elder siblings (and my penchant for tacking a couple of years onto my real age ). It was the older cousin of that same friend who introduced us to the places in the city where we were most likely to encounter rockers. It sounds like you and your siblings may have engaged in what we used to call "stereo wars".

Same here. Decades later, I find there is always something new to discover and learn about my favorite band. "Intelligent and aware" - I like that description. Seriously, though, I absorbed a lot back then - probably/possibly more than I should have. I have said it before: the band opened the world to me - not just musically but also where and how they traveled, what they read, etc. I quickly realized that I would never be content with a "small" or "narrow" life.

She really is very special, Virginia. I have saved the handmade cards and presents that my kids made me when they were little. They are so sweet and some of the things that they write come straight from the heart - like your little girl saying that you are cute! It really is. It sounds like you and your mom and sisters are close - you are really lucky. I hope you had a great HUGE breakfast. My husband and I, along with our youngest daughter, met our two oldest children in a city - we had lunch and spent the day together. I love being with them all and know how blessed I am to have them in my life.

Yes, that was my first Zep concert. I didn't know that the songs were recorded back in March of that year. It seems that, after all these years, I am still learning new things about LZ.

You were so lucky Hotplant! When I was little, I used to dream of going to LA to see Jim Morrison. He tragically died before I ever got to see him. :'( It's cool that you kept your $3 ticket stub!

Receiving a beautiful Mother's Day card and note in the mail from my Mother-in-Law today. Among other things, she told me what a great mother I've been to her grandchildren and how much she has loved having me as part of the family.

Ev and Steve, thanks for that information on the album covers. It's interesting to me that Jimmy didn't like the cover of LZ III and described it as "teeny-bopperish" - I remember when that album was released - I was still a kid and not yet a "teeny-bopper" - my friends and I thought the cover was incredibly cool. It reminds me of what was, back then, a vast chasm of sorts between the sophistication level of the Zep guys and that of their young fans. When I first saw Zep in concert, the fourth album had not yet been released and I don't believe that it had a working title although the band performed songs from it. Was the delay (I think it was released two months after the concert) due to the cover artwork or the band not reaching a decision about a title? ftr, when the album was finally released, my friends and I searched for all sorts of supposedly hidden messages, meanings, and symbols, including using mirrors. After awhile, we outgrew that and it became, at least to us, just a great album cover - one without hidden messages, meanings, and symbols.

Brown is nice too. Great photos, Marolyn. Thanks for sharing them. It's interesting to see that they've put up a security fence but the fans still come to visit Jim's grave. Your photos also reminded me that people had painted "Jim" in small letters with an arrow on the other graves so people could find their way through the cemetery to Jim's grave.

You really do have some great shots. My husband and I both enjoyed the most recent series of pics you posted.

Hi Hotplant! I know exactly what you mean. I'll never forget those days. Ever.

I quoted your post because your memorabilia is so very, very sweet! Especially the Riot House stuff.

I'm now wondering if I think the injury happened at the Long Beach Airport because Ev posted it and I replaced LAX with Long Beach Municipal. If the band were flying within CA via the Falcon, it might be that they couldn't take off or land from LAX so they went via LB. The road crew went to San Diego and back via bus.

You're always so generous about sharing your photos, Otto. No doubt the ones I posted here came from you. I remember reading/hearing that some people who were on the scene heard Jimmy say that he had to soak his hand. I'm not sure what that means as far as the injury but, whatever it was and whatever he did, he played well on those nights at the Forum. That quote reminds me of how news and rumors circulated amongst fans prior to the internet and text messaging. I was part of the "common rabble" of fans and we even got wind of the rumors that Jimmy injured his finger at the Riot House - whatever the reason for canceling a concert, fans' imaginations will run rampant. A couple...

Some early Jim Morrison information: A few years ago, an archivist at Florida State University discovered a "lost" film that Jim made when he was a student there: http://www.floridamemory.com/photographicc...ideo.cfm?vid=22 This interview includes a mug shot of Jim, taken when he was a college student: http://www.americanlegends.com/Interviews/morrison.htm

Otto, thanks for the detailed information and the photos. Here are two more of the '73 hand injury that you once posted here or on the old site for us: Steve, interesting that you mention that. I was at both LA concerts and I remember hearing that rumor circulating back then - that Jimmy actually hurt his hand at the Riot House and not at the airport. In any case, while at the Riot House he did get some R&R and recover well enough to carry on. I believe that you are right - that he was hurt at the LB airport. I hadn't thought of that old rumor until Steve mentioned it...

I try not to think about it. Our kids are older than yours but they all grew up listening to Zep - and their degree of affection for the band varies. We were on a road trip this weekend and "Going to California" came on the radio and my daughter said, "I remember you used to play this for me when I was little!" So, they have respect for the band as artists but also feel a connection because the music was part of their childhood. If they hit rough patches in life, as my husband and I once did, it will be their choice or decision to sell - or not sell - the rock and Zep memorabilia. At that point, I won't have any say in the matter.

Monterey Pop and Woodstock are both great to see on the big screen! Glad you got to experience that. I agree with what you wrote about Janis.

Watching that clip made me realize that The Doors' concerts and Morrison's antics were a kind of template for my Zep concert behavior. I was too young to have attended any Doors concerts but I made up for that during the Zep years. Edited to add: I made an error when I typed my earlier post about visiting Jim's grave - I meant to write "pot and hash" - good hash was cheap and easily available in Europe back then.

Eagle, I finally watched the vid - it's a great one! The last 15-20 seconds are priceless! Thanks for sharing that story, Stonefreelee. On our first trip to Paris, when I was just out of college, one of the first places that my husband and I visited was Père Lachaise to see Jim Morrison's grave site - it was a shrine and there were fans from all over the world sitting nearby smoking pot and weed and drinking beer and wine. In the decades since, we returned to Paris several times but never visited the grave again so I don't know if it looks the same or if it is still a mecca for Jim's fans.

My husband and I just recently decided that with regard to our own rock memorabilia - we'll keep it and enjoy it for the rest of our lives. When we're gone, our kids can decide what to do with it.

Your friend's name wasn't Eddie Kramer or Bob Gruen, was it?

That must have been devastating! I can’t remember what set her off but, one time during my Zep years, my mother went on a rampage of sorts and purged my room of most of my LZ concert stuff (including photos). She thought she had gotten it all but fortunately I had some of the best things hidden safely away. My husband and I ended up having to sell several of the best of my remaining concert memorabilia (including badges) in the ‘80’s (I have periodically trolled ebay hoping to find them) but I did manage to keep a few items that are very special to me.