It's all very murky isn't it? Which story is correct? While Jimmy wasn't in Egypt on the 26th, he wasn't at that hotel in New Orleans either (I realise I slipped up and contradicated an earlier post I made in the "Oakland Incident" thread" which I state he was still in San Francisco on the 26th, which is most likely). I would like to see evidence where Jimmy was in the week *after* the 26th. No-one yet has said where other than Richard Cole and the Peter Grant biography. Edited: Added book

Not this "I'm Jimmy Page" rubbish again Steve...

I have never seen evidence he was in New Orleans. However do you have evidence that he wasn't in Egypt after what happened? According to Richard Cole he was, and there has been no questioning of this account in the three books that have been published which do contain his statement. I stand by the claim Jimmy was not in New Orleans.

Thank you, that interview clearly states Jimmy and JPJ were not in New Orleans.

No evidence here that Page was in New Orleans. Meg

Thanks for conceding There is no substantive evidence to suggest Jimmy Page was at that New Orleans hotel on Tuesday July 26th. I believe Steve Jones in another post in another thread has also mentioned that he hasn't seen irrefutable evidence either. Richard Cole has never said Jimmy was at that New Orleans hotel. Richard Cole however has said Jonesy was not at that hotel, he did say he was still on a camping holiday with his family. Cole has never stated those two were at that New Orleans hotel. Plant, Cole, and Bonham flew home to Birmingham via London. There is no irrefutable evidence Page and Jones were in New Orleans. Sure, some sources claim the "band" arrived at that hotel, but they are not specific on who within the band. Enjoy your sleep Edited: Additional quote.

Jimmy Page was not in New Orleans on the 26th when the news broke, even if you choose not to believe Richard Cole. Meg

Richard Cole in Peter Grant's biography (p. 198) as well as his own book and Hammer of the Gods (p. 288) has stated that the reason why Page did not attend because he was in Egypt. Only Robert, Bonham and Cole flew back to England after hearing the news. Neither Peter Grant, John Paul Jones, or Jimmy Page could be with Robert or attend the funeral of Karac. Meg

He was not at the hotel in New Orleans on Tuesday the 26th, as you claimed. Meg

Jimmy Page was not at the hotel on Tuesday the 26th, and he wasn't at Karac funeral days after that because he was in Egypt uncontactable. Meg

No they weren't. Only Cole, Bonham and Plant were at the Hotel in New Orleans when Plant was informed Karac had died. Meg

Allegedly after Page saw a television documentary with footage of the Graf Zeppelin flying over Egypt. Meg

Correct. But movements after that are not well documented and we know the Plant family returned back to the farm for some reason but did not return for the second leg. Interesting. Jones has stated they were at the same hotel where the band were staying during the Oakland concerts, with their Winnebago parked outside. I would assume the Jones' family may have attended. I can't imagine Jones telling Mo and the kids, you can't come, when they were in the vicinty of the concert. Gloria never toured, which is part of the reason why that marriage fell apart. If you recall, this was the tour in which Grant had divorced from Gloria, after alleged infidelities back home at Horselunges. It screwed up Peter's life for the next decade and I believe contributed to him taking his "eyes of the ball", when the band and label needed his firm hand and direction. We know Warren was there (collecting dressing room souvenirs), and with perhaps Helen [unconfirmed].

We know John Paul Jones and Peter Grant both had their families at the Oakland concert. Was there a reason why the Plant family wasn't there? Grant spoke in his biography that the last leg of the US tour was chance for the families to join the band, yet the Plant family was absent. The first sign anything was wrong was reports Karac Pendragon had fallen ill on the Friday before Oakland, at Plant's farm, after he had already passed away. Meg

John Paul Jones recounting the incident for journalist Chris Welch, later claims the band were already packed and ready to leave the San Francisco Hilton Hotel on the morning of Monday the 25th. They assumed (wrongly) that Bill Graham would honour a letter of indemnity he signed on the 24th, and that there would be no police action during the rest of the tour. The police entered the lobby and security man Greg Bettler then stopped the police and asked them what was going on. He managed to persuade them from entering their rooms and called G, to get himself, Cole, Bindon and Bonham to come down to the lobby instead. Jones and his family were ushered out the back while the talking was going on. Their motorhome was parked across the street and they drove off to Oregon for a brief stay while the events unfolded. Page and Plant with Peter's son Warren followed the police entourage to Oakland in a Mercedes limousine, via the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. Bail was secured for all four in Oakland. They then returned to the hotel, with Grant and Page spending the rest of the day sorting out the legal mess with solicitors. Bonzo, Cole, and Plant had already collected their belongings and caught a flight to New Orleans via San Francisco International Airport, booking into the Royal Orleans Hotel, where the rest of the band were expected to meet up. Jones has said that Bill Graham was not a likable man, always screaming at people, since the band's first encounter with him way back in the Fillmore days. Peter Grant: "It was just a very regrettable incident. But we were up against Bill Graham's security guys with their gloves filled with sand. We didn't want to get into that. There were wives with us and we had brought our kids with us for that part of the tour." Jimmy Page: "All those horrific stories about what's supposed to have happened there, I don't think it was as bad as what it was built up to be, to be truthful with you. I'm not saying that something didn't happen. But you know what it's like over there. If you sneeze on someone, they'll sue you. It got blown out of proportion." Meg

And it's a K-Tel release as well...

SIDE 1: 1. Shine A Little Love - Electric Light Orchestra 4:27 2. Jet - Wings 4:06 3. Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty 6:10 4. Sultans Of Swing - Dire Straits 5:36 5. Let It Grow - Eric Clapton 4:15 6. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - Elton John 3:48 7. Devil Woman - Cliff Richard 3:35 SIDE 2: 1. Give A Little Bit - Supertramp 4:11 2. Boys Are back In Town - Thin Lizzy 4:22 3. Don’t Kill The Whale - Yes 3:58 4. Welcome To The Machine - Pink Floyd 7:31 5. Rock & Roll Fantasy - Bad Company 3:19 6. Candy Store Rock - Led Zeppelin 4:07 Meg

The orientation of the new stadium is the same as the old one. "The field and track configurations remained the same. A replica of the original concrete arch bearing the name "Kezar Stadium" was built on the west side of the stadium as a tribute to the original structure." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kezar_Stadium From San Francisco's Golden Gate Park by Chris Pollock and Erica Katz, ISBN 1558685456, page 44. "27: Kezar Stadium and Kezar Pavillion. .... A monument to another era, when college football was still played in leather helmets, the design for the original stadium by Willis Polk was probably inspired by the historic Colosseum in Rome. Park Superintendent John McLaren insisted on one compromise in the stadium's orientation, however. Traditionally, the longest side would have been oriented in the north-south direction so the majority of patrons would not face into the sun. But the layout would have dramatically cut into the park's acerage, so the stadium was oriented east to west." Edited: additional reference.

No. Kezar Stadium is east-west orientation not north-south. Go to Google maps to confirm. Because the sun was behind them in the afternoon show, they would have to have been at the western end of the stadium facing towards the hippies in Haight-Astbury in the east. Which means that if it is Kezar stadium, the unidentified photo would have been taken in the morning, as the sun would have been from the east-south-east, thereby casting the shadows back towards the stage, not towards the front. Meg Edited: clarifying statement.

I don't have that exact issue at hand but I do know that the Creem journalist for that tour was Lisa Robinson and the photographer was Neil Zlozower. Meg

It will help solve many of these unknown photographs because it would be a matter of comparing background buildings, lighting setups, other structures, the sky/horizon, shadows etc Meg

I believe when Led Zeppelin finally arrived there was an argument between Bonham and Bill Graham, alluded to by Plant on stage. Meg

Hendrix is on record as saying The Yardbirds was his favourite band and that "Beck's Bolero" one of his favourite songs. See Keith Shadwick's biography on Hendrix for the reference. Meg

The gates opened at 10am but the band didn't arrive til sometime after 2.30pm. They were meant to kick off at 2pm. There would have been no time for a soundcheck in the afternoon. Take a look at these pictures here: This is my theory of "light and shade" Note the shadows (taller than our souls) being cast to the front of the stage, rather than to the back of the stage in the original photo under question, so if it is Kezar, the soundcheck could have not have been done in the afternoon as the position of the sun had changed to behind the stage. If however what Robert says is true and he didn't just make up an excuse to the crowd for being late. I would like to find out the stage orientations (west-east, north-south) for the other open-air venues. Meg

Given the amount of sunlight on the stage and the position of the shadows, this could be a morning soundcheck at Kezar. The concert gates at Kezar opened at 11am and the band hit the stage in the late afternoon after The Tubes, Roy Harper and Lee Michaels performed. Weather reports indicate the day began clear and bright but became progressively cloudy, which explains why photos taken during the concert look slightly washed with no shadowing, as the position of the sun had changed, compared with the above photo. There would have been ample time for the band to change attire. That would be my guess. Meg