SteveAJones Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 (edited) I saw the Firm In Oklahoma City in 1986! They were fabulous! It was the first time that I had ever seen Jimmy and it was a great experience! There was a torrential thunder and lighting storm that evening. Supposedly power to the venue went out momentarily during the concert. Do you happen to recall any of this? Edited August 17, 2009 by SteveAJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kakdaddy Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I thought the Firm had some really great moments, particularly live. Songs like "Closer", "Together", "Someone To Love", "Midnight Moonlight", "Tear Down The Walls", & "Live In Peace" worked much better in a live context than on record. Love the live versions of "City Sirens", "The Morning After The Night Before", & "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" as well. I really would like to see Page & Rodgers collaborate on something again, even if it's a Willie & The Poor Boys situation which I liked their 2 songs together on that album better than Honeydrippers album as far as oldies covers are concerned. I'd like to see Page jam with Tony Franklin again as well. I was actually a big fan of his fretless playing in the band. His style just worked well withen the bands particular framework. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arms of atlas Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I had the pleasure of seeing The Firm in the Frankfurt Kongresshalle at the start of their first European tour. A fantastic night as it was the first time I had seen Jimmy. It was a relatively small venue which is sadly no longer there. Highlights included : Going for a beer before the show and suddenly realising Jimmy was walking very close behind me with his entourage on the way to his dressing room . There was a security guard at the dressing room door, Jimmy waved his hand and said "out of the way Fritz !" and with that was gone before I could say a word. Being in the front row for the whole show. It was a real thrill to be standing in front of him as he sat down and did White Summer/Black Mountain side. It felt like a private guitar lesson. The band were obviously having a great time and Jimmy looked delighted to be on stage again. Absolute highlight : Getting his guitar pick ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 I had the pleasure of seeing The Firm in the Frankfurt Kongresshalle at the start of their first European tour. A fantastic night as it was the first time I had seen Jimmy. It was a relatively small venue which is sadly no longer there. Highlights included : Going for a beer before the show and suddenly realising Jimmy was walking very close behind me with his entourage on the way to his dressing room . There was a security guard at the dressing room door, Jimmy waved his hand and said "out of the way Fritz !" and with that was gone before I could say a word. Being in the front row for the whole show. It was a real thrill to be standing in front of him as he sat down and did White Summer/Black Mountain side. It felt like a private guitar lesson. The band were obviously having a great time and Jimmy looked delighted to be on stage again. Absolute highlight : Getting his guitar pick ! Only your second post I see - nice to "meet you". I would like to exchange PMs with you sometime concerning that concert and the venue. Meanwhile, here is a link to five front row photos I posted in Photo Forum (if you haven't seen them already): http://forums.ledzeppelin.com/index.php?showtopic=3069 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonson Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Only your second post I see - nice to "meet you". I would like to exchange PMs with you sometime concerning that concert and the venue. Meanwhile, here is a link to five front row photos I posted in Photo Forum (if you haven't seen them already): http://forums.ledzeppelin.com/index.php?showtopic=3069 hey i was at that show as well, only 16 years old and very much impressed by the musicality of the band, only turned off a little by paul rodger's hawaii shirt.. it was one of my first major concerts ever and i made it to row 3 or 4 jimmy looked a little sick in the beginning of the show, the pics u got here must be from a a few songs into the set when things had settled a bit. oooh, listening to the overture (gustav holst's "planets" as i found out much later) as the room darkened and the taped classical music ending on the climax and stage lights switch ON & there really is jimmy page onstage and they start off with "closer" was very very uplifting for my young heart then. the closer riff became an instant classic for me. of course, no one knew midnight moonlight by then or any other band tune as the album was released months later, but the tunes and solo spots were really great for me & me school friends. i recall getting to the hall as early as afternoon, cause we wanted to try & see if we could get in for soundcheck already.. to our own non-belief we actually somehow managed to get in the hall !! and attended part of the soundcheck - but it was roadies or technicians doing it, not the band itself. still very kool tho for me to see jimmy´s brown telecaster before the actual gig! now, if i only could find my ticket stub, believe it or not - i had number 001 ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 (edited) hey i was at that show as well, only 16 years old and very much impressed by the musicality of the band, only turned off a little by paul rodger's hawaii shirt.. it was one of my first major concerts ever and i made it to row 3 or 4 jimmy looked a little sick in the beginning of the show, the pics u got here must be from a a few songs into the set when things had settled a bit. oooh, listening to the overture (gustav holst's "planets" as i found out much later) as the room darkened and the taped classical music ending on the climax and stage lights switch ON & there really is jimmy page onstage and they start off with "closer" was very very uplifting for my young heart then. the closer riff became an instant classic for me. of course, no one knew midnight moonlight by then or any other band tune as the album was released months later, but the tunes and solo spots were really great for me & me school friends. i recall getting to the hall as early as afternoon, cause we wanted to try & see if we could get in for soundcheck already.. to our own non-belief we actually somehow managed to get in the hall !! and attended part of the soundcheck - but it was roadies or technicians doing it, not the band itself. still very kool tho for me to see jimmy´s brown telecaster before the actual gig! now, if i only could find my ticket stub, believe it or not - i had number 001 ! Very privledged! I'm exchanging PMs with Arms of Atlas concerning this concert. I have a few questions about it, specifically if the Kongress Halle was demolished and if the Alte Oper opera house was built on the site. I also wanted to know if he had seen any press, posters, or flyers for this show. I have the poster for Audimax in Hamburg ("The New Band for 1984" with their names) but I think each date may have had a poster issued. Edited August 18, 2009 by SteveAJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonson Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Very privledged! I'm exchanging PMs with Arms of Atlas concerning this concert. I have a few questions about it, specifically if the Kongress Halle was demolished and if the Alte Oper opera house was built on the site. I also wanted to know if he had seen any press, posters, or flyers for this show. I have the poster for Audimax in Hamburg ("The New Band for 1984" with their names) but I think each date may have had a poster issued. each Hi Steve, as far as i know the alte oper is not on the same place where they tore down congresshalle, but is a real old opera as the name suggests. built in (google) 1880, got burned down in 2nd WW2, reconstructed and then reopened for (mainly classical) concerts on august 28th 1981. http://www.alteoper.de/_en/indexstart.html about flyers for the gig, def there were posters and flyers for the frankfurt show, i remember handing out flyers myself as a holidayjob for the local ticket agency, thats why i got the very first batch of tickets for that gig. i might still have some flyers (with my ticket?) somewhere. posters were not much, i def remember seeing one at the ticket office. kinda big colored letters on dark background,the logo/artwork had not been released, but came with the album another thing is, upon cleaning up my basement a couple of months ago, i found an old cassette recording we made with sony walkman plus mic then. it´s close to 90 minutes and doesnt sound half bad on my ghetto blaster in the kitchen:) back then we thought we were the coolest bootleggers ever to record a famous band whose album had not even been released, but of course we never did anything much with it - but we listened! i am not much of a torrent freak - are there any decent recordings of that gig floating around ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Hi Steve, as far as i know the alte oper is not on the same place where they tore down congresshalle, but is a real old opera as the name suggests. built in (google) 1880, got burned down in 2nd WW2, reconstructed and then reopened for (mainly classical) concerts on august 28th 1981. http://www.alteoper.de/_en/indexstart.html about flyers for the gig, def there were posters and flyers for the frankfurt show, i remember handing out flyers myself as a holidayjob for the local ticket agency, thats why i got the very first batch of tickets for that gig. i might still have some flyers (with my ticket?) somewhere. posters were not much, i def remember seeing one at the ticket office. kinda big colored letters on dark background,the logo/artwork had not been released, but came with the album another thing is, upon cleaning up my basement a couple of months ago, i found an old cassette recording we made with sony walkman plus mic then. it´s close to 90 minutes and doesnt sound half bad on my ghetto blaster in the kitchen:) back then we thought we were the coolest bootleggers ever to record a famous band whose album had not even been released, but of course we never did anything much with it - but we listened! i am not much of a torrent freak - are there any decent recordings of that gig floating around ? You've given me some excellent leads. The poster you described sounds a lot like the one produced for Hamburg, which makes sense as I think Lippman & Rau promoted the entire tour. I can reconfirm that. I'll have to get back to you concerning recordings as I don't have my list with me at the moment. I know that the Lund, Sweden concert is in circulation and I have quite a few other Firm concert recordings '85-'86. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Botswana Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 Yes, Franfurt and all of the '84 European/UK Firm shows were audience taped. Those shows are usually listed as above average (or better) in quality for the era. USA shows generally fall below in quality grading but certainly not appeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonson Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 You've given me some excellent leads. The poster you described sounds a lot like the one produced for Hamburg, which makes sense as I think Lippman & Rau promoted the entire tour. I can reconfirm that. I'll have to get back to you concerning recordings as I don't have my list with me at the moment. I know that the Lund, Sweden concert is in circulation and I have quite a few other Firm concert recordings '85-'86. My pleasure, Steve. Yes the poster i´m sure is the same as for the hamburg gig, it had the "new band for 84" tag & names and most definetely it was a Lippmann & Rau tour of germany, just like i think all previous LZ concerts here had been arranged by L&R agency. i believe Fritz Rau was a good friend of LZ thruout their whole career, thus it was natural to work with follow up projects. had the pleasure of meeting the man once shortly in Wiesbaden in the mid 80s. he is considered a true rockn roll+++ legend, worked with everybody in the biz and pulled a lot of strings in the entertainment sector here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepscoda Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 The Firm was great. That fretless bass sound was key to that band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I have the poster for Audimax in Hamburg ("The New Band for 1984" with their names) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonson Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 yaa, that´s it:) not the most inspired of designs, but a nice deja vu now & here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arms of atlas Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 yaa, that´s it:) not the most inspired of designs, but a nice deja vu now & here. I think the Hipgnosis involvement was minimal..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thozil Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Firm-era article from Musician magazine (late 1984 or early 1985 - not sure what month): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Firm-era article from Musician magazine (late 1984 or early 1985 - not sure what month): It's from the May 1985 issue of Musician. An unfavorable album review of 'The Firm' written by Patty Rose was also published in that issue. Thanks so much for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thozil Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Couldn't find the Patty Rose review, but I did find this review from the May 1985 issue of Creem (and it's equally negative): Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 (edited) All tickets courtesy Steve A. Jones Archive Edited September 1, 2009 by SteveAJones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimp Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 My mate got married on May 18th 85, that's why i never got to see the Firm at the NEC, inconsiderate bastard he is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 My mate got married on May 18th 85, that's why i never got to see the Firm at the NEC, inconsiderate bastard he is Hopefully their marriage lasted longer than The Firm. Robert Plant attended that gig with Carmen...he wept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 The Firm Tour Merchandise (1984-1986) Some, but not all, of the official tour merchandise 1984 European Tour T-Shirt (Front) 1984 European Tour T-Shirt (Back) 1985 USA Tour Button 1985 USA Tour T-Shirt (Front) 1985 USA Tour T-Shirt (Back) 1986 USA Tour T-Shirt (Front) 1986 USA Tour T-Shirt (Back) 1986 USA Tour Program Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Rolling Stone 4/25/85 1985 UK Tour Advertisement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimp Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Hopefully their marriage lasted longer than The Firm. Robert Plant attended that gig with Carmen...he wept. LOL, no 'fraid not Steve, Divorced some years later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slave to zep Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 The Firm Tour Merchandise (1984-1986) Some, but not all, of the official tour merchandise 1984 European Tour T-Shirt (Front) 1984 European Tour T-Shirt (Back) 1985 USA Tour Button 1985 USA Tour T-Shirt (Front) 1985 USA Tour T-Shirt (Back) 1986 USA Tour T-Shirt (Front) 1986 USA Tour T-Shirt (Back) 1986 USA Tour Program thanks so much for posting these, steve. i hadn't seen those before. i really like the way they did the lettering, i think it's really cool. and i think The Firm was a great name for a band. never got to see them..... and probably will not get to see Them Crooked Vultures either. why do we have to be so far away...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stargroves Tangie Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Some more Firm merchandise from the 85 & 86 US tours: 1985 tour jersey 1986 tour jersey Jimmy Page Firm shirt 1985 tour Mean Business tour buttons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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