Pontiac Silverdome Footage

[tom kid]

I've read on the net that this footage does indeed exist, it would be awesome if it still did as it's sad that the only pro shot footage of '77 that has made it's way out is Seattle. Could anybody shed some light on this? SteveAJones perhaps...

[SteveAJones]

I've read on the net that this footage does indeed exist, it would be awesome if it still did as it's sad that the only pro shot footage of '77 that has made it's way out is Seattle. Could anybody shed some light on this? SteveAJones perhaps...

It is a fact that the Pontiac Silverdome had a closed circuit tv system, that a video screen was erected above the stage, and that a camera crew was actively filming the concert. However, if a recording exists there can be little doubt it is in Jimmy Page's possession as not one second of 1977 video footage from either Pontiac or Houston has entered circulation.

Pontiac Silverdome, April 30 1977

Pontiac Silverdome, April 30 1977

Pontiac Silverdome, April 30 1977

Edited September 28, 2010 by SteveAJones

[3hrsoflunacy]

There is 25 minutes of 8mm film shot by someone (who will remain nameless) in the hands of a select few. The gentleman who filmed it also filmed the band on 2 other occasions, 1 of the 3 does circulate.

[Nutrocker]

There is 25 minutes of 8mm film shot by someone (who will remain nameless) in the hands of a select few. The gentleman who filmed it also filmed the band on 2 other occasions, 1 of the 3 does circulate.

Cool, but obviously not the same as the pro shot footage!

You sorta have to wonder what did become of the pro shot, though...if Jimmy or anyone else in the Zeppelin organization doesn't have a copy, who does? It'd be some valuable fucking film either way. Led Zeppelin's record breaking show at one of America's biggest venues...I'd like to think whoever filmed it took good care of the film. Surely Peter Grant at least ended up with a copy...(hopefully he didn't just erase the damned thing just so those nasty bootleggers couldn't get a hold of it) I'd find it hard to believe the band wouldn't have wanted that bit of documentation just due to the historical factors behind the show.

Though I'd say the footage probably doesn't exist anymore. Since it didn't end up in the DVD or out on bootleg yet...I don't think anybody would be able to sit on that piece of history for thirty three years...

Too bad, as even the mediocre audience tape and those few photos show Pontiac was easily a better show than Seattle. I mean I'd definitely watch that video more than once.

[Bong-Man]

Great crowd shot Steve. That pic is early....probably between 5-6pm that day. The band wouldn't appear for another 4 hours. If you compare that shot to Buckeye's, you can tell how early he got in, and how quickly the Dome filled up. There is a pic that exists of the crowd during the show from the same vantage point. It was in The Detroit Free Press a day or two after. The only reason I mention it is that I've never seen that particular shot ever posted here, there, or anywhere else. You got it ?

An interesting article where this show gets a mention http://www.freep.com/article/20100829/ENT04/8290316/Stadium-superlatives-10-epic-stadium-shows-in-Michigan-concert-history

[SteveAJones]

Since it didn't end up in the DVD or out on bootleg yet...I don't think anybody would be able to sit on that piece of history for thirty three years...

Well, as you know Seattle '77 exists but wasn't included in the offiicial dvd release. If Peter Grant had the tapes with him the next morning when they flew back to England for their mid-tour break I can easily imagine them being properly and securely

stored at either Grant or Page's home until now. In the Zeppelin Mysteries thread I posted an extensive feature on the vault

safeguarding the pro-shot footage from the Page/Plant tours, the vast majority of which has remained unreleased.

[cousinlouie]

Well, as you know Seattle '77 exists but wasn't included in the offiicial dvd release. If Peter Grant had the tapes with him the next morning when they flew back to England for their mid-tour break I can easily imagine them being properly and securely

stored at either Grant or Page's home until now. In the Zeppelin Mysteries thread I posted an extensive feature on the vault

safeguarding the pro-shot footage from the Page/Plant tours, the vast majority of which has remained unreleased.

Oh Steve let me be lazy, and not search that thread

Tell us more about all the Page/Plant footage?!?

I can Imagine they have it all, if video was provided for the shows

I have a Japan show pro-shot which is unreal, but potentially, every show is documented???

W O W

[SteveAJones]

Great crowd shot Steve. That pic is early....probably between 5-6pm that day. The band wouldn't appear for another 4 hours. If you compare that shot to Buckeye's, you can tell how early he got in, and how quickly the Dome filled up. There is a pic that exists of the crowd during the show from the same vantage point. It was in The Detroit Free Press a day or two after. The only reason I mention it is that I've never seen that particular shot ever posted here, there, or anywhere else. You got it ?

The Detroit News carried coverage on Apr 24th, Apr 30th, May 1st & 2nd but I don't have those articles scanned yet. Once I do I will post them to the forum. I don't show anything in my archive for this concert from the Detroit Free Press. I will inquire with the Detroit Free Press archive concerning this and post any findings to this forum.

Here is another, though it also seems to be a pre-show shot:

Edited September 29, 2010 by SteveAJones

[Wolfman]

Any rumors of the Atlanta 73 shows being recorded? They had the closed-circuit screens going as well.

[bluecongo]

The Pontiac footage is out there in the hands of the top collectors for sure. It is only a matter of time, so we all just have to be patient.

[SuperDave]

The Pontiac footage is out there in the hands of the top collectors for sure. It is only a matter of time, so we all just have to be patient.

But 33 years is a long time. Just hope it doesn't get lost or damaged. We'll see.

[corduroyg]

Cool, but obviously not the same as the pro shot footage!

You sorta have to wonder what did become of the pro shot, though...if Jimmy or anyone else in the Zeppelin organization doesn't have a copy, who does? It'd be some valuable fucking film either way. Led Zeppelin's record breaking show at one of America's biggest venues...I'd like to think whoever filmed it took good care of the film. Surely Peter Grant at least ended up with a copy...(hopefully he didn't just erase the damned thing just so those nasty bootleggers couldn't get a hold of it) I'd find it hard to believe the band wouldn't have wanted that bit of documentation just due to the historical factors behind the show.

Though I'd say the footage probably doesn't exist anymore. Since it didn't end up in the DVD or out on bootleg yet...I don't think anybody would be able to sit on that piece of history for thirty three years...

Too bad, as even the mediocre audience tape and those few photos show Pontiac was easily a better show than Seattle. I mean I'd definitely watch that video more than once.

Not sure about that. Im a huge springsteen fan, and bruce and the e street band played the summit in houston in december '78. the summit had an in-house video system, and zero footage of that show has ever been seen for 30 years. bruce's 78 tour is legendary, tons of interest in that tour among bruce fans, but nobody could get their hands on it. in november bruce is releasing a 30th anniversary box set of his 78 album darkness on the edge of town, and a dvd of that houston show from dec 78 is included. So obviously bruce's manager grabbed the tapes as soon as the show was over and sat on it for 32 years. So its definitely possible the pontaic footage is sitting in the zeppelin vault somewhere.

[Mattmc1973]

You have to remember that Page has said he'll only release video for which there is multi-track audio. So even if the Silverdome footage is out there from the closed circuit system, if professionally recorded multi-track audio doesn't exist, it'll never see the light of day, at least not officially. Could show up in bootleg form, but if it hasn't in 33 years, I wouldn't hold my breath. The tapes might not even exist...they might not have been saved, could have been lost or damaged, or who knows what.

[cookieshoes]

This is one of those pieces of film that I have very little interest in. I definitely am a fan of 1977 Zep, but footage from Pontiac or Houston (or any gigs outside of the LA shows) doesn't really interest me. For what it's worth, Seattle did more than enough to satisfy that craving, even with the uneveness of that performance. I would much rather have more of the amateur shot footage of the June 23rd LA show.

Edited September 29, 2010 by cookieshoes

[SuperDave]

You have to remember that Page has said he'll only release video for which there is multi-track audio. So even if the Silverdome footage is out there from the closed circuit system, if professionally recorded multi-track audio doesn't exist, it'll never see the light of day, at least not officially. Could show up in bootleg form, but if it hasn't in 33 years, I wouldn't hold my breath. The tapes might not even exist...they might not have been saved, could have been lost or damaged, or who knows what.

I've heard Jimmy say that about the multi-track too. But it would be nice if he could release it if it wasn't. Just remix it and I'm sure he could get it up to the same quality.

[corduroyg]

Does jimmy have the rights to anything led zeppelin? Meaning could he release anything he wanted in the vaults, or would he need robert and jpj to sign off on it also? Im surprised jimmy wouldnt release more stuff from the archives, he seems so proud of led zep and their legacy and doesnt shy away from talking about it, unlike mr plant. So maybe robert is holding jimmy back on releasing stuff, if thats the case, not sure.

[Nutrocker]

This is one of those pieces of film that I have very little interest in. I definitely am a fan of 1977 Zep, but footage from Pontiac or Houston (or any gigs outside of the LA shows) doesn't really interest me. For what it's worth, Seattle did more than enough to satisfy that craving, even with the uneveness of that performance. I would much rather have more of the amateur shot footage of the June 23rd LA show.

You know, I'd have to agree. Sure, I'd watch the Pontiac video, but I reckon it would be the same as Seattle- just the band, all the close ups, etc. Jimmy obviously looks better than in Seattle, which I concede was a big turn off for me (and especially my missus)...ultimately, as interesting as watching Zeppelin play is, the footage over three plus hours wouldn't be enough to hold my interest. Watching the amateur '77 clips (I have at least most of 'em) you get a way better feel for the concerts. Just about any of those clips could be the whole show and I'd watch it more than once. The June 23 and May 19 clips are my favourites.

[corduroyg]

Are the msg '73 shows the only shows led zep professionally filmed themselves? Meaning they hired a film crew, not just in-house crews like seattle and knebworth (not sure if earls court is in-house or not). Doesnt that seem weird if thats the case? By the mid-late 70s youd think they'd wanna preserve some of these shows just for themselves, not even to release commercially. They could certainly afford to, it just seems like such a waste they didnt film more stuff. Even studio sessions, it would be fascinating to see them in the studio. They knew what an amazing band they were, its just surprising they wouldnt document more stuff along the way, again not for commercial reasons but just for themselves.

[Nutrocker]

Are the msg '73 shows the only shows led zep professionally filmed themselves? Meaning they hired a film crew, not just in-house crews like seattle and knebworth (not sure if earls court is in-house or not). Doesnt that seem weird if thats the case? By the mid-late 70s youd think they'd wanna preserve some of these shows just for themselves, not even to release commercially. They could certainly afford to, it just seems like such a waste they didnt film more stuff. Even studio sessions, it would be fascinating to see them in the studio. They knew what an amazing band they were, its just surprising they wouldnt document more stuff along the way, again not for commercial reasons but just for themselves.

I want to say they actually had Knebworth filmed as well, not just for the video screens- hence why the band wore the same outfits both weekends. Didn't they have Bath in 1970 filmed as well, except the film/footage got fucked up or something? And of course word is they were planning on filming some of the rest of the '77 shows, but we know how that turned out.

But you're right...you'd think such a high profile group would have captured a bit more of themselves for posterity...and a documentary of Zeppelin in the studio would be awesome, way better than "Let It Be".

As nice as it would be to think the official Zeppelin DVD set is just scratching the surface, it probably represents most of what there is in the vaults that's usable (to Page's standards).

[kdh]

I have a VHS tape of a audience shot film(8mm) from the Silverdome show. It is about 8 minutes long. Filmed from various parts of the floor. I acquired this VHS tape in the mid 80's at a mall rock memorabilia show. It is a silent film.

[EzyEric]

Does jimmy have the rights to anything led zeppelin? Meaning could he release anything he wanted in the vaults, or would he need robert and jpj to sign off on it also? Im surprised jimmy wouldnt release more stuff from the archives, he seems so proud of led zep and their legacy and doesnt shy away from talking about it, unlike mr plant. So maybe robert is holding jimmy back on releasing stuff, if thats the case, not sure.

Note sure on the first part but I would guess Page has more rights than anyone.

But the 2nd part I think you are wrong on. I think Jimmy is highly concerned with keeping the legacy of Led Zeppelin / Jimmy Page intact and he feels officially releasing any live material that is not Zeppelin at their best could hurt that. Those of use that collect bootlegs know the real story but the general fans who only have official material have a different opinion. Same can be said about how he feels about books that shed some negative light (really just light in general) on the band.

My wish is that he should realize the amount of joy he could possibly bring to fans like us by releasing high demand stuff. Even if he doesn't want to do it officially then put it in the hands of someone who can remaster and release it to the internet (for free). I'm surprise he has not seen a market opportunity in selling live shows online like most jam bands these days do.

[Mattmc1973]

^ Exactly. Jimmy is a perfectionist, as evidenced by his heavy editing and tampering of TSRTS soundtrack. He doesn't want a single bum note or vocal crack on there. But there wouldn't be much he could do with most of the tapes from '77, they were just too sloppy and he would never release them. As far as video footage, I have the feeling that the DVD from 2003 comprises all of what Jimmy deemed release-worthy, and there won't be any more.

[Bong-Man]

I have a VHS tape of a audience shot film(8mm) from the Silverdome show. It is about 8 minutes long. Filmed from various parts of the floor. I acquired this VHS tape in the mid 80's at a mall rock memorabilia show. It is a silent film.

If you are serious, you should immediately have that copied to a different format. Once that's accomplished, drop a copy to Sam. If he isn't interested, please ship a copy to me.

[greenman]

I've heard Jimmy say that about the multi-track too. But it would be nice if he could release it if it wasn't. Just remix it and I'm sure he could get it up to the same quality.

I always assumed that the bonus footage from 69 on the DVD wasnt multitracked so he could have done something similar with 77 as a little bonus.

I think the telling reason why 77 may have missed out is that Page did include that audio of the first LA show on the menu. Those shows were legendary the same way the MSG, EC and Knedworth were but while a big event the Silverdome footage like the Kingdom simpley isnt.

[Hammersmith]

Unfortunately, tapes of this pro-shot footage have never been located, if it even still exists.

For what it's worth, The Who's Houston Summit '75 video was found sitting in a box in one of the offices at the Summit - the Summit had been flooded and a cleaning crew was in there working and found the box and gave it to someone who thankfully got into the hands of a Who collector (and thankfully he sold the tape for only $5,000.00.).