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The relationship between Bill Graham and Led Zeppelin


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Didn't a lot of Zeppelin shows start late, at least once they became headliners? It seems like every other bootleg I listen to includes a speech from Robert apologizing for them being late. The recent 3/17/75 soundboard was surprising in that it sounds like they were actually early for that gig, at least according to Robert's comment after Sick Again that "for once in our career we started early, 'cause we didn't want to keep you waiting." I can't recall another time he said anything like that. It was usually something along the lines of "sorry for the delay, there were snowstorms backstage".

Good point. The one and only time I managed to see them in NY in '77 they were 75 or so minutes late. At least I wasn't packed like a sardine in the SF summer sun for 6 hours before they even took the stage. The almost two-hour wait for the band had to be torture!

BTW, I highly recommend Bill Graham's bio. He was a prick, but he certainly had a very, very interesting life and was a critically important figure in rock and roll history.

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As I've explained at least a couple of times now, it's been a while since I've read the book so it would be impossible to offer more than I did. Among the few things I do remember off the top of my head is that if you read the book, you'll find Graham's reputation as a hard ass preceded him. He was actually an "old softie" or else he wouldn't have had the long term friendships he did with the likes of the Grateful Dead. There's nothing the matter with being a shrewd businessman. Zeppelin knew that as well as anybody, just look at how they conducted themselves as a rock n' roll entity. They were among the first artists to set precedents where they weren't screwed by "the man" as so many others before them were.

:slapface: :slapface: :slapface:

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The one and only time I managed to see them in NY in '77 they were 75 or so minutes late. At least I wasn't packed like a sardine in the SF summer sun for 6 hours before they even took the stage. The almost two-hour wait for the band had to be torture!

Especially when there were what 3 opening bands?! To wait for 2 hours after the third act had to be very tough to take - plus they were running out of their intoxicants of choice! :)

In '77 with no opening band would have been much easier to take. You are so lucky to have been there!

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  • 2 years later...

Nobody seems to mention the problems with the Graham security team and one of the Band's kids before the Kezar Show. Alledgedly, one of the security team was lured into a trailer and beat up by members of the band (John Bonham), because of a disagreement with one of the band's kids backstage. Graham called the police and had the band charged, and then blacklisted the band from any future Bay Area appearances.

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I recently read the Bill Graham book and found it very enjoyabe. He had a remarkable like, fleeing the Natzies in Germany at the age of 8 and coming to America by himself. He then basiclly invented the Rock Concert as we know it today. Definitely a good read.

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  • 1 month later...

I think Graham was the equivalent of Grant. They were both the biggest at what they did, and wouldn't accept any bullshit. They each had their security teams. Graham, no doubt, didn't particularly care for the huge percentage that Zeppelin commanded, but was no doubt happy for promoting their shows due to every single ticket being sold. It was a relationship of mutual convenience and respect. The "incident" was simply the result of a normal child's action that was over-reacted to and ended up being a violent bloody mess due to alcohol-fueled egos and one particularly violent personality in the form of John Bindon.

An interesting comparison is Freddie Bannister, the promotor who ran the two Knebworth shows. An astute businessman, yes, but tough guy? No. A somewhat gentlemanly Englishman, he was completely overwhelmed with the force of Grant, and reluctantly agreed to the band's fee for the two shows. The number of tickets sold was where the disagreement fell, with Bannister insisting upon his numbers, while Grant claiming there were far more. The result was Bannister's firm going out of business after taking a loss on the event. It just goes to show the nature of the business in the pre-electronic days of concert ticket sales. I just can't imagine Bill Graham agreeing to the same terms.

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I recently read the Bill Graham book and found it very enjoyabe. He had a remarkable like, fleeing the Natzies in Germany at the age of 8 and coming to America by himself. He then basiclly invented the Rock Concert as we know it today. Definitely a good read.

I hadn't realize he was an immigrant. Does the book give his original name?

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