Stairway is NOT stolen Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 As we all know, when Zeppelin are performing live, they aren't always so consistant, especially towards the end. So, in your opinion, what is their worst performance in the history of the band? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcondo123 Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Of course, Tempe '77 I think is pretty bad. Not sure about their worst but Tempe is down there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stairway is NOT stolen Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 Of course, Tempe '77 I think is pretty bad. Not sure about their worst but Tempe is down there. IMO, Achilles from Tempe sounds so bad, it doesn't even sound like the same band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drpete Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Luis Rey thought that the Greensboro 75 show was the worst Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosmic_juice Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Luis Rey thought that the Greensboro 75 show was the worst Is that the show where they don't even make it through Heartbreaker? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcondo123 Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Is that the show where they don't even make it through Heartbreaker? No, you're thinking of a different one.... Luis Rey thought that the Greensboro 75 show was the worst I've listened to the audience tape from the show and the performance isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Tempe is much worse performance wise. Greensboro is kinda sloppy at times, but the encore Communication Breakdown is actually pretty good, and it's cool to hear such a late version of HMMT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutrocker Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I've listened to the audience tape from the show and the performance isn't nearly as bad as people make it out to be. Tempe is much worse performance wise. Greensboro is kinda sloppy at times, but the encore Communication Breakdown is actually pretty good, and it's cool to hear such a late version of HMMT. Yeah, Greensboro sorta gets a bad rap. It's not a bad show, just an average performance. Not quite "going through the motions" necessarily, but Plant and Page were aware of their limitations at the time so they didn't go out of their way to overdo it. No question, Tempe is high on the list for worst performance, but as I've said many times though Jimmy Page tends to get the blame for it Robert Plant comes off much worse on the night. Some of his vocals are just embarrassing, "Battle Of Evermore" and "Going To California" in particular. San Diego '77 is pretty "bad" in my opinion because John Bonham should not have been playing that show in his condition (be it illness, overindulgence or whatever it was ailing him). Sure, the rest of the band is in good shape but when your drummer is playing that erratically you have no business as professional musicians to subject a paying audience to that kind of a performance. A postponement/rescheduling was definitely in order there. Hannover '80 still gets my vote as "worst" performance. Plant's shitty attitude completely mars the band. To actually go so far as to badmouth the town you're playing in in front of the audience is pretty goddamn unprofessional ("Hannover...fuckin' horrible place!") Page isn't in all that great of shape on that show, either. Together, they make the performance seem like it was a chore or something- you could tell the fun -dare I say passion- had completely gone out of it at that point... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIP-IT-UP Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 gee, sorry to disagree, but I like Hannover (Plant's comments aside-but I think he was directing the comments at the lousy acoustics/echo); but Page plays great solos on 3 songs: Train; In the Evening; STH. Give those 3 a listen for the solos-Page was in good shape, at least to make it far from his worst performance. I have both the soundboard and audience, and the audience captures it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcondo123 Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Yeah, Greensboro sorta gets a bad rap. It's not a bad show, just an average performance. Not quite "going through the motions" necessarily, but Plant and Page were aware of their limitations at the time so they didn't go out of their way to overdo it. No question, Tempe is high on the list for worst performance, but as I've said many times though Jimmy Page tends to get the blame for it Robert Plant comes off much worse on the night. Some of his vocals are just embarrassing, "Battle Of Evermore" and "Going To California" in particular. San Diego '77 is pretty "bad" in my opinion because John Bonham should not have been playing that show in his condition (be it illness, overindulgence or whatever it was ailing him). Sure, the rest of the band is in good shape but when your drummer is playing that erratically you have no business as professional musicians to subject a paying audience to that kind of a performance. A postponement/rescheduling was definitely in order there. Hannover '80 still gets my vote as "worst" performance. Plant's shitty attitude completely mars the band. To actually go so far as to badmouth the town you're playing in in front of the audience is pretty goddamn unprofessional ("Hannover...fuckin' horrible place!") Page isn't in all that great of shape on that show, either. Together, they make the performance seem like it was a chore or something- you could tell the fun -dare I say passion- had completely gone out of it at that point... I forgot about Hannover! I would put that above Tempe, too, just because of the shitty attitude from Robert totally kills the vibe the band was so famous for live. At least in Tempe they just had a bad night and fought through to finish the main setlist. In Hannover, they were just dragging their feet when they were performing, like you mentioned, Nutrocker, it was a chore to them. I would now put Hannover as worst show cause you mentioned it. Bad vibe and attitude is MUCH worse than bad performance. Put both together and you get Hannover. The passion was definitely at the band's lowest point at that show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Dounim Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I don't put San Diego '77 on play much but when I do I skip straight to Achilles, that's one of my favorite versions because the slower pacing due to Bonzo allows for Jimmy's playing to have a more menacing, slow mo onslaught kinda vibe, not to mention his playing is really fluid and Robert's vocals are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ListenToThis Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I almost always see eye to eye with Nutrocker but I simply cannot agree about Hannover 1980. Plant is complaining about the echo and poor acoustics, not the audience or the city. He verbally complains specifically about the echo several times. Later in the show Robert clearly states "nice gig this" to his band mates - he was having a good time. Page plays very well - Train, ITE, TUF, and the Stairway solo are all excellent. SIBLY is one of the best from the tour and Bonham plays some very nice variations in the latter half of the piece. I can't see how in any way they were dragging their feet to get through the gig, the encores are powerful and tight. They were still high on playing together again and Hannover is improved from the night before in Bremen (where Bonham excelled but the others lacked). Bonham plays well through the show and adds fills and variations everywhere. The complete stop in Achilles during his usual drum break is unique to hear and was done with purpose as he was not showing signs of fatigue this evening. So many people have commented that Bonzo and Jonesy "just stopped" playing during Page's outro solo in TUF - this is simply not true. A simple listen to the audience recording will reveal that the rhythm section continued playing but for some reason dropped significantly in the mix for a number of seconds - yes the soundboard makes it sound like they are gone completely but you can't make rush judgments about what actually happened unless you've done a complete study of the subject. Did Bonham and Jones ever simply stop playing in the middle of a song? Would they ever stop playing in the middle of a song? Seriously, think about this, its a ridiculous notion! Hannover is in no fucking way the worst show from the band. There are worst shows on the 1980 tour itself, without even mentioning the 11 years that came before 1980. The vibe is positive. The attitude is positive. The band are joking and having a good time. Listen to the off-mic comments besides the one "Hannover, fuckin' horrible place". Robert is talking about the acoustics, not the gig! I am fully confident that Nutrocker has given Hannover a good and thorough listening and then and only then has concluded that it sucks, that's fine. But others who jump on the bandwagon and likely haven't listened to it in years need to revisit it with an open mind. Kudos to RIP-IT-UP for standing against the tide, listening to both the soundboard and audience versions and making his own independent assessment of this controversial night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Dounim Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I honestly always the thought the complete drop by Bonzo in Achilles then everyone kicking back in was super badass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IpMan Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I forgot about Hannover! I would put that above Tempe, too, just because of the shitty attitude from Robert totally kills the vibe the band was so famous for live. At least in Tempe they just had a bad night and fought through to finish the main setlist. In Hannover, they were just dragging their feet when they were performing, like you mentioned, Nutrocker, it was a chore to them. I would now put Hannover as worst show cause you mentioned it. Bad vibe and attitude is MUCH worse than bad performance. Put both together and you get Hannover. The passion was definitely at the band's lowest point at that show. Maybe Plant was trying to put forth a punk rock vibe, you know, "fuck you Hannover, punk rock, fuckin yeah!!! Fuck you!!! Now, Jimmy Page on guitar...FUCK YOU!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcondo123 Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Maybe Plant was trying to put forth a punk rock vibe, you know, "fuck you Hannover, punk rock, fuckin yeah!!! Fuck you!!! Now, Jimmy Page on guitar...FUCK YOU!!!" I like it!! I've been misreading the vibe the whole time! I almost always see eye to eye with Nutrocker but I simply cannot agree about Hannover 1980. Plant is complaining about the echo and poor acoustics, not the audience or the city. He verbally complains specifically about the echo several times. Later in the show Robert clearly states "nice gig this" to his band mates - he was having a good time. Page plays very well - Train, ITE, TUF, and the Stairway solo are all excellent. SIBLY is one of the best from the tour and Bonham plays some very nice variations in the latter half of the piece. I can't see how in any way they were dragging their feet to get through the gig, the encores are powerful and tight. They were still high on playing together again and Hannover is improved from the night before in Bremen (where Bonham excelled but the others lacked). Bonham plays well through the show and adds fills and variations everywhere. The complete stop in Achilles during his usual drum break is unique to hear and was done with purpose as he was not showing signs of fatigue this evening. So many people have commented that Bonzo and Jonesy "just stopped" playing during Page's outro solo in TUF - this is simply not true. A simple listen to the audience recording will reveal that the rhythm section continued playing but for some reason dropped significantly in the mix for a number of seconds - yes the soundboard makes it sound like they are gone completely but you can't make rush judgments about what actually happened unless you've done a complete study of the subject. Did Bonham and Jones ever simply stop playing in the middle of a song? Would they ever stop playing in the middle of a song? Seriously, think about this, its a ridiculous notion! Hannover is in no fucking way the worst show from the band. There are worst shows on the 1980 tour itself, without even mentioning the 11 years that came before 1980. The vibe is positive. The attitude is positive. The band are joking and having a good time. Listen to the off-mic comments besides the one "Hannover, fuckin' horrible place". Robert is talking about the acoustics, not the gig! I am fully confident that Nutrocker has given Hannover a good and thorough listening and then and only then has concluded that it sucks, that's fine. But others who jump on the bandwagon and likely haven't listened to it in years need to revisit it with an open mind. Kudos to RIP-IT-UP for standing against the tide, listening to both the soundboard and audience versions and making his own independent assessment of this controversial night. I haven't listened to it in a while but I'll give the tapes another run through! I remember it being pretty bad but I could be wrong! I'm not "jumping on the bandwagon" as you said, but when Nutrocker mentioned it, it did make me think of the show again, and what I remembered was that. I felt a bad vibe, I thought Robert wasn't happy with the city, it's what I remembered, it's just my opinion. It could totally change after listening to it again because I haven't in a while! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef free Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 I'd say that the absolute WORST show must be New Orleans 1977! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzepfilm Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Disagree, chef free. The show they did at JFK a few days later was horrible! But seriously, Tempe is pretty bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
And You Know How It Is? Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Never heard this show until it was posted on another thread recently, but man, Oklahoma City 1977 is so dreadful, I think my ears are bleeding. Horrendous!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutrocker Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Hannover is in no fucking way the worst show from the band. There are worst shows on the 1980 tour itself, without even mentioning the 11 years that came before 1980. The vibe is positive. The attitude is positive. The band are joking and having a good time. Listen to the off-mic comments besides the one "Hannover, fuckin' horrible place". Robert is talking about the acoustics, not the gig! I still stand by my views on the Hannover gig. Whether Plant was bitching about the acoustics, the audience or the town itself, to do it onstage in front of a paying audience still strikes me as being pretty fuckin' unprofessional. But, hell, we can agree to disagree on this one (shit, if everybody agreed with everybody all the time it'd make for a pretty goddamn dull discussion forum!) Never heard this show until it was posted on another thread recently, but man, Oklahoma City 1977 is so dreadful, I think my ears are bleeding. Horrendous!!! Oklahoma City is more of a live rehearsal than an actual performance. Page is very tentative in his playing and the crew obviously hadn't worked out all the kinks of the show yet (hell, they were still doing so in Chicago three days later). I have a feeling the opening night in Dallas was even worse than OKC...and if we ever get a soundboard of the Dallas show we'll know for sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ListenToThis Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I will agree with lcondo123, Nutrocker and others that Plant's complaints in Hannover about the acoustics and rather shitty approach in verbalizing those complaints is quite unprofessional and unbecoming. Thankfully Robert rarely allowed things like that to get the best of him, even on all the other 1980 shows, where the incessant requests for Rock n' Roll and the "pushing" from the audience would have likely frustrated less seasoned musicians. I do think Plant enjoyed the Hannover gig, but his frustration did come through several times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfman Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I still think the last show they did is terrible. STH is horrible beyond belief! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I haven't even heard the Tempe '77 show and yet it has been ingrained in my brain as being terrible so I avoid it, haha. I don't like many of the 1980 shows because I hate the stage gear the band was using at that time and the coldness of the soundboards...and the raggedy "White Summers" that kill all momentum. Jonesy's Alembic basses and Yamaha keyboards really sound cheesy and dated...but not as dated as Plant and his harmonizer. Cringe. Horror. Bonham's drums sound the best out of all four musicians...his technique was really tight by this point. When he wasn't falling down-drunk, that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutrocker Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 I still think the last show they did is terrible. STH is horrible beyond belief! That Berlin "Stairway To Heaven" tends to divide people- you either love it or hate it. Me, I love it, because in spite of the fact that Page is a bit too out of it to have the necessary chops to pull off such a long solo, he's still playing as though his fuckin' life depended on it- what he lacks in accuracy/fluency he makes up for in passion IMO. I haven't even heard the Tempe '77 show and yet it has been ingrained in my brain as being terrible so I avoid it, haha. No shit? You haven't heard Tempe? PM sent, my friend... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyLedZeppelin Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Because of this topic I listened to parts of Kashmir and Achilles from Tempe. Yeah, definitely not the show you'd want to play when trying to show someone the magic of live Zep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chillumpuffer Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Seems like a theme here? Only one brief mention of a 75 show but the rest exclusively from 77 and 80. So there we have it. The band had peaked by 1973. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stairway is NOT stolen Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 Listening to Achilles from Tempe 1977, the dexcription said that sheffield 1973 is also one of the worst zeppelin shows ever. Could someone elabrate more please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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