Most important show

[Mr_K]

Strider recently posted a reply to the Dark Lord about Zeppelin's most important album. I want some quality replies about their most important concert.

My vote goes to 1970 LA's Blueberry Hill.

There are other concerts that are better.... LA June 21 1977 for one, and I'm listening to the soundboard Seattle March 17, which with the set list and Plantations I'd rank as a better show. But Blueberry Hill is the defining moment for Zeppelin's live repertoire. It has the excitement, the surprises, the tightness of the band, and the crowd. It was, to my knowledge, one of the first boots to be released, and it set the bar for all future live recordings. Hell, we may not have even had this discussion if it hadn't been for that anonymous engineer/audience member who preserved such a great show. And it's still a top 20 in most of our lists, mine included.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[SteveAJones]

^^^

Good choice.

Tampa Stadium 1973 is also a strong contender because it was a record breaking event at the time.

[Sue Dounim]

I'd say either Bath 1970 or the evening MSG 1970 show. Those are the gigs where they finally "made it" in the UK and US respectively.

Also the first Knebworth gig because it was a huge deal for the band to show they could still do what they did.

[Mr_K]

I'd say either Bath 1970 or the evening MSG 1970 show. Those are the gigs where they finally "made it" in the UK and US respectively.

Also the first Knebworth gig because it was a huge deal for the band to show they could still do what they did.

Thanks Sue. I enjoy the Knebworth.

[Strider]

I guess it depends on what you mean. Are you talking about what actual concert was their most important? Or are you talking about bootlegged shows?

By most accounts of the band members themselves, it was the San Francisco and Boston Tea Party shows on their first American tour that registered the most to them as far as feeling like they had broken through to the audience and they were being accepted on their own terms as 'Led Zeppelin', without the 'New Yardbirds' baggage the English tied around their necks.

So if the band felt those shows were significantly important, who am I to argue?

But I will toss Jimmy's Birthday Party show at RAH in 1970, the 1970 Bath Festival, and the 1973 Tampa Stadium show in the mix.

[Walter]

Overall, Bath probably showed them they were just about the biggest in the world already. As Strider said, the Boston Tea Party and Fillmore West shows were very important shows to the band and their confidence breaking through. Tampa '73 for breaking the attendance record at that time.

I'll have to go with Bath.

[the chase]

Not sure if it was most important, and with all the respect in the world to John Bonham, I'd have to say the 02 reunion was very important and deserves a mention.

After Live Aid, Atlantic 40th and much of the 1977-80 tours leaving a lot to be desired, this one show shut up a lot of naysayers. For the three of them along with Jason to come out as forceful and tight as they did in 2007 was a major statement.

For 1968-80, I'd agree with Tampa 73. They broke the previous attendance record for a single artist held by none other than The Beatles. It got them in Guinness Book Of World records and a lot of positive press.

The 1st Knebworth show gets my vote for #2.

[Mr_K]

I guess it depends on what you mean. Are you talking about what actual concert was their most important? Or are you talking about bootlegged shows?

By most accounts of the band members themselves, it was the San Francisco and Boston Tea Party shows on their first American tour that registered the most to them as far as feeling like they had broken through to the audience and they were being accepted on their own terms as 'Led Zeppelin', without the 'New Yardbirds' baggage the English tied around their necks.

So if the band felt those shows were significantly important, who am I to argue?

But I will toss Jimmy's Birthday Party show at RAH in 1970, the 1970 Bath Festival, and the 1973 Tampa Stadium show in the mix.

"I guess it depends on what you mean. Are you talking about what actual concert was their most important? Or are you talking about bootlegged shows?..."

I'm thinking what ...well., what do you think Strider? What makes want to talk about them and share our introduction to a great live recording?

I don't think Bath was a tremendous show. I've only heard the rough bootlegs and can't understand why people like it so much.

LA Blueberry Hill 1970 made Zep fans hungry for their live shows, and it was one of their first early shows to be in mass circulation. I'd vote for that show to be critical to the "golden bar" for great live performances. We judge others by it. Any great date must "knock us out" because of their playing. And it's easy to hear over again and understand why Zeppelin was so powerful in concert.

LA 1977 still knocks me out but none of those recordings reach their first great West Coast show.

I hope you go back to LA 1970 and enjoy.

Thanks.

[And You Know How It Is?]

Copenhagen, July 23, 1979. That show was one day short of exactly 2 years to the day of their last live performance in front of an audience, which at the time, was the longest stretch between live performances in Zeppelin's history.

[nick2632]

"I guess it depends on what you mean. Are you talking about what actual concert was their most important? Or are you talking about bootlegged shows?..."

I'm thinking what ...well., what do you think Strider? What makes want to talk about them and share our introduction to a great live recording?

I don't think Bath was a tremendous show. I've only heard the rough bootlegs and can't understand why people like it so much.

LA Blueberry Hill 1970 made Zep fans hungry for their live shows, and it was one of their first early shows to be in mass circulation. I'd vote for that show to be critical to the "golden bar" for great live performances. We judge others by it. Any great date must "knock us out" because of their playing. And it's easy to hear over again and understand why Zeppelin was so powerful in concert.

LA 1977 still knocks me out but none of those recordings reach their first great West Coast show.

I hope you go back to LA 1970 and enjoy.

Thanks.

Well the Blueberry Hill show was obviously a better show than the Bath Fest show (if the Bath Fest show was in better quality my opinion might change, but Blueberry Hill was simply a damn good show), but we are talking about what was the most "important" show. Bath Festival "is widely considered by music critics, and by the band members themselves as being one of the most important of their career, representing a turning point in terms of the amount of recognition they received in Great Britain (until that point their on-stage success and popularity had largely been borne out on numerous United States concert tours). It was also one of the largest crowds the band performed to; well over 200,000 people were estimated to be in the crowd at the time they took the stage". So Blueberry Hill may have been a show that made their U.S. fans hungry for more Zeppelin, but the Bath Fest show was the one that made their home fans hungry for more.

I would say,

#1 Bath Festival 6/28/1970

#2 LA Forum 9/4/1970

#3 New York 9/19/1970

#4 Tampa 5/5/1973

#5 Japan 9/23/1971

I through out #5 because it showed that Zeppelin were huge all over the world as early as 1971!

#6 Knebworth 8/4/1979

[Mr_K]

Well the Blueberry Hill show was obviously a better show than the Bath Fest show (if the Bath Fest show was in better quality my opinion might change, but Blueberry Hill was simply a damn good show), but we are talking about what was the most "important" show. Bath Festival "is widely considered by music critics, and by the band members themselves as being one of the most important of their career, representing a turning point in terms of the amount of recognition they received in Great Britain (until that point their on-stage success and popularity had largely been borne out on numerous United States concert tours). It was also one of the largest crowds the band performed to; well over 200,000 people were estimated to be in the crowd at the time they took the stage". So Blueberry Hill may have been a show that made their U.S. fans hungry for more Zeppelin, but the Bath Fest show was the one that made their home fans hungry for more.

I would say,

#1 Bath Festival 6/28/1970

#2 LA Forum 9/4/1970

#3 New York 9/19/1970

#4 Tampa 5/5/1973

#5 Japan 9/23/1971

I through out #5 because it showed that Zeppelin were huge all over the world as early as 1971!

#6 Knebworth 8/4/1979

I always thought that Zeppelin, like the Beatles, needed America to conquer to prove themselves.

Nothing in England matches the best of the States, Earl's Court 5/25/75 and Knebworth 08/04/79 included. Paul McCartney went to Earl's Court to see them and apparently came away most impressed with their light show. They made themselves a world band by 72.

By 75, they had brilliant but inconsistent moments.

I like your choice of Japan 71. Osaka 09/29 would be my second choice for "critical" if just for the solid set list and tightness of the band and energy of the crowd.

I do wish we could have a soundboard for Bath to hear.

Thanks.

[IpMan]

Boston Tea Party gig

Bath 1970

Tampa 73'

Copenhagen 79'

O2

[Walter]

^ I like that chronological order, IpMan.

[Charles J. White]

The 02 gig - they clearly showed they still had it

[Strider]

I feel the need to address some of the following...

I'm thinking what ...well., what do you think Strider? What makes want to talk about them and share our introduction to a great live recording?

I don't think Bath was a tremendous show. I've only heard the rough bootlegs and can't understand why people like it so much.

LA Blueberry Hill 1970 made Zep fans hungry for their live shows, and it was one of their first early shows to be in mass circulation. I'd vote for that show to be critical to the "golden bar" for great live performances. We judge others by it. Any great date must "knock us out" because of their playing. And it's easy to hear over again and understand why Zeppelin was so powerful in concert.

LA 1977 still knocks me out but none of those recordings reach their first great West Coast show.

I hope you go back to LA 1970 and enjoy.

Thanks.

Judging from your response, your question is really "What is Led Zeppelin's most important bootleg?" not "Most important show". Which, with all due respect, are entirely separate issues. Not to sound like a broken record, but you cannot judge the quality of a Led Zeppelin concert solely from a bootleg. Just because the 1970 Bath bootleg sounds terrible doesn't mean the actual concert was bad.

Even the best recorded bootlegs, including 9.4.70 and all the Millard Forum tapes, don't come close to approaching the total overwhelming awesomeness of a Led Zeppelin concert. It just cannot be captured on mere tape.

Now, if you want to say the September 4, 1970 Forum bootleg is their most important bootleg, I won't argue with that. It's one of the most important bootlegs period. The Holy Trio of the Bootleg Industry are Bob Dylan "Great White Wonder", Rolling Stones "LiveR Than You'll Ever Be" and Led Zeppelin "Live on Blueberry Hill". That's a fact. The success of those three releases kickstarted the bootleg business.

Now, on to this...

After my initial post that one came to mind for me as well. Unlike any previous performance, THAT ONE had to be executed superbly with the whole world watching/reporting. No second chance to recover from a failure. Definitely a strong contender for Most Important Show.

The 02 gig - they clearly showed they still had it

I am really puzzled by the number of people responding with the 2007 O2 show...a show without John Bonham, which means it is not a "Led Zeppelin" show in principle.

Look, let's say the O2 show was a disaster...like the 1988 Atlantic Records Anniversary. Would you have stopped listening to Led Zeppelin records? Would that have automatically negated all the great shows Led Zeppelin performed from 1968 to 1980?

HELL NO!!!!

If the O2 show hadn't been up to snuff, people would have just blamed it on their old age and Jimmy's old drug use and/or arthritis or any of a thousand reasons...just as people did after Live Aid, Atlantic Records, the RnR HoF, etc. But Led Zeppelin records would still sell, their songs would still be played on radio, and this website would still exist.

So for people to exalt the O2 show as more important than any concert by the original four in their beginning years (1968-1975) when they were establishing themselves is collective historical amnesia.

[Walter]

I feel the need to address some of the following...

Judging from your response, your question is really "What is Led Zeppelin's most important bootleg?" not "Most important show". Which, with all due respect, are entirely separate issues. Not to sound like a broken record, but you cannot judge the quality of a Led Zeppelin concert solely from a bootleg. Just because the 1970 Bath bootleg sounds terrible doesn't mean the actual concert was bad.

Even the best recorded bootlegs, including 9.4.70 and all the Millard Forum tapes, don't come close to approaching the total overwhelming awesomeness of a Led Zeppelin concert. It just cannot be captured on mere tape.

Now, if you want to say the September 4, 1970 Forum bootleg is their most important bootleg, I won't argue with that. It's one of the most important bootlegs period. The Holy Trio of the Bootleg Industry are Bob Dylan "Great White Wonder", Rolling Stones "LiveR Than You'll Ever Be" and Led Zeppelin "Live on Blueberry Hill". That's a fact. The success of those three releases kickstarted the bootleg business.

Now, on to this...

I am really puzzled by the number of people responding with the 2007 O2 show...a show without John Bonham, which means it is not a "Led Zeppelin" show in principle.

Look, let's say the O2 show was a disaster...like the 1988 Atlantic Records Anniversary. Would you have stopped listening to Led Zeppelin records? Would that have automatically negated all the great shows Led Zeppelin performed from 1968 to 1980?

HELL NO!!!!

If the O2 show hadn't been up to snuff, people would have just blamed it on their old age and Jimmy's old drug use and/or arthritis or any of a thousand reasons...just as people did after Live Aid, Atlantic Records, the RnR HoF, etc. But Led Zeppelin records would still sell, their songs would still be played on radio, and this website would still exist.

So for people to exalt the O2 show as more important than any concert by the original four in their beginning years (1968-1975) when they were establishing themselves is collective historical amnesia.

All of what you've just discussed has been going through my mind as I read all of the various posts. Good summary and I agree with each point. The 02 cannot even be considered due to Bonzo not being on the drum kit. Blueberry Hill is a great boot, but why would that show be so important to the band's success? If it hadn't been taped so well, it would've just been another LA date in the timeline. Bath has a crappy tape and still is spoken about when the band's milestones are discussed. That's why it was my choice. Same with The Tea Party show in Boston.

[Stairway is NOT stolen]

Not really as important as some shows, but one of the shows that really demonstrated just how popular they were in such a small time, was the last date at the Boston Tea Party in 1969.

We played four nights at The Tea Party, and by then we had an hour and a half's music to play; we played four and a half hours on the last night - we played the act twice, and then did everybody else's act with Who, Rolling Stones and Beatles numbers. Peter hugged us at the end of the gig, picked all four of us up at once. We knew we were actually going to make it - John Paul Jones

[Sathington Willoughby]

January 1969 Fillmore shows.

From 'Jimmy Page' by Jimmy Page:

"San Francisco was a renowned muso capital and, having played there on several occasions with The Yardbirds, there was a real buzz about what I had put together in a new group. We were due to play with Taj Mahal and Country Joe & The Fish. Over the four days at the Fillmore the audience got a mass injection of what we were about. It is safe to say the reputation of the group travelled like wildfire across the States from this moment and these San Francisco dates were a pivotal point in the band's career."

[chef free]

January 1969 Fillmore shows.

From 'Jimmy Page' by Jimmy Page:

"San Francisco was a renowned muso capital and, having played there on several occasions with The Yardbirds, there was a real buzz about what I had put together in a new group. We were due to play with Taj Mahal and Country Joe & The Fish. Over the four days at the Fillmore the audience got a mass injection of what we were about. It is safe to say the reputation of the group travelled like wildfire across the States from this moment and these San Francisco dates were a pivotal point in the band's career."

I totally agree!

[Sathington Willoughby]

I totally agree!

Hard to argue with the man himself! Those were some great shows.

[IpMan]

I feel the need to address some of the following...

Judging from your response, your question is really "What is Led Zeppelin's most important bootleg?" not "Most important show". Which, with all due respect, are entirely separate issues. Not to sound like a broken record, but you cannot judge the quality of a Led Zeppelin concert solely from a bootleg. Just because the 1970 Bath bootleg sounds terrible doesn't mean the actual concert was bad.

Even the best recorded bootlegs, including 9.4.70 and all the Millard Forum tapes, don't come close to approaching the total overwhelming awesomeness of a Led Zeppelin concert. It just cannot be captured on mere tape.

Now, if you want to say the September 4, 1970 Forum bootleg is their most important bootleg, I won't argue with that. It's one of the most important bootlegs period. The Holy Trio of the Bootleg Industry are Bob Dylan "Great White Wonder", Rolling Stones "LiveR Than You'll Ever Be" and Led Zeppelin "Live on Blueberry Hill". That's a fact. The success of those three releases kickstarted the bootleg business.

Now, on to this...

I am really puzzled by the number of people responding with the 2007 O2 show...a show without John Bonham, which means it is not a "Led Zeppelin" show in principle.

Look, let's say the O2 show was a disaster...like the 1988 Atlantic Records Anniversary. Would you have stopped listening to Led Zeppelin records? Would that have automatically negated all the great shows Led Zeppelin performed from 1968 to 1980?

HELL NO!!!!

If the O2 show hadn't been up to snuff, people would have just blamed it on their old age and Jimmy's old drug use and/or arthritis or any of a thousand reasons...just as people did after Live Aid, Atlantic Records, the RnR HoF, etc. But Led Zeppelin records would still sell, their songs would still be played on radio, and this website would still exist.

So for people to exalt the O2 show as more important than any concert by the original four in their beginning years (1968-1975) when they were establishing themselves is collective historical amnesia.

The reason I included the O2 is because on a global scale this was an important show. Of course us fans know better, understand they were one of the best live acts of all time during their tenure from 68-80', however due to such mediocre shows post-Bonham (Live Aid, R&R HOF), and one really shitty one (40th Anniversary), the casual fan or listener has been under the impression Zeppelin were just hype, a mediocre live band who's true talent lay in Page's amazing production in the studio. The O2 gig proved, almost 30 years after they played their las show with Bonham, that they were in fact exactly as all of us fans claimed in regard to a live act. In fact, with the absence of Bonzo it proved to an ever greater degree how amazing the three remaining were / are in a live setting, leaving everyone knowing if Bonzo would have been alive and behind the kit (no disrespect to Jason) the show would have been even better.

So, I guess in retrospect I did err in my inclusion as the O2 was, IMO, VITAL to their reputation as a live act, thereby adding to their overall legacy, but not to their period of true activity.

[White Phone]

It seems unlikely a consensus on such a topic will ever be reached, but certainly the earliest shows have to be considered. No one knew what was going to happen, whether or not it would work. Plant and Bonham were on wages, and the whole thing could have imploded at any moment.

I'm pretty sure all of the principals have commented at various points across the years that the first tour in September 1968, undertaken to honor existing Yardbirds commitments (and during which they were billed as the Yardbirds), was spent honing the material which would appear on the first album, recorded immediately upon their return to the UK.

Agreed with the sentiments expressed herein on bootlegs. If we're talking the most important bootlegs, this could be a wide-ranging discussion with plenty of worthy contenders. But since the question was most important show...

I'm hedging my bet slightly. Shows, not show. Nothing was as important as the first album. Thus, I nominate the September 1968 "album rehearsal" shows in Denmark and Sweden as the most important the band ever played.

That we could ever hear the tapes...

[Mr_K]

OK. I'm beginning to understand what I asked!

It seems 4 ways to take it:

1. The most important for fans of recorded shows. This is what I was thinking in my original post. My vote goes to Blueberry Hill still. As another Strider post stated, it helped "kickstart" the bootleg world, both collection and discussion.

2. Most important for the band. The band seems to vote for the Boston Tea Party 1969. It set their own bar for a live performance.

3. Most important for fans. British? Probably Bath. American? Page votes for the Fillmore, as written in another part of this discussion.

4. Most important for critics. O2 is a contender, though the reviews for Zeppelin's multi platinum DVD set say the RAH may have changed a few critic minds earlier.

Thanks

[nick2632]

I would like to add the Texas International Pop Festival 8/31/1969 show in here. I've seen that well over 100,000 people were there, that likely would have included fans from all over the U.S. who made it there for all the different live acts and happened to see and hear Zeppelin for the first time! Does anyone know if that was Zeppelin's first show that had over 100,000 people in the audience while they were performing?

I'm curious to know how Copenhagen 1979 got in this thread...

[Mr_K]

"Does anyone know if that was Zeppelin's first show that had over 100,000 people in the audience while they were performing?...."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_International_Pop_Festival.

Up to 150,000. Wow.

If we ever get more video, that's 1969 rock star heaven.

And yes, I think it was their first show over 100,000. If only they had accepted the offer for Woodstock.... but that's another thread.

Good posts!