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Summer 1970 to summer 1972 NA tours


ally

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Glad to know I wasn't alone there. The Starship, if I remember correctly, had its maiden voyage first flight during the summer of '73 (for what we, back then, referred to as the "Houses" tour).

I think you mean to say Led Zeppelin's first flight in the Starship was during the '73

tour, which is correct. The Starship was not a newly minted aircraft, because several modifications were made to it for the Zeppelin tour: a baccarat table for JPJ, the bar, the bed in the back.

"I preferred horizontal takeoffs" --Jimmy Page

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I think you mean to say Led Zeppelin's first flight in the Starship was during the '73

tour, which is correct. The Starship was not a newly minted aircraft, because several modifications were made to it for the Zeppelin tour: a baccarat table for JPJ, the bar, the bed in the back.

"I preferred horizontal takeoffs" --Jimmy Page

Yes, that's why I crossed out the maiden voyage part - I should have added the words "Led Zeppelin" when I modified what I wrote. My understanding was that, horizontal or not, Jimmy feared flying.

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Yes, that's why I crossed out the maiden voyage part - I should have added the words "Led Zeppelin" when I modified what I wrote. My understanding was that, horizontal or not, Jimmy feared flying.

Not necessarily. It did become a vague fear which developed gradually over time, taking hold with varying degrees of depth, but never to the point where he would not fly.

In one instance, June 2nd 1973, he refused to fly from from Los Angeles to San Fran in a small private jet so Peter arranged to fly with him on a United Airlines commercial flight. This delayed the start of the show and was probably the lowlight with his fear.

I can't help but think that incident may have convinced Peter to lease The Starship.

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The concert (touring) scene didn't hold the same appeal for them either, which led to

using specific hotels as hubs and what not. Audience behaviour also declined, hitting

Jimmy with a firecracker as just one example.

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Yeah, so true Steve. I know they were trying to establish.." bases" so to speak as early as 72. And the audience behaviour was scary at times in 73 and 75. Not to say everyone was an angel prior to that, but the threat of violence seemed to be more of an issue. Clearly the band were concerned with this. Death threats etc.... Who wouldn't be
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Not necessarily. It did become a vague fear which developed gradually over time, taking hold with varying degrees of depth, but never to the point where he would not fly.

In one instance, June 2nd 1973, he refused to fly from from Los Angeles to San Fran in a small private jet so Peter arranged to fly with him on a United Airlines commercial flight. This delayed the start of the show and was probably the lowlight with his fear.

I can't help but think that incident may have convinced Peter to lease The Starship.

I do remember that '73 incident and it was always my understanding that it was that incident that convinced Mr. Grant to acquire the Starship for the band. I also wonder if that incident was the genesis for the rumor that circulated among us at the time that Jimmy feared flying.

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I have listened to shows from most of the tours, but I never have listened to any of the 1971 US tour and 1975 US as well. I am partial to the good shows from the 77 tour since I really like TSRTS as an opener, plus the sheer might of that tour with the stadium gigs that broke all records. Kashmir is my favorite of all Zep tracks, so I am partial to the 77 tours (haven't heard any 75 shows though, except Earls Court on the 2003 DVD. Oh, I like the acoustic set on the 77 tour as well. TBOE and BCW are a couple of nice additions. I really liked the early shows for the playing quality, just partial to the 77 tour set list.

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In one instance, June 2nd 1973, he refused to fly from from Los Angeles to San Fran in a small private jet so Peter arranged to fly with him on a United Airlines commercial flight. This delayed the start of the show and was probably the lowlight with his fear.

Wasnt the rumour that they suffered bad turbulence on a flight a few days before? Can't say I blame him, I don't have a problem with flying normally but I wouldnt be very keen on using a small private jet mutiple times.

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Wasnt the rumour that they suffered bad turbulence on a flight a few days before? Can't say I blame him, I don't have a problem with flying normally but I wouldnt be very keen on using a small private jet mutiple times.

i HAVE A PROB WITH FLYING TOO BUT THE TOPIC WAS ABOUT ZEPPELIN'S LIVE PERFORMANCES. JUST SAT DOWN WITH THE WIF...AND LISTENED TO HTWWW..FUCK ME ,DID IT EVER SOUND GOOD.SORRY GUY'S, I COULD CARE LESS IF JIMMY PAGE WAS AFFRAID TO FLY

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i HAVE A PROB WITH FLYING TOO BUT THE TOPIC WAS ABOUT ZEPPELIN'S LIVE PERFORMANCES. JUST SAT DOWN WITH THE WIF...AND LISTENED TO HTWWW..FUCK ME ,DID IT EVER SOUND GOOD.SORRY GUY'S, I COULD CARE LESS IF JIMMY PAGE WAS AFFRAID TO FLY

No offence but your original post was hardly a masterwork and your lucky its had any response including the one I'v already made(that you didnt respond to).

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No offence but your original post was hardly a masterwork and your lucky its had any response including the one I'v already made(that you didnt respond to).

Seems like it had some response. But if you feel that this post should finish....

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Seems like it had some response. But if you feel that this post should finish....

ps ...by the way,.... i did responed to your original T. You made valid points that I agreed with.

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There are still great shows consistently through the end of '72. Even w/ Percy's change of voice going into '72-'73, he could still bring it night to night, with some glaring exceptions. But it was Pagey who could make or break a show, and when Jimmy's on it's ALWAYS great. Something about Jimmy's playing in 72-72 just speaks to me...

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There are still great shows consistently through the end of '72. Even w/ Percy's change of voice going into '72-'73, he could still bring it night to night, with some glaring exceptions. But it was Pagey who could make or break a show, and when Jimmy's on it's ALWAYS great. Something about Jimmy's playing in 72-72 just speaks to me...

Yeah, his playing at that time was amazing. I agree . As Page went so did the band. He was on form most nights. You could tell they LOVED what they were playing. And we LOVED it too :)

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If you ask me, the "Were Gonna Groove - I Can't Quit You -Dazed And Confused - Heartbreaker - White Summer - What is and What Should Never Be - Moby Dick - How Many More Times - Whole Lotta Love" setlist from early 1970 is the best they've ever put together...

In particular, Dazed And Confused at this point is only 20-some minutes rather than 30-40 that you find in 73 on, and never seems to get boring. Moby Dick is still long, but also still fresh.

I guess my favorite era all together is the transition period between the above set and the time when they first started playing tracks from Led Zeppelin III like Immigrant Song and Since I've Been Loving You (mid-1970's).

This period of time is to me the pinnacle of their intensity and everything just seemed more raw and less planned out.

My favorite single song performed in that era I have found thus far is "Since I've Been Loving You" from September 4, 1970 (On Blueberry Hill). I like how Plant hasn't quite decided on the lyrics yet (last verse is totally different) and I absolutley love Page's raw up-tempo solo and the tuning on his guitar.

Theres just no Zeppelin like early Zeppelin.

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My favorite single song performed in that era I have found thus far is "Since I've Been Loving You" from September 4, 1970 (On Blueberry Hill). I like how Plant hasn't quite decided on the lyrics yet (last verse is totally different) and I absolutley love Page's raw up-tempo solo and the tuning on his guitar.

Theres just no Zeppelin like early Zeppelin.

What a solo on SIBLY indeed, he just JUMPS into it, love Pagey in 1970.

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My two cents.

I think when any band can truly sit back and say...."well boys we have finally made it", the live spontinuity seems to take a bit of a dip.

Where Zep are concerned (for me) 72 crosses over the peak of their playing. They had broken album sales, they had broken concert attendances - it really showed them the fruits of their labour and I think (as someone posted earlier) it almost made them think...lets take the staging up a notch for the 73 tour.

70-72 seems to me to be just them on a stage playing their hearts out - music over style?, 73 onwards is the lighting, dragon suits, effects etc; - style over music?

(im not saying the music suffered really (apart from the obvious excesses!), just that they grew more concious of their staging and image - branding I suppose - during live shows).

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i agree with what someone posted a few back... half the reason i like the early years so much more is because the concerts were still intimate (maybe 7,500 people). pretty much you and the band. by the time the fourth came about people who didnt know shit about music started showing up (100,000 strong) just because it was the thing to do. by then 75% of the crowds favorite song was stairway just because thats all they ever heard of them on the radio. sure you still had some real fans, but i liked it alot better when it was just zeppelin and 100% real fans. and it might just be me, but it seemed like zeppelin knew that and played alot harder when they knew all the fans actually cared.

before anyone bites my head off, im not saying they werent fkn awesome in the later years too, but sometimes i wonder about the crowds they were drawing.. although that may have been a function of the changing times...

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