CARNEGIE HALL, NY 10-17-69 - Never Before Seen Fan Photos! First use of Black Beauty Les Paul

[zeplz71]

Excellent photos and dreams of hearing this show one day.

[drowan]

The Led Zeppelin 10/17/69 Carnegie Hall concert has a Twitter comment stream as well:

Staying real even in today's social media saturated world!!

 

[drowan]

Here's a great close-up of Jimmy Page playing his "Black Beauty" Les Paul guitar.  This is the same guitar that Page used during the 10/17/69 LZ Carnegie Hall concert as noted in the photo below that.  As a footnote, the guitar was stolen n an airport in 1970.  There were various rumors that it was returned to Jimmy several years ago (2016?), but that rumor has never been verified.  Some believe that Jimmy Page would be reluctant to personally affirm its return as it might put the guitar at risk of being stolen all over again.  Doe anyone have the latest news on it's status?

   

 

[Zep Hed]

4 hours ago, drowan said:

Here's a great close-up of Jimmy Page playing his "Black Beauty" Les Paul guitar.  This is the same guitar that Page used during the 10/17/69 LZ Carnegie Hall concert as noted in the photo below that.  As a footnote, the guitar was stolen n an airport in 1970.  There were various rumors that it was returned to Jimmy several years ago (2016?), but that rumor has never been verified.  Some believe that Jimmy Page would be reluctant to personally affirm its return as it might put the guitar at risk of being stolen all over again.  Doe anyone have the latest news on it's status?

   

 

Yes, Virginia, there ARE happy endings.

 

[drowan]

On 2/3/2021 at 11:38 PM, Zep Hed said:

Yes, Virginia, there ARE happy endings.

 

LZ Fans:  According to this 2020 TV news broadcast (referenced and provided by Forums website webmaster, Sam Rapallo), Jimmy Page's guitar was eventually returned through the generous efforts and compassion of two guitar shop employees (at Willie's American Guitar shop) in St. Paul, MN.  Page's stolen Black Beauty Les Paul guitar had been sold to them 20 years ago.  The seller alleged that the guitar had possibly been owned and used by Page, but the shop employees ultimately dismissed that idea as it appeared to lack some key identifying drill holes. 20 years later, these same employees were doing some repairs to the guitar and with a black light uncovered the key identifying drill hole modifications that helped verify its authenticity.  The guitar was then handed off to Jimmy through prior arrangements at a hotel in Dallas, TX.  See the You Tube recording of the 7/8/20 CBS TV affiliate news broadcast:

 

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by drowan

[drowan]

Gene Krupa was specifically mentioned by John Bonham as his key inspiration for the incredible performance he put on at Carnegie Hall on 10/17/69:

Here is a shot (below) of Bonzo at Carnegie Hall stripped down to the waist, exploding with full-tilt energy on the drums!!

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by drowan

[Annamilia]

On 1/26/2018 at 9:05 PM, drowan said:

These photos were taken by my best friend, Gerald Birdsall, when we were both 15 years old.  We got these pair of tickets to the 8:30 pm concert 10th row just two days before the concert.  As you may know, the Led Zeppelin band members missed their flight to the US the day before the concert and managed to arrive at Carnegie Hall just a few hours before the concert.  That may help to explain why there was so little stage equipment for this concert.  The crowd went wild during the concert and the Carnegie Hall management were compelled to stop the concert several times so they could urge the fans to step down off the mahogany arms of the chairs in this formal concert hall.  As LZ webmaster, Sam Rapallo, has mentioned, there was no security managing the crowd that night - only traditional ushers.  So, because our seats were right off the isle, we could go right down to the edge of the stage to take a few of these photos.  The camera that was used was a Nikon F with high speed B&W Tri-X film.  We used this high speed film so no flash would be required.  Gerald and I developed the negatives ourselves.  The negatives were misplaced for 45 years.  They were found in 2014 when Robert Plant was touring the US with his new album show.  We saw him put on a fantastic concert at the Capitol Theater (Port Chester, NY) on September 24, 2014.  Ironically, the Capitol Theater concert hall was established in the fall of 1969 by Howard Stein, the same individual who produced the concert at Carnegie Hall on October 17, 1969.  Gerald and I sent copies of these 1969 photos from Carnegie Hall back stage to Robert Plant the night of the 2014 concert, but we were not sure they got to him.  Now they can be enjoyed more widely.  

What a cool story behind these incredible pictures. I'm not jealous at all obviously, as someone who never got to see them live. 😉

Thank you so much for sharing!

[drowan]

On 2/9/2021 at 6:23 PM, Annamilia said:

What a cool story behind these incredible pictures. I'm not jealous at all obviously, as someone who never got to see them live. 😉

Thank you so much for sharing!

Annamilia:  It's wonderful to see your new, fresh enthusiasm for the band continuing 50 years later.  The sensory impact for me of that Carnegie Hall evening is still as vivid and captivating today as it was that fateful night.  Led Zeppelin was just an emerging band in 1969 with one record out as my buddy Jerry and I entered this storied formal music hall in New York City that fall evening (October 17).  The climactic turning point of the concert performance for us and many others was "Dazed and Confused".  It just blew us away, with Jimmy flashing his bow around and extracting an eerie moaning and seering sound from his guitar that mesmerized us and cut to the core.  Because the repertoire from the band's first album was still so fresh, and this concert was LZ's first stop on their Fall '69 US tour, they were completely "amped up" and super-charged going into their performance that night.  LZ's energy was intense on all levels and the music was tight.  It was as if LZ was trying to cut a new live album in one take.  If you want to get a good sense of what that evening was like, here's my advice: put on a great pair of headphones, crank up the volume, close your eyes and listen to the "Dazed and Confused" track on their first album.  The sound you'll hear is so close to what we heard that very evening (minus the penetrating vibrations from the sound waves pounding against our chest and radiating throughout the concert hall).  They just nailed it with such clarity, authenticity and penetrating energy.  It was stunning to experience!  And it still produces chills when I listen to that album cut today.  Enjoy your newly assembled library of first edition LZ vinyl albums.  Cheers, drowan

Edited February 11, 2021 by drowan

[Annamilia]

On 2/11/2021 at 2:21 AM, drowan said:

Annamilia:  It's wonderful to see your new, fresh enthusiasm for the band continuing 50 years later.  The sensory impact for me of that Carnegie Hall evening is still as vivid and captivating today as it was that fateful night.  Led Zeppelin was just an emerging band in 1969 with one record out as my buddy Jerry and I entered this storied formal music hall in New York City that fall evening (October 17).  The climactic turning point of the concert performance for us and many others was "Dazed and Confused".  It just blew us away, with Jimmy flashing his bow around and extracting an eerie moaning and seering sound from his guitar that mesmerized us and cut to the core.  Because the repertoire from the band's first album was still so fresh, and this concert was LZ's first stop on their Fall '69 US tour, they were completely "amped up" and super-charged going into their performance that night.  LZ's energy was intense on all levels and the music was tight.  It was as if LZ was trying to cut a new live album in one take.  If you want to get a good sense of what that evening was like, here's my advice: put on a great pair of headphones, crank up the volume, close your eyes and listen to the "Dazed and Confused" track on their first album.  The sound you'll hear is so close to what we heard that very evening (minus the penetrating vibrations from the sound waves pounding against our chest and radiating throughout the concert hall).  They just nailed it with such clarity, authenticity and penetrating energy.  It was stunning to experience!  And it still produces chills when I listen to that album cut today.  Enjoy your newly assembled library of first edition LZ vinyl albums.  Cheers, drowan

I got goosebumps just reading this.

Dazed and Confused has always been my favorite LZ song, to me it just incorporates so many aspects of why they are my favorite band. I'm so grateful for this forum and especially other fans like you who share all the good stories that I as someone born in '94 never got to experience. Thank you so much! 

Cheers from Denmark!

[drowan]

On 2/17/2021 at 2:55 AM, Annamilia said:

I got goosebumps just reading this.

Dazed and Confused has always been my favorite LZ song, to me it just incorporates so many aspects of why they are my favorite band. I'm so grateful for this forum and especially other fans like you who share all the good stories that I as someone born in '94 never got to experience. Thank you so much! 

Cheers from Denmark!

Annamilia:  My buddy, Jerry, who brought his Nikon camera to the concert, was so blown away after the opening verse of Dazed and Confused that he immediately moved to the isle and rushed up to the Carnegie Hall stage to capture this close-up shot of Jimmy Page captivating the audience with his haunting lead guitar bow action.  His camera lens was barely a foot away from the base of Robert Plant's mic stand when he shot this image of the two playing off each other with alternating bow strokes and vocals.  (You can see Robert's mic cable running from his right hand, with the mic presumably in his left, waiting for Jimmy's alternating guitar reply.) John Bonham (immediately behind Robert and at this point stripped down to the waist) punctuated these interwoven guitar and vocal exchanges with perfectly timed strikes to his drum set.  It's still all so vivid!   drowan

Edited February 25, 2021 by drowan
Added a few observations.

[Annamilia]

On 2/24/2021 at 11:33 PM, drowan said:

Annamilia:  My buddy, Jerry, who brought his Nikon camera to the concert, was so blown away after the opening verse of Dazed and Confused that he immediately moved to the isle and rushed up to the Carnegie Hall stage to capture this close-up shot of Jimmy Page captivating the audience with his haunting lead guitar bow action.  His camera lens was barely a foot away from the base of Robert Plant's mic stand when he shot this image of the two playing off each other with alternating bow strokes and vocals.  (You can see Robert's mic cable running from his right hand, with the mic presumably in his left, waiting for Jimmy's alternating guitar reply.) John Bonham (immediately behind Robert and at this point stripped down to the waist) punctuated these interwoven guitar and vocal exchanges with perfectly timed strikes to his drum set.  It's still all so vivid!   drowan

What a lifetime memory you got to make there. Absolutely amazing how intimate this picture seems...to think how close to the stage you got these days! I can hear the music in my head just looking at this picture. Thank you for sharing this! 

[hummingbird69]

On 12/4/2019 at 2:26 PM, drowan said:

The "Supershow" full length concert feature film was shown at various venues in the US as well and helped establish Led Zeppelin's reputation in the states in the months prior to and after the LZ Carnegie Hall on October 17, 1969.  Here is an example of a 1970 screening of the film at Hunter College in New York City:

[Note: Hunter College screening premiered on September 17-19, 1970]

where is this film now??

[drowan]

6 hours ago, hummingbird69 said:

where is this film now??

Here's another poster for the 1970 film screening event at Hunter College (as well as a few pics from the film😞

 

Edited February 26, 2021 by drowan
Added picture of Supershow.

[hummingbird69]

25 minutes ago, drowan said:

Here's another poster for the 1970 film screening event at Hunter College (as well as a few pics from the film😞

 

Ok I have this thanks  for the pic  I thought it was Staines Supershow. I wasn't sure because I didn't know that there were others on the bill, I thought it was a zeppelin one off.

[drowan]

Here's Led Zeppelin's performance of Dazed and Confused from the Supershow film:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1044622989294283

 

[drowan]

Edited March 4, 2021 by drowan

[drowan]

 

 

Carnegie Hall:  "Old school jazz and lacerated hands: the secrets of Led Zeppelin's Moby Dick" 

Excerpt from Chris Welch's recollections of that Carnegie Hall concert night on October 17, 1969. 

[drowan]

Another "first-hand" review of the 1969 Carnegie Hall concert by a fan from Clifton, NJ:

Joseph Dera:

I was there. My crew would come into the city for some beers and mischief. Not much of a drinker I wandered around Manhattan and hit 7th and 57th. Saw that Zep were playing. Asked the box office if any tix left? Yes, front row balcony, $3.50. What a show. Will never forget it.

 

[drowan]

Here's a view of the Carnegie Hall stage taken from the rear of the hall during the Led Zeppelin Tribute concert in 2018:

[drowan]

Steve Gorman of the Black Crowes weighs in about Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page and what it's like to play in a concert with Jimmy: 

 

Previously, you've talked about how you appreciated Led Zeppelin's music in new ways from doing The Black Crowes' gigs (in 1999 and 2000) backing Jimmy Page. But what's something you appreciated new or more about Jimmy's playing, in particular?

It was all about the approach and what was motivating him, you know? He plays like a guy who's still trying to find something and the intensity of his attack. And I don't know if I've ever expressed it like this to anyone before, I've thought it, but I just related to it. I related to the nonstop intensity even when he was seemingly laying back and getting out of the way. Nothing was done by chance. There was always intent. Every note matters. 

[drowan]

Here's more from Steve Gorman of the Black Crowes about playing with Jimmy Page in his later years:

Because he plays at times really sloppy leads and it doesn't matter. Purist guitar geeks will say, "He's so sloppy," and I'm like, "Man, you're missing the whole f---ing point. It's a visceral thing." When I'd be sitting at the kit and he would start playing - and even more so when he would be locking in rhythmically - it felt like somebody was sticking me with a live wire.

There's Jimi Hendrix and all these guitar greats, but Jimmy's playing has always moved me, hit me right in the heart, more than any other guitar player. He's done it to millions of people. I don't know how to explain it.

[drowan]

Here are some more rumors concerning the possible existence of a bootleg tape from the LZ Carnegie Hall concert:

 

Overthehillsandfaraway said: ↑

I think Eddie Kramer said he mixed the Carnegie Hall show in 1969 but whether this happened or not and if so what happened to the tapes, is a source of some debate shall we say.

I still haven't been able to find a source for him actually saying he did any of that. Someone on RO.com said he read it in an interview when Kramer was first promoting his website but couldn't remember when or where and what he said exactly. I would love to find a source for that quote.\

An audience tape apparently exists and I was told sounds excellent. I wouldn't mind hearing that either.

 

eddiel, Jan 25, 2018

 Source:  https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/jimmy-page-says-previously-unheard-led-zeppelin-music-will-be-released-for-bands-50th-anniversary.720137/page-34

 

Edited May 15, 2021 by drowan
Formatted lead comment in bold

[drowan]

Here's a view of the Carnegie Hall concert venue from an upper balcony:

[drowan]

Jimmy Page's "Black Beauty" Gibson, stolen in April 1970 only 6 months after the Carnegie Hall concert, was finally returned to him in 2015!!  Thank you Willie's American Guitar Shop (St. Paul, MN)!!!  [Note:  Originally, it was thought that the first time this guitar was brought on tour by Page to the US was in the Spring of 1970 (see the Metropolitan Museum's "pre-correction" caption from the curated show below).  But these 10/17/69 Carnegie Hall concert photos taken by Jerry Birdsall and posted here on the LZ Forum revealed otherwise and set the historic record straight.]

Les Paul Custom (serial no. 06130)1960

Gibson

 Not on view

Jimmy Page acquired this Gibson Les Paul Custom in 1960 and used it as his main guitar for session work from 1962 to 1967. The guitar was stolen from the Minneapolis–Saint Paul airport in April 1970, when Page took it on tour in the United States for the first time, and returned to him on November 12, 2015.

Technical Description:
Carved mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard; 24¾ in. scale, black finish with seven-ply white and black binding, set neck with mother-of-pearl block inlays and white binding; inlaid mother-of-pearl Gibson logo and split diamond design on headstock with five-ply white & black binding; three PAF humbucking pickups, three-way selector switch, two volume and two tone controls; gold-plated ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge, pickup covers, Grover Rotomatic tuners, and patent

Source:  Metropolitan Museum of Art; special exhibit of rock guitars (including photos of the "returned" Black Beauty).

More information available at museum's website:  https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/771547

Postscript:  See the reference (below) to this Metropolitan Museum guitar show that inspired an LZ fan to return Jimmy Page's touring guitar case:

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by drowan
Added note about corrected history concerning Black Beauty on tour in 1969.

[drowan]

Here is more of the "back story" on the return of "Black Beauty" to Jimmy Page in 2015 and the subsequent Metropolitan Museum show that celebrated its homecoming:

https://ledzepnews.com/2019/04/05/heres-the-first-photo-of-jimmy-pages-returned-black-beauty-guitar-which-was-stolen-in-1970/

 

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by drowan