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

[drowan]

Here is a brief Led Zeppelin live clip of the band singing Communication Breakdown from their concert at the Oympia in Paris on October 10, 1969, a week prior to the Carnegie Hall concert in New York City.

 

 

[drowan]

Here is a clip from Led Zeppelin's January 9, 1970 concert at Royal Albert Hall featuring "What Is and What Never Should Be" which was recorded a mere two and a half months after the Carnegie Hall concert in New York.  This gives you the sense of the high energy and weaving interplay that the band is able to master toward the the end of the first full year they played together.  Until a bootleg recording is found of the October 17, 1969 concert, this is the closest we're going to come to capturing the intense energy of that night.

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

Here's a full-length live recording of "You Shook Me" from the Olympia concert in Paris on Friday, October 10, 1969, precisely a week prior to the Carnegie Hall concert.  The improvisation and creative twists added to this live song are what makes this band so much fun and entertaining!  Enjoy!

 

[drowan]

I loved this very insightful quote from Dave Lewis and Mike Tremaglio's recent book (2018), "Evenings with Led Zeppelin: The Complete Concert Chronicle"

"Led Zeppelin worked incredibly hard to achieve their success – particularly in their first year together. During 1969 alone, they played 150 or so concerts – roughly the same number of shows they performed in the subsequent 33 months combined."

Quote

 

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

Here is a high quality live recording of "Dazed and Confused" from the October 10, 1969 concert at the Olympia Theater in Paris (recorded a week prior to the Carnegie Hall concert).  The link includes most of the other songs as well from that evening's concert.  Great fidelity!  High energy!

https://archive.org/details/Led_Zeppelin_-_1969-10-10_-_LOlympia_The_Godfatherecords_-_G.R._248/Track+04.flac

Source:  https://archive.org/details/ledzepbootlegs?&sort=-downloads&page=2

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

Here's the original program from the Led Zeppelin Carnegie Hall concert:

[drowan]

The "sound" for the Led Zeppelin concert at Carnegie Hall in NYC on 10/17/69 was managed by Jack Weisberg, who also was known for designing and building sound board consoles.  As of November, 2017, Jack Weisberg was still alive and reportedly living in lower Manhattan.  Here is a reference to a friend of his who is capable of getting in touch with Jack:

Hello Doug. My name is Larry Basinski. I noticed your post from a while back. If you are interested in getting in touch with Jack Weisberg please contact me via email <basi1952@gmail.com> Jack is living downtown NYC in Tribeca in an old Firehouse the is the exact same one as the one we had the company in on Wooster St.
All the best, Larry.

[drowan]

Michael Ahern did the "production coordination" (primarily lighting, event management and other concert management elements ) for the Carnegie Hall Led Zeppelin concert on October 17, 1969.  Below is a recent picture of Ahern (now deceased as of 2015) and a link to his event production and coordination company that still survives and thrives:

Michael Ahern is still active in the concert event business.  The website for his company is as follows:

https://ahernproduction.com/#services

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

Here is some more background on Michael Ahern:

After beginning his career as the Stage Manager at the famed original Fillmore East in New York, Michael went on to become the Production Coordinator for International Tours with:

The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Prince, Bob Dylan, Queen, Paul McCartney & Wings, Madonna, Elton John, Santana, U2 

He coordinated both LIVE AID Concerts in Philadelphia and London in 1985 and also the A Conspiracy of Hope tour of six benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International in 1986.

[drowan]

Michael Ahern passed away on November 19, 2015 at age 67.  Michael was a man of many talents and produced the "Tribute of Light" commemoration of the World Trade Center Twin Towers.  Below is a You Tube video of Michael talking about the "Tribute of Light" event program, lighting design and concept:

 

Edited March 17, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

At a memorial in 2016 celebrating his life the following statement was made by one of his friends (Amy Weisser, VP for Exhibitions, 9/11 National Memorial and Museum):

"I was not surprised to hear that this kindness, humor, fairness, and intelligence permeated his work and family. And he had an extraordinary career, largely producing rock concerts: He was on the production crew for the Rolling Stones concert at Slade Castle in Ireland and did the voice-over introduction for the Allman Brothers at Fillmore East. His friends and colleagues dropped the names Bowie, Prince, and Dylan, along with Live Aid and Amnesty International concerts. They didn't tell the story of how, in the days after 9/11, Ahern came to be setting up lights at ground zero, but it makes sense that he would have gotten himself downtown to hook up generators and restore power."

Source:   https://www.911memorial.org/blog/memory-michael-james-ahern-tribute-light-producer

 

[drowan]

Advertising and public relations for the Led Zeppelin Carnegie Hall show in 1969 was managed by Dominic Sicilia.  He was head of a public relations and advertising firm and had media relationships with several FM rock stations, such as WNEW and less well known WHBI-FM, both based in New York City.  Here is a January 13, 1968 Billboard magazine article announcing some of his upcoming projects (including his calling on London rock media critic and music producer, Richard Robinson, for an upcoming radio show):

  

Edited March 20, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

Dominick Sicilia had an established relationship with WNEW-FM DJ, Rosko, who was very popular at the time.  Here is a clip of Rosko talking about his interpretation of the significance of the "rabbit" in the Jefferson Airplane's reference to the same in their song, "White Rabbit":

Source:  The late, great Bill "Rosko" Mercer on "chasing rabbits" after playing White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane on WNEW-FM New York, November 13, 1967.

Edited March 19, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

As you can see, Eddie Kramer is still alive and well and an active professional in the music engineering business:

Edited March 20, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

On 3/17/2019 at 1:59 PM, drowan said:

The "sound" for the Led Zeppelin concert at Carnegie Hall in NYC on 10/17/69 was managed by Jack Weisberg, who also was known for designing and building sound board consoles.  As of November, 2017, Jack Weisberg was still alive and reportedly living in lower Manhattan.  Here is a reference to a friend of his who is capable of getting in touch with Jack:

Hello Doug. My name is Larry Basinski. I noticed your post from a while back. If you are interested in getting in touch with Jack Weisberg please contact me via email <basi1952@gmail.com> Jack is living downtown NYC in Tribeca in an old Firehouse the is the exact same one as the one we had the company in on Wooster St.
All the best, Larry.

Here are some photos of the Jack Weisberg sound board consoles that may have been used by him at the Led Zeppelin Carnegie Hall concert in 1969:

Edited March 20, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

Here is a great video showing the contemporary look and energy of Led Zeppelin recording engineer, Eddie Kramer, and his absolute love for what he does:

Source:  http://www.eddie-kramer.com/eddie-kramer-biography/

 

Edited March 20, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

Here is an excerpt from Eddie Kramer's professional website highlighting his astounding legacy for rock fans:

'He worked on live recordings by Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, John Mayall, the Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, Joe Cocker, Curtis Mayfield, David Bowie and Derek & the Dominoes. Add to it 6 of Led Zeppelin’s most enduring albums (Led Zeppelin II, Houses of the Holy, Physical Graffiti, The Song Remains the Same, Coda, How the West was Won, as well as Hendrix collections throughout the remainder of the decade (Cry of Love, Hendrix in the West, War Heroes, among others), and you’d think Kramer’s plate was full. But this proved not to be the case."

Source:  http://www.eddie-kramer.com/eddie-kramer-biography/

Edited March 20, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

On 3/19/2019 at 5:38 PM, drowan said:

Advertising and public relations for the Led Zeppelin Carnegie Hall show in 1969 was managed by Dominic Sicilia.  He was head of a public relations and advertising firm and had media relationships with several FM rock stations, such as WNEW and less well known WHBI-FM, both based in New York City.  Here is a January 13, 1968 Billboard magazine article announcing some of his upcoming projects (including his calling on London rock media critic and music producer, Richard Robinson, for an upcoming radio show):

  

Here is some additional background on British rock critic and producer, Richard Robinson, who Dominic Sicilia in the 1968 Billboard magazine article (featured above) indicated he planned to interview on an upcoming WHBI-FM radio show:

As producer, Richard Robinson's main credential is doing Lou Reed's first solo album, and generally aiding Reed in making the transition from ex-Velvet Underground leader to solo star.  Robinson had also been involved in other media, working as a rock writer for Go magazine, and doing a radio show on New York's WNEW. With his wife (and fellow rock writer) Lisa Robinson, and Lenny Kaye, he started the music magazine Rock Scene, one of the less serious-minded rock publications of the '70s. Richard Meltzer once wrote that Lisa Robinson would throw parties for Reed with the purpose of ingratiating the Robinson couple with the singer/songwriter, and then getting him on the comeback trail as a solo artist, with Richard Robinson as producer.  And Richard Robinson did get to co-produce (with Reed) Reed's first album, Lou Reed, in London for RCA in 1972. The record, however, was underproduced and did not get the most out of the material, which included leftovers from the Velvet Underground era that had not made it onto the Velvets' four studio LPs, such as "Lisa Says," "I Can't Stand It," "Walk and Talk It," and "Ocean." Oddly, supporting musicians on the album included Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe of Yes, as well as veteran British session drummer Clem Cattini. For his next album, Reed let Robinson loose and worked with David Bowie, resulting in the much more successful Transformer.

[drowan]

Though it is a somewhat speculative suggestion, it is very likely that Howard Stein's involvement with and promotion of the Led Zeppelin concert at the Singer Bowl in Queens, NY ultimately led to his involvement as the promoter of the Carnegie Hall concert roughly two months later.  Here is the concert billing for the Singer Bowl LZ concert event on Saturday August 30, 1969:

Edited March 25, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

The 1969 Singer Bowl Music Festival was actually held at the New York State Pavilion in Flushing, NY (on the former grounds of the NY World's Fair) where Howard Stein promoted two Led Zeppelin concerts on August 29 and 30, 1969 just a month and a half prior to the Led Zeppelin Carnegie Hall concert he promoted on October 17, 1969:

The New York State Pavilion was used for TV and movie sets, such as an episode of McCloud; for The Wiz; part of the setting (and the plot) for Men in Black; and the centerpiece for the Stark Expo in Iron Man 2. It was also the venue for rock concerts, as part of the Singer Bowl Festival in 1969, which included Led Zeppelin, the Grateful Dead, James Brown, Joe Cocker, Santana and other headline groups of the era (see ^[4] for poster ads). It was also the filming location in 1987 for the video clip for the debut single by They Might Be Giants, Don't Let's Start.

Edited March 27, 2019 by drowan

[mickey g]

Actually, they played at the New York State Pavillion those dates. Here's a short video about it:

 

 

[drowan]

2 hours ago, mickey g said:

Actually, they played at the New York State Pavillion those dates. Here's a short video about it:

 

 

This is a great video documentary of the fate of New York State Pavilion.  After the summer concert series at Flushing Park and the October Carnegie Hall concert in 1969, Howard Stein (shown below) went on to open the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY!!

Edited March 27, 2019 by drowan

[drowan]

On 5/1/2018 at 3:22 PM, drowan said:

Though we should never forget that John Mendelsohn got it so wrong in Rolling Stone Magazine, there are other astute critics that got it right!  Let's credit Cash Box Associate Editor, Bruce Harris, for getting it completely right in his review of the Carnegie Hall 10/17/69 concert in the November 1, 1969 issue of Cash Box (page 26) in the "Talent on Stage" review:

   

Love the closing line of his review: "Led Zeppelin has landed!" 

Here is a picture of Bruce Harris (far left) from a 1969 issue of Cash Box Magazine taken roughly a month after the Led Zeppelin Carnegie Hall concert:

[drowan]

The New York State Pavilion Led Zeppelin concerts on August 29 and 30, 1969 relied on the same "solarized image" of the band that was used a month and a half later for the Carnegie Hall concert on October 17, 1969:

Edited March 27, 2019 by drowan

[mickey g]

1 hour ago, drowan said:

This is a great video documentary of the fate of Singer Bowl.  After the Singer concert series in 1969, Howard Stein (shown below) went on to open the Capitol Theater in Port Chester, NY!!

A bunch of my friends went to one of those concerts. They climbed a fence & got in for free. I had just started a new job & had to be in at 6:00AM, so like a moron I decided not to go with them.

 

ETA. I did get to go to The NYS Pavillion with my parents during the '64-'65 New York World's Fair. While we were inside, there was Square Dancing going on, on the the floor, and when I looked up at the caller, it was my Phys Ed teacher from Grade School !

Edited March 27, 2019 by mickey g