Shred Fest

[paplbojo]

Which nights are some examples of Jimmy Page shredding that jump to mind?

The first three that jump to mind are 4/27/1969, 8/23/1971, and 6/22/1977 (OTHAFA namely). Of course there's the entirety of the European tour in 1973.

Gearing more towards the early years, I'm particularly interested in 1970 - 1972, which concerts jump out at you as evenings where Page is bringing the goods in a way one might describe as shredding?

[JMH]

19.9. 1970 evening show

[ListenToThis]

Try TUF, Vienna ‘80

 

[John M]

17 March 1969 Danmarks Radio

[gibsonfan159]

Any version of Honey Bee or Going Down Slow from the WLL medley.

[paplbojo]

Will seek out Going Down Slow performances. I heard a performance of it last night that suggested as much. 

[mtracy64]

I began collecting Led Zeppelin bootlegs in the early 1980's, and it quickly dawned on me that Jimmy Page never played his best when he knew he was being recorded. As good as 4-27-69 is, the 4-26 show at the Winterland puts it to shame - I have long considered the 4-26 gig the absolute pinnacle of the early Led Zeppelin, and I very much prefer the early shows to anything that came later. Led Zeppelin remained an improvisational beast throughout, but they were much more so in the early days. They were still in the process of conquering the world, they were young and hungry and feeding off the energy of the tremendous response to their shows, drinking and drugging were at a minimum, and they were 100% focused on the music with little regard for showmanship. The 1969 shows in particular were so incredibly different from one night to the next - they played basically the same songs every night, but with wildly different arrangements each night. To me, something was lost as the shows slowly became more structured, despite the very high level of the actual playing. It's difficult to cite individual tracks from the 4-26-69 show as standouts, as all of them are superior versions. Personal favorites, though, are As Long As I Have You and the earliest known performance of Whole Lotta Love, a version completely unlike the released version and subsequent live performances. This show is also the earliest recorded performance with the theremin, and it was never again used to such great effect. Other standout early performances are Fillmore West 1-10-69, Boston Tea Party 1-26-69 and any of the few shows available from the fall of 1969. The winter/spring 1970 shows were phenomenal as well - if I had to recommend one, I'd go with Copenhagen simply because the full array of encores are included in the recording.

Edited September 17, 2022 by mtracy64
Addition

[Blaize86]

Any Japan 1971 show. Osaka..jeez. Just listen to the added solo at the end of Immigrant Song and Celebration Day.

Any Euro 1973 show. The best and fastest I’ve ever heard Jimmy play. Pick one. 

However, the ultra shredding moment for Jimmy was SRTS after the bowing. He just comes in like a madman. Then it just comes to a sudden halt leaving the audience breathless.