Led Zeppelin to present rock recital (newspaper article)

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Led Zeppelin to present rock recital

March 28,1970

Led Zeppelin's appearance at the Civic Center April 2 cannot be described as a

concert. It will be a recital—a two-and and-half hour rock recital.

Whether good, bad or average, this type of extended performance is unprecedented

in the short history of rock tours. And the in-depth program will provide

genuine rock fans opportunity to fully analyze one of the hot rock groups in the

world.

Much of the "Evening With Led Zeppelin" will undoubtedly be a live recreation

of their second album. "Led Zeppelin II," currently number three on

our T-T-T chart. The album contains a full range of the group's electronic blues

repertoire, including "Whole Lotta Love," "What Is And What Should Never

Be," "The Lemon Song," "Heartbreaker," "Bring It On Home" and others.

* * *

THE GROUP is reportedly trying out a lot of new material on its audiences

during this spring tour. Some of this tour-tested material will go into their

third album. For the girls of West Virginia, the Zeppelin date will give them their first

opportunity to see the group's lead singer, Robert Plant. With the semi-withdrawal

of Jim Morrison, Plant has emerged as the biggest sex idol in rock. This isn't to say

that lead guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham

are homely. Together on stage they are a natural high. Unlike some groups, they are not

creatures of the studio.

"Sessions are great," says Page, "but you can't get into your own thing. I think

what did it for us was the stage thing. We came here unknown on the first tour,

did our number and the word got out that we were worth seeing. We tried as

hard as we could on stage and it worked."

* * *

ZEPPELIN WAS launched in London in late 1968, master guitarist Page coming

from the Yardbirds to put it together. At 25, Page is among the top five progressive

rock guitarists in the world. Plant, Bonham and Jones were established rock

stars before joining Zeppelin.

"I can't put a tag to our music," Page insists. "Every one of us has been influenced

by the blues, but it's one's interpretation of it and how you utilize it. I

wish someone would invent an expression, but the closest I can get is contemporary

blues. I want us to be raw and basic. To go into your own thing is fine,

but it has to be a form of experimentation that evolves from a basic sound that

everyone else knows and can relate to. Perhaps that's why blues is so big. You

can recognize the roots."

The recital commences at 8 p.m.