Kezar Stadium 6/2/73

[ZepFanatic]

Listening to this boot after not hearing it in a WHILE (I have the combo AUD/SBD version)...fucking phenomenal. For all the plaudits the two LA forum shows get (5/31 and 6/3/73, and rightfully so!) I think this has to be the best from the US Tour of 1973...

What does anyone else think?

[eternal light]

I had a great time on the previous and following nights, but sorry I couldn't go to San Francisco.

Edited February 5, 2009 by eternal light

[ZepFanatic]

I had a great time that night.

Were you there? If so, lucky you!

One of the best documented gigs, photographically at least...the pics are incredible...literally a see of people pressed all close to each other, and the band playing a smoking show. The recording is so good because you can feel the grand event of it without a whole lot of crowd noise...

[eternal light]

Were you there? If so, lucky you!

One of the best documented gigs, photographically at least...the pics are incredible...literally a see of people pressed all close to each other, and the band playing a smoking show. The recording is so good because you can feel the grand event of it without a whole lot of crowd noise...

lol well almost, but it was a great tour!

Edited February 5, 2009 by eternal light

[ZepFanatic]

Well those two LA Forum shows were killer, too, so still...lucky you!

[eternal light]

Well those two LA Forum shows were killer, too, so still...lucky you!

It was a pretty good time!

[Walter]

I only have an audience version of the show (Persistence) and I thought it was powerful and they seemed to be having a great time. Especially during the encores, didn't they have some water fight with Bill Graham? Better than what happened just 4 years later......

I love the version of The Ocean and what was up with that loud noise at the end of The Rain Song?! Does it come out in the sb version?

[eternal light]

Heartbreaker

Maybe their best performance,but one of the rarest bootlegs.

Live at Kezar stadium-San Francisco

June 2,1973

The band was in fine form!

Edited February 5, 2009 by eternal light

[cookieshoes]

Page's playing isn't so good at this show, though. His injury was probably to blame. For most of the show he has trouble playing his solos. He did much better at the Forum gigs. Plant sounds great for the era, though.

[ZepFanatic]

Page's playing isn't so good at this show, though. His injury was probably to blame. For most of the show he has trouble playing his solos. He did much better at the Forum gigs. Plant sounds great for the era, though.

The 1st Forum show was 2 days before this...

I think Page plays damn well during this show, and Plant is in his best voice since the US Tour of 1972!

[ZepFanatic]

I only have an audience version of the show (Persistence) and I thought it was powerful and they seemed to be having a great time. Especially during the encores, didn't they have some water fight with Bill Graham? Better than what happened just 4 years later......

I love the version of The Ocean and what was up with that loud noise at the end of The Rain Song?! Does it come out in the sb version?

The PA blew up at the end of the Rain Song...the whole show starts with 2 minutes of Plant chatting with the crowd while the equipment problems were getting sorted out...

[Rock Action]

I was there! My second concert ever. What a GREAT show, the whole band was on fire. Better than any of the MSG shows for sure. Robert was hilarious at times.

[eternal light]

The 1st Forum show was 2 days before this...

That's the one that I attended.

[ZepFanatic]

Also has a Moby Dick that is thoroughly enjoyable (apparently the complete legendary 30 min version has surfaced...on the SBD source...I'm listening to it right now!)

[eternal light]

started rather nicely; some of the audience appeared to be on drugs that day.

It's interesting when you fast forward to San Francisco 2008, and then review Sandy Denny's recording of Matty Groves in 1969.

[solar]

Excellent show, but San Diego on 5/28 to me is the best of about two weeks' worth of amazing performances.

[SilverVishnu]

Great show and recording, but Plant's enthusiasm isn't matched by his voice. It's squeaking and cracking so much in this show, even if it's otherwise strong, which really spoils some moments.

[Sibh23]

Well, I'd go onto state that whilst this show is a great one, performance wise, it leaves a bit to be desired, but it's all clearly about the vibes this gig had, and that is what makes it so special, it was an unique affair for the band, starting off, one can notice that the band is relaxed, still they're really into it, thus the show becomes a classic.

Now to see background info, the gig a few days earlier, fondly remembered by fans as Bonzo's Birthday Party, is a great show, on which the band mixes raw energy with a lot of fun, which the band is clearly having. Sadly Page had injured his hand at his arrival to Los Angeles, thus, whilst still giving a great performance, it hampers his playing and his potential that night. His hand had healed a bit as they came to San Francisco, with a 2 day layoff, arriving there shortly before the gig.

Now onto the show itself, it starts unlike other shows from this tour, with PA problems, a few minutes later the band properly starts the show, and from the beginning it's clear that Bonham is in another world, giving it all in this performance, hammering his drums with an unprecedented intensity. Plant is in a playful mood, and he has a nice voice on this one though I would disagree that it's his best voice since US 1972, the Japan gigs that year still had him at his original though quite diminished range, and when he warmed up on those gigs, he was a force to be reckoned with. He's voice continued declining in the UK tour, but still gave nice performances, now properly comparing his voice with other from this era, it's good, but he gave similar performances at other times of the tour. Now onto the guitar playing, whilst not bad, it doesn't match his performance the next day and neither those beloved July performances, he still shines if being quite spotty here and there, but there are contrasts, see Heartbreaker and Dazed & Confused versus Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Over the Hills & others, the latter are great performances guitar wise, the others are a bit spotty, yet confident and not too bad. But as I said before this show is all about the vibes, they where playing at an open air stadium on daylight, in one of their favorite cities to a crowd full of hippies and pot-smoking dudes, it was a festival setting, filled with festivities and that day, it was all about the good vibes. It's one of those shows, on which the band aren't in top form but their enthusiasm makes it special.

A must hear for anybody.

[badgeholder]

The color picture of Robert with the dove, what a great shot that is. Has he ever been asked about that moment? I mean, how did one just land in his hand?

[Sibh23]

The color picture of Robert with the dove, what a great shot that is. Has he ever been asked about that moment? I mean, how did one just land in his hand?

Apparently there was a "release of the doves", they had many in there and probably released them during the show, for me it's unknown when that happened, but I'd guess after Stairway or Whole Lotta Love

[snapper]

Heartbreaker

The band was in fine form!

This is a truly amazing recording of Heartbreaker. I can't believe that it's a bootleg.

I prefer this over the dry sound on the Southampton 73' multi-track, and (I'm going out on a limb here) the Earls Court multi-track. It's just so raw and authentic sounding,

the best recording from a "bootleg" I've ever heard.

Edited April 15, 2009 by snapper

[Adi]

The color picture of Robert with the dove, what a great shot that is. Has he ever been asked about that moment? I mean, how did one just land in his hand?

From Q&A: Robert Plant (The Rolling Stone) :

What photo of yourself in action do you like the most?

There's a lot of absurd ones. A lot of chest hair, or the beginnings of it. I like the one from Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

The bird landing in your hand?

Exactly. It wasn't glued or strapped on for a photo moment, it just happened to see me and feel my sincerity. So I felt his ass. It's such a ridiculous photo -- a cigarette, a bottle of Newcastle Brown and a bird in my hand. When I see it I notice that the crowd looks crazier than I do.

[Sibh23]

This is a truly amazing recording of Heartbreaker. I can't believe that it's a bootleg.

I prefer this over the dry sound on the Southampton 73' multi-track, and (I'm going out on a limb here) the Earls Court multi-track. It's just so raw and authentic sounding,

the best recording from a "bootleg" I've ever heard.

It's one of the better sounding 73 soundboards, but honestly, which version of Southampton you got, that mixdown is nowhere near dry!

[snapper]

It's one of the better sounding 73 soundboards, but honestly, which version of Southampton you got, that mixdown is nowhere near dry!

I think I have the Presence version, I've also listened to the clips on Youtube from Southampton. The guitar track could definitely use a little sweetening.

There's just not much ambience in the overall recording, with a little more work I think it could have been a lot better.

Edited April 17, 2009 by snapper

[Sibh23]

I think I have the Presence version, I've also listened to the clips on Youtube from Southampton. The guitar track could definitely use a little sweetening.

There's just not much ambience in the overall recording, with a little more work I think it could have been a lot better.

Try the thirteen13 Remaster or in your case the Winston remaster, both should really "sweeten up" the guitar sound, IMO mainly Winston.