swandown Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 If they played Portland on the 29th, then it's highly unlikely that they would have played Salem on the 31st. Also, the oft-told story about driving from Portland to Seattle through a blizzard is likely inaccurate. It's much more likely that the blizzard was between Spokane and Seattle (or Spokane and Portland, if they played Oregon on the 31st). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 If they played Portland on the 29th, then it's highly unlikely that they would have played Salem on the 31st. Also, the oft-told story about driving from Portland to Seattle through a blizzard is likely inaccurate. It's much more likely that the blizzard was between Spokane and Seattle (or Spokane and Portland, if they played Oregon on the 31st). We are looking back to the very beginnings of climate reporting in the Portland area, circa 1874. 1968-69--- Finally, bringing us to a more recent time, let's not forget the winter of 1968-69. This winter featured a brutal double-whammy of snow in late-December-January.... In total there were 18 days with one inch or more of snow on the ground, with snow up to 9 inches deep during the first period, and up to 10 inches deep in the second! Kids were in heaven and snowmen almost out-numbered people by the time the long snowy period ended.... While temperatures were not as extremely cold as in either 1949 or 1950, they were substantially colder than Portland's Ice Storm of 2004. eg. Dec. 30, 1968 had a high of 14 and a low of 8, and Dec. 31, 1968, had a high of only 19 and a low of 9 degrees; in contrast, the coldest recorded during Ice Storm 2004 was a comparatively mild 18 degrees. www.oregonphotos.com/Portland Cold I was in Oregon one winter when a storm came in from Alaska and dropped some heavy snow onto the landscape. It was very lovely the morning after and the snow did not melt for quite some time, a veritable winter wonderland. I can still remember the winter of 1989 in Oregon. 1989-- the last really cold February recorded in Portland. Coldest days were Feb. 2 and 3, with frigid highs of 15 and 18, and lows of 9 and 11..... (amazingly, January 30th had had a high of a balmy 56 degrees, and early January had gotten as high as 60!) February, 1933 was a world-record setting Arctic Express cold wave, with records still standing in 2006! A true "Siberian Express." February 6th, 1933, 90 below zero, Verkhoyansk, Siberia, still the coldest it has ever been in the Northern Hemisphere! February 7th, 1933, 12 below zero, Salt Lake City, Utah, still the coldest it has ever been on that date. February 8th, 1933, 23 below zero, Seminole, Texas, still the coldest it has ever been in Texas! February 9th, 1933, 30 below zero, Salt Lake City, Utah, still the coldest it has ever been in Salt Lake City! February 9th, 1933, 17 below zero, Spokane, Washington, still the coldest ever seen for a Feb. 9th! February 9th, 1933, 63 below zero, Moran, Wyoming, still the coldest it has ever been in Wyoming! February 9th, 1933, 54 below zero, Ukiah, Oregon, tied for the coldest it has ever been in Oregon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swandown Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I don't have "Hammer Of The Gods" in front of me, but doesn't it have a reference to the "pass" being closed or something like that? There are no passes on I-5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 5, 2007 Author Share Posted December 5, 2007 The extent to which fans of Led Zeppelin will go to help preserve their legacy is simply astonishing. We're talking about freaking Oregon weather reports from 1968/69? That is far out! Justin Timberlake, eat your heart out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honeydripper Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 The extent to which fans of Led Zeppelin will go to help preserve their legacy is simply astonishing. We're talking about freaking Oregon weather reports from 1968/69? That is far out! Justin Timberlake, eat your heart out. agreed! If you only knew how many hours I spent in my college library....NOT doing coursework, but scouring old newspapers on microfische. ALL KINDS of cool stuff to find...if you have the dates and locations at hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 5, 2007 Author Share Posted December 5, 2007 I'm guilty of the same. Spent many weekends scrolling thru pitifully scratched microfilm to recover an article or two. The internet is such a blessing for this sort of thing. I can tap into the entire New York Times archive from home, for example. I think this mystery is on the brink of being solved from more than just one angle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honeydripper Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I'm guilty of the same. Spent many weekends scrolling thru pitifully scratched microfilm to recover an article or two. The internet is such a blessing for this sort of thing. I can tap into the entire New York Times archive from home, for example. I think this mystery is on the brink of being solved from more than just one angle. Are you a subscriber to the NY Times. The Wash Post won't let you get into their archives for free. But at the college library we had over 100 world newspapers on microfilm dating well before Zep. It was a field day.....too bad I did'nt know then what I know now or I could have looked for SO MUCH more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted December 5, 2007 Share Posted December 5, 2007 I don't have "Hammer Of The Gods" in front of me, but doesn't it have a reference to the "pass" being closed or something like that? There are no passes on I-5. Perhaps he was referring to either Grants Pass, McKenzie Pass, or Santiam Pass? www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/paststorms McKenzie Pass-Santiam Pass Scenic Byway starts in Sisters, Oregon, 22 miles north from Bend. Start in Sisters along HWY 20. Continue as the road turns into HWY 126 and later into HWY 242 as it finishes back in Sisters. www.go-oregon.net/McKenzie-Pass-Santiam-Pass-Scenic-Byway TITLE I-5 freeway near Grants Pass in southwestern Oregon, 1959 COLLECTION Oregon State Archives DESCRIPTION This photo offers a view of a long tangent section of the divided interstate I-5 freeway north of Grants Pass in Josephine County, Oregon. DATE 1959, July SUBJECTS I-5 interstate; Grants Pass, Oregon PHOTOGRAPHER unknown PHOTO ID OHD6533 OBJECT b/w photo; negative DIMENSIONS IH 7 1/2 inches IW 9 1/2 inches NH 3 3/4 inches NW 4 3/4 inches PHOTO SOURCE Oregon State Archives AGENCY Oregon State Highway Division CREDITS & RESTRICTIONS For access to this photograph, contact the Oregon State Archives, 800 Summer St. N.E., Salem, OR 97310. When using this photograph, the credit line should be in the following format: the Oregon State Archives, creating agency, and the photograph ID number. For example: Oregon State Archives, Secretary of State, OSS0123. ACCESSION ID 89A-30 photos.salemhistory.org I'm not sure any of those passes are located on the route they would have taken, unless the I-5 was closed, as it was the other night due to heavy flooding. Then it would make sense to take an alternate route. Usually the I-5 requires 175 miles; but the other night Oregon re-routed traffic to a 400 mile trip because it closed the I-5 from flooding. So maybe they closed the I-5 in December, 1968? Here's a description and photo link of the storm that hit the Pacific Northwest on Sunday night. Photo Link of Flooding in Chehalis, Washington At the height of its fury, the storm stretched more than 4,000 miles, with its main impact felt from Florence north to Bellingham, Wash. Triple-digit winds -- 129 mph at Bay City on the northern Oregon coast -- and sustained winds of 60 mph to 70 mph wreaked havoc on coastal stands of trees, their roots weakened by as much as 10 inches of rain. www.oregonlive.com 174 mi – about 2 hours 50 mins up to 3 hours 20 mins in traffic 174 mi – about 2 hours 50 mins, up to 3 hours 20 mins in traffic 1. Head northeast on James St toward 5th Ave 486 ft 2. Turn right at 6th Ave 463 ft 3. Take the I-5 S ramp on the left to Portland 0.6 mi 1 min 4. Follow signs for Airport Way 322 ft 5. Keep left at the fork, follow signs for I-5 S and merge onto I-5 S Entering Oregon 171 mi 2 hours 43 mins 6. Take exit 300B for OR-99E toward US-26 E/OMSI/Oregon City 0.4 mi 7. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Morrison St/City Center and merge onto Morrison Bridge 0.4 mi 8. Slight right to merge onto SW Front Ave/SW Naito Pkwy toward Salem/I-5 S maps.google.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 5, 2007 Author Share Posted December 5, 2007 Are you a subscriber to the NY Times. The Wash Post won't let you get into their archives for free. But at the college library we had over 100 world newspapers on microfilm dating well before Zep. It was a field day.....too bad I did'nt know then what I know now or I could have looked for SO MUCH more! No, I'm not but there's a site that allows you access if you log-in thru your state public library system. It's called Library Pass or something. Haven't used it for awhile. Highbeam dot com is another good archive search site, but there's a subscription fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swandown Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Perhaps he was referring to either Grants Pass, McKenzie Pass, or Santiam Pass? Probably not, as none of those passes would have been on any route between Portland and Washington. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Probably not, as none of those passes would have been on any route between Portland and Washington. What about Snoqualmie Pass? The detour route is also vulnerable to winter closures near Snoqualmie Pass. www.oregonlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2007/12/high_waters_close_i5_coast_rem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StringBender Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I would be interested if anyone had any info on Zep playing my hometown of Columbus, OH. Plant in an interview around the time the DVD came out mentioned in an interview he remembered "playing a gig in Columbus Ohio and the acoustics were so bad" then went on to mention how the monitors were mounted above the stage. I have heard people tell me they used to see bands at the old St.John's Arena and the sound was always awful, like a cave....so I would definitely assume that was the venue......but I have never seen a date let alone a boot of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEPPHAN Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 That would have been either Denver, Seattle, Boston or Spokane for those dates for Led Zeppelin. Vanilla Fudge does not list a date for December 30 as being one of its concert dates. Ah, bingo! But there is a discrepancy for Boston. Did Led Zeppelin actually perform in Boston? They could not have been in Vancouver, Canada at the same time if they were appearing with Vanilla Fudge on December 28, 1968. Led Zeppelin would have needed to cancel their Boston appearance to be in Vancouver, Canada on the same date. Led Zeppelin A Celebration by Dave Lewis lists them at the Boston Tea Party 3rd on the bill to Vanilla Fudge and MC5 on the 28th. Check out the poster here; http://www.ledzeppelin.com/image-galleries...ilia/ads?page=1 Clearly indicating they were in fact in Vancover on the 28th. Check this out for further info on the dates http://ledzeppelin.com/timeline/1968 I would believe these before anything else! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 I would be interested if anyone had any info on Zep playing my hometown of Columbus, OH. Plant in an interview around the time the DVD came out mentioned in an interview he remembered "playing a gig in Columbus Ohio and the acoustics were so bad" then went on to mention how the monitors were mounted above the stage. I have heard people tell me they used to see bands at the old St.John's Arena and the sound was always awful, like a cave....so I would definitely assume that was the venue......but I have never seen a date let alone a boot of it. I don't show a Columbus, OH Zep gig. Could he have meant the Ohio University - Grover Center in Athens, OH on May 17th 1969? I show he played the Germain Amphitheater in Columbus, OH solo on Aug 28th 2002. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 Yes, Virginia, there really is a "Salem" (but not for Zep!): September 3rd 1966 The Yardbirds with Jimmy Page Salem Oregon Salem Armory Auditorium - Oregon State Fair 2230 17th Street Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEPPHAN Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Yes, Virginia, there really is a "Salem" (but not for Zep!): September 3rd 1966 The Yardbirds with Jimmy Page Salem Oregon Salem Armory Auditorium - Oregon State Fair 2230 17th Street Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 Jan. 24, 1975, Richfield Coliseum, Columbus Ohio-unless the ticket is a fake or the guy is lying... Richfield Coliseum is in Richfield, a suburb of CLEVELAND and not in Columbus. Jan 24 1975 is a good date for that show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 I would be interested if anyone had any info on Zep playing my hometown of Columbus, OH. Plant in an interview around the time the DVD came out mentioned in an interview he remembered "playing a gig in Columbus Ohio and the acoustics were so bad" then went on to mention how the monitors were mounted above the stage. I have heard people tell me they used to see bands at the old St.John's Arena and the sound was always awful, like a cave....so I would definitely assume that was the venue......but I have never seen a date let alone a boot of it. January 24, 1975 Richfield Coliseum, Columbus Ohio item.express.ebay.com/Led-Zeppelin-1975-Concert-Ticket-Stub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEPPHAN Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Richfield Coliseum is in Richfield, a suburb of CLEVELAND and not in Columbus. Jan 24 1975 is a good date for that show. Yeah someone is selling a ticket stub for 75.00- has wrong city listed-Sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swandown Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 What about Snoqualmie Pass? Snoqualmie pass is not between Portland and Seattle, as a 5-second Google search reveals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swandown Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 After further research, I noticed that Vanilla Fudge was scheduled to play Salem on January 1st. (Check out the band log here.) But could Zep have opened that show? Possibly, but it's doubtful. I think it's pretty well established that they flew to L.A. on the 1st. At this point I would venture to state that the band spent New Year's Eve stranded at Sea-Tac Airport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Snoqualmie pass is not between Portland and Seattle, as a 5-second Google search reveals. They may have closed the I-5, and then Snoqualmie could have been on the alternate route via Yakima and the Dalles entering Portland through Gresham. Earlier this week they closed the I-5 due to flooding, and re-routed traffic on a 400+ mile route, more than twice the length of the normal trip. They could have done the same in the winter of 1968-69 due to the extremely heavy snowfall possibly causing blizzard conditions on I-5. maps.google.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted December 6, 2007 Author Share Posted December 6, 2007 But could Zep have opened that show? Possibly, but it's doubtful. I think it's pretty well established that they flew to L.A. on the 1st. On the first or second of January at the latest. Yes, can't see them playing anywhere when they're trying to catch a flight out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Led Zeppelin's first North American tour started in Denver Dec26 Seattle Dec27 Vancouver Dec28 We have a ticket posted for Portland Dec29 We know they played Gonzaga Dec30 We're not sure if they played anywhere Dec31 What is absolutely for sure is that they did not play Boston or New York untill the 2nd tour in the spring of 69 As for driving through snowy passes etc All of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia were covered in snow and cold... very cold temps that winter you might remember better if you can harken back to the picture of THE GOOD EARTH from Apollo 8 that was on your tv screen that Xmas see I knew you would Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted December 6, 2007 Share Posted December 6, 2007 Led Zeppelin's first North American tour started in Denver Dec26 Seattle Dec27 Vancouver Dec28 We have a ticket posted for Portland Dec29 We know they played Gonzaga Dec30 We're not sure if they played anywhere Dec31 What is absolutely for sure is that they did not play Boston or New York untill the 2nd tour in the spring of 69 As for driving through snowy passes etc All of the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia were covered in snow and cold... very cold temps that winter you might remember better if you can harken back to the picture of THE GOOD EARTH from Apollo 8 that was on your tv screen that Xmas see I knew you would By the way I can tell you that Zeppelin's 2nd stop in Vancouver in May 69 they were backing up Iron Butterfly and seemed to for a short period in a number of cities before the old roll reversal thing happened as the tour moved east. The 3rd tour of summer 69 was when they started headlining all their shows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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