Led Zeppelin concerts

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Formed in 1968, English rock group Led Zeppelin quickly became one of the world's top live acts and remained so until their breakup in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham. From Led Zeppelin Scandinavian Tour 1968|September 1968 inclusive to the Tour Over Europe 1980|summer of 1980, they were one of the world's quintessentially renown live music attractions, performing hundreds of concerts around the world.

Overview[edit]

Initially filling out the remaining dates previously booked for the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin went on to make countless concert tours of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Europe in particular, during the late 1960s and 1970s. They performed over 700 concerts,^[1] originally performing in diminutive nightclubs and ballrooms and then, as their reputation accrued, larger auditoriums and arenas as well. By far the greatest number of Led Zeppelin's live concerts were performed in the United States of America, which was organised as the prime goal for their acclaim and accomplishment.^[2] In 1969, for instance, all but thirty-three of the band's 139 appearances were performed in the United States, and between the years 1968 and 1971 they effected no fewer than nine treks of North America. 'It felt like a vacuum and we'd arrived to fill it,' guitarist Jimmy Page once recounted to music journalist Cameron Crowe. 'It was like a tornado, and it went rolling across the country.'^[3]

From the beginning of the 1970s, the popular and monetary drawing power of Led Zeppelin was such that the band began to undertake major stadium tours which attracted even larger audiences than they had previously. In the course of their Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1973|1973 tour of the United States, they performed to 56,800 devotees at Houlihan's Stadium|Tampa Stadium, Florida (U.S. state)|Florida, surpassing the previous record set at Shea Stadium in 1965. Comparative full houses were generated on Led Zeppelin's ensuing US tours, and they continued to exceed audience attendance records (on 30 April 1977 they performed to 76,229 ticket holders at the Pontiac Silverdome, Michigan (U.S. state)|Michigan, a world record attendance for a solo indoor attraction).^[4] These exceptional statistics established Led Zeppelin, as much as any other band or artist in this decade, to be broadly acknowledged for initiating what has come be known as arena rock|stadium rock. Observers attribute the band's swift ascent to popularity as much to their immense affinity as a live unit as they do to the quality of their recording studio|studio material. Led Zeppelin also performed at numerous music festivals during their career, including the Atlanta International Pop Festival (1969)|Atlanta International and the Texas International Pop Festival|Texas International Pop Festivals in 1969, the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music 1970|Bath Festival in 1970, the 'Days on the Green' in Oakland, California in 1977, and the Knebworth Festival 1979|Knebworth Music Festival in 1979. Similarly, manager Peter Grant also selectively turned down many festival appearances including Woodstock, on the belief that the band's set would be too short and their identity diluted on large bills.^[5]

Live environment[edit]

Led Zeppelin's pre-eminence as a daunting live act is often ascribed to the tight empathy and musical chemistry attained between all four group members, infused with a shared willingness to experiment on-stage, which resulted in dynamic, unpredictable performances.^[6]

As explained by Led Zeppelin chroniclers Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett:

Led Zeppelin have been described as the kind of group that actually rehearsed on stage, experimenting with the reaction of the audiences to new material and letting the pieces mature through the live experience.^[8]

Many songs from their albums were debuted on stage well before their official release on Gramophone record|vinyl. Page has stated himself that most of the band's songs were designed for live performance.^[9]

In an interview conducted with Uncut (magazine)|Uncut magazine in 2005, Page recounted:

Led Zeppelin concerts could exceed than four hours, with expanded, live versions and medleys of their song repertoire often incorporating elements of blues, Stax Records|Stax and Motown-influenced soul music and funk. The quartet also loved American rock and roll, being inspired by the exuberant styles of Chuck Berry and Little Richard. Led Zeppelin would additionally perform rockabilly songs originally made famous by Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran. As noted by Cameron Crowe:

Documentation[edit]

Most of the band's shows have been preserved as unauthorised Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings, which continue to be prized by fans and collectors. In addition, footage of Led Zeppelin concerts has been released officially on the band's 1976 concert film The Song Remains the Same, and on the Led Zeppelin (DVD)|Led Zeppelin DVD (2003).

However, unlike other artists of the era, comparatively little official concert footage exists of Led Zeppelin. This is largely because of the successful efforts of manager Peter Grant to limit the exposure of the band to television appearances, because of the poor sound quality of the medium and in order to encourage fans who wanted to see the band to attend Led Zeppelin concerts.^[13]

Concert tour chronology[edit]

Reunion appearances[edit]

Since Led Zeppelin's hiatus following the death of drummer John Bonham in September 1980, the three surviving members of the band have reunited on-stage on just a few occasions. On 13 July 1985, the three performed at the Live Aid concert at John F. Kennedy Stadium|JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia, for a brief set featuring drummers Tony Thompson and Phil Collins. They reunited again in May 1988, for Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert, with Bonham's son, Jason Bonham, on drums, and then on 12 January 1995, for Led Zeppelin's induction into the United States Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For this latter event, the members played a short set with Aerosmith's vocalist, Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry, along with Neil Young and Michael Bell.

The surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited for the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at The O2 arena (London)|The O₂ in London on 10 December 2007, with Bonham again occupying the drum stool.^[14] While Robert Plant made his position regarding a subsequent reunion tour known to the Daily Mail stating that he could be in favour of more one-off shows in the foreseeable future: 'It wouldn't be such a bad idea to play together from time to time'.^[15]

References[edit]