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Articles Archive for Year 2025

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[30 Dec 2025 | 8 Comments | 628 views]
ROBERT PLANT PRESENTS SAVING GRACE FEATURING SUZI DIAN AT THE BARBICAN THEATRE YORK – ON THE SPOT REPORT/ GOODBYE 2025  – TBL BEST OF THE YEAR ROUND UP /DAVE LEWIS DIARY BLOG UPDATE

Robert Plant Presents Saving Grace featuring Suzi Dian – Barbican Theatre – York Tuesday December 23 2025…

On the spot report by Mick Scullion:

Setlist: The Very Day I’m Gone The Cuckoo Higher Rock Ramble On Soul Of A Man The May Queen Orphan Girl Four Sticks It’s A Beautiful Day Today Down To The Sea As I Roved Out For The Turnstiles Friends Encore: The Rain Song Everybody’s Song

So we came together one more time for the final night of this outstanding tour in the company of Robert Plant and his …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[23 Dec 2025 | No Comment | 797 views]
ROBERT PLANT’S SAVING GRACE FEATURING SUZI DIAN: MANCHESTER, GLASGOW, EDINBURGH & MIDDLESBROUGH ON THE SPOT REPORTS/TBL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL – ALLY PALLY ’72/ A CHRISTMAS STORY /TBL NOSTALGIA/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

Robert Plant’s Saving Grace featuring with Suzi Dian have been enthralling audiences on their ten date Ding Dong Merrily UK tour – so here’s four on the spot reports from very satisfied customers…

Robert Plant’s  Saving Grace featuring with Suzi Dian –  Manchester Apollo December 15 2025…

On the spot report by Andrew Pepworth

We had a good view of the action and after intro tape finished Robert and Suzi with  Saving Grace came on stage. The Very Day I’m Gone was the opener with  The Cuckoo to follow. Ramble On was an …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[17 Dec 2025 | 5 Comments | 709 views]
ROBERT PLANT’S SAVING GRACE WITH SUZI DIAN – DING DONG MERRILY UK TOUR – ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL LONDON & BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY HALL ON THE SPOT REPORTS/TBL ARCHIVE SPECIAL – GOLDEN LION REUNION 1981/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

My thoughts on Robert Plant Presents Saving Grace feat Suzi Dian – Royal Festival Hall London last Thursday December 11 2025:
Set list:
The Very Day I’m Gone, The Cuckoo, Higher Rock, Ramble On, Soul Of A Man, The May Queen, Orphan Girl, Four Sticks, It’s A Beautiful Day Today, Down To The Sea, As I Roved Out, For The Turnstiles ,Friends ,The Rain Song Everybody’s Song

Everything about this gig was pure perfection:

Every lighting effect, every guitar lick, every bango strum, every double bass embellishment, every drum shuffle, every harmony and every …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[9 Dec 2025 | No Comment | 955 views]
ROBERT PLANT’S SAVING GRACE FEAT SUZI DIAN DING DONG MERRILY UK TOUR UNDERWAY/ SAVING GRACE ONE OF THE FOPP RECORD CHAIN’S ALBUMS OF THE YEAR/AHMET ERTEGUN LED ZEPPELIN 02 REUNION -18 YEARS GONE – MEMORIES FROM A VERY SPECIAL NIGHT/BEATLES ANTHOLOGY COLLECTION 4/ BEATLES ANTHOLOGY OUTTAKES/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

Robert Plant ‘s Saving Grace feat Suzi Dian – Ding Dong Merrily UK tour underway…

Robert Plan ‘s Saving Grace feat Suzi Dian – Ding Dong Merrily UK tour is underway. It kicked off on Monday at The Guildhall in Portsmouth.

Spoiler alert – look away now if you don’t want to know much about the set list! 

Our TBL man on the spot Patrick Cullen reports ”I was lucky enough to be on 3rd row at the front . The Guildhall was totally sold out. The set was quite different to the …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[3 Dec 2025 | No Comment | 819 views]
DECEMBER 4 1980 – THEY COULD NOT CONTINUE AS THEY WERE / CODA – IT WAS 43 YEARS AGO/THE MAKING OF LED ZEPPELIN IV – PART THREE/WHOLE LOTTA LOVE UK SINGLE IN 1969/CAMERON CROWE BOOK/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

It was 45 years ago …they could not continue as they were…

45 years ago this week I vividly remember taking a call from the Musician’s Only paper and being asked for a quote regarding the announcement that Led Zeppelin were to disband.
These were sad times indeed – and it was about to get worse. The whole ‘Zep to split’ story would get buried somewhat when just four days later John Lennon was shot dead in New York…
Looking back at my diary entry for 44 years ago for December 4, it …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[26 Nov 2025 | No Comment | 791 views]
MELODY MAKER POLL AWARDS 46 YEARS GONE/RICHARD COLE REMEMBERED/THE MAKING OF LED ZEP IV PART TWO/ BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS/BLACK FRIDAY/VICTORIA RECORD FAIR/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

TBL Archive Special :
Melody Maker Poll Awards: November 28, 1979 – 46 years gone…
46 years ago on a late cold November afternoon in 1979, I walked into the plush surroundings of the Waldorf Hotel in London and ordered a vodka and lime at the bar just behind Richard Cole who was with three quarters of Led Zeppelin.
The occasion was the annual Melody Maker Poll Awards for which Peter Grant had rounded up Robert, Bonzo and Jonesy to accept a remarkable seven awards. Richard Cole and assorted roadies and tech guys …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[19 Nov 2025 | No Comment | 706 views]
AN EVENING WITH RICHARD MORTON JACK AND CHRIS WELCH TALKING LED ZEP IN RICHMOND/SAVING GRACE BOSTON REPORT/ELECTRIC MAGIC – 54 YEARS GONE/ PETER GRANT 30 YEARS GONE/KNEBWORTH BOOK LAUNCH 2013/THE BEATLES WHITE ALBUM IT WAS 57 YEARS AGO/ DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

A truly wonderful evening last with Richard Morton Jack author of the brilliant Led Zeppelin The Only Way To Fly and the esteemed veteran journalist Chris Welch last night at Books On The Rise in Richmond.

Chris had many a tale to tell about his close proximity to Led Zeppelin during his days with the Melody Maker. He was right there with them on so many occasions.

Jimmy Page walking into the MM office to reveal details of his new band in1968. Travelling with them to New York for their prestigious Carnegie …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[12 Nov 2025 | No Comment | 886 views]
TBL ARCHIVE SPECIAL – LED ZEPPELIN IV – 54 YEARS GONE / THE TIMES LED ZEPPELIN REISSUES ANALYSIS/ THE ONLY WAY TO FLY BOOK EVENT/ROLLING STONES BLACK AND BLUE ALBUM PLAYBACK /WHO ARE YOU BOX SET/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

 

TBL Archive Special:
Led Zeppelin IV – 54 years gone…
54 years ago this month the fourth Led Zeppelin album emerged in a slightly mysterious manner with that enigmatic sleeve. I vividly remember the excitement and anticipation of the album in the music press that month. In fact the November 6 1971 issue of Melody Maker was something of an historic issue because it contained the first UK sighting the four individual symbols that would make up the title of Led Zeppelin’s fourth album. Each symbol was featured on the end of …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[5 Nov 2025 | No Comment | 671 views]
TBL ARCHIVE – THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME LONDON PREMIERE – IT WAS 49 YEARS AGO/ ROBERT PLANT WEMBLEY EMPIRE POOL 1978/ WALKING INTO EVERYWHERE 1998 /ROBERT PLANT’S SAVING GRACE FEATURING SUZI DIAN ROAR IN THE FALL US TOUR/PHYSICAL GRAFFITI AT 50 BOOTLEG BOX SET REVIEWED/THE ONLY WAY TO FLY BOOK EVENT /BEDFORD VIP RECORD FAIR / DIARY BLOG UPDATE

TBL Archive: The Song Remains The Same London European Premiere – it was 49 years ago…

After the excitement of The Song Remains The Same soundtrack double album release, 49 years ago this week saw the European premiere of the accompanying movie. This occurred at the Warner West End cinema in London’s Leicester Square although such was the demand the film was also screened at the nearby Shaftesbury Avenue ABC Theatre.
My girlfriend Fiona and I  got tickets by queuing overnight in early October. Sleep was at a minimum that night as …

Dave Lewis Diary, Featured, TBL News »

[29 Oct 2025 | No Comment | 762 views]
MR. JIMMY FILM DUE OUT ON DVD SOON – WITH ADDED EXTRA AUDIO COMMENTARY FEATURE/ REMASTERS BOX SET IT WAS 35 YEARS AGO/MORE REMASTERS MEMORIES/PRIORY OF BRION IN A TENT 26 YEARS GONE/WALKING INTO EVERYWHERE IN THE UK 1998/JOHNNIE WALKER LAST SHOW REMEMBERED /WH SMITH 51 YEARS AGO/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE

Mr. Jimmy film due out on DVD soon – added extra audio commentary feature recorded…

Mr. Jimmy film due out on DVD soon – added extra audio commentary feature recorded…

Following a DVD release in Japan, the acclaimed Mr. Jimmy film is now set for a worldwide DVD release -with an extra audio commentary feature that I’ve been involved in.

Here’s the story:

A few weeks back, the Mr. Jimmy film director Peter Michael Dowd got in touch to ask if I would like to be involved in supplying a commentary as an extra …