TBL Archive – Jimmy Page and Robert Plant – UK tour 1995 – it was 31 years ago…

31 years ago this week a fair few of you reading this were tearing up and down the highways and byways of the UK to catch the long awaited on stage return of   Jimmy Page & Robert Plant.

It was incredibly exciting few days -I was lucky enough to catch the dates in Glasgow, Sheffield, St Austell, Poole and two nights in Birmingham and London. Along the way there was many a TBL meet in pubs and hotel bars as we all came out to celebrate.

So to mark this anniversary here’s a piece that I ran in the TBL mag and subsequently my Celebration II The Tight but Loose Files book…

So let’s turn the clock back 29 years….this first extract takes the story up to the UK tour – with part 2 to follow next time..

With the MTV film in the can, the next logical move was to take the show out on the road, and manager Bill Curbishley drew up an ambitious itinerary that would commence in America early in 1995.

The pair decided to extend the formula used for the MTV shows, employing the Egyptian string and percussion ensemble led by Hossam Ramzy and dubbed The Egyptian Pharaohs. Under the direction of Ed Shearmur they enlisted the assistance of local orchestras in each area they performed, thus enabling them to repeat the successful formula used for the Unledded filming which allowed fresh interpretations of the Zeppelin catalogue.

Just prior to the tour opening in February, Page and Plant reunited with John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham for an appearance at New York’s Waldorf hotel to accept Led Zeppelin’s induction into the Rock’n’Roll Hall Of Fame. Jonesy’s comment – “Thanks for my friends for remembering my phone number” – during his speech was a curt acknowledgement of his displeasure at being ignored.

Rehearsals for the Page Plant tour took place in London, and a preview of what was in store occurred when the pair did a live link up for the American TV Awards, performing ‘Black Dog’.

In early April I was lucky enough to catch their two day stint at the Meadowlands Arena in America. The second night where they strolled on to the stage and moved into ‘Thank You’ remains a defining memory. Further shows in Paris, Glasgow, Sheffield, St Austell, Poole, Birmingham and London proved conclusively that despite their advancing years the duo’s ability to recreate the power and grace of Zeppelin was without question.

It was a glorious period as long time fans and those too young to have seen Zep in their prime revelled in what was all in name the Zeppelin reunion we had all hoped for. By the tour’s end it was evident that Jimmy Page was playing better than at any time during the previous fifteen years. Indeed for a project that began as a request to strum a few Zep tunes unledded style for MTV’s acoustic showcase, when played live night after night this reappraisal of the Zeppelin catalogue developed into a fully ledded experience. A trend that would continue when they returned to the live action in 1998.

The TBL coverage of the tour was extensive. Issue 11 included a gig by gig summary aided by the input of many first hand views. For the next issue I was able to reflect on the entire 115 dates coming up with the best 53 performances that might form a definitive retrospective view of this long awaited comeback. In keeping with the imaginary Led Zeppelin Live chronological live album concept explored in A Celebration, I’ve reproduced the entire text of the Page Plant World tour overview providing a clear focus on one of their most prolific periods of the post Zep era.

THE EVOLOUTION OF LED ZEPPELIN CONTINUES..

THE PAGE PLANT 1995/6 WORLD TOUR IN RETROSPECT

The Page Plant 1995/6 world tour finally came to an end on March 1, 1996, with the 115th date of a tour that spanned 370 days. The entire trek covered five continents and 19 countries and included nearly 2,000 individual song performances.

After a 15 year hiatus it was at last an opportunity for fans old and new to witness first hand the musical chemistry that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant still maintain. A chemistry that was at the forefront of their achievements within Led Zeppelin

It was a unanimous success – not least because of the unorthodox stance the pair took in approaching their back catalogue. Never a mere exercise in nostalgia, in reinterpreting the likes of ‘Kashmir’ and ‘In The Evening’, the clever deployment of the Egyptian Pharaohs worked superbly well. Similarly, bringing local orchestras under the direction of Ed Shearmur in each location to embellish performances of ‘Since I’ve Been Loving’, ‘Going To California’, ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ etc, added a fresh dimension. It was a master touch that kept the momentum flowing throughout the year long excursion.

Some admissions and conclusions: Firstly the controversy. Should they have included Jones? And should they have billed it as Led Zeppelin?

Jones’ absence remains a disappointment. Many will feel he should have at least been offered the opportunity to participate and should certainly have been informed first hand of their plans.

As for the name, well by the tour’s end they were openly projecting it on the billboards (“Playing the legendary songs of Led Zeppelin” as the Australian ads proclaimed).The heavy swing towards the Zep catalogue also made it something of a Zeppelin concert in all but name.

By not using the name they did avoid all the hype that would have gone with it and in avoiding the fully fledged reunion many felt they upheld the integrity of the group.

Whatever name it went under, when Page and Plant took flight on something like the middle section of ‘Whole Lotta Love’, well it wasn’t to hard to detect where the essence of all that had come from. The thrill of the two frontmen redefine the original Zep premise to go ever onward was undeniable.

The tour kicked off in Pensacola on February 26. The first part of the tour took in 27 dates running into April. Early set list surprises included a version of The Cure’s ‘Lullaby’ and the Coverdale Page track ‘Shake My Tree’. After a nine day break they undertook a further 27 dates in Europe including eight outdoor festival appearances. The UK dates included an acclaimed performance in the veterans slot on the Sunday line up at Glastonbury and two more intimate venue dates at St Austell and Poole. ‘The Battle Of Evermore’ and ‘Going To California’ were notable additions to the set list.

They were back in the US in the fall, kicking off with three dates in Mexico. This leg of the tour saw them reach new levels of intensity with a series of near flawless gigs on the West Coast. The US tour ended with a memorable two night stint at the old Zep stamping ground Madison Square Garden in New York.

Second guitarist Porl Thompson opted out of the line-up at this point and Jimmy took on all the guitar chores theerafter. Following four massive stadium dates in South America, Page and Plant holidayed in Hawaii, then undertook ten shows in Japan including six nights at the Budokan.

This run of shows saw them change the set list nightly, pulling out debut performances for the Zep standards ‘The Rain Song’ and ‘Tea For One’. The final leg took in five shows in Australia. They arrived on February 22, almost 22 years to the day of the commencement of Zeppelin’s only Australian visit. The final date took place at Flinders Park, Melbourne, on March 1.

Great moments along the away? So many really: Page’s nightly off the cuff riffing before ‘Black Dog’, those unpredictable medley’s during ‘Calling To You’ and ‘Whole Lotta Love’, the theremin battle during ‘Shake My Tree’, that stirring intro to ‘In The Evening’ with Plant in all his Arabic vocal glory, Porl’s soloing in ‘Song Remains The Same’, Michael Lee’s drumming throughout – a key ingrediant to the success of the whole project, the joyous crowd participation in ‘Hey Hey What Can I Do’ ,the ‘Stairway’ tease in ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’, the interchanging set lists in Japan.

There were a few irritants: The rigid nature of the set lists during the UK tour, Plant’s general reticence to adopt his familiar mike in hand poses until the encores – his customary stances and movements that were so prominent in Zep but noticeably absent during his solo years, replaced by a sometimes stilted stage presence as he stayed glued to the mike.

Finally it all comes down to the music – and many hours of this tour has made it onto unofficial recordings. There have surely been few tours that have been so extensively chronicled. The advent of the mini DAT recorder has opened up the floodgates for good quality audience recordings.

In a move inspired by The Grateful Dead’s relaxed laissez-faire gig taping policy (that certainly would not have happened under the iron rule of Peter Grant), during the US first leg the duo allowed fans to tape their gigs in special taper sections behind the mixing desk. By making shows widely available on tape the hope was that this would alleviate the need for fans to invest in bootleg CDs. It didn’t stop something like 80 bootleg CD titles surfacing from the tour, including no less than three 20-CD box sets (the UK chronicle Get Rid of The Smoke and two Japanese tour sets Ten Days and Live legend) plus a stock of privately circulated audience shot videos.)

With so many tapes at our disposal, there is ample scope to take a retrospective view of the tour. Having listened to hours of material drawn from the many tapes of the tour, I have compiled an imaginary four-CD compilation that takes in all the major developments along the way. It includes the one-off gems slotted in, the stand-out performances, the offbeat sequences and all the historic moments building into a true overview of the entire tour. It features 53 extracts drawn from 26 different locations spread over 28 shows; nearly five hours of musical Page and Plant highlights that capture the often barely believable events that thousands of fans were privileged to enjoy during those 370 days.

So this is Page and Plant on tour together at last in 1995 and 1996. Proving conclusively that the evolution of Led Zeppelin continues…

CD1: US Tour First Leg:

Intro: Tales of Bron – Robin Williamson poem

‘Immigrant Song’ intro/’The Wanton Song’

(Thompson Bowling Arena, Knoxville, Tenessee, March 3 1995)

The previous date in Atlanta had seen the amalgamation of ‘Immigrant Song’

into ‘Wanton Song’ as the set opener. On that occasion they had some trouble sorting out the ending (it was after all the first live airing of ‘Wanton Song’ in 20 years!). In Knoxville it all came together with Page leading the way with some dexterous runs. The atmospheric opening introduction poem that proceeded became a familiar opening ritual to a majority of the US first leg and some European dates. The choice of the little known Incredible String Band album extract recalled Plant’s fondness for this Sixties outfit, and by the time Robin Williamson had got to the line “There is the flavoured haunt of pleasure, no haunt or threat or malediction, but sweet of music strikes the air” the fans knew what was coming next as the silhouettes on stage burst into life.

‘Wanton Song’ went on to become the favoured set opener, clocking over 80 performances during the tour.

‘Achilles Last Stand’

(The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia, February 28 1995)

‘Achilles’ was always a prime contender for reworking on this tour so it was no real surprise when it turned up in the set lists of the two opening dates in Pensacola and Atlanta. More baffling was the fact it was never played again. On the evidence of the passion they brought to this performance there appears no logical reason why. It was a more than competent display that kicked along with all the verve of the best Zep deliveries circa 1977. Robert introduced it as “One of the first songs Jimmy and I wrote relating to travel” – a similar spiel would be given over to introducing The Song Remains The Same which effectively took over the Achilles slot the next night.

Watching the video shot from the show, it’s clear they were enjoying reliving this crucial Zep track – the pair could be seen clustered together in a classic pose during the “Aha… Aha” refrain.

At times the February 28 delivery of ‘Achilles Last Stand’ recreated the spirit of Led Zeppelin better than any other single performance on the tour. Maybe that’s why they decided to drop it. Perhaps they both felt it was just a little too close to what went before…

‘House Of The Rising Son’/‘Good times Bad Times’

( UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisanna, March 11 1995)

From the moment Plant casually walked up to the mic and oozed into the traditional local blues standard ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, this second night in New Orleans was destined to be special.

They then switched straight into ‘Good Times Bad Times’, the only performance of the rarely played Led Zep I opener. And it was a joy to hear them rumble through the familiar stops and starts of the track with Michael Lee on drums proving his worth.

‘Lullaby’

(UNO Lakefront Arena New Orleans Louisanna March 11 1995)

When the first set lists were posted on the Internet many presumed this was a new song and listed it as ‘Spiderman’. In actual fact it was a revivial from Porl Thompson’s Cure days. It worked as an offbeat interlude amongst the Zep numbers with Plant immersed in the lyric and Page cutting fine precise lines against Porl’s rhythm work. ‘Lullaby’ survived in the set until the early part of the Europran dates before being deleted.

‘The Song Remains The Same’

(UNO Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Lousinna, March 11 1995)

“There’s a ….”

At the beginning of this mid-period Zep classic, Plant twice taunted the crowd with the opening line from the well known Rolf Harris cover. Instead Page led them into a powerful rendition of the Houses Of The Holy opener. This was a definite highlight of the US leg with Page and Porl Thompson trading licks most effectively, with the latter’s speed on the Gibson jumbo guitar really pushing the song along. Plant reached the high notes with ease as it led it into a glorious finale. “Can you feel it?” asked the singer afterwards. Absolutely.

‘Tangerine’/’Hey Hey What Can I Do’

(US Air Arena, Landover, Washington, March 23 1995)

Two superb performances lined up back to back during this show. ‘Tangerine’ made its only appearance on this leg performed in a full band arrangement. The crowd reaction as Page hit the familiar notes was nothing less than euphoric. Porl played some suitably laid back electric parts against Page’s Ovation acoustic strumming. A nostalgic first outing for the Zep III standard that was last performed live twenty years back at Earls Court.

The underrated Zep III leftover (and subsequent US B side to ‘Immigrant Song’) ‘Hey Hey What Can I Do’ was another revelation with the crowd egarly joining in the chorus. Videos from the tour of this track show Page beaming with pride and duck walking along the stage.

‘Boogie Chillun’ sequence

(Skydome Arena, Toronto, March 27 1995)

“One night I was laying down”… The John Lee Hooker standard was an integral part of the ‘Whole Lotta Love’ medley in the Zeppelin era. This was its only appearance on the tour, emerging during the ‘Calling To You’ medley. The way it developed out of a lengthy Page solo was invigorating and for those in attendance a rare revival for another part of the Zep live canon.

‘Calling To You’ including ‘Break On Through’/’As Long As I Have You’/‘Dazed And Confused’ inserts

(Brendan Byrne Arena, Meadowlands, East Rutherford, New Jersey, April 6 1995)

‘Calling To You’ had previously been a highlight of Plant’s Fate Of Nations tour. With Jimmy on board it quickly developed into an extended piece that included a compelling guitar battle with Porl, a seminal riff exercise and then into an anything-could-happen medley sequence in the grand Zep tradition. This night in Meadowlands was exceptional for the inclusion of Garnett Mimms ‘As Long As I Have You’, a staple of the first two Zeppelin American tours but not performed by Page or Plant since. It followed the now customary delivery of The Doors’ ‘Break On Through’ and then merged with a few lines from ‘Dazed And Confused’. Another memorable sequence.

‘Shake My Tree’

(Great Western Forum, Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, May 17 1995)

On the face of it this was a rather bizarre choice for inclusion on the tour. A highlight of the 1993 Coverdale Page album, it says much of Plant’s compatibility with Page at the time that he agreed to sing the Coverdale lyrics, albeit in a slightly amended form. ‘Shake’ was actually a great riff exercise which allegedly was first conceived during the Zep In Through The Out Door sessions. On stage it gave Plant the chance to pull out the old “Suck it!” refrain at appropriate moments and for Page to weave those weird sounds from the theremin.

‘Kashmir’

(Great Western Forum, Inglewood Los Angeles, California, May 17 1995)

When Page and Plant breezed back into the Forum some 17 years after the night of Listen To This Eddie, a tradition of spontaneity was upheld. During ‘Kashmir’ they were joined by guest violinist Lili Hayden who brought a impulsive virtuoso feel to the end section as she pitted her talents against the Egyptian Pharaohs. “Ladies and gentlemen Lili Hayden appears at the Viper Room in Holly wood every Sunday night,” Plant informed the audience at the close.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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