TBL ARCHIVE SPECIAL – LED ZEPPELIN AT ATLANTA AND TAMPA – RECORD BREAKING CROWDS IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO/ LZ NEWS/BEDFORD VIP RECORD FAIR/DL DIARY BLOG UPDATE
TBL Archive Special: It was 50 years ago… the moment Led Zeppelin elevated from being an exceptional rock band to becoming a worldwide musical phenomenon…they way it’s been ever since…
Led Zeppelin US tour opening date – Friday, May 4, 1973 Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
Setlist (from River City Review)
Rock and Roll, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I’ve Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown
Notes: Other tracks most likely performed but not listed in the review: Celebration Day, Bring It on Home Intro/ Black Dog, Over the Hills and Far Away, The Ocean. Four Sticks was noted in the review, but almost certainly not performed.
Led Zeppelin wasted very little time on their U.S. tour to demonstrate their incredible drawing power and meteoric popularity, pulling in 49,236 fans (out of the 50,277 stadium capacity). The concert grossed $246,180 and broke the Atlanta Stadium concert attendance record set by The Beatles on August 18, 1965 (who drew a comparatively modest 33,000 fans).
A closed-circuit TV system projected the group on two 16×24 foot screens positioned on the sides of the stage. This was the very first time the band had ever employed such screens, specifically for faraway fans. Unfortunately, the other stadium gigs on the 1973 U.S. tour did not utilize the technology (Tampa, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh); however, large video screens were eventually used again for their 1975 Earl’s Court shows, 1977 Pontiac, Michigan, 1977 Seattle, and 1979 Knebworth shows.
This concert marked the debut appearance of John Bonham’s Ludwig Amber Vistalite drum set. Bonzo used this set all the way through the last gig at Earl’s Court in London on May 25, 1975.
Although not documented for this concert, Celebration Day was added to the set list on this tour, the first time it had been performed since Charlotte, North Carolina on June 9, 1972. Out on the Tiles had been replaced by Bring It on Home as the introduction to Black Dog on this tour. No Quarter was performed live for the very first time and Moby Dick made a return appearance to the set list for the U.S. tour (the first time it had been played in concert since the October 9, 1972 Osaka, Japan show).
The gig was reviewed in the River City Review, a Memphis, Tennessee underground newspaper. Bill Read’s review featured the following comments:
“The band waited until everyone had time to get into the Stadium and get settled before they started the show and 8:30, and even then people were still arriving. The audience rose to its feet in a gesture of welcome, even as John (Bonzo) Bonham started the group off into ‘Rock and Roll.’ After completing this number, Robert Plant returned the greeting that had been given, and then continued with ‘The Song Remains the Same’ and ‘The Rain Song’ from their new Atlantic release, Houses of the Holy. Plant then made a reference to the now defunct Atlanta Pop Festivals, and proceeded into ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ and ‘Four Sticks’ (ed. note: he was probably referring to Black Dog). For those who could not see very well, there were two large viewing screens on either side of the stage, which showed interesting close-ups of the band as they gave their spectacular performance.”
“As John Paul Jones began the rather un-Zeppelinish ‘No Quarter,’ a fogging devise went into play, creating the eerie effect you might expect for the song. This selection in particular was reproduced in an excellent manner by all members of the band. Then, Jimmy Page, Zep’s producer and lead guitarist, and Plant put a sensual and intense effort into ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You,’ and, much to the delight of the audience, ‘Stairway to Heaven.’ ”
“As the crescent moon shone above, and as God looked down on all of His children, they bestowed upon the spectators their new rendition of ‘Dazed and Confused.’ During the song Jimmy Page stepped forward with his Customized Led Paul, took out his violin bow and expertly fed his original brand of musical data into an echo unit. Page sent the head of every person conscious into a world of ecstasy and wonder; and it occurred to me that we might have been given a preview of music born twenty years from now.”
Hit Parader (December 1973) carried an exclusive on tour with Led Zeppelin cover story written by none other than their press agent – Danny Goldberg. The article read just like Goldberg’s press releases, describing all their record-breaking exploits. He even quoted the mayor of Atlanta, Sam Cassell, as saying “This is the biggest thing that has hit Atlanta since the premiere of ‘Gone with the Wind.’ ” In his 2008 memoir, “Bumping Into Geniuses: my life inside the rock and roll business,” Goldberg conceded that the quote had actually been contrived by Peter Grant the morning after the Atlanta show.
Saturday, May 5, 1973 Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida, USA
Setlist:
Rock and Roll, Celebration Day, Bring It on Home (Intro)/Black Dog, Over the Hills and Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I’ve Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Dazed and Confused (incl. San Francisco), Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Boogie Chillun’), The Ocean, Communication Breakdown (incl. It’s Your Thing)
The band certainly did not have to wait a very long time to top their Atlanta attendance figure. The next night in Tampa they drew a record 56,443 fans ($297,632 gross receipts), passing The Beatles attendance record for a single artist set at Shea Stadium in New York on August 15, 1965 (attendance: 55,600).
Photos of Robert Plant and the record crowd appeared on the front page of the Atlanta Constitution with the headline “Stadium Rocks – Led Zeppelin Plays to 50,000.” The article was primarily focused on the crowd itself and mentioned that it was the first time the field had been opened to an audience. Curiously, it also mentioned that “paper and aluminum cans were trampled underfoot or were skittered across bare parts by the wind.” Coincidence?
Soon after the Tampa show, an Associated Press article written by journalist Mary Campbell was published in newspapers throughout the United States. Robert Plant discussed the Tampa concert with Campbell:
“I think it was the biggest thrill I’ve had. I pretend – I kid myself – I’m not very nervous in a situation like that. I try to bounce around just like normal. But, if you do a proportionate thing, it would be like half of England’s population. It was a real surprise. Tampa is the last place I would expect to see nigh on 60,000 people. It’s not the country’s biggest city. It was fantastic. One would think it would be very hard to communicate; with 60,000 people some have got to be quite a distance off. There were no movie screens showing us, like in Atlanta. The only thing they could pick up on was the complete vibe of what music was being done.”
Plant was asked why the band was more willing to talk to the press this time around and he responded:
“Last summer when the Stones were in America we were doing a tour concurrent with theirs. We had no coverage. We were beating their attendance, though…We’ve been aware of how we’ve been doing for a long time. And I really think some people ought to know what we’ve done. I’m proud of what we’ve done and what we are doing, and so many more people could dig it. That is the idea.”
Phil Rogers, staff writer for the Evening Independent (May 7, 1973) newspaper in St. Petersburg, Florida reviewed the gig in an article titled “Led Zeppelin Style: Start Slow to Buiold” (sic). Here are some key excerpts from Rogers’ article:
“Then the long awaited were on stage. Zeppelin started slow and built slow, for each song, for the whole show. Robert Plant’s voice vibrated into the open cavern of people that covered – painted – wallpapered every viewable spot in the stadium.”
“At times attention wandered from the stage. Someone said she was bored. At the time the remark was made, I would tend to agree. No one else in the crowd seemed to be exactly jumping up and down either. But then, Led Zeppelin was building.”
“Led Zeppelin was starting to warm up. Jimmy Page took a violin bow to his guitar, drummer John Bonham took a long, very excellent drum solo and the sound started to come alive…The first notes of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ drew immediate applause. ‘There’s a lady…’ Plant’s voice brought recognition to the rest of the crowd and more cheers for the group. The best song so far; things were getting better.”
“The finale, ‘Gimme Some Lovin’ (sic). White doves, released from the stage, flew to the audience in a message of fluttering, wheeling peace. Thousands, upon thousands of matches spotted the stadium like little eyes looking for the group’s return. A granted request.”
The Watcher (May 21-27, 1973) underground newspaper (Winter Park, Florida) carried a review of the record-breaking show titled “The Apex of Rock and Roll Attendance – Led Zeppelin Fills Tampa Stadium.” Written by Michael Crites, the review included the following observations:
“Led Zeppelin performed a predominantly high-energy concert with only a taste of their progressive soul and glamorock experiments of recent days, and their acoustic tunes. The quality of sound was not good, very little of the patented Zeppelin echo was audible and there was a somewhat fuzzy edge. Of course, these are natural drawbacks to a stadium show.”
“One of the outstanding numbers from ‘Houses of the Holy’ titled ‘No Quarter’ is indicative of Zeppelin’s schizophrenic nature. The song included a mysteriously mellow piano, a solid drum beat and disguised heavy guitar. At the mellotron Jones activated the strings, which are dynamite in your living room and probably would be exciting in a concert hall. Zeppelin took off in developing an orchestrated piece formed by intricate composition.”
“The fifteen minute drum solo was a useless filler and a condescension to the masses. I think Bonham is a damned good drummer without continuous beating. Charlie Watts has never played more than thirty seconds by himself. ‘Moby Dick’ was the only boring portion of the show.
A three and a half minute news report was broadcast on local TV station, Channel 13. The feature showed the band getting off their planes and into limos, footage of the crowd, and short clips of the band performing on stage (with Misty Mountain Hop from the fourth LP being played instead of the actual live audio). Part of this feature was used as the intro to their 2007 reunion concert at the 02 Arena in London
————————————————————————————————————————-
LZ News:
Led Zeppelin News Update:
Robert Plant
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss resume their world tour
Robert Plant resumed his world tour with Alison Krauss on April 25 with a show in Shreveport, Louisiana. Their standard setlist and band lineup are unchanged from their previous live shows. The pair are scheduled to tour the US and Canada throughout May and June before ending the tour in July.
Plant has been documenting his travels on the new leg of the tour on his verified social media profiles, posting snapshots on the road similar to the images that used to be shared on the “Side Trips” section of his website before it was deleted (don’t worry, we saved the best of them here).
Thanks to fans who have been documenting the show, we’re able to share the setlists of this week’s shows below including links to videos we’ve found of each song where available. The tour is scheduled to continue with a performance in Huntsville, Alabama tonight.
If you’ve got only got time to check out one video from this leg of the tour, this video of “When the Levee Breaks” from April 26 is the best contender:
April 25 – Shreveport, Louisiana
- Rich Woman
- Quattro (World Drifts In)
- Fortune Teller
- The Price of Love
- Rock and Roll
- Please Read the Letter
- High and Lonesome
- Last Kind Words Blues
- You Led Me to the Wrong
- Trouble With My Lover
- Go Your Way
- It Don’t Bother Me
- Leave My Woman Alone
- The Battle of Evermore
- When the Levee Breaks
- Gone Gone Gone
- — Encore —
- Can’t Let Go
April 26 – The Woodlands, Texas
- Rich Woman
- Quattro (World Drifts In)
- Fortune Teller
- The Price of Love
- Rock and Roll
- Please Read the Letter
- High and Lonesome
- Last Kind Words Blues
- You Led Me to the Wrong
- Trouble With My Lover
- Go Your Way
- It Don’t Bother Me
- Leave My Woman Alone
- The Battle of Evermore
- When the Levee Breaks
- Gone Gone Gone
- — Encore —
- Can’t Let Go
April 28 – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Rich Woman
- Quattro (World Drifts In)
- Fortune Teller
- The Price of Love
- Rock and Roll
- Please Read the Letter
- High and Lonesome
- Trouble With My Lover
- Go Your Way
- It Don’t Bother Me
- Leave My Woman Alone
- The Battle of Evermore
- When the Levee Breaks
- Gone Gone Gone
- — Encore —
- Can’t Let Go
April 29 – Pelham, Alabama
- Rich Woman
- Quattro (World Drifts In)
- Fortune Teller
- The Price of Love
- Rock and Roll
- Please Read the Letter
- High and Lonesome
- Last Kind Words Blues
- You Led Me to the Wrong
- Trouble With My Lover
- Go Your Way, My Love
- It Don’t Bother Me
- Leave My Woman Alone
- The Battle of Evermore
- When the Levee Breaks
- Gone Gone Gone
- — Encore —
- Can’t Let Go
Robert Plant played a surprise show in New Orleans
Robert Plant played a surprise show in New Orleans on April 28 hours after he appeared with Alison Krauss at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. You can read our full report on the surprise show here and watch two videos of “Black Dog” below.
A behind the scenes look at the Plant Krauss band is on the way
Look out for a video published on the Premier Guitar YouTube channel in the coming weeks that provides a “Rig Rundown” of the Plant Krauss band. The channel has published a short teaser clip on YouTube.
Upcoming events:
- 2023 – The second Band Of Joy album titled “Band Of Joy Volume 2” will be released and an expanded edition of the Honeydrippers album “The Honeydrippers: Volume One” will be released.
- April 30 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Huntsville, Alabama.
- May 2 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Louisville, Kentucky.
- May 3 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Huber Heights, Ohio.
- May 5 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Kansas City, Missouri.
- May 7 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Tennessee.
- May 9 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Asheville, North Carolina.
- May 10 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Wilmington, North Carolina.
- May 12 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in St. Augustine, Florida.
- May 13 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- May 15 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- May 18 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Charlottesville, Virginia.
- May 27 – The latest John Bonham celebration event will be held in Redditch.
- June 14 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- June 15 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Tucson, Arizona.
- June 17 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Taos, New Mexico.
- June 18 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Telluride, Colorado.
- June 20 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Bonner, Montana.
- June 23 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour in Somerset, Wisconsin.
- June 24 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour in East Troy, Wisconsin.
- June 25 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour in St. Louis, Missouri.
- June 28 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
- June 29 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Vienna, Virginia.
- July 1 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Bethel, New York.
- July 2 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Lenox, Massachusetts.
- July 3 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Portland, Maine.
- July 5 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform in Toronto, Ontario.
- July 7 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform at the Montreal Jazz Festival in Montreal, Canada.
- July 8 – Robert Plant and Alison Krauss will perform at RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ontario.
- August 24 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Portorož, Slovenia.
- August 26 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy.
- August 28 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Macerata, Italy.
- August 30 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Taormina, Sicily, Italy.
- September 1 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace at the Locus Festival in Bari, Italy.
- September 3 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Ostia, Italy.
- September 5 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Milan, Italy.
- September 6 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace at the Vicenza in Festival in Vicenza, Italy.
- September 9 – Robert Plant will perform with Saving Grace in Ourense, Spain.
Many thanks to James Cook
For all the latest Zep and related news check out the Led Zeppelin news website at:
VIP Record Fair at the Harpur Suite Bedford this Saturday May 6 2023:
The always excellent VIP Record Fair is back in Bedford and I am aiming top pop in early on and see what delights are in the racks…here’s all the info:
VIP RECORD FAIR RETURNS TO BEDFORD…
Bedford’s BIG VIP Record Fair is back – Saturday May 6:
The Harpur Suite, Harpur Street, Bedford MK40 1LE
Join local and international vinyl buyers, at this rare visit by the VIP Record Fairs circuit to Bedfordshire.
You’ll find the UK’s rarest records alongside new sealed releases at discounted prices.
All in this in a great, clean, warm venue. Centrally located in the heart of town.
Doors 10am. Still only £3 entry.
For fast track tickets and full info –
http://www.vip-24.com/venues/bedford.htm
More info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/630761895143963
Admission – £3.00 Doors open 10.00am – 3.30pm.
Early Entry Special. £6 – 9am. Grab a bargain and beat the crowds!
FREE ENTRY 1PM
Fast Track advance tickets –
Until next time…
Dave Lewis – May 4 , 2023
TBL website updates written and compiled by Dave Lewis
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A very mixed bag of updates there Dave. It was an honor to meet Patrick at a TBL gathering at The Atlas a few years back and get my books signed. Belated birthday wishes go to Mr Linwood, 2 DLs for the price of 1.
Dave
Glad to hear that the Victoria Record Fair is still going strong. I used to live just across the road from it (Greencoat Place) and picked up a few LZ bootlegs in the late 80s.
All the best
Charles
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