List of Led Zeppelin concert tours: Difference between revisions
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Led Zeppelin's reputation as a compelling live act is often attributed to the tight understanding and musical chemistry achieved between all four group members, combined with a shared willingness to try new things on-stage, which resulted in dynamic, unpredictable performances. As is noted by Led Zeppelin experts Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett: |
Led Zeppelin's reputation as a compelling live act is often attributed to the tight understanding and musical chemistry achieved between all four group members, combined with a shared willingness to try new things on-stage, which resulted in dynamic, unpredictable performances. As is noted by Led Zeppelin experts Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett: |
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{{cquote|Led Zeppelin live was an extraordinary animal. From the very beginning no two performances were alike. Such was the creative spark between the four that the basic structures of their songs were repeatedly reworked, extended and [[Improvisation#Musical improvisation|improvised]] on, making their studio counterparts almost unrecognisable.”<ref> Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) ''Led Zeppelin: The Concert File'', London: Omnibus Press, introduction.</ref>}} |
{{cquote|Led Zeppelin live was an extraordinary animal. From the very beginning no two performances were alike. Such was the creative spark between the four that the basic structures of their songs were repeatedly reworked, extended and [[Improvisation#Musical improvisation|improvised]] on, making their studio counterparts almost unrecognisable.”<ref> Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) ''Led Zeppelin: The Concert File'', London: Omnibus Press, introduction.</ref>}} |
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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.<ref name=rey>Luis Rey (1997) ''Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes'', Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press, p. 136.</ref> Several tracks from their albums were debuted on stage well before their official release on [[Gramophone record|vinyl]]. Jimmy Page has himself said that most of the band's songs were designed for live performance.<ref name=page93>[http://www.iem.ac.ru/zeppelin/docs/interviews/page_93.gw Interview with Jimmy Page], ''[[Guitar World]]'' magazine, 1993</ref> |
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.<ref name=rey>Luis Rey (1997) ''Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes'', Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press, p. 136.</ref> Several tracks from their albums were debuted on stage well before their official release on [[Gramophone record|vinyl]]. Jimmy Page has himself said that most of the band's songs were designed for live performance.<ref name=page93>[http://www.iem.ac.ru/zeppelin/docs/interviews/page_93.gw Interview with Jimmy Page], ''[[Guitar World]]'' magazine, 1993</ref> |
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{{cquote|Every show we did was different. You never knew when you went onstage what you might do by the end of it ... Once a song was recorded, and it went into the set, it began to mutate. The whole improvisational aspect, the riffs coming out of the ether ... it was a magical vehicle collectively soaring into the stratosphere. And as more albums came out, the set got longer and longer.<ref name=crowe>Liner notes by [[Cameron Crowe]] for ''[[The Song Remains the Same (album)|The The Song Remains the Same]]'', reissued version, 2007.</ref>}} |
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Led Zeppelin concerts could last more than three hours, with expanded, live versions of their song repertoire often incorporating elements of [[James Brown]], [[Stax Records|Stax]] and [[Motown]]-influenced [[soul music]] and [[funk]] (favourites of bassist [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] and drummer [[John Bonham]]). The quartet also loved American [[rock and roll]], being inspired by the exuberant styles of [[Fats Domino]] and [[Little Richard]]. Led Zeppelin would additionally perform [[rockabilly]] songs originally made famous by [[Elvis Presley]] and [[Eddie Cochran]]. As described by Cameron Crowe: |
Led Zeppelin concerts could last more than three hours, with expanded, live versions of their song repertoire often incorporating elements of [[James Brown]], [[Stax Records|Stax]] and [[Motown]]-influenced [[soul music]] and [[funk]] (favourites of bassist [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] and drummer [[John Bonham]]). The quartet also loved American [[rock and roll]], being inspired by the exuberant styles of [[Fats Domino]] and [[Little Richard]]. Led Zeppelin would additionally perform [[rockabilly]] songs originally made famous by [[Elvis Presley]] and [[Eddie Cochran]]. As described by Cameron Crowe: |
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Revision as of 12:48, 13 September 2008
From September 1968 through the summer of 1980, English rock group Led Zeppelin performed hundreds of concerts around the world, being one of the world's most popular live music attractions.
History
Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Led Zeppelin made numerous concert tours of the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe in particular. They performed over 600 concerts,[1] initially playing small clubs and ballrooms and then, as their popularity increased, larger venues and arenas as well.
By far the bulk of Led Zeppelin's live concerts were performed in the United States, which was settled on as the primary foundation for their fame and accomplishment.[2] In 1969, for example, all but thirty-three of the band's 139 shows were performed in the U.S., and between the years 1968 and 1971 they made no fewer than nine tours of North America. "It felt like a vacuum and we'd arrived to fill it," guitarist Jimmy Page once told journalist Cameron Crowe. "It was like a tornado, and it went rolling across the country."[2]
From the early 1970s, the commercial and popular drawing power of Led Zeppelin was such that the band began to embark on major stadium tours which attracted even vaster crowds than they had previously. During their 1973 tour of the United States, they played to 56,800 fans at Tampa Stadium, Florida, breaking the record set by The Beatles at Shea Stadium in 1965. Similar crowds were drawn on the Led Zeppelin's subsequent US tours, and they continued to break attendance records (in April 1977 they played to 76,229 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome, Michigan, a world record attendance for a solo indoor attraction).[3] It is for these reasons that Led Zeppelin, as much as any other band or artist in this era, is widely credited for helping to establish what has come be known as stadium rock. Many critics attribute the band's rapid rise as much to their tremendous appeal as a live act as they do to the quality of their studio albums.
Led Zeppelin also performed at several Music festivals over the years, including the Atlanta International and the Texas International Pop Festivals in 1969, the Bath Festival in 1970, the "Days on the Green" in Oakland, California in 1977, and the Knebworth Music Festival in 1979.
Characteristics
Led Zeppelin's reputation as a compelling live act is often attributed to the tight understanding and musical chemistry achieved between all four group members, combined with a shared willingness to try new things on-stage, which resulted in dynamic, unpredictable performances. As is noted by Led Zeppelin experts Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett:
Led Zeppelin live was an extraordinary animal. From the very beginning no two performances were alike. Such was the creative spark between the four that the basic structures of their songs were repeatedly reworked, extended and improvised on, making their studio counterparts almost unrecognisable.”[4]
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.[5] Several tracks from their albums were debuted on stage well before their official release on vinyl. Jimmy Page has himself said that most of the band's songs were designed for live performance.[6]
Every show we did was different. You never knew when you went onstage what you might do by the end of it ... Once a song was recorded, and it went into the set, it began to mutate. The whole improvisational aspect, the riffs coming out of the ether ... it was a magical vehicle collectively soaring into the stratosphere. And as more albums came out, the set got longer and longer.[7]
Led Zeppelin concerts could last more than three hours, with expanded, live versions of their song repertoire often incorporating elements of James Brown, Stax and Motown-influenced soul music and funk (favourites of bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham). The quartet also loved American rock and roll, being inspired by the exuberant styles of Fats Domino and Little Richard. Led Zeppelin would additionally perform rockabilly songs originally made famous by Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran. As described by Cameron Crowe:
[Led] Zeppelin live was a direct descendant from Elvis' early shows. Raw, direct, a reminder of when rock was young.[8]
Recordings and live concert footage
Many of the band's shows have been preserved as Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings, which continue to be prized by collectors and fans. 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 (2003). However, unlike other artists of the era such as The Who and The Rolling Stones, 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, in order to encourage fans who wanted to see the band to attend Led Zeppelin concerts.
Concert tour chronology
Reunion concerts
Since Led Zeppelin disbanded following the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, the surviving members of the band have reunited on-stage on just a few occasions. On July 13, 1985 the three performed at the Live Aid concert at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, for a short 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 January 12, 1995 for Led Zeppelin's induction into the United States Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For this latter event, the members played a brief 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 Ertegün Tribute Concert at The O2 in London on 10 December 2007, with Bonham again filling in on drums. While Robert Plant made his position regarding a subsequent reunion tour known to the Sunday Times ("The whole idea of being on a cavalcade of merciless repetition is not what it's all about"), he also mentioned that he could be in favour of more one-off shows in the near future: "It wouldn't be such a bad idea to play together from time to time."
External links
- Comprehensive archive of known concert appearances by Led Zeppelin (official website)
- LedZepConcerts.com
- Led Zeppelin concert setlists
Sources
- Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.
References
- ^ Led Zeppelin > Tour Dates
- ^ a b Gilmore, Mikal (August 10, 2006). "The Long Shadow of Led Zeppelin". Rolling Stone (1006). Retrieved 2007-12-09.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dave Lewis (2003). Tight But Loose Files:Celebration II. p. 49.
- ^ Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press, introduction.
- ^ Luis Rey (1997) Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes, Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press, p. 136.
- ^ Interview with Jimmy Page, Guitar World magazine, 1993
- ^ Liner notes by Cameron Crowe for The The Song Remains the Same, reissued version, 2007.
- ^ Liner notes by Cameron Crowe for The Complete Studio Recordings
