2/25/1972 Auckland, New Zealand (?)Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, That's the Way, Tangerine, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Dazed and Confused, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown
The tape begins at the end of Immigrant Song. Page's fingers get a bit sticky during the solos in Heartbreaker. Plant thanks the crowd for "makin' this the biggest thing that's ever happened in New Zealand" before Since I've Been Loving You. Page's fingers get stuck in the strings during the guitar solo in Stairway to Heaven. A goofy giggle coming from someone near the taper can be heard between and sometimes during songs. Plant announces "we'd now like to bring on our vocalist... John Henry Bonham" before Bron-Y-Aur Stomp. He's in a good mood, joking and laughing with the crowd between songs.
The initial verses of Dazed and Confused are very loose. Page improvises freely during the excellent lead-in to the bow solo, even including the first reference to The Song Remains the Same. Unfortunately, the tape is cut at the end of the bow solo. Page gets the band into a jam on a funky riff prior to the theramin freakout during Whole Lotta Love. The Everybody Needs Somebody to Love riff is extended into a heavy jam before the guitar solo. The medley includes an extended Boogie Chillen', an excellent Hello Mary Lou, and a riotous rendition of Elvis Presley's Let's Have a Party. The medley ends with an amazing Goin' Down Slow, the best yet. Someone near the taper howls with excitement at the beginning of a high-energy Communication Breakdown. The usual funky breakdown is dropped in favor of a lightning-fast extended guitar solo. A great performance.
The tape is excellent. Clear and well-balanced with a great sense of atmosphere.
4 comments:
Did you know there's a 2nd source for this show? About 50mins of it isn't in the first source. You can get it at Ramble On.
Surprised you didn't mention how good Robert's voice was for the time, easily the best he sounded of 72 to me.
The venue was western springs speedway.
About 20,000 people were there. Check out the 8mm film that has surfaced from this show.
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