Monday, November 17, 2008

Day 250: 7/24/1979 Copenhagen, Denmark

7/24/1979 Copenhagen, Denmark  (master>cd)
The Song Remains the Same, Celebration Day, Black Dog, Nobody's Fault But Mine, Over the Hills and Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, Ten Years Gone, Hot Dog, The Rain Song, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Kashmir, Trampled Underfoot, Sick Again, Achilles Last Stand, In the Evening, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love

Following a successful premiere the night before, the band returns for their second and final warm-up gig before returning to England to headline the Knebworth Festival. The energy is high as the band hammers through the opening numbers. Page shreds frantically through the guitar solo during Celebration Day. Plant announces "very nice to have the lights back with us tonight" before Black Dog. Nobody's Fault But Mine features a blistering guitar solo from Page. The band races through a fast-paced Misty Mountain Hop. No Quarter is short and dynamic. Page blazes through an excellent guitar solo. The crowd's rhythmic clapping returns during the intro to Ten Years Gone. Page plays with incredible fluency during the guitar solos. The Rain Song is beautiful.

There is a slight cut during the transition from White Summer/Black Mountain Side to Kashmir. Plant delivers a powerful performance during the latter. The band hammers through an aggressive Trampled Underfoot, which is followed by the return of Sick Again. Plant introduces a frantic Achilles Last Stand as the best track on Presence. The walls of the theater quake under the power of Bonzo's thunderous pounding as Page tears through the frenzied guitar solos. A brutally heavy performance. In the Evening is explosive, a major highlight of the new setlist. Page blazes through an outstanding guitar solo during Stairway to Heaven, one of the best in recent memory. The band closes the show with a radical new arrangement of Whole Lotta Love. Another excellent performance. Must hear.

The tape is very clear and well-balanced, if a bit fuzzy around the edges.

2 comments:

dragonspirit said...

Like the previous night, this is a good show, but I wouldn't label it as "must hear" either. In spite of some tentativeness in the playing and small mistakes in Ten Years Gone, the compact arrangement works much better than the 1977 versions. Page's soloing is downright beautiful. This is my favorite ever live version of the song. The Knebworth version is also nice, but not quite as nice ;)

Anonymous said...

Of the 2 warm-ups gigs and the 2 Knebworth shows, this one is the keeper! The recording quality is fabulous, with a very professional sound from the audience, and the performance is spot-on fabulous as well. If you want a later Led Zeppelin performance in stunning quality, this is it. Most defineitely a "Must Hear", and a show to have in your collection!