Day 67: 9/19/1970 (evening) New York, NY

9/19/1970 (evening) New York, NY (cassette>reel>cdr)

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, That's the Way, Bron-Yr-Aur, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Out on the Tiles, Communication Breakdown, The Girl Can't Help It, I'm Talking About You, Twenty Flight Rock, How Many More Times

The final show of the tour, lost in storage for thirty-three years before being accidentally unearthed by the taper in 2003, who thought he was offering an upgrade to the afternoon set. After a brief introduction by Scott Muni, Immigrant Song comes thundering out of the gate. The band is on fire with a "take no prisoners" attitude. The taper added a false stereo panning effect to Page's a cappella solo in Heartbreaker when transferring his cassette master to reel. Page's soloing is inspired, showcasing dynamic feats of finger acrobatics.

Plant improvises a new second verse during Dazed and Confused to address those in the crowd who are blocking everyone's view by standing on their chairs. The false stereo panning effect returns during the bow solo. Plant interrupts Page to again try to get the crowd to sit down before the police get involved. The end of the guitar solo is a cacophonous explosion. Plant again pays tribute to Jimi Hendrix, who had died the day prior, before That's the Way. Since I've Been Loving You is a dramatic wall of sound. Page's soloing is drunkenly inspired. Plant is living every word he sings, full of raw emotion. A breathtaking performance.

Jones really vamps it up during the organ solo, one of the longest and most dynamic of the tour. Thank You is utterly devastating. One of the best and heaviest thus far. The false stereo panning effect makes its return during What is and What Should Never Be. Bonzo is introduced as "the man who made Milwaukee famous" before Moby Dick, which is cut in the middle. Whole Lotta Love is preceded by an excellent jam on the riff from Jeff Beck's Rice Pudding. The Everybody Needs Somebody to Love section at the end of the theramin freakout is a chaotic explosion of energy. The riotous marathon medley includes I Believe I'll Dust My Broom, John Lee Hooker's Bottle Up and Go, another excellent Lawdy Miss Clawdy at Plant's urging, Cinnamon Girl over the For What it's Worth theme, Some Other Guy, Train Kept a Rollin' with Stroll On lyrics, I'm a King Bee, Tommy McClennan's Baby Don't You Want to Go?, Freddie King's See See Baby, Jimmy Reed's You Got Me Runnin', and Muddy Waters's Honey Bee. One of the best and most elaborate thus far.

The second and final appearance of Out on the Tiles is introduced as "written by John Bonham" by Plant. It's a shame this wasn't played more often. The coda leads directly into Communication Breakdown after a flawless transition. There are some tape distortions during Page's frenzied solo. The breakdown features an extended bass solo and the first rare appearance of Gallow's Pole. After the band leaves the stage, someone near the taper declares "I'm gonna rip Madison Square Garden apart! Everybody is!" When the band returns, they launch into a frantic medley of old rock classics including The Girl Can't Help It, I'm Talking About You, and Twenty Flight Rock.

The biggest surprise of the night is How Many More Times as the final encore. The song's first appearance since the Bath Festival. The band is absolutely on fire. Every moment is a constant explosion of power and energy. The medley includes Boogie Chillen', Chuck Berry's No Money Down, and another excellent Blueberry Hill. The crowd is driven mad by the explosive finale.

The best performance thus far. Period.

The tape is excellent. Clear, well-balanced, and atmospheric. Must hear.

Day 63: 9/4/1970 Los Angeles, CA

9/4/1970 Los Angeles, CA
Live on Blueberry Hill: The Complete LA Forum Tapes
(TMOQ alt. source)

Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Dazed and Confused, Bring it on Home, That's the Way, Bron-Yr-Aur, Since I've Been Loving You, Thank You, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love, Communication Breakdown, Out on the Tiles, Blueberry Hill

This is the big one, the tape that started it all. The lives of Led Zeppelin fans would never be the same after this recording made its way into their collective hands. The tape begins with a brief band introduction and Plant telling the crowd "it's been a long time... but tonight we're gonna make up for it." Immigrant Song is devastating, an attack on all fronts from the first note to the last. Page's fingers get a bit sticky during the guitar solo in Heartbreaker, but it doesn't detract from the high energy performance. The crowd goes wild during the bow solo in Dazed and Confused. The band are locked into each other, the relentless attack is mesmerizing.

Plant opines that "18,000 pairs of hands should sound pretty good" before Bring it on Home. That's the Way is flawless, truly beautiful. Plant mentions the less than favorable reception the acoustic numbers have received in the midwest before introducing Bron-Yr-Aur. His voice is raw and powerful during Since I've Been Loving You, heightening the dramatic effect. Plant jokes that the bearded Led Zeppelin are "adverts for Gillette" before introducing Jones's organ solo. Thank You is excellent, Page's soloing soars above Bonzo's thunderous pounding. An epic drama. Bonzo displays great power and finesse during an extended Moby Dick.

As usual, Whole Lotta Love is an explosion of atomic energy. The raucous medley includes Jimmy Rogers's That's Alright, I'm Movin' On, Elmore James's Shake Your Money Maker, a frenzied Some Other Guy, and an excellent rendition of Buddy Holly's Think it Over. It ends with the best slow blues rendition of Honey Bee/The Lemon Song thus far, which includes the great Plant adlib "I don't care how hard you squeeze it mama, just take your teeth out before you get into bed." A firecracker blast punctuates the finale. As the band leaves the stage, the announcer enthusiastically asks the crowd "did you dig it?!"

One of, if not the best version of Communication Breakdown features an extended medley during the breakdown. Good Times Bad Times is followed by a funky bass solo. Another excellent rendition of For What it's Worth is followed by Plant singing the first verse of I Saw Her Standing There over the For What it's Worth theme before the band joins in for an explosive chorus. The most haunting, melancholic rendition of the early Beatles classic I've ever heard. As the band leaves the stage, the announcer tries to calm the frenzied crowd, telling then the band "can't do it all night." They'll surely try though. The band returns to the stage for the first rare appearance of Out on the Tiles. It's amazing this song never became a regular part of the setlist. The show ends with another excellent rendition of Blueberry Hill, with Plant doing his best Fats Domino impression.

As the band leaves the stage for the last time, Plant bids the crowd "goodnight and thanks for everything!" So ends one of the most important concerts in Led Zeppelin history. Absolutely amazing.

One of Led Zeppelin's most well-documented shows, the tape is an excellent audience recording, fit for official release. It doesn't get much better than this. Must Hear.

Click here for audio samples courtesy of Black Beauty.