Day 266: 1/12/1995 New York, NY

1/12/1995 New York, NY  (dadgad dvd)

Train Kept a Rollin'/For Your Love, Bring it on Home, Long Distance Call, Baby Please Don't Go, When the Levee Breaks

Nearly seven years after their well-received set at the Atlantic Records fortieth anniversary concert, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin have come together on the occasion of the band's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Following the awards presentation, the band, joined once again by Jason Bonham on drums, along with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, takes the stage for a loosely structured jam session. The set begins with Page tearing into the familiar opening chords of Train Kept a Rollin'. Plant and Tyler share vocal duties as the band haphazardly chugs along through the old favorite. Page and Perry trade licks during the guitar solo near the end of the song, which is followed by an abbreviated rendition of the Yardbirds classic For Your Love. 

As the song ends, Page launches directly into the rock section of Bring it on Home. He then gets the band into a laid-back blues improvisation featuring references to Muddy Waters favorite Long Distance Call, among others. Following an excellent guitar solo from Page, Plant leads the band into an impromptu rendition of Baby Please Don't Go, which includes hints of Boogie Chillen' before a blistering guitar solo from Perry. After an intermission, the band, now joined by Michael Lee on drums and Neil Young on second guitar, returns to the stage to end the night with an extended heavy jam based on When the Levee Breaks. Following the initial verses, Plant picks up Page's spare Les Paul as Young tears through an erratic guitar solo. Plant sings a verse of For What it's Worth toward the end of the song. The crowd full of music industry heavyweights erupts as the set comes to a close.

The tape is an excellent television broadcast with the exception of Train Kept a Rollin'/For You Love, which was recorded but not included in the final MTV presentation.

Day 179: 1/20/1975 Chicago, IL

1/20/1975 Chicago, IL  Sweet Home Chicago

Rock and Roll, Sick Again, Over the Hills and Far Away, When the Levee Breaks, In My Time of Dying, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Kashmir, The Wanton Song, No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, Communication Breakdown

The tape begins as someone onstage announces "ladies and gentlemen, the American return of Led Zeppelin!" Plant has the flu and it shows, his voice is reduced to an injured monotone. Page blazes through the guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. The second and final appearance of When the Levee Breaks shows marked improvement on the performance in Brussels a week earlier. Plant makes mention of Page's broken finger following In My Time of Dying, joking "it must be for our sins."

Bonzo and Jones deliver a solid performance of The Wanton Song, despite their bandmates' hindrances. Trampled Underfoot is introduced as "a song for a guy who works at a gas station." Page shreds through an erratic guitar solo. Moby Dick is followed by the first appearance of How Many More Times since 1/22/1973, which includes the Dazed and Confused bow solo dropped in the middle. As the song ends, Plant announces "that was for the old folks!" The Out on the Tiles intro to Black Dog is devastatingly heavy. The band closes the show with a high-energy Communication Breakdown. Bonzo and Jones stop playing for a moment during the guitar solo, leaving Page to shred furiously a cappella. 

The tape is distant and noisy.

Day 178: 1/12/1975 Brussels, Belgium

1/12/1975 Brussels, Belgium  (2nd gen>dat>cdr)

Rock and Roll, Sick Again, Over the Hills and Far Away, When the Levee Breaks, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Kashmir, The Wanton Song, No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, In My Time of Dying, Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, Communication Breakdown

The first recording from 1975 and the band's second show in nearly eighteen months. The crowd erupts as Rock and Roll crashes into motion. The finale is immediately followed by the explosive opening chords of the first appearance of Sick Again. Following Over the Hills and Far Away, Plant tells the crowd "among the new numbers are some old numbers we never really attempted before... this is one we really always enjoyed and finally got 'round to playing" before the first rare appearance of When the Levee Breaks. Bonzo's thunderous intro echoes through the arena. Plant's initial harmonica outburst threatens to destroy the taper's equipment. Page's slide work seems slightly out of tune throughout, a somewhat shaky first attempt.

Page has recently broken one of the fingers on his left hand, forcing him to adopt a three-fingered playing style with varying results, as heard during a lackluster The Song Remains the Same. The Rain Song is followed by the first appearance of Kashmir. After a cut in the tape, Plant introduces the first rare appearance of The Wanton Song as "another song of lust." Page butchers the guitar solo. The crowd begins to clap rhythmically during the final verse of an uneven No Quarter. The band hammers through the first appearance of Trampled Underfoot.

The new songs are met with approval from the excited crowd. Despite a few missteps, the band tears through the first appearance of In My Time of Dying. Stairway to Heaven is introduced as "a permanent favorite." Plant shreds his voice during the final verse. Whole Lotta Love has been reduced to a minute-long intro to Black Dog. Plant forgets the lyrics to the latter. Page's fingers become entangled in the strings during the guitar solo. The band closes the show with a terribly sloppy Communication Breakdown. A lackluster welcome to 1975.

The tape is distant and quite noisy.