Day 183: 1/31/1975 Detroit, MI

1/31/1975 Detroit, MI  Detroit Rock City

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

Plant continues to have trouble with his voice, struggling to retain some sense of melody during the opening numbers. Page begins to warm up during the guitar solo at the end of Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "it's our great pleasure to be just about back." Page and Jones lose each other for a moment at the end of the guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. In My Time of Dying is introduced as "what you might call... traditional." Page's fingers fly across the fretboard during The Song Remains the Same. No Quarter is absolutely fantastic. The instrumental section is an epic journey.

Bonzo is introduced as "the man who made Led Zeppelin a legend" before Moby Dick. While introducing what will prove to be the final appearance of How Many More Times, Plant tells the crowd "we decided about a week ago that we should start doin' this again, cause we haven't done it for about six years... it's called jerkin' off." The band seems lost in the arrangement, unsure about what comes next. Unfortunately, the song is cut just before the final "gun!" Page's fingers become hopelessly entangled in the strings during the show-closing Black Dog.

The tape is clear and well-balanced, if a bit noisy at times.

Day 182: 1/29/1975 Greensboro, NC

1/29/1975 Greensboro, NC  Footstomping Graffiti

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

Plant is a shadow of his former self, gasping his way through Rock and Roll, choking on every word. Before Over the Hills and Far Away, someone near the taper can be heard exclaiming "look at how low Page has his guitar!" The end of the song is punctuated by a loud firecracker explosion. Plant's injured moans add a mournful tone to The Rain Song. Before Kashmir, someone near the taper can be heard saying "I want a copy of that tape." No Quarter features an excellent, moody piano solo from Jones. Page solos wildly during the coda. Plant again mentions Page's broken finger before introducing Trampled Underfoot. Bonzo is introduced as "Mr. Ultraviolence" before Moby Dick. How Many More Times is sloppy and uninspired. Plant is almost inaudible by the end of Stairway to Heaven. Page's fingers become hopelessly entangled in the strings during the guitar solo at the end of Black Dog. The band closes the show with a quick and dirty Communication Breakdown. Truly a night to forget.

The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant and boomy.

Day 181: 1/25/1975 Indianapolis, IN

1/25/1975 Indianapolis, IN  Condition Breakdown

Rock and Roll, Sick Again, Over the Hills and Far Away, 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

Someone near the taper can be heard saying "this is gonna be so good" just before Rock and Roll crashes into motion. Plant has completely lost his voice. Unable to sing a single note, he literally growls his way through the opening numbers. A cut during The Song Remains the Same leaves us at the end of the first verse of The Rain Song. The song is plagued by feedback problems. Following Kashmir, Plant tells the crowd "we're havin' a little bit of trouble here with the monitor system... I think there's some crushed window pane stuck in the speaker." He improvises an entirely new melody during the final performance of The Wanton Song to accommodate his painfully weak voice.

Jones is introduced as "the man in constant darkness" before No Quarter. A few slight cuts detract from an otherwise fantastic instrumental section. Unfortunately, Page's guitar solo is cut near the end. Little more than the intro and outro of Moby Dick survives. How Many More Times is introduced as "a very, very, very, very old one." Unfortunately, a cut in the tape during the lead-in to the bow solo leaves us at the final "gun!", skipping the majority of the song. Page's intro to Stairway to Heaven is missing from the tape. His fingers get a bit sticky during the guitar solo. As the band returns to the stage, Plant tells the crowd "we're gonna try and go out with a bit of style." Page shreds through an extended guitar solo during the show-closing Black Dog.

The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant and hissy.

Click here for audio samples courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 180: 1/24/1975 Cleveland, OH

1/24/1975 Cleveland, OH  Ultraviolence

Rock and Roll, Sick Again, Over the Hills and Far Away, 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

Plant continues to have trouble with his voice, croaking his way through Rock and Roll. Page blazes through the guitar solos during Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "it's very nice to be back in your part of the woods again." In My Time of Dying features some excellent slide work from Page. The end of the song is punctuated by a loud firecracker blast. The Rain Song is beautiful, despite Plant's injured voice. He refers to Page as "Jimmy 'Jack Daniel's' Page" while introducing a devastatingly heavy The Wanton Song. No Quarter features a long, wandering guitar solo from Page. 

Plant mentions Page's broken finger before introducing Trampled Underfoot. Bonzo is introduced as "Mr. Ultraviolence" before Moby Dick. How Many More Times is excellent. Unfortunately, the finale is missing from the tape. Plant makes a brief reference to Your Time is Gonna Come before introducing Stairway to Heaven as "one of the songs that is encompassed in the spectrum of what we've managed to get together in seven years." Page delivers a fantastic, dynamic guitar solo. Unfortunately, the tape gradually slows down throughout the song. The beginning of Black Dog is met with a deafening roar from the crowd. The band closes the show with a quick and nasty Communication Breakdown, which includes a bit of lemon-squeezing from Plant during the breakdown.

The tape is distant and noisy.

Click here for audio samples courtesy of Black Beauty.

UPDATE: 1/22/1975 Chicago, IL

1/22/1975 Chicago, IL  (1st gen)

Rock and Roll, Sick Again, Over the Hills and Far Away, 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 newly-surfaced recording begins with a few seconds of crowd noise before Rock and Roll crashes into motion. Plant's voice has improved greatly since the first night, but is still a bit rough at times. Following Sick Again, he tells the crowd "this is the last night we got in Chicago, I'm gettin' over me flu, Pagey's finger is just about healin', and we're gonna have a good time tonight." Page shreds through the guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. In My Time of Dying is excellent. The beginning of The Song Remains the Same is missing from the tape. 

Plant delivers a strong performance during a powerful rendition of The Wanton Song. As the song ends, a cut in the tape leads directly into Jones's intro to No Quarter. There is a slight cut in the tape during the piano solo. The instrumental section features a dynamic guitar solo from Page. Plant introduces Trampled Underfoot as "another one of those tracks that we hope will soon get to you through the good media of FM radio" before dedicating the song to Chuck Berry. Page blazes through the guitar solo. Bonzo is introduced as "the man with only two cavities" before Moby Dick. The majority of the drum solo is missing from the tape. 

How Many More Times is introduced as "an old one." Page solos wildly during the lead-in to the bow solo as Plant sings about his "little school girl", ending with "she's gone!" The final verse is a riotous explosion of energy. As the song ends, Plant jokes "I think we should rehearse that, maybe put it on an album." There is a slight cut accompanied by a brief volume shift during the initial verses of Stairway to Heaven, just before Bonzo enters. Page breaks a string during the guitar solo, causing him to improvise an alternate arrangement. The pyrotechnics at the beginning of Black Dog are met with a loud cheer from the crowd. The band closes the show with a blistering Communication Breakdown, which includes lyrics from Kisses Sweeter than Wine during the funky breakdown. A surprisingly strong performance for the band's final night in Chicago.

The tape is clear and enjoyable, if a bit distant, hissy, and lacking in bottom end.

Day 179: 1/21/1975 Chicago, IL

1/21/1975 Chicago, IL  Film Noir Vol. 1

No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Black Dog

The footage begins with a close-up of Plant as he introduces No Quarter. The stage is enveloped by a thick cloud of fog as the song begins. A cut during the first verse leads directly into Trampled Underfoot. Plant has regained some of the strength in his voice. Page shreds through an erratic guitar solo. As the song ends, another cut leads us to Plant's introduction of Moby Dick, "featuring the bowler-hatted gentleman behind me." Following short fragments of the drum solo and Page's bow solo, we're left at the beginning of Whole Lotta Love. Page and Plant's rock star posturing is mesmerizing. Large flash pot explosions behind Bonzo's drum riser signal the beginning of Black Dog. Unfortunately, the recording ends during the third verse.

Roughly fifteen minutes in length, the excellent color footage is shot from very close to the stage and is the only document of the second night in Chicago to surface thus far. A highly enjoyable viewing experience, if only there were more.

Click here for a video sample courtesy of Black Beauty.

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.

Day 177: 7/29/1973 New York, NY

7/29/1973 New York, NY  The Garden Tapes Vol. 3

Rock and Roll, Celebration Day, Black Dog, Over the Hills and Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, The Ocean, Thank You

The third and final night at Madison Square Garden used to create the 1976 concert film The Song Remains the Same and the live album of the same name. The tape begins with a brief soundcheck before Rock and Roll explodes out of the gate. Plant's voice starts off a bit rough, taking a few songs to warm up. Following Black Dog, he tells the crowd "this year in America, we decided to work extra hard, so we did two tours... and this is the last night of the last tour" adding "tonight we're gonna do our very best." 

Page shreds through an excellent guitar solo as Jones explores a funky groove during Over the Hills and Far Away. As the song ends, Plant jokes "really, you could call this gig a fitness test... just to see if we can really still do it." Bonzo hammers at his drums with incredible intensity during Misty Mountain Hop. Since I've Been Loving You is dramatic and powerful. Page blazes through the guitar solos during The Song Remains the Same. Plant introduces Dazed and Confused as "one of the songs from Zeppelin's embryo." The San Francisco interlude is fantastic. The guitar solo/workout section is somewhat erratic. Page solos wildly during the outro. 

Stairway to Heaven features an excellent guitar solo from Page. The end of the song is met with a tidal wave of deafening cheers from the crowd. Page's fingers fly across the fretboard during the a cappella solo in Heartbreaker. Bonzo and Jones lock into a high-speed funky rhythm as Page works his theramin wizardry during Whole Lotta Love. The Boogie Chillen' section features a fantastic guitar solo from Page. Bonzo plays a thunderous four-minute mini drum solo during the finale. Before The Ocean, Plant tells the crowd "tomorrow night I'll be lyin' on the grass in the middle of nowhere." Following an upbeat organ solo from Jones, the band closes the show with an outstanding performance of Thank You. A fitting finale to the 1973 North American tour.

The tape is a combination of two sources. The soundboard tape is excellent. The audience tape is distant and cacophonous.

For a fascinating breakdown and analysis of how The Song Remains the Same was created, visit Eddie Edwards's The Garden Tapes.

Day 176: 7/28/1973 New York, NY

7/28/1973 New York, NY The Garden Tapes Vol. 2

Rock and Roll, Celebration Day, Black Dog, Over the Hills and Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, The Ocean

The second of three nights at Madison Square Garden used to create the 1976 concert film The Song Remains the Same and the live album of the same name. The show gets off to a somewhat sluggish start. Plant's voice is tired and weak, cracking and breaking frequently. Page's fingers get a bit sticky during the guitar solo in Black Dog. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "we had a really good one last night... what we intend to do is try and get it better every night." The instrumental section during No Quarter is a haunting death march, featuring an excellent guitar solo from Page. The Rain Song is beautiful.

Before Dazed and Confused, Plant tells the crowd "amongst the mêlée in 1968, we managed to meet in a tiny room, not half the size of this stage, and we all looked each other in the face and we all reckoned we'd got something to do that we hadn't quite done properly before." Page's fingers get stuck in the strings constantly as he solos wildly through the erratic guitar solo/workout section. The theramin freakout during Whole Lotta Love is preceded by a fantastic funky jam. Page blazes through the guitar solo during the Boogie Chillen' section. Before the band closes the show with The Ocean, Bonzo counts in "hoochie coo, one, two, three, four, hoochie coo!"

The tape is an excellent soundboard recording augmented by a distant, noisy audience recording.

For a fascinating breakdown and analysis of how The Song Remains the Same was created, visit Eddie Edwards's The Garden Tapes.

Day 175: 7/27/1973 New York, NY

7/27/1973 New York, NY The Garden Tapes Vol. 1

The Rain Song, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, The Ocean

The first of three nights at Madison Square Garden used to create the 1976 concert film The Song Remains the Same and the live album of the same name. The tape begins just after the first verse of an excellent The Rain Song. The heavy section is incredibly powerful. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "that was a sort of a love song" before introducing Dazed and Confused as "a very old one." Several shouts of "sit down!" can be heard coming from the crowd during the intro. Page's fingers fly across the fretboard during the frantic lead-in to the bow solo. The San Francisco interlude is both hauntingly beautiful and devastatingly heavy. The band is absolutely on fire during the outstanding guitar solo/workout section. Page shreds wildly during the outro. An incredibly powerful performance.

Before Stairway to Heaven, Plant tells the rowdy crowd "I think this is a song of hope... and it is a very quiet song, so shut up." Page's fingers get a bit sticky during an otherwise fantastic guitar solo, one of the best thus far. Someone in the crowd can be heard repeatedly shouting "The Ocean!" prior to Moby Dick, which Plant introduces by saying "ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Elvis Presley has now left the building." Page's fingers get stuck in the strings during the guitar solo in Heartbreaker. He blazes through the Boogie Chillen' section during Whole Lotta Love. As the song ends, Plant calls out "New York, goodnight." Strings of firecrackers crackle in the distance as the band returns to the stage to close the show with The Ocean.

The tape is a combination of two sources. The audience tape is fairly clear, if a bit overloaded and noisy. The soundboard tape is excellent.

Click here for audio samples courtesy of Black Beauty.

For a fascinating breakdown and analysis of how The Song Remains the Same was created, visit Eddie Edwards's The Garden Tapes.

Day 174: 7/24/1973 Pittsburgh, PA

7/24/1973 Pittsburgh, PA  (3rd gen)

Rock and Roll, Celebration Day, Black Dog, Over the Hills and Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Moby Dick*, Heartbreaker*, Whole Lotta Love*, The Ocean*

*- Pittsburgh Steelers

The tape begins with a series of stage announcements asking the crowd to be cool and sit down. Plant's voice starts off a bit rough, taking a few songs to warm up. Page's fingers get a bit sticky during the guitar solo in Black Dog. As the song ends, Plant asks the crowd "do you remember the last time we came here?... it was obviously in the days when women wore brassieres, because we scored a few." Page hints as the opening of Midnight Rambler before Misty Mountain Hop. Plant moans "don't send me to Heartbreak Hotel" near the end of Since I've Been Loving You.

There is a brief cut in the tape at the beginning of Jones's piano solo during No Quarter. A series of firecracker blasts interrupt the beginning of The Rain Song. As the song ends, Plant announces "John Paul Jones was responsible for the orchestra... and Mellotron was responsible for the fact that it didn't sound so good." Before Dazed and Confused, he tells the crowd "last time we did this next song in Pittsburgh, I remember I scored about five pairs of ladies underwear... fortunately now they've worn out, so I gotta get some new ones." Following an excellent San Francisco interlude, there is a brief cut at the beginning of the bow solo. Before Stairway to Heaven, Plant tells the crowd "sometimes this next piece invokes a sort of a mass feeling that is really, it's better than the best woman in the world... and sometimes there's too many firecrackers." Page blazes through an excellent guitar solo.

Before introducing Moby Dick, Plant makes an announcement asking an audience member named Tammy Davis to meet her boyfriend at the side of the stage. There is a significant decline in sound quality before the tape cuts off about ten minutes into the drum solo. Plant tells the crowd "once again I must apologize for the fact that there's no video screens, but somebody's head will roll... I promise" before introducing Heartbreaker as "the final blast-off." The band is absolutely on fire during the fast guitar solo section. The raucous Boogie Chillen' section during Whole Lotta Love features an excellent guitar solo from Page. Plant trades lyrics with the crowd during the "way down inside..." section. The band closes the show with an explosive The Ocean. Plant sings "Carmen's only four years old" during the first verse.

The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant and hissy.

Month Eight: August 2008

With only 100 shows to go, here's the schedule for August for anyone following along. And the countdown begins...

Let's rock.

Friday 8/1
1973.07.24 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Monday 8/4
1973.07.27 New York, New York

Tuesday 8/5
1973.07.28 New York, New York

Wednesday 8/6
1973.07.29 New York, New York

Thursday 8/7
1975.01.12 Brussels, Belgium

Friday 8/8
1975.01.20 Chicago, Illinois
1975.01.21 Chicago, Illinois

Monday 8/11
1975.01.24 Cleveland, Ohio

Tuesday 8/12
1975.01.25 Indianapolis, Indiana

Wednesday 8/13
1975.01.29 Greensboro, North Carolina

Thursday 8/14
1975.01.31 Detroit, Michigan

Friday 8/15
1975.02.03 New York, New York

Monday 8/18
1975.02.04 Uniondale, New York

Tuesday 8/19
1975.02.06 Quebec, Canada

Wednesday 8/20
1975.02.07 New York, New York

Thursday 8/21
1975.02.08 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Friday 8/22
1975.02.10 Landover, Maryland

Monday 8/25
1975.02.12 New York, New York

Tuesday 8/26
1975.02.13 Uniondale, New York

Wednesday 8/27
1975.02.14 Uniondale, New York

Thursday 8/28
1975.02.16 St. Louis, Missouri

Friday 8/29
1975.02.28 Baton Rouge, Louisiana