Day 207: 3/27/1975 Los Angeles, CA

3/27/1975 Los Angeles, CA  (master>dat)

Rock and Roll, Sick Again, Over the Hills and Far Away, In My Times of Dying, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Kashmir, Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, Moby Dick, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog

The band's third and final night at The Forum begins with an introduction by Deep Throat star Linda Lovelace. Page's fingers are a bit sticky during the guitar solo near the end of Sick Again. Following Over the Hills and Far Away, Plant tells the crowd "it's with a bit of sorrow that we've gotta leave California, even the Continental Riot House wasn't that bad in the end." In My Time of Dying includes hints of You Shook Me near the end. There is a cut in the tape just before the second verse of The Rain Song. 

Kashmir is incredibly powerful. As the song ends, Plant announces "we're changin' the program, hang on" before the third and final appearance of Since I've Been Loving You in 1975. A bit looser than a week earlier in Seattle, the band nonetheless delivers a highly dramatic performance. One wonders why the song was not played more often this tour, perhaps Plant's voice simply couldn't handle the strain. He introduces Jones as "a man with a lot of balls," adding "in fact, three" before No Quarter. The piano solo is introduced by a series of ghostly howls from the theramin. The instrumental section is fantastic. Page delivers an excellent, dynamic guitar solo. Unfortunately there is a cut in the tape just as the piece is coming to a close. The tension reaches its peak during the violently explosive finale. A truly amazing performance, one of the best thus far. As the song ends, Plant announces "John Paul Jones, grand piano and Heineken beer!"

Plant dedicates Trampled Underfoot to "a 1950 Buick Rocket 88 that I rented the other day." Page shreds wildly through the guitar solo. Plant includes a few lines of Gallows Pole following the final verse. A very aggressive performance, one of the best thus far. Dazed and Confused is introduced as "a thing from the very, very beginning... when we were babies in the game." The Woodstock interlude includes lyrics from Love's Old Man. Page's fingers are like razor blades as he slashes and shreds through the guitar solo/workout section. There is a slight cut before the call and response section and another following Mars, the Bringer of War, just as the band is getting into a funky jam. Bonzo forces Page into the return to the main riff, lest he solo on forever. The outro is an epic journey in and of itself. An unbelievable forty-four minute marathon. The longest ever.

Page's fingers get stuck in the strings during the extended guitar solo in Stairway to Heaven. As the band returns to the stage, Plant announces "we'd like to thank California for bein' such good hosts to us while we been here... and if anybody can hear us in England, we're comin' back baby!" Whole Lotta Love features a frantic Licking Stick-Licking Stick interlude prior to the theramin freakout. Bonzo and Jones get into a funky stop-start groove as Plant battles the theramin. Page solos until his fingers are about to fall off during the show-closing Black Dog. A fitting end to the haphazard 1975 North American tour.

The tape is another fantastic Mike Millard recording.

Day 206: 3/25/1975 Los Angeles, CA

3/25/1975 Los Angeles, CA  Deep Throat II

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog

The tape begins during the band's stage introduction. Plant's voice starts off a bit rough, the end of tour partying has begun to catch up with him. Page shreds erratically through the guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. In My Time of Dying is a bit sloppy. Page's fingers become entangled in the strings during The Song Remains the Same. Jones's Mellotron goes out of tune during The Rain Song. No Quarter is introduced as "a piece which consists of a great deal of improvisation." Jones's piano solo is excellent. The instrumental section features a laid-back guitar solo from Page. Plant dedicated Trampled Underfoot to "all the good ladies of America who've helped us get rid of the blues from time to time on the road." Page's erratic guitar solo slashes through the frantic rhythm like a jagged razor blade. 

Bonzo is introduced as "the man who broke every window in room 1019 last night, the man who set fire to his own bed, the amazing man with only two cavities, Mr. Quaalude, John Bonham!" before Moby Dick. Plant introduced Dazed and Confused as "a song that came to us about four hours after we got together... as soon as we'd rolled our first joint, this was it." Page solos wildly during the lead-in to the bow solo. After an ominously beautiful a cappella intro, the Woodstock interlude is transformed into a hauntingly mournful rendition of Spanish Harlem. Plant's ethereal howls echo through the arena as the piece comes to a close. Page erupts in a violent torrent of notes during the guitar solo/workout section. The climax is reached during the blistering outro jam. An outstanding performance.

Stairway to Heaven is dedicated to "the sweeter, more gentle moments in life." Page delivers a fantastic guitar solo, one of the best in recent memory. Plant pushes his voice to the limit during the final verse. Whole Lotta Love features and excellent heavy jam following a brief Licking Stick-Licking Stick interlude. Plant forgets the lyrics during the second verse of Black Dog, causing a moment of confused hesitation before the band gets back on track. As they leave the stage, he announces "people of The Forum, thank you very much... it is the summer of all our smiles, goodnight."

The tape is another excellent Mike Millard recording.

Click here for an audio sample courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 205: 3/24/1975 Los Angeles, CA

3/24/1975 Los Angeles, CA  Deep Throat I

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Heartbreaker

The tape begins with a brief introduction by J.J. Jackson, which is met with a barrage of firecracker blasts from the crowd. Page gets ahead of the band near the end of Sick Again. Plant tells the crowd "these are the last three gigs of our American tour, so we intend them to be somewhat of a very high point for us" before Over the Hills and Far Away. Page blazes through the guitar solo. Bonzo is a thunderous explosion of energy during The Song Remains the Same. Page's fingers get stuck in the strings during the guitar solos.

Plant forgets a few lyrics during a somewhat lackluster Kashmir. Jones is repeatedly introduced as "keyboard man extraordinaire" before No Quarter. The somber piano solo features hints of Concierto de Aranjuez. The instrumental section is excellent, despite Page's uneven guitar solo. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "behind us we see there's  little bit of basic carpentry being carried on," joking "it's an arts and crafts center, this stage tonight." Page shreds erratically through the guitar solo during Trampled Underfoot. As the song ends, Plant announces "ladies and gentlemen, at the front of the stage right now, Elvis Presley's right hand man Bill Miller!"

Dazed and Confused is introduced as "the first thing that we had a go at... apart from the secretary." Page's fingers are a bit sticky during the slightly disjointed guitar solo/workout section. A rather uninspired performance. Plant dedicates Stairway to Heaven to "all our English friends who've arrived at the Continental Riot House." Page hints at The Rover prior to Whole Lotta Love, which features the most complete performance of The Crunge ever caught on tape. As the band leaves the stage, Plant announces "ladies and gentlemen... children of the sun... goodnight." A rather uneven performance for the first night at The Forum.

The tape is another excellent Mike Millard recording augmented by a slightly inferior source.

Click here for an audio sample courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 204: 3/21/1975 Seattle, WA

3/21/1975 Seattle, WA  Definitely Seattle

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, Since I've Been Loving You, Trampled Underfoot, Moby Dick, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Communication Breakdown, Heartbreaker

The tape begins with a stage announcement asking the crowd not to light any matches during the show or the house lights will be brought up, ruining the light show. The crowd erupts as Rock and Roll crashes into motion. Following Sick Again, Plant announces "well, we went across the border, it was alright, but it's much better back here." Page blazes through an excellent guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "there's one demand that I'd like to make apart from that you enjoy what we're doin', and that is that you don't sway around too much at the front because somebody might get hurt." In My Time of Dying is an intense sonic assault. Jones's fingers dance across the fretboard as Page tears through the frantic guitar solos during The Song Remains the Same. The Rain Song is excellent. 

Page plays a bit of White Summer as Plant dedicates a powerful Kashmir to "everybody who we met in Seattle this time who's been a groove and a gas." No Quarter is introduced as "a journey with more somber intonations." Jones delivers a highly dramatic piano solo which includes hints of Georgia on My Mind. The instrumental section features an epic guitar solo from Page. Jones's playing becomes a bit erratic toward the end. Page solos wildly during the outro. An outstanding performance, one of the best thus far. As the song ends, Plant announces "there's one song that we've done twice in... I suppose since we got ripped off for all that bread in New York ages ago, and because we really dig playin' here, for no other reason we're gonna do it again now" before the second rare appearance of Since I've Been Loving You in 1975. Page blazes through a blistering guitar solo. A fantastic performance. Trampled Underfoot features an aggressive guitar solo from Page. Plant repeatedly exclaims "see saw, knock on my door, gonna swing!" As the song ends, he says "with just a little bit of Gallows Pole thrown in." 

Following a marathon Moby Dick, Plant tells the crowd "there's a little bit of a discrepancy about a guitar and a man who's being held by the police and all sorts of things, quite a story going on behind the scenes" before dedicating Dazed and Confused to "the innocent party" and "the difference and the balances between law and order." Page shreds wildly during the lead-in to the bow solo. The Woodstock interlude has been transformed into an amazingly haunting rendition of For What it's Worth. The instrumental machinery is in full swing during the frenzied guitar solo/workout section. Page is absolutely on fire, soloing furiously as Bonzo and Jones hammer along at a frantic pace. The epic journey reaches its peak during the wildly cacophonous outro jam. An utterly devastating performance, one of the best thus far. And at forty minutes in length, one of the longest as well.

Page hints at Louie Louie as Plant offers the crowd a history lesson on famous Seattle musicians before dedicating Stairway to Heaven to "the amount of work that Jimi Hendrix gave... and the amount of inspiration that he gave everybody in the business." Page slowly builds tension before erupting in a furious cascade of notes during the dynamic guitar solo. The final verse is explosive. Whole Lotta Love includes another excellent rendition of The Crunge prior to the funky theramin freakout, which is punctuated by a devastatingly heavy finale. Plant's banshee wails threaten to destroy the taper's equipment during a blistering Black Dog. There are a few slight cuts during the latter half of the song. A quick and dirty Communication Breakdown is linked nonstop with Heartbreaker. Page blazes through the guitar solos. As the band leaves the stage, Plant announces "thank you very much, we've had a great time... you've been fantastic... Seattle, goodnight!" A truly amazing marathon performance. Must hear.

The tape is a combination of two sources. The first, used through the initial verses of Stairway to Heaven, is very clear and well-balanced. The second, used for the remainder of the show, is a bit noisy and overloaded.

Click here for audio samples courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 203: 3/20/1975 Vancouver, British Columbia

3/20/1975 Vancouver, British Columbia  (master>dat combo)

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*, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Heartbreaker

*- These three songs are actually from the audience recording of 3/19/1975. There is a 1st gen>dat version of the inferior source in circulation which includes the real versions of these songs, but it is not currently in our collection.

The tape begins with someone onstage announcing "ladies and gentlemen, the Canadian return of Led Zeppelin." Page blazes through the guitar solos during Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "amidst the positive smells that are rising toward the stage, we're gonna try and maintain some coherence ourselves while you get stoned as stoned as stoned as stoned can be." Page solos wildly as Bonzo and Jones hold down a funky groove during Over the Hills and Far Away. Shouts of "how's Jimmy's finger?" and "how's your finger, Page?" can be heard coming from the crowd s the song ends.

Plant is in top form, belting out each line with power and intensity during In My Time of Dying. As the song ends, he comments "I don't know which is the biggest attraction, the stage or the amateur wrestling in the audience" before expressing the band's sympathy to PA operator Benji LeFevre who has "contracted a social disease." Page's fingers fly across the fretboard during a frantic The Song Remains the Same. Plant mentions the band's last visit to Vancouver, saying "something strange happened to me that evening, I found the light show to be amazing and I wondered what the name of the group was" before dedicating Kashmir to "that state of mind." 

Dazed and Confused is dedicated to "chaos everywhere." There is a slight cut during the intro. The Woodstock interlude begins with a long, bluesy guitar workout from Page. A hauntingly beautiful rendition, one of the best thus far. Someone near the taper can be heard saying "dude, it's amazing" during the bow solo. The band is absolutely on fire during the blistering guitar solo/workout section. The hypnotic outro jam is punctuated by an explosive finale. A devastating marathon performance. The taper can be heard tapping the microphone and clearing his throat as Plant dedicates Stairway to Heaven to Jack Daniel's, "starring down 'n out Jimmy Page." The guitar solo is outstanding. 

Plant tells the crowd "this is how we intend to be remembered in Vancouver" before Whole Lotta Love. The Crunge is replaced with a frantic rendition of Licking Stick-Licking Stick, which includes hints of Ozone Baby. Plant unleashes a series of spine-chilling screeches during the theramin freakout. Page jumps directly into Heartbreaker following Bonzo's machine gun finale, skipping Black Dog. He shreds wildly during the riotous guitar solo section, following an extended a cappella solo. An amazing performance. As Luis Rey points out, Page is taking control as the tour comes to a close.

The tape is a combination of two fairly clear audience recordings, one slightly better than the other.

Day 202: 3/19/1975 Vancouver, British Columbia

3/19/1975 Vancouver, British Columbia  Snow Jobs

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog

The tape begins with a brief soundcheck before Rock and Roll crashes into motion. In My Time of Dying features some excellent slide work from Page. Plant exclaims "lick your pussy, yeah!" during the "oh Georgina!" section. The Rain Song is beautiful. Plant introduces Kashmir as "a song that talks about the wasted, wasted, wasted lands," adding "it's not California." No Quarter is absolutely fantastic. A series of echo-heavy theramin howls introduce Jones's outstanding piano solo. Page solos wildly as Bonzo and Jones explore an upbeat jazzy rhythm during the epic instrumental section. A phenomenal performance, one of the best and most complex thus far.

Page shreds erratically through the guitar solo during an aggressive Trampled Underfoot. Plant tells the crowd "a very serious part of the night has now arrived... where I nip off to the dressin' room to get a blow job" before introducing Moby Dick as "an experience you will never forget." He dedicates Dazed and Confused to Peter Grant, joking "he's the man who gives us the blow job in the dressing room." The ever-expanding Woodstock interlude now begins with a hauntingly beautiful a cappella guitar introduction. The bow solo is followed by an unusual quiet interlude, complete with ethereal howls from Plant. Page is absolutely on fire during the marathon guitar solo/workout section, shredding furiously as Bonzo and Jones race along at top speed. An unbelievably epic performance, clocking in at over thirty-seven minutes.

Stairway to Heaven is introduced as "one of the high spots amidst the haste." Plant introduces "Jimmy 'Jack Daniel's' Page" as the band returns to the stage. Whole Lotta Love features another excellent rendition of The Crunge prior to the funky theramin freakout. As the band leaves the stage, Plant announces "Vancouver, British Columbia... people of the realm, goodnight." Must hear.

The tape is another fantastic soundboard recording.

Click here for audio samples courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 201: 3/17/1975 Seattle, WA

3/17/1975 Seattle, WA  Blow-Jobs

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog

The tape begins just before the second verse of Rock and Roll. Page blazes through the guitar solos during Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant announces "for once in our career we started early, cause we didn't want to keep you waitin'." Over the Hills and Far Away features a blistering guitar solo from Page, one of the best in recent memory. In My Time of Dying is explosive. Plant sings "Seattle, won't you listen" during a frantic The Song Remains the Same. His voice is incredibly strong during Kashmir, having finally settled into his new range.

No Quarter features an excellent piano solo from Jones. The instrumental section is transformed into an upbeat free-form jazz improvisation. Page shreds erratically through the guitar solo during Trampled Underfoot. Plant sings a bit of Max Bygraves's You're a Pink Toothbrush before introducing Dazed and Confused. The hauntingly heavy Woodstock interlude continues to grow in complexity. Page is absolutely on fire during the guitar solo/workout section. His fingers tear across the fretboard in a furious cascade of notes as Bonzo and Jones race to keep up. The frenzy reaches its peak during the explosive outro jam, punctuated by a thunderous finale. A devastatingly heavy performance.

Stairway to Heaven features an amazing guitar solo. As the band returns to the stage, Plant hints at Louie Louie before dedicating Whole Lotta Love to "Seattle and The Pretty Things." The theramin freakout is preceded by an excellent rendition of The Crunge, the best and most complete thus far. Plant again throws in a bit of Licking Stick-Licking Stick during the funky breakdown. The band closes the show with a riotous Black Dog. An excellent performance.

The tape is a combination of two sources. The first, used through In My Time of Dying, is a bit distant and muffled. The second, used for the remainder of the show, is clear and well-balanced, if a bit noisy on the high end.

Day 200: 3/14/1975 San Diego, CA

3/14/1975 San Diego, CA  Conspiracy Theory

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Heartbreaker

Bonzo fires off a series of machine gun snare blasts as Page shreds erratically through the guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. The song's outro includes a brief reference to White Summer. Plant's voice is surprisingly strong during a blistering In My Time of Dying, one of the best thus far. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "this has the makings of bein' a very good, hot concert... the two constituents that make things a real trip are you and us, so this is our turn to give you a good buzz." 

Jones's Mellotron begins to act up toward the end of The Rain Song. No Quarter is introduced as a song "for the Conquistadors." The instrumental section is an epic marathon. The guitar solo gets off to an uneven start, but the band finishes strong with Bonzo in particular delivering a standout performance. Page's fingers become entangled in the strings during the guitar solo in Trampled Underfoot. Bonzo is introduced as "one of the finest trombone players that America's ever known" as Page fiddles with some White Summer licks before Moby Dick.

Plant tells the crowd "the whole impetuous [sic] of the group was formed around the fact that we could pull off a tune like the one we're gonna give you now" prior to Dazed and Confused. The Woodstock interlude is hauntingly beautiful. Page's fingers are a bit sticky during the erratic guitar solo/workout section. The climax is reached during the frantic outro jam. Stairway to Heaven features excellent interplay between Page and Bonzo during the guitar solo. Plant, Bonzo, and Jones improvise a brief funky interlude during the guitar solo section in Heartbreaker when Page disappears momentarily. As the band leaves the stage, Plant announces "it's been a fantastic evening, even the security have enjoyed it!" A somewhat uneven performance with a few moments of inspiration.

The tape is another excellent soundboard recording.

40 Years Gone

Forty years ago today at a small club in Denmark, four young men from England stepped onto a stage together for the first time. Unbeknownst to them, this event would set off a chain reaction which would change the face of rock music forever and make them one of the most influential bands in history. Today we look back on the concert that started it all.

Click here for more photos from this historic occasion.

Day 199: 3/12/1975 Long Beach, CA

3/12/1975 Long Beach, CA  Standing in the Shadow

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog, Heartbreaker

The band's second night in Long Beach begins with a brief soundcheck before Rock and Roll explodes into motion. Page blazes through the guitar solos during a blistering Sick Again. He hints at White Summer briefly at the beginning of Over the Hills and Far Away. In My Time of Dying is devastatingly heavy. Page's guitar cuts out at the beginning of The Song Remains the Same, causing the band to stop playing and start over after a short pause. Bonzo hammers at his drums with incredible intensity as Page's fingers tear across the fretboard at lightning speed. A fantastically epic Kashmir is dedicated to "anybody who got divorced today." The walls of the arena quake under the power of the band's thunderous attack. An excellent performance, one of the best thus far.

No Quarter is preceded by a haunting electric piano introduction. Page solos wildly as Bonzo and Jones explore an upbeat jazzy rhythm during the outstanding instrumental section. A truly amazing performance. Unfortunately, the song is cut during the final verse. Page shreds frantically through the guitar solo during a frenzied Trampled Underfoot. Plant introduces Dazed and Confused as "the first climax that we reached together" before dedicating the song to an absent Roy Harper. The Woodstock interlude is brutally heavy. The band is absolutely on fire during the guitar solo/workout section. Bonzo thrashes wildly at anything within reach as Page erupts in a furious cascade of notes. The relentless sonic assault threatens to destroy the taper's equipment. The frenzy reaches its peak with the explosive outro jam. A phenomenal performance, one of the best thus far.

Before Stairway to Heaven, Plant tells the crowd "the vibes are really good tonight, they're better than last night... too many reds," adding "by the time we get to The Forum, we should be sky high!" Page delivers a fantastic guitar solo, one of the best in recent memory. As the band returns to the stage, Plant leads the crowd in a Happy Birthday sing-along in honor of their attorney Steve Weiss. The funky theramin freakout during Whole Lotta Love features an excellent rendition of Licking Stick-Licking Stick in addition to the usual The Crunge interlude. Plant is in top form during a riotous Black Dog. Heartbreaker features an outstanding I'm a Man blues interlude between the guitar solos. A truly amazing performance. Must hear.

The tape is a combination of two sources. The first, used through the initial verses of Stairway to Heaven, is a bit noisy and overloaded. The Second, used for the remainder of the show, is another excellent Mike Millard recording.

Day 198: 3/11/1975 Long Beach, CA

3/11/1975 Long Beach, CA

For the Benefit of Anyone Who Was Making a Bootleg

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog

The first of the legendary Mike Millard recordings, the tape begins with a stage announcement asking those behind the stage to stay in their seats, assuring them they will have a good view of the band now that the house lights are down. Plant gets a bit lost during the second verse of Rock and Roll. Page's guitar cuts out for a moment at the beginning of Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "we must apologize for the slight delay, but we couldn't get into the building," joking "we haven't got any tickets." In My Time of Dying is incredibly powerful, if a bit sloppy at times.

The Song Remains the Same is introduced as "a song that you definitely will have heard before, unless you've had your ears shut for two and a half years." The Rain Song is beautiful. As the song ends, Plant announces "for the benefit of anyone who was makin' a bootleg then, the twelve string was out of tune during Song Remains the Same." He delivers a strong performance during an excellent Kashmir. Jones is introduced as "a complete Pakistani orchestra, all in one pool player." No Quarter is absolutely fantastic. Jones's haunting piano solo is introduced by a series of ghostly moans from the theramin. Page's wandering guitar solo slowly builds tension until an explosive climax during the song's outro. An excellent performance, one of the best thus far.

Page shreds wildly through the guitar solo during an aggressive Trampled Underfoot. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "Jimmy just broke two strings and John Bonham is just about to have a hernia." He dedicates Moby Dick to "the Chateua Marmont and the Continental Hyatt House and all the places where there's cockroaches on the floor" before introducing Bonzo as "Mr. Dynamo! Mr. Cockstarch! John Bonham!" Someone near the taper can be heard shouting "c'mon Henry!" during the marathon drum solo. Bonzo shouts into one of his drum mics during the finale.

Page is absolutely on fire during the guitar solo/workout section in Dazed and Confused, shredding wildly as Bonzo and Jones race along at a frantic pace. The return to the main riff is explosive, triggered by Bonzo's machine gun snare blasts. The hypnotic outro is punctuated by a thunderous finale. An outstanding performance. A particularly funky theramin freakout during Whole Lotta Love is preceded by another haphazard rendition of The Crunge. Page blazes through the extended guitar solo during the show-closing Black Dog. As the song ends, Plant announces "ladies and gentlemen of Long Beach, goodnight... sleep well, half a Quaalude with water." An excellent performance.

The tape is a superb audience recording, so perfectly captured it could be mistaken for a soundboard tape.

Day 197: 3/10/1975 San Diego, CA

3/10/1975 San Diego, CA  Symphony in a Thousand Parts

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog

The walls of the arena quake under the power of Bonzo's thunderous pounding as Rock and Roll crashes into motion. Plant has finally regained control of his voice, belting out each line with power and bravado. Page blazes through an extended guitar solo at the end of Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant attempts to calm the rowdy crowd, saying "don't get pushin' about cause it effects what we're tryin' to do." Page is in his own world as he shreds wildly though the guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. In My Time of Dying is a cacophonous explosion. 

Page's fingers fly across the fretboard during The Song Remains the Same. Plant begins a beautiful The Rain Song with "this should be the springtime of your lovin'." Kashmir is incredibly powerful, Plant is in top form. As the song ends, he asks the crowd to "do the obvious thing" and move back "so as the people in the front don't get their bellies tossed around in little bits and pieces." There is a brief dropout near the beginning of Jones's piano solo during No Quarter. The instrumental section features a mellow guitar solo from Page. Plant comes in late during the first verse of Trampled Underfoot, but quickly rights himself. Page's wild soloing echoes through the arena as Bonzo and Jones hold down the frantic rhythm.

Before Dazed and Confused, Plant tells the crowd "about six and a half years ago, we got together in a little room in London and decided that we should play a few tunes to see whether it was good or bad... the first thing that we played gave us the decision that we should never ever stop... this was it." His ethereal howls echo out over the crowd during the haunting Woodstock interlude. Someone near the taper can be heard shouting "louder!" during the bow solo. Plant unleashes a series of spine-chilling squeals as the guitar solo/workout section begins. Page shreds wildly as Bonzo and Jones race along at top speed. Plant tells the crowd "one day, not too long ago, a little bit of light came through to us and we hope we can pass it on to you" before Stairway to Heaven. Page delivers an outstanding guitar solo. Whole Lotta Love again includes The Crunge, complete with lyrics, prior to the theramin freakout. As the band leaves the stage, Plant announces "San Diego, thank you very much!" An excellent performance.

The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant and noisy. Unfortunately, the sound quality deteriorates during the latter half of the show, becoming quite muffled and hissy.

Click here for audio samples courtesy of Black Beauty.

Day 196: 3/5/1975 Dallas, TX

3/5/1975 Dallas, TX  Days Confused

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, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog

The show gets off to a somewhat sluggish start. Page's fingers are a bit sticky during the guitar solo in Rock and Roll. Plant's voice still sounds tired. Before The Song Remains the Same, he tells the crowd "the decadent, capitalist hippies have been running around the world, sewing their wild oats and havin' a really good time... and on our travels we found that things ain't really as bad as all that." Bonzo can be heard shouting "gimme more bass drum!" as The Rain Song ends. Plant hints at When the Levee Breaks before introducing a powerful Kashmir as "a track about a journey through the east." 

The beginning of Jones's piano solo during No Quarter is accented by a series of ethereal howls from Page's theramin. The ever-expanding instrumental section features a laid back guitar solo from Page. Bonzo is introduced as "one of the most robust, strongest men without a leotard in show business... the man who can go for hours without stopping, but is a lousy lay" before an epic Moby Dick. Plant asks the crowd "what ever happened to the butter queen?" joking "she got cheap and got margarine instead" prior to Dazed and Confused, which he introduces as "one of the very, very first ones... when we were just infants in the game of rock." Page shreds erratically through the guitar solo/workout section, each note slashing through the frantic rhythm like a jagged razor blade.

Stairway to Heaven features an excellent, dynamic guitar solo, despite Page's sticky fingers. As the song ends, Plant announces "on behalf of Woman's Weekly, we'd like to bid you goodnight." The theramin freakout during Whole Lotta Love is preceded by the first appearance of The Crunge with lyrics. Black Dog is a bit sloppy, Page seems unable to keep up with the rest of the band at times. As the band leaves the stage, Plant announces "John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page... and Fred Astaire." A lackluster second night in Dallas.

The tape is another excellent soundboard recording.

Click here for audio samples courtesy of Black Beauty.