On This Day May 23

Day three of the Earls Court concerts in 1975 and, in 1969, two concerts half a continent apart in one day. Let no one say it's all fun and games and Riot Houses in the life of rock stars.

1968 23 May On This Day The Yardbirds - San Francisco,CA at Fillmore Auditorium

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Bristol England at The Corn Exchange
• 1968 The Yardbirds - San Francisco CA at Fillmore Auditorium
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - (show 1 of 2 this day) San Jose  CA at Santa Clara Pop Festival
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - (show 2 of 2 this day) Chicago IL at Kinetic Playground
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Albuquerque NM at University Arena
• 1975 Led Zeppelin - London at Earls Court Exhibition Hall
• 1976 Page and Plant jam with Bad Company at the LA Forum
• 1986 The Firm - Costa Mesa CA at Pacific Amphitheatre
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Portland OR at Portland Memorial Coliseum
• 1998 Page & Plant North America Tour - Jacksonville FL at Coliseum
• 2012 Jimmy Page at Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee party

1969:
On this day Led Zeppelin performed two shows, one in San Jose CA and one in Chicago, thanks to a Lear jet provided by the promoters of the Santa Clara Pop Festival to fly the band to Chicago after their San Jose festival performance.  

Even though Led Zeppelin only had one album out at this time, they appeared with some big names at the festival. The three-day festival lineup included: The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, The Chambers Brothers, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon, Spirit, Canned Heat, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Youngbloods, Steve Miller, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Taj Mahal, Noel Redding, Lee Michaels, Blues Image, Santana, Aum, Elvin Bishop, Poco, People!, Lynn County, The Loading Zone, Sweet Linda Divine, Cat Mother, Doc Watson & New Lost City Ramblers. Eric Burdon wound up not appearing.

1975 Led Zeppelin - London,England at Earls Court Exhibition Hall - Melody Maker front page 24 May

1975 Led Zeppelin - London,England at Earls Court Exhibition Hall - NME front page 24 May

1976:
Various sites report that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant jammed with Bad Company at the LA Forum on this day, though it was no doubt actually May 16, as indicated by advertising for Bad Company's gig.  Page and Plant joined in for an encore performance of I Just Wanna Make Love To You. According to Dave Lewis, John Bonham was there but didn't play because of an injured hand.

1976 Page and Plant jam with Bad Company at the LA Forum

1976 Page and Plant jam with Bad Company at the LA Forum

2012 Jimmy Page at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee party at the Royal Academy

♪

♪  Dazed and Confused (The Yardbirds, Fillmore Auditorium 1968) YouTube
♪ No Quarter (Led Zeppelin, Albuquerque 1973) YouTube
♪  Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin, Earl's Court 23 May 1975) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, Jacksonville 1998) YouTube


♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube

On This Day 22 May

Awards, accolades and just plain fine music on this day.

2006 22 May On This Day Led Zeppelin receive Polar Music Prize

2006 22 May On This Day Led Zeppelin receive Polar Music Prize

• 1967 Yardbirds - London at BBC Radio
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - San Antonio TX at HemisFair Convention Center Arena
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Fort Worth TX at Tarrant County Convention Center
• 1985 The Firm – London at Wembley Arena
• 1986 The Firm - Inglewood CA at The Forum
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded North American Tour - Landover MD at Air Arena 
• 1998 Page & Plant North American Tour - Miami FL at Miami Arena
• 2006 Led Zeppelin receive Polar Music Prize
• 2014 Jimmy Page attends the Ivor Novello Awards at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London, England.

1973 Led Zeppelin - San Antonio Photo: Carl Dunn

1973 Led Zeppelin - San Antonio Photo: Carl Dunn

1985 Jimmy Page with The Firm at Wembley 

The Times review of The Firm – 22 May 1985 London at Wembley Arena

2006:
The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig ”Stikkan” Anderson, publisher, lyricist and manager of ABBA.  The prize was named for Anderson´s record label, Polar Music. The Polar Music Prize is one of the most prestigious and unique music prizes in the world, awarded to individuals, groups and institutions in recognition of exceptional achievements.

Led Zeppelin recorded In Through The Out Door at Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden November - December 1978.

2014 Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck at Beck's Ivor Novello Award  Photo: Dave J Hogan

♪

♪ Dazed and Confused (The Yardbirds 1967) YouTube
♪ 1977 White Summer/Black Mountain Side (Led Zeppelin, Fort Worth 1977) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, Miami 1998) YouTube
♫ Jimmy Page & Jeff Beck PRS interview, Ivor Novello Award


♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube

On This Day 19 May

Page and Plant in Pensicola on this day in 1998 and a few days' break in 1975 for Led Zeppelin before the next three Earls Court shows.

1998 19 May On This Day Page & Plant - Pensacola, Florida at Pensacola Civic Center

There were two days of soundchecks and rehearsals at the venue prior to opening night in Pensicola.  The year-long tour took Page & Plant back and forth across the Atlantic several times.

• 1967 Yardbirds - Elizabethville (Paris) France at L'Hermitage
• 1968 Yardbirds - Santa Barbara, CA at Francisco Torres
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Fort Worth, TX at Tarrant County Convention Center
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Baton Rouge, LA at LSU Assembly Center
• 1986 The Firm Mean Business Tour- Houston TX at The Summit
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded North American Tour - Oakland CA at Oakland Coliseum 
• 1998 Page & Plant North American Tour - Pensacola FL at Pensacola Civic Center 
• 2011 Jimmy Page at Ivor Novello Awards where Paul Rodgers receives award for songwriting 

1986 The Firm (Mean Business Tour) Houston, Texas at The Summit

1998 Jimmy Page & Robert Plant promo photo for US Tour.  Mick Hutson photo

  

2011 19 May Jimmy Page, Cynthia Rodgers, Paul Rodgers - Ivor Novello Songwriting Award

2011 May Les Inrocks Magazine

2014 Jimmy Page and Jack White backstage of the Jimmy Fallon Show (episode aired May 21) - Photo Ross Halfin 

♪

♪  Dazed and Confused  (Led Zeppelin, Ft. Worth 1973) YouTube  
♪  Concert clips + arrival at airport (Led Zeppelin, Baton Rouge 1977) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, Oakland 1995) YouTube
♪  Full set (Page & Plant, Pensacola 1998) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube

On This Day 13 May

"Jimmy Page blew everybody out with his unbelievable guitar work. He is definitely one of the greats."
~ Ken Rosene, Headlines

1969 May 13 On This Day Led Zeppelin in Hawaii

• 1969  Led Zeppelin - Honolulu HI at Civic Auditorium
• 1973  Led Zeppelin - Mobile AL at Municipal Auditorium
• 1986  The Firm - St. Louis MO at St. Louis Arena
• 1995  Page & Plant - San Diego CA at San Diego Sports Arena
• 2014 Carol Miller WAXQ-FM New York, 104.3 interviews Jimmy Page

1969:
Led Zeppelin had arrived in Hawaii the day before clutching reels for Led Zeppelin II, a work in progress at that time. They performed just one show in Hawaii on May 13, and spent the rest of the time relaxing. They would have needed it after that show - there were lighting problems and the heat in the auditorium was terrible (note that the venue was torn down just five years later).

Ken Rosene, who died at 56 years old in 2002, was a concert promoter in Hawaii from the 1970s into the 1990s. He would have likely been the person who provided for the leis at the airport. Rosene started out reviewing concerts, writing the column Headlines for the Honolulu Advertiser in the 1960s and freelancing for other local and national periodicals, including Rolling Stone, before he turned to promotion. He was the co-founder and executive producer of the Diamond Head Crater Festival (also known as the Sunshine Festival).

2014 13 May Jimmy Page interviewed by Carol Miller

2014 13 May Jimmy Page and Carol Miller of 'Get The Led Out' radio show, Q104.3 New York

♪

♪ Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin, Honolulu 1969) YouTube
♪ Full Set (Led Zeppelin, Mobile 1973) YouTube
♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube

On This Day 27 March

I spent my youth playing the guitar.
~ Jimmy Page, 27 March 1998

1998 27 March On This Day Page & Plant on Chris Evans' TFI Friday 

• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Bremen Germany at Ard Studios
• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood CA at The Forum
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Nancy France at Nancy Parc des Expositions
• 1975 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood CA at The Forum (day 3 of 3)
• 1986 The Firm - Pittsburgh PA at Pittsburgh Civic Arena
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Toronto,Ontario,Canada at Sky Tent
• 1998 Page & Plant - London at Riverside Studios, Channel 4TV-TFI Friday

1969 21... or maybe 27... March On This day (see below)

1969:
Led Zeppelin was filmed in black and white lip syncing Dazed and Confused. Never officially broadcast, footage was used the following year to promote Whole Lotta Love in Germany.  The black and white image for 27 March 1969 On This Day is not from the Germany appearance.

The On This Day posted for 27 March last year and this year ("Led Zeppelin appeared on BBC's 'How Late It Is'") was originally posted for 21 March on Jimmy Page's website. It's complicated.

1970 Led Zeppelin in their LA home away from home, the Hyatt House

1973:
After violence erupted at the Nancy show, Led Zeppelin packed up and returned to England, cancelling the next two gigs. Robert Plant said "France is chaotic", and that "there's a lot of fools fighting."

1973 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Nancy France

1975:
Porn star Linda Lovelace introduced Led Zeppelin at this final day at the LA Forum.

♪

♪  Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin, LA Forum 27 March 1975) YouTube
♪  8mm footage (Led Zeppelin, LA Forum 27 March 1975) YouTube
♪  Rock and Roll (Page & Plant, London Chris Evans' TFI Friday 1998) YouTube
♫  Jimmy Page & Robert Plant interview + Rock and Roll Chris Evans' TFI Friday YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube

On This Day 24 March

Everybody needs Jimmy Page

1986 24 March On This Day One Hit To The Body released, feat. Jimmy Page

• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Offenburg Germany at Ortenauhalle
• 1975 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood CA at The Forum (day 1 of 3)
• 1985 The Firm - New Orleans, LA at U.N.O. Lakefront Arena
• 1986 The Firm - Springfield MA at Springfield Civic Center

1973 Led Zeppelin, Offenburg Germany

1975 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, LA Forum

2014 Jimmy Page at Scarlet Page's Resonators opening

♪

♪  Heartbreaker (Led Zeppelin, Offenburg Germany 1973) YouTube
♪  Dazed and Confused Part 1 (Led Zeppelin, Offenburg Germany 1973) YouTube
♪  Dazed and Confused Part 2 (Led Zeppelin, Offenburg Germany 1973) YouTube
♪  Dazed and Confused Part 3 (Led Zeppelin, Offenburg Germany 1973) YouTube
♪  Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin, LA Forum 24 March 1975) YouTube
♪  No Quarter  (Led Zeppelin, LA Forum 24 March 1975) YouTube
♪  One Hit To The Body (Rolling Stones feat Jimmy Page 1986) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube

On This Day 18 March

1969 18 March On This Day, Led Zeppelin recorded Supershow

• 1968 The Yardbirds - BBC Radio Pete Brady Show
• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Newcastle upon Tyne, England at Mayfair Ballroom
• 1985 The Firm - Albuquerque, NM at Tingley Coliseum
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Dallas, TX at Reunion Arena

1969:
I'm definitely dazed and confused. The Supershow was a music documentary film directed by John Crome and produced by Tom Parkinson. It included many of the big names in jazz, rock and blues of the time:  The Modern Jazz Quartet,  Buddy Guy, Buddy Miles, Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Stephen Sills, and of course, Led Zeppelin. It was filmed over two days' time, 25 and 26 March, in an vacant linoleum factor at Staines, England because the project was hush-hush. The cost to film was supposedly over $150 (in 2016 dollars) per minute.  Reportedly Jimi Hendrix would have been included but he missed his flight from the US.

Whatever Led Zeppelin was doing on 18 March 1969, it wasn't being filmed performing Dazed and Confused for Supershow, because there are plenty of witnesses to their doing so the following week.

The film premiered in London at the Lyceum Theatre in November 1969 and in 1986 was released on video. This version of Dazed and Confused was included on the Led Zeppelin DVD in 2003.

1985 Jimmy Page / The Firm, Albuquerque

♪

♪ Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin, Supershow 1969) YouTube
♪  The Firm (Albuquerque 1985) YouTube
♪  Page & Plant (Dallas 1995) YouTube



♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube

On This Day 17 March

Fascinating... but I'll take the original, thank you very much.

1988 17 March On This Day Jimmy Page with Puff Daddy, New York
AUDIO Come With Me 

• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Gladsaxe, Denmark at Danmarks Radio
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Munich, Germany at Munich Olympiahalle
• 1975 Led Zeppelin - Seattle, WA at Seattle Center Coliseum
• 1986 Jimmy Page The Firm - Daytona Beach, FL at Ocean Center
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Little Rock, AR at Barton Coliseum
• 1998 Jimmy Page visits Puff Daddy in NYC to hear 'Come With Me' overdubs

1969:
Led Zeppelin was filmed for Danish TV in black & white in front of a polite audience of fans and friends, and aired a few months later in May.

1969 Led Zeppelin, Gladsaxe at Danmarks Radio

1973 Led Zeppelin, Munich

1986 Jimmy Page / The Firm (Daytona Beach?)

1998:
Jimmy Page recorded his guitar track for Come With Me on 17 February at CTS Studios in London. On this day in March he and Robert were in New York to promote the upcoming release of Walking Into Clarksdale and their US tour.

♪

♪  Full set (Led  Zeppelin, Gladsaxe Danish TV 1969) YouTube
♪  Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin, Munich 1973) YouTube
♪  Sick Again (Led Zeppelin, Seattle 17 March 1975) YouTube
♪ Come With Me (official video) YouTube
♪ Kashmir (Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube

On This Day 10 March

Please Mr. Page: let it be instrumental, let it be all you!

1967 10 March On This Day Jeff Beck released Hi Ho Silver Lining & Beck's Bolero
AUDIO: Beck's Bolero

• 1968 The Yardbirds - Paris at L'Olympia Music Hall and at a private party for the head of Barclay Records, Eddie Barclay
• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Hamburg, Germany at Hamburg Musikhalle
• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Canterbury, England at Rutherford College
• 1975 Led Zeppelin - San Diego, CA at San Diego Sports Arena
• 1981 Jimmy Page with Jeff Beck - London, at Hammersmith Odeon, encore
• 1985 The Firm - Denver, CO at McNichols Sports Arena
• 1995 Page & Plant - New Orleans, LA at U.N.O. Lakefront Arena

1967:

I've always wanted to hear a version of Beck's Bolero that was Jimmy Page solely. I think he could put even more majesty into a work that is already majestic. Jimmy Page wrote the piece for Jeff Beck's first solo release and no doubt Mr. Page meant it to showcase what Jeff Beck could do, but we know who could do better because we've heard Mr. Page play snippets of it here and there over the years. The 1967 recording includes John Paul Jones on bass.

Read more about Beck's Bolero in a Mage Music post from 2012. 

1971 Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, Canterbury

1975 John Paul Jones & Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin, San Diego
(Gary Morgan photo)

1981:

On this day Jimmy Page stepped onstage with a guitar for the first time since John Bonham's death to join his friend, Jeff Beck, in an encore number at Beck's show at the Hammersmith Odeon. If there is a recording of the song he played, I'm Going Down, I haven't come across it, but someone must have recorded it and I wanna hear it!

1985 Jimmy Page / The Firm, Denver

1995 Jimmy Page / Page & Plant, New Orleans

2005 Jimmy Page at Jeff Buckley photo exhibit, Proud Gallery, London

♪

♪ Becks Bolero (Jeff Beck Group 1967) YouTube
♪ How Many More Times medley (Led Zeppelin, Hamburg 10 March 1970) YouTube
♪ Dazed and Confused (Led Zeppelin, San Diego 1975) YouTube
♪ Full Set (Page & Plant, New Orleans 10 March 1995) YouTube

♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube
♪ Page & Plant playlist at YouTube