On This Day 14 June

Two NY concerts, including the final explosive night of Madison Square Garden in 1977

1972 14 June On This Day Led Zeppelin - Uniondale, NY at Nassau Memorial Coliseum

• 1972 14 June On This Day Led Zeppelin - Uniondale, NY at Nassau Memorial Coliseum
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - New York, NY at Madison Square Garden

1972 Led Zeppelin - Uniondale, NY at Nassau Memorial Coliseum.
Steve Jones collection,  photo: Ed Stasium

I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's tough being a rock star. Yesterday Dave Grohl took a fall off the stage in Sweden during a Foo Fighters concert and fractured his leg, though he came back on stage to continue the show.

Jimmy Page has had a few of his onstage mishaps, too, suffering more than broken bones.  At the close of the final night at MSG some a**hole in the audience threw a firecracker (said to be an M-80) at the stage. The explosion damaged Jimmy Page's right hand, fortunately for the world not causing permanent damage. He left the stage, but came back out to finish up the concert with bloody bandages to perform Whole Lotta Love and Rock and Roll.

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin - Madison Square Garden. Bron-Y-Aur Stomp

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin - Madison Square Garden. Kashmir. (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

1977  Jimmy Page at MSG.  Gibson EDS-1275  double neck guitar (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

1977 MSG - John Bonham at the end of Moby Dick.
This is such a great photo.  If anyone could supply the photographer's name, I'd appreciate it.

♪  Full concert (Led Zeppelin - Uniondale, NY 1972) YouTube
♪  The Song Remains the Same and Sick Again (Led Zeppelin, MSG, 1977) YouTube
♪ Segments from MSG concert  (Led Zeppelin, MSG, 1977) YouTube
♪ Whole Lotta Love and Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin, MSG, 1977) YouTube

Cream's Ginger Baker On Led Zeppelin

In a series for Forbes, writer Jim Clash risks an interview with drummer Ginger Baker.  Given that Baker can be... how to put this.... well, let's just say one interviewer referred to the interview experience with the drummer as a "professional horror show", Clash did well.

In this interview, Jim Clash dares to bring up Led Zeppelin.  Considering how Ginger Baker has trashed them (particularly John Bonham) and every other major band since Cream, this is a pretty positive response from the man.

Maybe Mr. Baker has mellowed out.

Nah.

Ginger Baker (left), Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton of Cream (1966-1968)

JC: Are there bands that came from Cream’s influence you consider to be good, maybe Led Zeppelin?

GB: Jimmy’s [Page] a good player. I don’t think Led Zeppelin filled the void that Cream left, but they made a lot of money. I probably like about 5% of what they did – a couple of things were really cool. What I don’t like is the heavy bish-bash, jing-bap, jing-bash bullshit.

JC: What do you think of Zeppelin’s late drummer, John Bonham?

GB: Years ago, John said, “There are two drummers in rock and roll, Ginger Baker and me.” There’s no way John was anywhere near what I am. He wasn’t a musician. 

John Bonham, on the other hand, has said this about Ginger Baker:

"When I listen to drummers I like to be able to say "Oh! I haven't heard that before." Being yourself is so much better than sounding like anyone else. Ginger Baker's thing is that he is himself. So it's no good trying to do what he does."

~John Bonham, as quoted by his brother Mick Bonham in John Bonham: The Powerhouse Behind Led Zeppelin

And Jimmy Page himself:

I was surprised that in the recent documentary on Ginger Baker [Beware of Mr. Baker], he takes some shots at Bonham's musical ability. You just never hear other drummers making that criticism. He's usually so untouchable.

That's an interesting film, because of the way the film starts. Doesn't it start with Ginger hitting the director with a cane? I did see the film, and I know what you're talking about. I was a bit disappointed by that. His criticism was that Bonham didn't swing. I was like, "Oh, Ginger. That's the only thing that's undeniable about Bonham." I thought that was stupid. That was a really silly thing of him to say.

~ Jimmy Page, GQ Interview 2014

Jimmy Page, as depicted for GQ's "Rock God" Man of the Year 2014

On This Day 13 June

Enter The Danelectro!  Madison Square Garden!  Another award announcement!

1965 13 June On This Day Jimmy Page starts using the Danelectro in the studio AND
On This Day in 2014 the announcement that Jimmy Page will receive the Silver Clef Award in July

• 1965 13 June On This Day Jimmy Page starts using the Danelectro in the studio
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Birmingham, West Midlands, England at Birmingham Town Hall
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Philadelphia, PA at The Spectrum
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - New York, NY at Madison Square Garden (show  5 of 6)
• 1998 Page & Plant - Fargo, ND at Fargo Dome
• 2014 Announcement that Jimmy Page is to receive a Silver Clef award in July

During this fifth night at MSG a number of incidents.  Among other things, Jimmy Page dropped his guitar, knocking it out of tune before White Summer/Black Mountain Side; Bonham was introduced as "a rhinestone cowgirl" before Battle of Evermore; and Bonham comes in too early in Stairway to Heaven, forcing Robert Plant to switch lyrics.  Plant comments on it as he sings: "There's still time to change the road you're on... I hope so Bonzo".

Some say this fifth of six nights was the best show at Madison Square Garden in 1977. 

1977 Jimmy Page & John Bonham MSG (Photo by George De Sota /Redferns)

1977 MSG Jimmy Page - Madison Square Garden (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

1977 Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

1977 MSG Jimmy Page and John Bonham (Photo by George De Sota/Redferns)

1977 Jimmy Page and his Danelectro, at Madison Square Garden (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)

1998 June Guitar World Magazine - Jimmy Page and his Danelectro

2008 Jimmy Page, still playing that Danelectro, from the movie It Might Get Loud

♪  Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin, MSG 13 June 1977) YouTube

On This Day 12 June

1963 12 June On This Day Sweet and Tender Romance feat. Jimmy Page released

• 1963 12 June On This Day Sweet and Tender Romance (Carter Lewis and the Southerners, feat. Jimmy Page) released
• 1995 - Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Toulouse, France at Palais des Sports de Toulouse
• 1998 - Page & Plant - Minneapolis, MN at Target Center

1977 12 June Daily News article about Led Zeppelin

2008 12 June Rolling Stone Magazine feat. Jimmy Page

2013 12 June Jimmy Page backstage with Kings of Leon

♪  Sweet and Tender Romance (The McKinleys feat. Jimmy Page guitar 1964) YouTube
♪ The Wanton Song (Page & Plant, Minneapolis 1998) YouTube

On This Day 11 June

How The West Was Won (Japan), day 4 of MSG and Jimmy Page receives OBE

2003 11 June On This Day Japanese version of How The West Was Won was released

• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Baltimore, MD at Baltimore Civic Center
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - New York, NY at Madison Square Garden (3rd night)
• 2003 11 June On This Day Japanese version of How The West Was Won was released
• 2005 Jimmy Page awarded OBE for charity work with children of Brazil

1977 Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden 

1977 Jimmy Page & Robert Plant/Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden 

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden 

1977 Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden 

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden 

2005  Jimmy Page awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II of the UK

2005  Jimmy Page and Brian May with Queen Elizabeth II of the UK

♪  acoustic set (Led Zeppelin, Baltimore 1972) YouTube

♪  8mm audience tape (Led Zeppelin MSG 1977) YouTube

♪  Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin 1977) YouTube

♫ A whole lotta MSG photos by David Allen

On This Day 10 June

The third night of Led Zeppelin's six shows at Madison Square Gardens in 1977.

1995 10 June Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Milan, Italy at Arena Spettacoli parco Aquatica- Sonoria Festival

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Torquay, Torbay, England at Town Hall
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Buffalo, NY at Memorial Coliseum
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - New York, NY at Madison Square Garden
• 1995 10 June Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Milan, Italy at Arena Spettacoli parco Aquatica- Sonoria Festival
• 1998 Page & Plant - Milwaukee, WI at Bradley Center

1972 at Elvis Presley afternoon concert

1977 Led Zeppelin at MSG

1977 Jimmy Page with Led Zeppelin at MSG

♪  Wanton Song, Bring It All Home (Page & Plant, Sonoria Festival 1995) YouTube

♫  10 June 2014 Jimmy Page "Post-it" Paris interview for Telerama YouTube

On This Day 09 June

Confusion as to when/where on this date.  But a good time was had by all.

1986 09 June On This Day Les Paul Birthday Celebration

Photos and reports of Les Paul's birthday celebration give this 1986 date as well as 1987.  There were parties at the Hard Rock Cafe as well as Fat Tuesday's in New York City, and Jimmy Page is reported as having attended.  But it seems unlikely that both he and Les Paul would have been wearing the same outfits at each event on two different days, much less two different years. 

1986 (or 1987) Two legends jamming - Jimmy Page & Les Paul 

1986 (or 1987) Les Paul kissing Jimmy Page's arm

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Margate, Kent, England at Dreamland Ballroom
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Charlotte, NC at Charlotte Coliseum
• 1987 09 June On This Day Jimmy Page at Fat Tuesdays with Les Paul for his 75th Birthday Party
• 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Marseilles, France at Marseilles Done
• 1998 Page & Plant - Indianapolis, IN at Market Square Arena

Videos
♪  Acoustic set (Led Zeppelin, Charlotte NC, 1972) YouTube