Monday, July 17, 2023

On this day 17 July

 The challenges of the live gig

1977 17 July On This Day Led Zeppelin at Seattle Kingdome
♪  Theremin Solo (Led Zeppelin at the Seattle Kingdome 1977) YouTube

  • 1966 The Yardbirds - Dunbar, Scotland at Victoria Ballroom
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Essen, Germany at Grugahalle
  • 1973 Led Zeppelin - Seattle, WA at Seattle Center Coliseum
  • 1977 Led Zeppelin - Seattle, WA at The Kingdome

1970
:
Author Chris Welch said of the show in Essen that Jimmy Page gave up trying to play the acoustic set because of all the noise. Robert Plant flat out told the audience to shut up.

Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin    Essen, Germany   17 July 1970 

1973:
The show began with an announcement: "Led Zeppelin has asked if we can get a few things straight here tonight. Nobody around here digs any fireworks - please cool the fireworks!"  



1977:
Four years later to the day, Plant was still asking for people to cool it with the firecrackers.  There was also monitor difficulties during the acoustic set, Jimmy Page broke a string, and paramedics were hauling people off for treatment. Fun times.


Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin at Seattle Kingdome 1977


Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin at Seattle Kingdome 1977


Sunday, July 16, 2023

On this day 16 July

 It's been a long time since he rock and rolled...

1984 16 July On This Day Jimmy Page at Alexis Korner Tribute, Pistoia
♪  Bring It On Home To Me (SoundCloud)

  • 1966 The Yardbirds - Ayr, Scotland at Ayr Ice Rink 
  • 1970 Led Zeppelin - Koln, Germany at Koln Sporthalle 
  • 1984 Jimmy Page - Pistoia, Italy at Pistoia Blues Festival, Alexis Korner Blues Tribute 
  • 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Poole, England at Poole Arts Center 
  • 1998 Page & Plant -  New York, NY at Madison Square Garden 

1984:
Jimmy Page performed at the second Alexis Korner tribute concert.  Read more about Alexis Korner.
1984 Jimmy Page at Pistoia Blues Festival

1998 Jimmy Page at MSG (image capture from video posted by aprl20)


♪  Jimmy Page (Alexis Korner Blues Tribute  Pistoia, Italy at Pistoia Blues Festival, 16 July 1984)  
Page & Plant Unledded Tour (Poole England at Poole Arts Center, 16 July 1995) 
 Page & Plant (New York NY at Madison Square Garden, 16 July 1998) 
♪  CODA unboxing with music clips (Led Zeppelin remaster) 



Saturday, July 15, 2023

On this day 15 July

 Twang that thang!

2010 15 July On This Day Jimmy Page and Duane Eddy interview at BBC Studios
♪ Bye Bye Blues (Duane Eddy) SoundCloud
♪ Rebel Rouser (Duane Eddy) YouTube

  • 1966 The Yardbirds - Cowdenbreath, Scotland at Cowenbreath Palais de Danse & Perth Scotland at Perth City Hall
  • 1967 The Yardbirds - Lorain, OH at The Big Moose
  • 1973 Led Zeppelin - Buffalo, NY at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
  • 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - St. Austell, England at Cornwall Coliseum
  • 2010  BBC2 interview of Jimmy Page by Duane Eddy 
Jimmy Page (left foreground) 1967

1967:
The bill at The Big Moose Showcase included Sam the Sham and the Farrows; Tommy James and the Shondells; and then the Yardbirds. The venue was a small roller rink - such venues not uncommon back then.  The audience stood on the floor and there was no stage for the bands.  Jimmy Page, the Yardbirds -- up close and personal.

1973:
If only the people with firecrackers in the audience knew what we think of them now for messing up a Led Zeppelin show. The band seemed to get off to a slow start, but Robert Plant got into it with Heartbreaker and Jimmy Page picked up on the energy and took off. The Buffalo Evening News claimed "Led Zeppelin Kneads Crowd to Silly Putty". 

1973 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Buffalo (Photo Al Ligammari)

1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour at St. Austell, England
2010:
On this day Jimmy Page was interviewed by Duane Eddy for August 2010 broadcasts of two episodes memorializing the life of Les Paul, who had died the year before. Duane Eddy also interviewed BB King, Joe Perry, Jeff Beck, Albert Lee, Nile Rodgers and others. Portions of what may be the last full-length interview of Les Paul were also broadcast.

Duane Eddy (born in New York in 1938) was an interesting choice to perform the interviews. An American rock guitarist, Eddy developed a characteristic twangy sound created by playing melody on his bass strings. Early on he experimented with the echo chamber effect, actually recording in a 2,000 gallon water tank for Movin' n' Groovin because the Phoenix Recording studio didn't have an echo chamber. Eddy's musical genre was instrumental rock, which emphasizes musical instruments with little to no singing. Instrumental rock was most popular from mid-1950s to mid-1960s). Duane Eddy's twang and echo chamber, Link Wray's power chord, the focus on guitar: It would be safe to say that Jimmy Page paid attention.

Duane Eddy sold 12 million records by 1963 and more than 100 million over his career. He was the first rock guitarist to have a signature model guitar by Guild Guitars in 1960.  Gretsch and Gibson have also produced Duane Eddy signature model guitars. Guitar Player Magazine bestowed the first ever "Legend Award" on Les Paul, and in 2004 Duane Eddy received the second.



Friday, July 14, 2023

On this day 14 July

 Jimmy Page Live at the Greek re-release in 2017



Happy 12th birthday to jimmypage.com!

First ever On This Day 14 July 2011

 2014 On This Day post
2015 07 July On This Day Zoso tee-shirt

  • 1966 The Yardbirds - Kidderminster, England at Kidderminster Town Hall
  • 1998 Page & Plant - Mansfield, MA at Great Woods Center For The Performing Arts
  • 2011 14 July On This Day Jimmy Page’s website launched 

2011:
"A lot of my studio work had been done with that guitar. I didn't want to take it out of the house. Funny that once I did take it out, it got nicked!"
~ Jimmy Page, Guitar World interview 1991

Interesting musical choice that Jimmy Page used for his website's launch and each subsequent year's anniversary post: The One That Got Away.  It could refer to his 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom, a.k.a."The Black Beauty" (more on the guitar & theft), or maybe it refers to how his own website doesn't publicly archive each On This Day post, so they get away unless you nick them yourself.

From 2011 through 2014 the 'website was born" image was posted on the website with the appropriate wording (three years ago... two years ago... one year ago...). In 2015 there was a Zoso tee-shirt advertised, with no music. For those of you into Magick, give a moment's thought to the notion of how many places Jimmy Page's sigil (sign or symbol considered to have magical power) now appears. We spread the word willingly, though we will never know what it truly means.


2014 July Ciao Magazine

2014 July Australian Guitar Magazine


Thursday, July 13, 2023

On this day 13 July

Some things must end for other things to begin.
Yet what is begun may not be known till memory of its birth has faded.

2011 13 July On This Day Jimmy Page jams with The Black Crowes

  • 1969 Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Bonham jam with Jeff Beck Group and others at Flushing Meadows, Queens, NY Singer Bowl 
  • 1973 Led Zeppelin - Detroit, MI at Cobo Hall (day 2)
  • 1985 Led Zeppelin - Philadelphia, PA at John F. Kennedy Stadium -Live Aid – Jimmy Page with John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, Tony Franklin & Phil Collins
  • 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Sheffield, England at Sheffield Arena
  • 1998 Page & Plant - Boston, MA at Fleet Centre
  • 2011 Jimmy Page  jams with The Black Crowes at Shepherd's Bush Empire

1969 Backstage at Singer Bowl with Jeff Beck group (L-R: Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, unknown, Jimmy Page, Richard Cole)
1969:
Press Review – "Sunday’s (13th) Jeff Beck, Vanilla Fudge, 10 Years After, Edwin Hawkins Singers concert at Singer Bowl resulted in an unexpected jam amongst members of The Jeff Beck Group, Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull. The music excited Zeppelin drummer John Bonham to the point where he started tearing his clothes off. He was carried offstage by friends before he could get past his underwear."

John Paul Jones was the only one of Led Zeppelin who didn't join Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart, Glenn Cornick (Jethro Tull) and Alvin Lee (Ten Years After) on stage at the Singer Bowl for what turned out to be a rowdy encore for the Jeff Group, Jailhouse Rock.

To be fair, Bonzo wasn't simply tearing off his clothes, he was also drumming The Stripper while acting it out.

"It was one of those riotous sorts of day, everyone's energy level was 100 percent ... It was just one of those animal things. Three English groups at the same place has to add up to trouble!"
Jeff Beck 

1985:
"It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid ...."
~ Richard Skinner opening the Live Aid concerts.
The Live Aid concerts (two venues on the same day) were organized to raise funds for the ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The venues were Wembley Stadium in London, England and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, USA. It was broadcast via satellite and had an estimated audience of nearly 2 billion. The combined concerts lasted 16 hours, although with some performances occurring simultaneously, the actual number of hours of performance was longer than that. 

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones' performance was referred to as a Led Zeppelin reunion. Tony Thompson and Phil Collins took John Bonham's place at the drums. The set list was Rock and RollWhole Lotta Love and Stairway to Heaven.

It was not a great show for the boys. Robert Plant was hoarse, Jimmy Page's guitar was out of tune, neither drummer had rehearsed with Plant, Page and Jones, and the monitors were malfunctioning. (Phil Collins' performed at both venues.  He did a solo set at Wembley, then took a Concorde supersonic jet to JFK Airport and a helicopter to JFK Stadium, where he joined the Led Zeppelin reunion).

Led Zeppelin's wasn't the only reunion - prompting some to refer to the shows as "geezer events" - and theirs wasn't the only problematic performance. There was further criticism of the Live Aid effort as it appeared that a good amount of the funds raised ended up being siphoned off by corrupt Ethiopian government. The official four-disc Live Aid DVD set, released in 2004, contains only 10-hours of the concert. Led Zeppelin and Santana requested to be not included on the DVD set because they felt their performances were sub-standard. Because of the immense audience there are, of course, many recordings out there.

1985 Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Live Aid Philadelphia JFK Stadium
 2011:
Although the 2011 Farewell to England tour was billed as the end of The Black Crowes, in fact they toured again in 2013. 

This wasn't their first breakup (or maybe breakdown). They parted ways in 2002 but were back together in 2005. After an album and 10 shows with Jimmy Page (1999+2000) the following year the band went on another hiatus, broken only by a brief tour in 2013. They didn't do much after that, until  the band's guitarist, Rich Robinson, announced in January 2015 that the band had broken up (again!). Chris Robinson (vocalist), in an interview two weeks later, said the breakup was due to an unwillingness to write new songs, though Rich said it was a dispute about ownership of the band. 

In 2019 they were back together, but couldn't do anything about it because of COVID. They haven't broken up since then, but the existence of The Black Crowes is all about the Brothers Robinson's relationship and I wouldn't be surprised if there were Las Vegas odds on that. .

2011 Jimmy Page & Chris Robinson backstage at Shepherds Bush Empire (Photo Ross Halfin)

2011 Jimmy Page jamming with The Black Crowes at Shepherds Bush


NOTE the update of the blog posts is still a work in progress. The music links below still need to be updated 07/13/23

On this day 12 July

 UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Remembering Wilko Johnson (1947-1922) on  his birthday
1947_07-12_OnThisDay_WilkoJohnsonBirthday_published2019-2020
Wilko Johnson birthday  On This Day 2019, 2020


1967 12 July On This Day Yardbirds in Illinois

  • 1967 The Yardbirds - Aurora, IL at Crimson Couger Club
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - Philadelphia, PA at The Spectrum - Summer Pop Festival
  • 1973 Led Zeppelin - Detroit, MI at Cobo Hall
  • 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour, Glasgow, Scotland at Scottish Exhibition Centre  
1969:
Led Zeppelin - follow the rules? Wasn't Jimmy Page always about pushing the musical envelope? At the three day Summer Pop Festival there was a thirty minute performance limit and a no-encore rule. But no rules apply to Led Zeppelin. The fans went crazy and Led Zeppelin came back onstage for an encore.

1973:
More firecrackers. I've said it before and I'll say it again and again: It's not easy being a rock star.

1969 Led Zeppelin in Philadelphia (Photo: Simeone)

1973 Led Zeppelin in Detroit





[edited 07/12/20]

Tuesday, July 11, 2023

On this day 11 July

 UNDER CONSTRUCTION


2000 11 July On This Day Jimmy Page with Black Crowes on Conan O'Brien

  • 1967 The Yardbirds - Algonquin, IL at New Place
  • 1969 Led Zeppelin - Laurel, MD at Laurel Park Racecourse - Laurel Pop Festival
  • 1998 Page & Plant - Albany, NY at Pepsi Arena
  • 2000 11 July On This Day Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes -Late Night With Conan O'Brien Show 

1969 Led Zeppelin Laurel Pop Festival, MD (Photo Tom B.)
1969:
The 2-day Laurel Pop Festival was a one-time event.  Led Zeppelin was the closing act on the first day, with Buddy Guy, Al Kooper, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter and Edwin Hawkins Singers (Oh, Happy Day) having performed before them. The next day's lineup was Jeff Beck, Ten Years After, Sly and the Family Stone, The Mothers of Invention, Savoy Brown and Guess Who. 

Led Zeppelin was in the middle of their first US tour, and were considered the headliner act for the first night of the festival.  According to one report, the power was cut off during Led Zeppelin's performance and Robert Plant just kept singing until the power came back on.  More photos of this festival.