On this day 21 December

 Lucifer is the bringer of light to humankind, for which he has been vilified since day one.

December On This Day Winter Solstice
AUDIO Lucifer Rising

• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Salisbury, England at Salisbury City Hall
• 1993 Jimmy Page, Coverdale Page Tour - Osaka, Japan at Osaka Castle Hall
• 2012 Page and Plant interview on Charlie Rose CBS This Morning Show

Winter solstice 2023
A henge is a type of earthwork of the Neolithic period, generally consisting of a roughly circular bank with an internal ditch surrounding a central flat area that may or may not contain ritual structures of various kinds. About 8 miles north of Salisbury, England, where Led  Zeppelin played on this day in 1971, Stonehenge is aligned to the winter solstice. Although it is one of the most well-known henges, Stonehenge in fact atypical in that the ditch is outside the main earthworks.

Just like Jimmy Page:  He's a guitarist but atypical. Outside the norm. But you knew that.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year when the planet's polar cap is pointed farthest from the sun (December in the northern hemisphere, June in the southern). Festivals, religious ceremonies and rituals mark and celebrate the next morning's "rebirth" of the sun, or of deities, or simply of the hope for survival till warm weather arrives again.

In 2023, the exact winter solstice is Friday, 22 December 2023 at 03:27 UTC (21 December EST at 10:27 EST in the US). At Stonehenge that is the wee hours of the morning on the 22nd, but the celebration begins when the sun rises after the long, chilly night and lights the standing stones of the henge. Pass the time by listening to appropriate music. 

Remember, it wasn't Lucifer who kept humans in the dark, it has always been Lucifer's detractors who shrink from the light.

Welcome to the winter solstice!

2012 21 December Jones, Plant, Page on CBS Charlie Rose Morning Show

Stonehenge solstice (stonehengetours.com photo)

♪

♪  In The Light (Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti) YouTube

♪ It Might Get Loud movie

♪  Coverdale/Page (Osaka Japan at Osaka Castle Hall, 21 December 1993)
♫ Page/Plant/Jones interview on CBS TV 2012

On this day 23 July

 Things don't always go the way you think they should.

1985 23 July On This Day - but these events didn't actually happen on this day

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Buxton, England at Buxton Pavilion Gardens Ballroom 
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Baltimore, MD at Baltimore Civic Centre
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Oakland, CA at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
• 1979 Led Zeppelin - Copenhagen, Denmark at Falkoner Theatre
• 1985 Robert Plant with Jimmy Page encore appearance - East Rutherford, NJ 
• 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Birmingham, England at NEC Arena (day 2)

1973:

The famous scene in The Song Remains The Same, with Peter Grant venting his rage at the venue's promoter, was taken at the Baltimore Civic Center concert on this date. 

1977:

Led Zeppelin's huge Stonehenge backdrop for the Oakland 23-24 concerts was the basis for some funny stuff later on. Black Sabbath had commissioned a Stonehenge stage set for their 1983 Born Again tour (Stonehenge is the second track on the Born  Again album).  That band couldn't use the stage set because it had been mistakenly constructed too big to haul around.  Coincidentally, at the same time the writers of This Is Spinal Tap created a scene with a Stonehenge set that turns out to be way too small to use. The two didn't copy each other (a 20-minute cut of the movie with that scene dates from before the Black Sabbath tour).  Thus, we might conclude that both were inspired by Led Zeppelin at Oakland.

 

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Oakland

1977 Led Zeppelin's Stonehenge backdrop at Oakland

1979:

This was Led Zeppelin's first concert in almost two years.  It was kept low-key -- tickets were actually available to purchase at the door -- because it was a warm-up for Knebworth.  

1985:

The On This Day post for 23 July 1985 is almost certainly incorrect - let's blame it on the webmaster and not Jimmy Page (why not!).  The band was on hiatus from 22 May 1985 until 14 March 1986, leaving Page free to do sets with The Beach Boys (04 July) and with Robert Plant and John Paul Jones (Live Aid, 13 July).

However, on 04 April 1986 The Firm was at Meadowlands (Brendan Byrne Arena) in East Rutherford, NJ., where Les Paul was introduced onstage. 

Robert Plant was at Meadowlands on 23 July 1985, and Jimmy Page joined him for the encores, Mean Woman Blues and Treat Her Right.  Les Paul wasn't onstage for that one.

1985 Jimmy Page & Les Paul at Meadowlands

1985 Jimmy Page, from The Firm Tourbook

♪  Led Zeppelin (Baltimore MD at Baltimore Civic Center, 23 July 1973) 

♪  Led Zeppelin (Oakland CA at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 23 July 1977)

♪  Led Zeppelin (Copenhagen Denmark at Falkoner Theatre, 23 July 1979)

♪ Jimmy Page & Robert Plant (encore, East Rutherford NJ at The Meadowlands, 23 July 1985)

♪  Page & Plant Unledded Tour (Birmingham England at NEC Arena day 2, 23 July 1995)

On This Day 21 December

Lucifer is the bringer of light to humankind, for which he has been vilified since day one.

December On This Day Winter Solstice
AUDIO Lucifer Rising

• 1971 Led Zeppelin - Salisbury, England at Salisbury City Hall
• 1993 Jimmy Page, Coverdale Page Tour - Osaka, Japan at Osaka Castle Hall
• 2012 Page and Plant interview on Charlie Rose CBS This Morning Show

1971 and today
A henge is a type of earthwork of the Neolithic period, generally consisting of a roughly circular bank with an internal ditch surrounding a central flat area that may or may not contain ritual structures of various kinds. About 8 miles north of Salisbury, England, where Led  Zeppelin played on this day in 1971, Stonehenge is aligned to the winter solstice. Although it is one of the most well-known henges, Stonehenge in fact atypical in that the ditch is outside the main earthworks.

Just like Jimmy Page:  He's a guitarist but atypical. Outside the norm. But you knew that.

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year when the planet's polar cap is pointed farthest from the sun (December in the northern hemisphere, June in the southern). Festivals, religious ceremonies and rituals mark and celebrate the next morning's "rebirth" of the sun, or of deities, or simply of the hope for survival till warm weather arrives again.

In 2015, the exact winter solstice is just after 9 p.m. 21 December. EST. At Stonehenge that is 4 in the morning on the 22nd. There will be plenty of reason to rejoice when the sun rises after the long, chilly night. Pass the time by listening to appropriate music. Remember, it wasn't Lucifer who has kept humans in the dark, it has always been Lucifer's detractors who shrink from the light.

Welcome to the winter solstice!

2012 21 December Jones, Plant, Page on CBS Charlie Rose Morning Show

Stonehenge solstice (stonehengetours.com photo)

♪

♪  In The Light (Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti) YouTube

♫ Page/Plant/Jones interview on CBS TV 2012
♪ Mage Music 1 playlist at YouTube
♪ Mage Music 2 playlist at YouTube

On This Day 23 July

Things don't always go the way you think they should.

1985 23 July On This Day - but these events didn't actually happen on this day

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Buxton, England at Buxton Pavilion Gardens Ballroom 
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Baltimore, MD at Baltimore Civic Centre
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Oakland, CA at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
• 1979 Led Zeppelin - Copenhagen, Denmark at Falkoner Theatre
• 1985 Robert Plant with Jimmy Page appearance - East Rutherford, NJ 
• 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Birmingham, England at NEC Arena (day 2)

1973:

The famous scene in The Song Remains The Same, with Peter Grant venting his rage at the venue's promoter, was taken at the Baltimore Civic Center concert on this date. 

1977:

Led Zeppelin's huge Stonehenge backdrop for the Oakland 23-24 concerts was the basis for some funny stuff later on. Black Sabbath had commissioned a Stonehenge stage set for their 1983 Born Again tour (Stonehenge is the second track on the Born  Again album).  That band couldn't use the stage set because it had been mistakenly constructed too big to haul around.  Coincidentally, at the same time the writers of This Is Spinal Tap created a scene with a Stonehenge set that turns out to be way too small to use. The two didn't copy each other (a 20-minute cut of the movie with that scene dates from before the Black Sabbath tour).  Thus, we might conclude that both were inspired by Led Zeppelin at Oakland.

 

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Oakland

1977 Led Zeppelin's Stonehenge backdrop at Oakland

1979:

This was Led Zeppelin's first concert in almost two years.  It was kept low-key -- tickets were actually available to purchase at the door -- because it was a warm-up for Knebworth.  

1985:

The On This  Day post for July 23 is incorrect - let's blame it on the webmaster and not Jimmy Page (why not!).  The Firm played Meadowlands (Brendan Byrne Arena) in East Rutherford, NJ on May 9th.  Les Paul was introduced onstage.  The video for The Firm's Satisfaction Guaranteed (in which Les Paul played the bartender), was filmed in New York City on May 11, 1985.  The band returned to England shortly after. 

Jimmy Page did join Robert Plant onstage in Meadowlands, E Rutherford, NJ for the encores, Mean Woman Blues and Treat Her Right.

1985 Jimmy Page & Les Paul at Meadowlands

1985 Jimmy Page, from The Firm Tourbook

♪  Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin, Baltimore 1973) YouTube

♪  The Song Remains The Same 8MM excerpt (Led Zeppelin Oakland 1977) YouTube

♪  No Quarter (Led Zeppelin, Copenhagen 1979) YouTube

♪  In The Evening (Led Zeppelin, Copenhagen 1979) YouTube