On This Day 26 June

 Will somebody please explain the firecrackers to me?  What's with that?

1998 & 2000 On This Day Jimmy Page at Auburn Hills MI

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Paris, France at Le Weekend Club
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Portsmouth, London  at Portsmouth Guildhall
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood, CA at The Forum
• 1980 Led Zeppelin - Vienna, Austria at Weiner Stadthalle
• 1998 On This Day Page & Plant - Auburn Hills, MI at The Palace at Auburn Hills
• 2000 On This Day Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - Auburn Hills, MI at The Palace at Auburn Hills

1977 26 June Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin LA Forum

1977 26 June Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin LA Forum (Redfern)

1980:
It's hard for me to fathom why people kept throwing firecrackers at the band. Jimmy Page was hit in the face with with one in the middle of White Summer.  The band walked off the stage and there was a long wait for anything else to happen. An announcer came on stage and said the following (translated from German):

 "We have a group here that is giving their best but they can't be disturbed by idiots who throw something onto the stage! Jimmy Page has been injured by a firecracker that landed on his eyes! I can only ask for one thing: if someone is standing next to you who does this kind of nonsense, give him a smart rap over the knuckles! I can't set up concerts in vienna - and i'm setting up concerts since 15 years - if I can't guarantee for the safety of my acts (or performers). And now I must request your patience in order for us to clear this situation. We can't just forget what just happened, that's why we want the person who threw this to come up here on stage, or to be brought here by his neighbors. We want to meet him, we want to talk to him. And if he himself doesn't have the guts to come up here - because we can't continue with the concert until we talked to him - his neighbors should get him on the stage. Then the concert will continue. We'll have to talk to this man. I want him here because this idiot is messing up the show for everyone." 

What's amazing to me is that the band did come out and finish the show.  It boggles my mind to think about being on stage,giving yourself to the music while being a moving target for the weirdos.

1980 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Vienna Austria

1980 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Vienna Austria

♪  Led Zeppelin (Inglewood, CA at The Forum, 26 June 1977)

♪  Led Zeppelin (Vienna, 26 June 1980)

♪  Led Zeppelin - White Summer - Vienna 1980 (incl. Firecracker Incident)

♪  Page & Plant (Auburn Hills MI at The Palace at Auburn Hills, 26 June 1998)

♪ Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes ( Auburn Hills, MI at The Palace at Auburn Hills, 26 June 2000)

On This Day 25 June

 Music, separated by time but not by magic

1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour, Glastonbury Festival

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Bury, England at Bury Palais de Danse
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood, CA at The Forum
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood, CA at The Forum
• 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Glastonbury Festival, Pyramid Stage 

1972 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood, CA at The Forum

1972:
This show was so good that when Jimmy Page used it and the June 27 Long Beach show for How the West Was Won, a 2003 triple disc release.    In the liner notes, Jimmy Page says that Led Zeppelin was at its artistic peak in 1972.

Mr Page said that when they were playing their best - such as at these two shows - “we combined to make it a fifth element.  That was the magic, the intangible." (Guitarist Magazine interview, 2003)

The fifth element, in metaphysical and other teaching, is aether or spirit, the other four being  earth, air, fire and water. The fifth element is the thing that is more than the sum of the parts. It is quintessence, qi, mana. It is life force, the energy of the universe.

1977 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood, CA at The Forum

1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour, Glastonbury Festival (Photo Ross Halfin)

1995:

Glastonbury Tor is a hill in Somerset County, in SE England.  There is archeological evidence of human occupation of the tor since before human written history.  The Celtic name of the hill, Ynys Wydryn means "Isle of Glass".  In ancient days the plain that the hill rises from would be flooded by high tides.  The Britons named the hill Ynys yr Afalon meaning "The Isle of Avalon".  When there are thermal inversions, heavy mists can blanket the plain with the tor rising from it - these mists are called Fata Morgana, after Morgan le Fay, a sorceress of Arthurian legend.  

The five-day Glastonbury Festival has its own history.  The first series of concerts, lectures and recitals were held in the town of Glastonbury were held in 1914. The first festival at Worthy Farm was the Pilton Pop, Blues & Folk Festival held in 1970.  It now attracts well over 100,000 people each year, and tickets sell out within hours.

Glastonbury Tor (Photo Rob Holden)

You might want to compare SIBLY performed at each of these shows!

♪ Led Zeppelin (Inglewood CA at The Forum, 25 June 1972)  

♪ Led Zeppelin (Inglewood CA at The Forum, 25 June 1977)

♪ Page & Plant - Unledded Tour (Glastonbury Festival, Pyramid Stage, 25 June 1995)

On This Day 24 June

 

1969 24 June On This Day Led Zeppelin - London,England at Maida Vale Studios,Studio 4 - BBC Sessions Radio 1

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Durham, England at University of Durham
• 1969 24 June On This Day Led Zeppelin - London,England at Maida Vale Studios,Studio 4 - BBC Sessions,Radio One Session
• 1980 Led Zeppelin - Hannover,Germany at Hannover Messehalle
• 1984 Jimmy Page with Yes - Dortmund,Germany at Westfalenhalle 
• 1995 Page & Plant- Unledded Tour - Schwalmstadt, Germany at Wildenrath Airfield,Wegberg Festival
• 2000 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - Tinley Park, IL at New World Music Theatre 

Maida Vale Studios entry arch

1969:  

Maida Vale is a neighborhood in west London, part of the City of Westminster. First called Maida Hill. The name is named for the Hero of Maida Inn (no longer a pub, though the building still stands). The hero was General Sir John Stuart, Count of Maida.

The site of Maida Vale Studios started out in 1909 as the "Maida Vale Roller Skating Palace and Club". It was rebuilt (the roller skating palace's arches preserved) for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, which has been there since 1934. The studio complex was the centre of the BBC News operation during World War II.

There are seven studios, five of which are currently in use for recording and the others for rehearsals and tape archives. Studio MV4 was used for the John Peel sessions from 1967 to 2004, and is still used for those BBC Radio 1 sessions that replaced replaced John Peel's Top Gear.

Top Gear was a Radio 1 program that ran from 1967 to 1975. It was created to provide exposure for up-and-coming bands, and for musicians and bands to experiment with new material, non-album material, different sounds and guest musicians.

1984:

“Jimmy moved and bought a house in England near the house I was living in. So, we became neighbors and got together,” explained Yes bassist Chris Squire. “He was obviously pretty depressed about John Bonham’s death for awhile, and I kind of helped him out of that by saying ‘Let’s try to do some new music’ and that’s really what happened.”
Read More: 30 Years Ago: Jimmy Page Joins Yes on Stage to Cover the Beatles | 

2000 24 June Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - Tinley Park, IL
at New World Music Theatre (Photo Andrew Labis)

2000 24 June Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - Tinley Park, IL
at New World Music Theatre (Photo Andrew Labis)

2000:

Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes became the first artists ever to crack the Top 10 with an internet-only single, Led Zeppelin's What Is and What Should Never Be, from Live at the Greek.

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS - Music will be added at another time.  Thank you for your patience.

On This Day 23 June

 The man's got a lot of moves.

2010 23 June On This Day Jimmy Page at Rio De Janeiro Ivo  Meirelles Samba Drum School

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Ashton-under-Tyne, Manchester, England at Mecca Palais
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - San Diego, CA at San Diego Sports Arena
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood, CA at The Forum
• 1980 Led Zeppelin - Bremen, Germany at Bremen Stadthalle
• 2010 23 June On This Day Jimmy Page at Rio De Janeiro Ivo  Meirelles Samba Drum School

1972 23 June Led Zeppelin at San Diego (Photo = ?)

1972 23 June Led Zeppelin at San Diego (Photo = ?)

1972 23 June Led Zeppelin at San Diego (Photo Richard Brown)

1977 23 June LA Forum - Raymond fixes the guitar strap

The LA Forum shows are considered some of the best of Led Zeppelin's performances. The 23 June show is referred to the Badge Holders show as Robert Plant made several dedications to the badge holder people. One of the high quality bootlegs of this show is entitled For Badgeholders Only..

The boys were so hot that night that no one faults the show for some fumbles.  The whole band stopped to wait after the first song when Jimmy's strap on double-neck broke and Raymond fixed it. Keith Moon of The Who showed up on stage during Over The Top (Moby Dick) and appeared on and off thereafter.  The band got lost after John Paul Jones missed a change during Kashmir, a song that sounds deceptively simple to play but isn't.  Mr. Jones has been quoted as saying he stuck a piece of a paper on his keyboards to help him remember.

1977 23 June Keith Moon crashes Led Zeppelin show at LA Forum

2010 23 June Jimmy Page at Rio De Janeiro Ivo Meirelles Samba Drum School

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS - Music will be added at another time.  Thank you for your patience.

On This Day 22 June

They went to the land of ice and snow

1970 22 June On This Day Led Zeppelin in Reykjavik Iceland

• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Reykjavik, Iceland at Lauguardalsholl Sports Arena
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - San Bernardino ,CA at Swing Auditorium
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood, CA at The Forum
• 2004 Jimmy Page receives MOJO Maestro Award and accepts Vision Award for Led Zeppelin DVD (2003)

1970 Jimmy Page in Iceland

1970 Jimmy Page with Led Zeppelin in Iceland

1970 Bonzo calling home... or somewhere

"We weren't being pompous. We did come from the land of the ice and snow. We were guests of the Icelandic Government on a cultural mission. We were invited to play a concert in Reykjavik and the day before we arrived all the civil servants went on strike and the gig was going to be canceled. The university prepared a concert hall for us and it was phenomenal. The response from the kids was remarkable and we had a great time. 'Immigrant Song' was about that trip and it was the opening track on the album that was intended to be incredibly different."

~ Robert Plant, in Chris Welch's book, Led Zeppelin (1994) 

1977 Jimmy Page with Led Zeppelin at LA Forum

2004 MOJO Awards - James Patrick Page III, Jimmy Page, Scarlet Page
(Photo Ross Halfin)

2004 MOJO Awards - John Frusciante presentation speech for
Jimmy Page's Maestro Award
(Photo Ross Halfin, appeared in August 2004 MOJO)

2014 MOJO Magazine (Photo Ross Halfin)

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS - Music will be added at another time.  Thank you for your patience. 

On This Day 21 June

 Jimmy's first show with the Yardbirds in 1966, and what some consider Led Zeppelin's best performance, at the LA Forum in 1977.  Listen to that, Eddie.

1966 21 June On This Day Yardbirds - London, England at Marquee Club

• 1966 21 June On This Day Yardbirds - London, England at Marquee Club
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Bristol, England at Colston Hall
• 1972 Led Zeppelin - Denver, CO at Denver Coliseum
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Inglewood, CA at The Forum
• 1980 Led Zeppelin - Rotterdam, The Netherlands at Ahoy Rotterdam

1966 Yardbirds - London, England at Marquee Club

1966 The Yardbirds - Why I left/Why I joined

1969 Led Zeppelin Bristol

1972, Denver:  The Mighty Led Zeppelin Roars
by Pillow/June 1972
"During Dazed and Confused, [Jimmy Page] grabbed a violin bow and holding the tip in his hand about 2 feet from the strings, coaxed eerie, shivering riffs from his guitar. The whole audience held its breath and then Page spring into action. He lept into the air, and using the bow  like a fencing foil, hit each exact string at point-blank range and never missed a beat. The audience howled and stopped, but he remained calm and collected, put down the bow and resumed playing guitar with his fingers,  acting as if these amazing feats were as simple as rolling off a log."

1977 21 June Led Zeppelin LA Forum (Photo Ed Finnell)

1977, LA:
It took a mere 40 minutes to sell out the tickets for five nights at the Forum. Another night was added later. It too sold out within minutes.(The Telegram - June 1977)

Nearly a quarter of a million tickets were sold for the combined MSG and The Forum shows.

Listen To This, Eddie is a bootleg recording of the June 21, 1977 show at The Forum in Los Angeles, CA by a member of the audience, the late Mike Millard. The show is considered one of Led Zeppelin's best ever performances and Mike the Mic's recording does it justice.

The title supposedly refers to either audio engineer Eddie Kramer or, more likely, to guitarist Eddie Van Halen (who criticized Jimmy Page's guitar work and who should have been blown away by Mr. Page's performance in this show).

1980 Rotterdam (Photo Rob Verhorst/Redferns)

♪ Listen To This Eddie (Led Zeppelin LA Forum 21 June 1977)

♪ Trampled Under Foot (Led Zeppelin Rotterdam 1980)

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS - Music will be added at another time.  Thank you for your patience.

On This Day 20 June

 Dr. Rock God.

2008 20 June On This Day Honorary Doctorate from University of Surrey

• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Newcastle upon Tyne, England at Newcastle City Hall
• 1980 Led Zeppelin - Brussels, Belgium at Vorst Nationaal
• 2008 20 June On This Day Honorary Doctorate from University of Surrey

2008 Jimmy Page at Guildford Cathedral
after receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the University o f Surrey

1969

1980

1980 Led Zeppelin Tour Over Europe, Brussels (Photo Mark Staples)

Pat's Delight was named for John Bonham's wife Pat. The song evolved into Moby Dick, which was named by Jason Bonham, and later morphed into Over The Top. Jimmy Page's guitar riffs changed for the various versions as well. 

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS - Music will be added at another time.  Thank you for your patience.