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.

Monday, July 10, 2023

On this day 10 July

APOLOGY to my readers. I screwed up the dates/gigs in prior years' posts. I believe I've got the correct ones now. Sorry!

JP on July 10 2000

  • 1967 The Yardbirds - Hastings, England at Hastings Pier Ballroom
  • 1973 Led Zeppelin - Milwaukee, WI at Milwaukee Arena
  • 1998 Page & Plant - Philadelphia, PA at Core States Arena
  • 2000 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - Wantagh, NY at Jones Beach Amphitheater
1972 at Elvis Presley afternoon concert



♪ Led Zeppelin (Milwaukee, WI at Milwaukee Arena, 10 July 1973)
♪ Page & Plant (Philadelphia, PA at Core States Arena, 10 July 1998)
♪ Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes (Wantagh, NY at Jones Beach Amphitheater, 10 July 2000)
♫ 10 June 2014 Jimmy Page "Post-it" Paris interview for Telerama YouTube


Sunday, July 9, 2023

On this day 09 July

Taking a day off now and then is a good thing.  I think I'll do the same.
2000 09 July On This Day Jimmy Page and The Black Crowes chilled out


  • 1966 Yardbirds - Derby, East Midlands, England at Bass Recreation Grounds
  • 1973 Led Zeppelin - St. Paul, MN at St. Paul Civic Center Arena
  • 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Belfort, France at Eurokeennes Festival

Here's some stuff I like (not all JP related).  You might, too.
Take Me For A Little While, Coverdale/Page YouTube
As Long As I Have You, Led Zeppelin 1969  YouTube
Drone Orchestra - quite strange but compelling  YouTube
Laura Marling, Short Movie YouTube
Happy Drum Drum Monkey Girl, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Zakir Hussein  YouTube

Saturday, July 8, 2023

On this day 08 July

 Rude chemistry


1997 08 July On This Day Rainer Ptacek’s tribute album released with the Page/Plant track, Rude World

  • 1966 The Yardbirds - Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland at Raith Ballroom
  • 1967 The Yardbirds - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at Kerrisdale Arena
  • 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Frauenfeld, Switzerland- Out In The Green Festival
  • 1997 08 July On This Day Rainer Ptacek’s tribute album released
  • 1998 Page & Plant - Virginia Beach, VA at Virginia Beach Arena
  • 2000 Jimmy Page with The Black Crowes - Camden, NJ at E-Center 

1997:
Rainer Ptacek (1951–1997) was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter whose work influenced many musicians. He was not widely known to the general public, but with his own distinctive approach to blues and guitar techniques he earned the reputation of "musician's musician". Ptacek impressed Robert Plant enough that Plant flew Ptacek to the UK to record the B-side tracks for the Fate of Nations singles, including Whole Lotta Love  and 21 Years.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant recorded Ptacek's Rude World for the album, The Inner Flame - A Tribute to Rainer Ptacek.  Here's the review I wrote of the track.
Look, the voice of Robert Plant of the 21st century isn't the voice of Robert Plant of the 20th. We all get that. Too bad, too sad. Here's the thing: even if there was some other vocalist to pair with the musical magic of Jimmy Page's guitar, the chemistry wouldn't be the same.
There's chemistry in Rude World. It's that alchemical mix of sound that churns the soul and makes you wonder if you're acting funny in public while listening to it. It's a song that when you've heard it for the first time you feel like it's been in you forever. And oh, that guitar...
A fitting tribute to Rainer Ptacek, who was no slouch himself in the music magic department.

Friday, July 7, 2023

On This Day 07 July

 Honoring Bonzo on this day


1980 07 July On This Day  Led Zeppelin, Berlin  Final show

1980 07 July On This Day Led Zeppelin Berlin

  • 1968 Yardbirds -Beds, England at Student Union, Luton College
  • 1973 Led Zeppelin - Chicago at Chicago Stadium
  • 1980 Led Zeppelin - Berlin, Germany at Eissporthalle Jafféstraße ^^^
  • 1998 Page & Plant - Washington, DC at MCI Center
  • 2001 Page & Plant - Montreux Festival, with Bill Jennings and Mike Watts 

Jimmy Page / Led Zeppelin  Chicago 1973

Led Zeppelin  Chicago 1973

2001 Page & Plant Montreux Jazz Festival
2001:
This night at Montreux was a tribute to Sun Records, founded by Sam Phillips.  Phillips was a DJ, radio engineer, producer, label owner, and talent scout throughout the 1940s and 1950s.  In 1950 he started up the Memphis Recording Service for amateurs (then!) such as B.B. King, Junior Parker, and Howlin' Wolf.  Phillips launched the Sun Records label in 1952.  The Memphis Recording Service became the Sun Recording Studio, which was the first to record Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash.  Phillips recorded what may be the first rock and roll record: "Rocket 88" (discussed previously in Mage Music).

At Montreux, Page & Plant were introduced by Claude Nobs and Ahmet Ertegun. The playlist below provides links to the original versions that Page & Plant covered, with the final link being the 2001 Montreux show.
2014 Jimmy Page (Ross Halfin Photo)

2014 July Guitar World cover (Ross Halfin Photo)

 Led Zeppelin (Chicago IL at Chicago Stadium, 07 July 1973)

Led Zeppelin (Berlin Germany at Eissporthalle Jafféstraße, 07 July 1980)

Montreux 2001:
♪  Good Rockin' Tonight (Roy Brown) YouTube
♪  My Bucket's Got a Hole in It (Sonny Burgess) YouTube
♪  Heart in Your Hand (Page & Plant, Walking Into Clarksdale 1998) YouTube
♪  Candy Store Rock (Led Zeppelin, Presence 1976) YouTube
♪  Endless Sleep (Jody Reynolds) YouTube
♪  How Many More Years  (Howlin’ Wolf) YouTube
♪  My Baby Left Me  (Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup) YouTube
♪  Baby Let's Play House  (Arthur Gunter) YouTube

♪  Live at Montreux ( Page & Plant 2001) YouTube