Tour by Led Zeppelin | |
Location |
|
---|---|
Associated album | Led Zeppelin |
Start date | 26 December 1968 |
End date | 16 February 1969 |
No. of shows | 31 (39 scheduled) |
Led Zeppelin concert chronology |
Led Zeppelin's 1968/1969 tour of North America was the first concert tour of the United States and Canada by the English rock band. The tour commenced on 26 December 1968 and concluded on 16 February 1969. It was important for the band, as their popularity grew substantially because of the concerts and helped them reach significant commercial success in the US, which translated to sales elsewhere.
The genesis of this tour was the cancellation of a concert tour by the Jeff Beck Group, which happened to be managed out of the same office occupied by Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant. Grant contacted the promoters and convinced them to take on Led Zeppelin instead. [1]
To help publicise the band in America before the tour, Grant sent white label advance copies of the band's debut album to key FM radio stations. The album itself was issued on 12 January, almost mid-way through the tour. According to tour manager Richard Cole, the tour was underwritten by Grant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bass player John Paul Jones, while singer Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham were paid a salary. [2]
For this stint of concerts, Led Zeppelin initially played as the support act for bands such as Vanilla Fudge and Iron Butterfly (both of which were also contracted to Atlantic Records) and Country Joe & the Fish. However, as the tour progressed, it became apparent that Led Zeppelin was easily outshining the headline acts. [3] [4] Guitarist Jimmy Page noticed that by the time the group reached San Francisco, other groups were not turning up, and Led Zeppelin were then headliners. [5]
Bassist John Paul Jones believed the reason their concerts were popular was because they played tightly and quickly without many delays, saying "we would just go on and go 'bang bang bang' with three driven songs with solos", which other groups did not do. [6]
In one famous concert, Led Zeppelin's final of four nights performed at the Boston Tea Party, the band played for more than four hours with only one album worth of material. They played the same set twice, and then played an improvised set with covers from other groups such as the Who [ citation needed ], Rolling Stones [ citation needed ] and the Beatles. Grant was delighted with the group's performance, and the band then realised then that they would be a very successful rock band. [7]
It was during this tour that Led Zeppelin's drummer, John Bonham, developed a close friendship with the drummer of Vanilla Fudge, Carmine Appice. [7] [8] The average fee charged by Led Zeppelin for a concert during this tour was around $1,500. It has been stated that for one show they performed for a mere $320. [3] Figures like these would soon be dwarfed by the six-figure sums routinely demanded, and received, by Led Zeppelin on subsequent tours as their popularity skyrocketed. Peter Grant recalled that "The Yardbirds had been getting $2,500 a night but people like Bill Graham had faith in us and so did the kids who saw it." [3] Grant, who was unable to attend the tour with the group, also stated:
I couldn't go with them, but it was a fantastic 12 date tour, and they said "Great, if that's what we've gotta do, we'll go and do it" ... Three of the group had never been to America before and didn't know what to expect. They did a week with the Vanilla Fudge. My instructions were for them to go over there and blast them out. Make each performance something everybody remembered. They really did that. [8]
Although there was some variation, a fairly typical set list for the tour was:
Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening Act(s) | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 December 1968 | Denver | United States | Denver Auditorium Arena | N/A | |
27 December 1968 | Seattle | Seattle Center Arena | |||
28 December 1968 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum | 3,708 / 15,038 | |
29 December 1968 | Portland | United States | Portland Civic Auditorium | N/A | |
30 December 1968 | Spokane | John F. Kennedy Memorial Pavilion | |||
Salem | Salem Armory Auditorium | ||||
2 January 1969 | West Hollywood | Whisky a Go Go | |||
3 January 1969 | |||||
4 January 1969 | |||||
5 January 1969 | |||||
9 January 1969 | San Francisco | Fillmore West | |||
10 January 1969 | |||||
11 January 1969 | |||||
12 January 1969 | |||||
13 January 1969 | San Diego | Fox Theater | |||
15 January 1969 | Iowa City | Iowa Memorial Union Main Lounge | Mother Blues | ||
17 January 1969 | Detroit | Grande Ballroom | Linn County, Lawrence Blues Band | ||
18 January 1969 | Target | ||||
19 January 1969 | Wind and/or Linn County | ||||
Wheaton | Wheaton Youth Center | ||||
Pittsburgh | Hunt Armory | ||||
23 January 1969 | Boston | Boston Tea Party | The Raven | ||
24 January 1969 | |||||
25 January 1969 | |||||
26 January 1969 | |||||
Philadelphia | Spectrum | ||||
31 January 1969 | New York City | Fillmore East | |||
1 February 1969 | |||||
2 February 1969 | Toronto | Canada | The Rock Pile | Teegarden & Van Winkle, Mary Lou Horner | 1,200 / 1,200 |
New York City | United States | Scene Club | N/A | ||
7 February 1969 | Chicago | Kinetic Playground | |||
8 February 1969 | |||||
10 February 1969 | Memphis | Elma Roane Fieldhouse | |||
14 February 1969 | Miami Beach | Thee Image Club | |||
15 February 1969 | |||||
16 February 1969 | Baltimore | Baltimore Civic Center | |||
Led Zeppelin, sometimes referred to as Led Zeppelin I, is the debut studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on 12 January 1969 in the United States and on 31 March in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records.
John Richard Baldwin, better known by his stage name John Paul Jones, is an English musician, composer and record producer who was the bassist and keyboardist for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Prior to forming the band with Jimmy Page in 1968, he was a session musician and arranger. After the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, Led Zeppelin disbanded, and Jones developed a solo career. He has collaborated with musicians across a variety of genres, including the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 as a member of Led Zeppelin.
John Henry Bonham was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential drummers in music history.
Jason John Bonham (born 15 July 1966) is an English drummer. He is the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Since his father's death in September 1980, he has performed with the surviving three members of Led Zeppelin on several occasions, including the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at O2 arena in London in December 2007. He has also done extensive work as a session musician, led the group Bonham in the 1980s and '90s, and is a member of the supergroups Black Country Communion and Sammy Hagar and the Circle.
Peter Grant was an English music manager, best known as the manager of Led Zeppelin from their creation in 1968 to their breakup in 1980. With his intimidating size and weight, confrontational manner, knowledge and experience, Grant was able to procure strong and unprecedented deals for Led Zeppelin, and is widely credited with improving pay and conditions for all musicians in dealings with concert promoters. Grant has been described as "one of the shrewdest and most ruthless managers in rock history".
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