Early Concert Memories

Thanks be to google. Not only can it help you remember the day you saw Led Zeppelin in 1975, it will lead you to an actual audio recording of the concert. Amazing. Something I remember from that night: Robert Plant’s singing was pretty bad, especially on Stairway To Heaven. (The audio recording confirms it.) Something I learned from my googlings, but didn’t realize at the time, or have since forgotten: The show was one month before the release of their smash album Physical Graffiti, so I was hearing songs like Kashmir before the general public. Take a listen below.

Led Zeppelin Kashmir January 25, 1975 from Rumproast Clips on Vimeo.

One month earlier at the same venue (Market Square Arena) I had seen Deep Purple do outrageous songs like Smoke on the Water and Highway Star. Heh-heh. These were the High School years for me.

So what are your earliest concert memories?

Posted by poputonian on 09/01/08 at 11:07 AM • Permalink

Categories: Music • Live Music Reviews •

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Cheap Trick—won tickets to see them from a local radio station when In Color came out (also won the album and The Encyclopedia of Rock). Bun E. Carlos was wielding his baseball-bat-sized drum sticks and Rick Nielsen was switching out guitars all night. It flat-out rocked.

Comment by Kevin K. on 09/01/08 at 12:10 PM

Emerson Lake & Palmer (with orchestra!), Foghat, J. Geils Band, and Climax Blues Band, at Soldier Field in Chicago, on June 4, 1977. To my 16-year old self, it was cool, but in retrospect, only Geils was really any good.

Amazing that I have trouble remembering really important things, but can remember this concert like it was yesterday.

Comment by Tracy on 09/01/08 at 12:55 PM

Miss Green my kindergarten teacher at Patterson Road Elementary. She rocked the acoustic guitar. Her version of Mulberry Bush got the crowd on their feet and rollicking in the mosh pit. When she finished with the ABC Song, everyone was so wiped out we all took a nap.

Comment by Bonnach on 09/01/08 at 02:31 PM

Mike Oldfield - Berklee Performaning Arts Center in Boston in 1982. My brothers went to BU and took myself and my younger brother. We most likely had no idea who Mike Oldfield was at the time.

Comment by terry on 09/01/08 at 05:52 PM

I almost went to that led zep concert. A couple of my NJ classmates did.

My first was being stuck in Berkeley w a nights to kill before being picked up for a Seirra Club backpacking trip. Had taken a train from the vacationing family in LA & BART to Shattuck.

There was this incredible music pouring out of this bar. It was 1974, I was 13. Sign said Kerystone: Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders.

Two people guarding the door. Tall hippy & plump black woman. Hippy said, “you can’t come in man, you are underage.” Woman said “be cool, child needs to hear the music”

Went in and was transfixed.

That same woman tended the lines at Bill Graham concerts well into the 90s.

Comment by wrb on 09/01/08 at 06:30 PM

sorry for typos

night, Keystone, Also saw Chicago & the Beach Boys at MSG at around the same time. Fun, but not nearly on the same level

A a smokin’ performance few months after the Keystone gig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVDf1oH-z68

part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0f6f587sKs&featu re=related

Comment by wrb on 09/01/08 at 06:38 PM

I saw a couple great early (for NYers) Cheap Trick shows at the Calderone in West Hempstead on LI. But they were easily just as great ten or so years ago at Irving Plaza. Too bad they can’t afford to tour large clubs.

Here’s one: NOT seeing them tour Presence in 1977 because my buddy’s older brother took his girlfriend and friend’s girlfriend instead. And at least one of them fell asleep. Never forget, never forgive! (FWIW though that was Page’s junkie nadir.) I hope every Zep fan here has the recent legit live releases: CD, DVD, yes even Song Remains…)

Probably my favorite early memories/gig going initiations - grabbing the tail end of Max’s Kansas City in 8th and 9th grade for some crucial (to me) shows: Dictators, Snakefinger, Wayne Kramer, Alan Vega)

(I’m a newish Rumproast follower! Great blog! Go Palin!)