FEBRUARY 16 - SUBIACO OVAL, PERTH, AUSTRALIA

FEBRUARY 19 - MEMORIAL DRIVE, ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA
The show rescheduled from February 18, 1972.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro [ cut ] >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Going To California [ cut ], [ cut ], That's The Way [ cut ], [ cut ], Tangerine [ cut ], [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Gallows Pole, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, Let's Have A Party [ cut ], [ cut ], That's Alright Mama [ cut ], Going Down Slow [ cut ].. ) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent audience recording. Near 94 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Adelaide 1972 (no label), Adelaide Revival (Godfatherecords), Deep Downunder (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2006 & reissue 2022), Oooh My Ears, Man! (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Thunder Down Under - The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Thunder Downunder (Equinox box), Voo Doo Drive (Tarantura), & Voo Doo Drive Vers. 2004 (Tarantura)

      A really great, crisp sound in this powerful and excellent show, as it can be simply described as the controlled violence, the opening salvo of Immigrant Song is simply crushing. The crowd is going nuts, with Robert telling them to shut up, and it's not hard to see why. Someone near the taper exclaims “oh, my ears, man!“ during a pause before Heartbreaker. Then we are treated to a crunching version of Black Dog with devastating power. After that, the band slows things down with Since I've Been Loving You. It is an effective performance in a live context, though it rather lacks the subtlety and atmosphere of the original version from the album, possibly simply by being played to a large audience in an open-air venue. Jimmy plays one of the best solos in Stairway To Heaven, and Dazed And Confused is truly awesome here. Page has some trouble with his equipment during the bow solo, which results in a loud crackling noise at times. He hints at Gallows Pole eventually during the incredible guitar section, and his soloing is wild and dynamic. The show ends with a wild and riotous Whole Lotta Love, preceded by an excellent jam on a funky riff, and the medley is simply superb, with now-regular Howlin' Wolf's Going Down Slow at the end, but is truncated by numerous cuts. We can only speculate what encores have been performed, as they're completely absent on this amazing recording. Highly recommended!

FEBRUARY 20 - KOOYONG STADIUM, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
The show was cut short due to a rainstorm.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Going To California [ cut ], That's The Way, Tangerine.
Source: Incomplete good to very good 1st audience recording. Almost 53 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Going To California [ cut ], [ cut ], That's The Way, [ cut ], Tangerine, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party [ cut ]..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good 2nd audience recording. Almost 93 minutes.

Recording Includes: Black Dog [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Tangerine, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Rock And Roll, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party [ cut ]..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 3rd audience recording. 74 minutes.

Recording Includes: Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair 4th audience recording. 37 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Going To California [ cut ], [ cut ], Tangerine [ cut ], [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 5th audience recording. 65 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 1: Count Me Out When It's Hot (Taiwan) & Kooyong Tennis Courts (no label)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: Australian Tour 1972 Part 1 (Black Cat Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Acoustically (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Count Me Out When It's Hot (Cobra Standard Series), Down Under Daze (Image Quality), Let's Have A Party Kooyong (Pyramid Records), Melbourne Masters (Immigrant), No Longer Down Under: Live In Melbourne 1972 (Graf Zeppelin), On Stage Melbourne (Wendy Records), Shivers 'N' Shakes (Red Hot), Thunder Down Under - The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Thunder Downunder (Equinox box), & Wet Head Is Dead (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      The band played under cloudy conditions, with the rain coming near the end of the show, and was cut short because of the possibility of electrocution. Robert's voice is unreal ... the scream he lets loose in Immigrant Song and Since I've Been Loving You is blood-curdling. At some point during Black Dog, Bonham doesn't make up for his transition and the whole group has to wait until he finally hits the right moment. Plant tries for the high notes at the end of Stairway To Heaven, but falls short. The song builds up an intimate atmosphere, but with such a big crowd gathered in a large outdoor stadium, it was obvious that they're gonna start going wild. The acoustic set is mellow, but is plagued by the loud audience, and the weather started to get worse as the band went heavily through a great and very aggressive version of Dazed And Confused. Page solos wildly over a Santana-esque rhythm during the lead-in to the bow solo, and Plant improvises lyrics about the impending rainstorm during the final verse, “Well, it's started to rain, I think it's time we gotta go / If we don't go now, we're gonna die, I don't wanna know!" The end of the song is drowned in cascades of sounds. Rock And Roll has its premiere here as a regular tune, and is very fast and energetic. The gig ends with a brutal Whole Lotta Love that features just a short medley before they leave the stage immediately.

FEBRUARY 25 - WESTERN SPRINGS STADIUM, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I [ cut ]..) [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, Let's Have A Party, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Communication Breakdown.
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 1st audience recording. Almost 85 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Celebration Day [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Going To California [ cut ], [ cut ], That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be [ cut ], Moby Dick, Rock And Roll, Whole Lotta Love [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good 2nd audience recording. 112 minutes.

Recording Includes: That's The Way, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused, What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Rock And Roll, Whole Lotta Love [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent colour amateur movie. Almost 5 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Going To Auckland (Akashic & Tarantura) & Live In New Zealand (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2006 & reissue 2010)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: No Longer Down Under: Live In Auckland 1972 (Graf Zeppelin), On Stage Auckland (Wendy Records), & Thunder Down Under - The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): The Film Vol. 2 (Wendy Records)

      Another excellent performance played on a huge outdoor stadium. The blast of Immigrant Song and Heartbreaker is huge, and sets things in order to the end. Plant acknowledges the importance of the event after Black Dog by saying, “We’d like to really thank you for the faith for making this the biggest thing to happen in New Zealand. And all the travelling involved, it’s an amazing thing to hear. We travelled thirty-six thousand miles but at least we stopped in Bombay which is a great place to stay after a war.” Since I've Been Loving You is played with a dramatic mood and the song reaches its climax at the end with Plant's hitting the highest registers, and the band made the surprising choice to play a heavy version of Celebration Day. A very unusual thing happens during Dazed And Confused just prior to Jimmy's bow solo, he starts playing a section of the then unreleased The Song Remains The Same. No two versions are ever the same, and it's great to hear this surprising impromptu inset. Both What Is And What Should Never Be and Moby Dick finds their ways back to the setlist finally, as well as a new addition in a form of Rock And Roll. Whole Lotta Love is extremely visceral, and features some great and funky-based jam before the Theremin freak-out, and a great medley. A high-energy version of Communication Breakdown is played as a closer, to delight of rowdy and enthusiastically reacting audience.

FEBRUARY 27 - SHOWGROUND, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
The concert was partially filmed on amateur equipment and by local TV station. Fragments were used on "Whole Lotta Love" promo video in 1997. Finally, the large fragment of black and white TV broadcast (Rock And Roll) and some of the silent color amateur footage dubbed with Immigrant Song from Long Beach Arena June 27, 1972 were used on DVD in 2003.

Recording Includes: Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], Rock And Roll, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, The Rover, Let's Have A Party, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Going Down Slow..).
Source: Incomplete good 1st audience source. 41 minutes.

Recording Includes: Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Going To California, [ cut ], That's The Way, [ cut ], Tangerine, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, The Rover [ cut ], Let's Have A Party, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, Bold Soul Sister..), [ cut ], Organ Solo [ cut ] >> Thank You [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good 2nd audience source. 131 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Celebration Day [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Going To California, [ cut ], That's The Way [ cut ], [ cut ], Tangerine, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be [ cut ], [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Boogie Chillun [ cut ], Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, The Rover, Let's Have A Party, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, Bold Soul Sister..) [ cut ], Organ Solo >> Thank You.
Source: Incomplete good to very good 3rd audience recording. Almost 153 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Celebration Day, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California, That's The Way, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused, What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Rock And Roll, Whole Lotta Love (<< Boogie Chillun, The Rover..) [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color 1st amateur movie. 16 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Celebration Day, Going To California, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused, Moby Dick, Rock And Roll [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color 2nd amateur movie. Almost 3 minutes.

Recording Includes: Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Dazed And Confused [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color 3rd amateur movie. 3 minutes.

Recording Includes: Thank You [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete 16mm silent color 4th amateur movie. 2 minute.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), Black Dog, Celebration Day, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color 5th amateur movie. 4 minutes.

Recording Includes: Whole Lotta Love, Rock And Roll, Let's Have A Party [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 16mm black and white professional footage with actual sound. 6 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Australian Tour 1972 Part 1 (Black Cat Records) & Thunder Downunder (Equinox box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: Ayers Rock (Tarantura) & Robbers Return (Sharaku)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Balloon Goes Up On Led Zeppelin (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), No Longer Down Under: Live In Sydney 1972 (Graf Zeppelin), On Stage Sydney (Wendy Records 2CD & 3CD), Rumble In Sydney (Futher Along), Thunder Down Under - The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) professional video soundtrack: Live In Sydney 1972 (Graf Zeppelin), On Stage Sydney (Wendy Records), & Thunder Downunder (Equinox box)

Official Visual Reference(s) 1st amateur footage: DVD (Warner Music Vision)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) 1st amateur footage: Assemblage (Cosmic Energy), Australian Tour 1972 (Way Of Wizard), The Film Vol. 2 (Wendy Records), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), & Thunder Down Under (The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings): Sydney Showgrounds And More (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) 2nd amateur footage: Assemblage II (Cosmic Energy), The Film Vol. 2 (Wendy Records), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), & Thunder Down Under (The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings): Sydney Showgrounds And More (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) 3rd amateur footage: Assemblage II (Cosmic Energy), The Film Vol. 2 ( Wendy Records), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), & Thunder Down Under (The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings): Sydney Showgrounds And More (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) 4th amateur footage: History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), & Thunder Down Under (The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings): Sydney Showgrounds And More (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) 5th amateur footage: The Film Vol. 2 (Wendy Records)

Official Visual Reference(s) professional footage: DVD (Warner Music Vision)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) professional footage: 1970-1972 (Cosmic Energy, Australian Tour 1972 (Way Of Wizard), Early Visions/The Best Of Led Zeppelin Clips Volume One (Celebration Definitive Masters), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), & Thunder Down Under (The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings): Sydney Showgrounds And More (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      The last huge outdoor concert of the tour, and some superb playing here. Plant laid down some ground rules, “Now listen! We've already come across the one problem we were told about. Now, there's been a lot of mistakes about this thing, but we don't want to make any mistakes and neither do you, alright? So don't come past this barrier, otherwise there's gonna be some shit. And why don't you sit down ... and if it rains, we're gonna have to stop. That's a fact, it'll blow up! Take a seat!“ Black Dog is played with fury and impact and is one of the better versions we've ever heard. The subtle Since I've Been Loving You is plenty of great, dramatic guitar licks and vocal exercises. Stairway To Heaven is worth it for the guitar solo alone, and the acoustic set is wonderful. While there is no true revelation to hear in the opening hour of the show, the second half is very exciting and featuring some great music. The things are heating up with a very long Dazed And Confused, which is warmly received. This is a real delight to the ears, as it features an aggressive middle section maintained at an amazing pace. Rock And Roll is delivered with swaggering fury, with Plant reaching the notes the ear expects. A thunderous Whole Lotta Love is just superb, and the extended medley includes a fully-realized, instrumental version of The Rover, a few years before its official release. The band rewards the audience with two encores. Communication Breakdown is very fast and energetic, and Jonesy seems to be hammering out a theme during the organ solo that segues directly into an excellent, relaxed version of Thank You.

FEBRUARY 29 - FESTIVAL HALL, BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Celebration Day, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Cocaine Blues, Bottle It Up And Go, Cumberland Gap, They're Red Hot, She's A Truckin' Little Baby, The Wanderer, Hello Mary Lou, Let's Have A Party.. [ cut ] ) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience recording. 106 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You, Celebration Day, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Going To California, That's The Way (stop), That's The Way, [ cut ], Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be [ cut ], Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Cocaine Blues, Bottle It Up And Go, Cumberland Gap, They're Red Hot, She's A Truckin' Little Baby, The Wanderer, Hello Mary Lou, Let's Have A Party, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good 2nd audience recording. Near 143 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Australian Tour 1972 Part 2 (Black Cat Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: On Stage Brisbane (Wendy Records), Stompin' In Surfer's Paradise (Cobra Standard Series), Thunder Down Under - The Complete 1972 Australian And New Zealand Recordings (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), & Thunder Downunder (Equinox box)

      The final show of the Australian tour and the only indoor event. An excellent, high-powered performance with just poor quality, very unfortunately. The opening salvo of Immigrant Song and a riotous Heartbreaker are excellent, and Robert's singing on Since I've Been Loving You is pure emotion and one of the better versions. The band is in a really great shape during still-evolving Stairway To Heaven that is now preceded by a heavy Celebration Day. A long Going To California starts the acoustic set and is decorated with additional solos by Page. A restless audience stops That's The Way a minute into the song. After Plant's seating instructions, they start the song again. Usually, Dazed And Confused is a phenomenal and simply epic rendition, making an introduction to what this composition will be on the upcoming North American tour. Jimmy is in his own world throughout, playing some unique riffs common to the renditions from early days at some spots. The finale is another extended Whole Lotta Love and the medley features some older and rarely played blues and rock inclusions, of which Dion And The Belmonts' The Wanderer is the only known live performance. Possibly Communication Breakdown and maybe Thank You were played as the encores, but they have been not recorded.

Led Zeppelin Warm-Up for Eight North American Tour
May 27, 1972 - May 28, 1972

MAY 27 - OUDE RAI, AMSTERDAM, HOLLAND
Lou Van Rees introduced the band. Aired on "Hard Rock Heaven", CCTV local networked TV show, Amsterdam, Holland, June 1972. Rumoured that the full quality Immigrant Song was filmed and was given to Page. The band also did long afternoon rehearsal and tried couple of new songs from not yet released "Houses Of The Holy" album.

Recording Includes: Lou Van Rees Introduction [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Celebration Day, Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< I Wish You Would, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, Running Bear, That's Alright Mama, Hoochie Coochie Man, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Rock And Roll, [ cut ], Communication Breakdown.
Source: Incomplete good audience recording. 122 minutes.

Recording Includes: Miscellaneous scenes (airport arrival, entering their hotel, Richard Cole opening a briefcase with group's cash and talking to the promoter), Immigrant Song [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 16mm silent color professional TV recording with the exception of Immigrant Song, which has actual sound. 3 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Amsterdam 1972 (MMachine), Amsterdam 1972 Reel Archives (no label), Amsterdam Warmup (Magnificent Disc), Dancing Bear (Tarantura), European Warm Up Shows 1972 (no label), & Memento Mori (Wendy Records)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): 1970-1972 (Cosmic Energy), Assemblage (Cosmic Energy), Early Visions/The Best Of Led Zeppelin Clips Volume One (Celebration Definitive Masters), The Film Vol. 2 (Wendy Records), & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      After being off the road for two months, this show is just excellent and impresses a lot. This is also the last gasps of Robert's original voice with the really high notes, and the playing and spontaneity of the improvisations are great. The opening songs in such of Immigrant Song or Black Dog are delivered with heaviness and fury. The band gets a bit confused trying to enter the first chorus of a frantic version of another great version of Celebration Day that has Plant getting lost a few times during the song. The acoustic set has been not taped, possibly, and a vivid Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp is the only remainder. A fast and furious Dazed And Confused is given to the restrained crowd. It sounds now much funkier in the improvisation than in the Australian tour. Plant improvises new lyrics during the initial verses and Page solos wildly during an excellent and high-energy jam prior to the bow solo. A bit of I Wish You Would from the Yardbirds as well as the first known performance of The Crunge can be heard during the middle section that features Jimmy's playing extremely confident. The standard set ends with a long Whole Lotta Love that includes rare references to Johnny Preston's Running Bear and Muddy Waters' Hoochie Coochie Man in the medley. The enthusiastic crowd's incessant rhythmic clapping throughout most of the medley. The band play a riotous version of Rock And Roll as the first encore, and a wild Communication Breakdown finishes the concert for good.

MAY 28 - VORST NATIONAAL (FOREST NATIONAL), BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California (stop), Going To California [ cut ], That's The Way, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, Running Bear, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Heartbreak Hotel, Don't Be Cruel, Going Down Slow, Gambler's Blues..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good audience recording. 120 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): The Belgian Triple (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Brussels 1972 (no label), Burning Ticket (Baby Face CDR), & European Warm Up Shows 1972 (no label)

      A really good performance in front of an extremely rowdy crowd that Robert has to keep yelling at several times throughout the show. The playing is excellent, and a really nice acoustic set is played. Immigrant Song and Heartbreaker are brutal and finds the musicians in a great mood. Page and Bonham play a Knees Up Mother Brown interlude before Since I've Been Loving You. A very mellow rendition, the band plays with great restraint and Jimmy's solo is very impressive and well constructed. He is all over the place during the fast guitar solo in Stairway to Heaven too, and Plant once again opts for the lower melody during the final section, where he is more careful not to push his voice too hard. He stops Going To California right as he's about to start the first verse, complaining about the noise and the audience not sitting down before as they restart the song, calling them an uncontrollable bunch, being sure to annunciate every syllable. Dazed And Confused starts slowly, building a needed climax. A firecracker explodes during the bow solo, and Page stops soon after for a moment, and then the whole band explodes for a racing middle jam unexpectedly, the song features also great improvisations towards the end. Moby Dick isn't played due to the crowd's behaviour, and a killer Whole Lotta Love medley includes the whole members locked in an excellent playing during the old blues and rock 'n' roll classics. If any encores were played, they are missing from this recording, unfortunately.

Led Zeppelin Eighth North American Tour
June 6, 1972 - June 28, 1972

JUNE 6 - COBO ARENA, DETROIT (MI), UNITED STATES
The whole show is achieved as a soundboard but yet tapes are not in circulation.

Recording Includes: Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< Dancing Days..), Dazed And Confused (<< Turn On Your Lovelight, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (<< Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, Running Bear, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Rock And Roll.
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience recording. 79 minutes.

Recording Includes: Black Dog [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], That's The Way [ cut ], [ cut ], Tangerine [ cut ], [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< Dancing Days..), [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Turn On Your Lovelight [ cut ]..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good 2nd audience recording. 30 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Detroit 1972 (no label) & The Red Fk Tee (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Detroit 1972: 2 Source Mix (no label)

      The long rumoured recordings of a great and relaxed show, unfortunately in such poor quality. It begins in the middle of the final guitar solo in Black Dog. Stairway To Heaven is also partial and has only the middle guitar section that is usually great. The long acoustic set is almost entirely fragmented, with Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp as the only complete tune that features Jimmy getting into the riff to Dancing Days in the middle. A superb version of Dazed And Confused follows. The band break into some funky territory with Bonham getting into some The Crunge-like drumming that leads Plant into the Bobby Bland classic, Turn On Your Lovelight. The middle section is simply frantic, and a prelude of would become an epic part of the following dates. What Is And What Should Never Be has now a regular spot during this tour, and Whole Lotta Love is wild and thunderous, making everyone standing on their feet. A high-energetic Rock And Roll is now pushed to the encore section.

JUNE 7 - THE FORUM, MONTREAL (QC), CANADA

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Going To California, That's The Way, [ cut ], Tangerine [ cut ], [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, [ cut ], Moby Dick, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun [ cut ]..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good 1st audience recording. 109 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Going To California, That's The Way, [ cut ], Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, Mars: The Bringer Of War [ cut ]..) [ cut ], [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be [ cut ], Moby Dick, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Hello Mary Lou, Running Bear [ cut ], Money Honey, Mess O' The Blues, Going Down Slow, When The Levee Breaks..), [ cut ], Rock And Roll, [ cut ], Organ Solo [ cut ] >> Thank You [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd audience recording. 154 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Red Snapper Deluxe (Balboa Productions)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Montreal Gazette (Wendy Records)

      A notable but kind of underrated performance, the second of their eight North American visit. The problems that often plagued their past American concerts are presented here as well, too. Jimmy is really fast and fluid, and the band is excellent during the opening medley of Immigrant Song and Heartbreaker. Robert's voice seems to be a little lost, but he still manages to hit most of his range, and what he lacks in power he makes up for in passion. After a crashing version of Black Dog, the band delivers an incredibly dramatic and powerful Since I've Been Loving You, with Page delivering a great guitar solo. The acoustic set is excellent and Dazed And Confused is a real highlight. Jimmy solos wildly during the constantly developing lead-in to the bow solo section, and the long guitar section is now an epic journey. He's on fire, improvising freely, with Bonham and Jones locked in close behind. They even start to include a short reference to never played Walter's Walk and Hots On For Nowhere, and continue this during the rest of the tour. The long Whole Lotta Love explodes with the opening riff violently, and features a rarely played Money Honey of Elvis Presley that had never been done in a medley. They even threw a bit of When The Levee Breaks in a completely different arrangement just at the end, three years before it has been introduced to the public for a very short period of time. The show ends with a very energetic Rock And Roll and an epic Thank You, which includes a fantastic, high-flying guitar solo from Page.

JUNE 9 - COLISEUM, CHARLOTTE (NC), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker, [ cut ], Celebration Day, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Going To California [ cut ], [ cut ], That's The Way [ cut ], Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, Cat's Squirrel, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll, [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good audience recording. 130 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): 1972 Charlotte (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Charlotte 1972 (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Charlotte 1972 Reel Archives (no label), Compositions (Tarantura), Don't Do It If You Don't Want To (Holy Grail), Knees Up Mother Brown (Image Quality), Live In Charlotte 1972 (no label), & Memories Of Charlotte (Wendy Records)

      This is an excellent and fiery show in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Immigrant Song is explosive and Heartbreaker has some great middle section, where Page has the crowd clapping along with country-flavoured licks during the a cappella solo. At the end of the song he breaks a string on the guitar and instead of just waiting around doing nothing the band play a gutsy version of Celebration Day, on which he uses the double neck. Knees Up Mother Brown is a short tease that Plant commented, “Actually, that's on the next album!“ Jimmy plays a killer solo in Stairway To Heaven. As always, there are some troubles with the audience, and he's appealing to calm down. The acoustic section is superb, and delivered with such a subtlety. Jimmy is on another level while playing one of the best Dazed And Confused versions ever from this tour, with the middle section being so storming and crushing into the ground. Bonzo extends Moby Dick to almost twenty minutes, eventually warming up everyone before the finale. Whole Lotta Love starts heavily, and the song begins great. Jones pounds on his organ during the theremin freak-out, and this is the only version on the tour with almost no medley, with a short and instrumental version of Solomon Burke's Everybody Needs Somebody To Love played here for the first time ever. As soon as the boogie section starts, Robert sings final lyrics and the band goes to the end. Two high-powered encores in the form of Rock And Roll and a bit of sluggish Communication Breakdown cap this amazing evening.

JUNE 10 - MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM, BUFFALO (NY), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Bring It On Home (<< The Lemon Song, Baby Please Don't Go..), [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Going To California [ cut ], That's The Way [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War [ cut ]..) [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. Almost 92 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Dazed And Confused, Whole Lotta Love (<< Boogie Chillun, Hello Mary Lou..) [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. 6 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Cardiff 1972 2nd Night (Graf Zeppelin) & Hard-As-Knuckles: Tuscon 1972 (Graf Zeppelin)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): The Film Vol. 2 (Wendy Records)

      A really good and highly spirited show with just a poor quality. This recording has been attributed for years as being from Philadelphia on June 13, a newspaper revealed its correct date finally. Immigrant Song has been not taped this time, but the real star here is an incredible version of Bring It On Home, played for the first time for two years. It sounds as fresh and invigorating as the early versions, but a little looser. We are treated to a Page and Bonham jam that is par for the course, and Plant throws in a few lines from The Lemon Song and the band jam on Big Joe Williams' Baby Please Don't Go. The only thing that is puzzling here is the fact that Bring It On Home was played most often as an encore, which was probably the case here as well, but perhaps the band decided to change the setlist, another mystery to be solved. The other notable moments are the great instrumental jams during Dazed And Confused. Moby Dick is cut after only twenty seconds, and the existing video fragment reveals a bit of Whole Lotta Love and a short medley. So shame there's no alternate source.

JUNE 11 - CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE (MD), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California, That's The Way, [ cut ], Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, I Need Your Love Tonight, Hello Mary Lou, Heartbreak Hotel, Going Down, Going Down Slow..), Rock And Roll, Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, Bold Soul Sister..).
Source: Incomplete good audience recording. 164 minutes.

Recording Includes: Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. 6 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): The Axeman Of Cometh (Flagge), Baltimore 1972 (no label, Immigrant, & Wardour), Baltimore Jack (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin box), Nutty And Cool (Baby Face), & Triangle Of Love (Tarantura)

      An excellent performance performed in front of an enthusiastic audience. The band is on and plays truly inspired music. While Immigrant Song has lyrics repeated twice at some point, the rest of the group is on top form. Heartbreaker has Bonham drumming perfectly in sync, and Black Dog is powerful and heavy. Stairway To Heaven features the solo ending that Page would play at all the live shows in the future. The acoustic set builds a very intimate atmosphere, and the dialogue between the guitar and the mandolin is truly captivating. The whole band seemed to be so relaxed and enjoying themselves that evening so Robert sings few lines from an unknown medley and Bonzo do some a-la Johnny Cash interlude. Plant making also some reference to Elvis Presley while he's introducing an acoustic set, “We went to see Elvis Presley. That guy did so much for music - long time ago, mind you! His voice has gone down about two or three tones and seemed to have changed a bit and his waist is a bit bigger.“ Dazed And Confused is just outstanding as always, with another superb Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere segment, and Moby Dick is a mind-blowing epic version stretched to twenty-seven minutes that makes the whole audience really crazy that night. The Whole Lotta Love medley is fast, furious, and lots of fun. Robert's voice is just beautiful, and Jimmy plays some of his best blues licks ever. The crowd goes wild as the band returns to the stage to close the event with a fast Rock And Roll and a dirty but visceral Communication Breakdown with its own short medley.

JUNE 13 - THE SPECTRUM, PHILADELPHIA (PA), UNITED STATES

JUNE 14 - NASSAU VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM, UNIONDALE (NY), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Going To California, [ cut ], That's The Way, [ cut ], Tangerine, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Bottle It Up And Go, Cumberland Gap, They're Red Hot, She's A Truckin' Little Baby, Hello Mary Lou, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Rock And Roll, [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, Bold Soul Sister, The Lemon Song..), [ cut ], Weekend, [ cut ], Bring It On Home [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 155 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Burn Like A Candle (Smoking Pig), Burn That Candle (Tarantura box), Nassau Coliseum 1971 First Night (no label), Night At The Heartbreak Hotel (Missing Link), Sometime In New York City (Image Quality), Whole Lotta Led (Badgeholders), & Whole Lotta Led - Get The Led Out (Tarantura box)

      A legendary show where Zeppelin really shines and plays some of their best music this tour. The band is unstoppable as they roll through the set, but the quality is pretty rough. The opening salvo of Immigrant Song blows everyone, and this is continued with a blistering and furious Heartbreaker. This concert is also notable for being the first time, where Plant interjected "does anybody remember laughter" ad lib during Stairway To Heaven. Due to such a poor quality, the acoustic set sounds very blurry, but features some great playing. Dazed And Confused reaches almost half hour and the level of intensity reached here is one of the highest of the tour, and sounds majestic. Page plays at lightning speed all the way through, causing the rest of the band to race just to keep up. The band is in an intense pace to the finish, creating a vast sonic wall until everything peaks at the explosive return to the main riff. Jimmy plays the opening notes to Over The Hills And Far Away for the very first time after What Is And What Should Never Be, but it is yet not followed by the rest of the band. The very heavy Whole Lotta Love contains a long and breathtaking medley with a reference to many old classics. The real surprise here is the long encore set, though. A lightning-fast Rock And Roll is the first in a row, and is another premiere of the still unreleased fourth album. The extended Communication Breakdown is next, and is kept in a frantic mood. It includes a bit of The Lemon Song lyrics, as well as some other short references known from previous dates. Eddie Cochran's Weekend is a rare performance, played here probably for the very last time, and is followed by Bring It On Home that ends the show and features a long instrumental battle in the middle, during which Plant said, “I wanna hear you louder than us!“ A must-listen!

JUNE 15 - NASSAU VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM, UNIONDALE (NY), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Tape Drone [ cut ] >> Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California, That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Willie And The Hand Jive, Hello Mary Lou, Money Honey, Heartbreak Hotel, Bottle It Up And Go, They're Red Hot, It's Tight Like That, Going Down Slow [ cut ]..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good audience recording. 121 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Long Island Line (Image Quality), Milky Way Express (Wendy Records), Nassau Coliseum 2nd Night (no label), Tangerine (Mud Dogs), Welcome Back (Tarantura), Whole Lotta Led (Badgeholders), & Whole Lotta Led - Get The Led Out (Tarantura box)

      Another wild and epic gig the night after. The recording is notable for featuring the first appearance of the droning intro before a visceral attack of Immigrant Song that crashes into motion without any sign. The audience is very talkative, and sometimes singing during some songs too. Since I've Been Loving You is dramatic and powerful, and Page delivers another great solo. Bonzo is like a tidal wave, repeatedly crashing against the shore. Another excellent Stairway To Heaven follows, and the acoustic set is delicate, but interrupted by some stupid comments around the taper and his friends. Jones and Bonham play some amazing lines behind Jimmy in another blistering version of Dazed And Confused. It has an excellent and wild, driving improvisation during the lead-in to bow solo segment, which is followed by a great jazzy interlude. The frenzied middle part is full of even more high-flying guitar heroics after the blistering medley of Walter's Walk and Hots On For Nowhere, and the outro is full of Plant's chants echoing over the crowd. Whole Lotta Love is thunderous and the medley is once again fantastic, including the only known live reference to Willie And The Hand Jive by Johnny Otis. During Heartbreak Hotel, many members of the audience started a movement and the authorities raised the house lights, so they could check what's going on. Very unfortunately, the rest of the show is not taped, and likely it featured a long run of great encores.

JUNE 17 - MEMORIAL COLISEUM, PORTLAND (OR), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Going To California, That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Boppin' The Blues, Hello Mary Lou, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Rock And Roll.
Source: Incomplete poor to fair audience recording. 97 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Live In Portland 1972 (Shout To The Top)

      This is a truly awesome concert with some unique playing, albeit much incomplete and rather terribly sounding. It starts off during the guitar solo in Stairway To Heaven. Plant's voice is in a great form as he hits some really high notes while chanting “it ain't right!“ near the end of That's The Way. Dazed And Confused is a very interesting version that includes an unusually slow, haunting jam during the lead-in to the bow solo section, and the middle improvisation is usually devastating and features another superb renditions of Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere and The Crunge. Bonzo is like a cannonade during hammering Moby Dick, the Whole Lotta Love medley is excellent too, shorter than usual but featuring a rarely performed Boppin' The Blues from the repertoire of Carl Perkins. The recording ends with usually great and energetic Rock And Roll.

JUNE 18 - PACIFIC COLISEUM, VANCOUVER (BC), CANADA (cancelled in response to a riot at the same venue for The Rolling Stones show few weeks earlier)

JUNE 18 - SEATTLE CENTER COLISEUM, SEATTLE (WA), UNITED STATES
The show was moved from Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver (BC), Canada.

Recording Includes: Band Introduction , [ cut ], Tape Drone [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Going To California.
Source: Incomplete very good audience recording. 47 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Ahead & After - The Prestigious Grammy Award (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Axeman Of Cometh (Flagge), Seattle 1972 (no label & Wendy Records), Sizzles In Seattle (no label & Lemon Song), & Trouble In Vancouver (Gold Standard)

      All that is known to exist from this performance. The night after is of epic proportions and from what we can hear here, this one must have been very, very good too. We can only speculate if any some previews were also played that night, as the playing is hot. It starts with a long announcement, after which the electronic drone is audible. Usually this leads directly into Immigrant Song, but Plant interrupts it to have a short soundcheck and to address some hecklers before the band begins playing. The opening is thunderous, and Bonzo thrashes at his drum kit like a madman during Heartbreaker. Since I've Been Loving You is truly awesome, the dramatic vibe is here as well. Some movement was in the audience during the acoustic set, Robert comments on the trouble in Vancouver and greets those in the crowd who came down for the show. He also asks if anyone in the crowd remembers the first time the band came through with Vanilla Fudge.

JUNE 19 - SEATTLE CENTER COLISEUM, SEATTLE (WA), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, The Ocean, Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Going To California [ cut ], Black Country Woman, That's The Way, Tangerine [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be, Dancing Days, Moby Dick [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Only The Lonely, Heartbreak Hotel, Going Down Slow [ cut ]..) [ cut ], Rock And Roll [ cut ], [ cut ], Organ Solo (<< Amazing Grace, Everyday People, Louie Louie, Let's Dance..) >> Thank You, [ cut ], Money [ cut ], [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], Dancing Days.
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 187 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Dancing Again (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2006 & reissue 2012), The Evergreen (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), The Fall Of Lucifer (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Let's Do It Again (Badgeholders), Lightbringer (Cashmere), Seattle 1972 (no label & Wendy Records), & Sizzles In Seattle (no label & Lemon Song)

      One of the most legendary Zeppelin recording ever, often rated among most demanded shows. There are lots of previews for the next album, including Dancing Days performed twice. Plant introduced that song, “Well, that's the first time I believe we've ever done it. All being well we're gonna get this album out before the summer goes!“ The opening numbers are brutal, and Black Dog is followed by the first appearance of The Ocean in a thigh version and without the famous count-in at the start. The acoustic section is one of the longest the band ever played, and begins with a beautiful Going To California. Black Country Woman gets its first and only complete live airing here, three years before it is released. The long medleys are breathtaking. Dazed And Confused is epic and it reaches twenty-eight minutes, featuring casual references with Plant even shouting out The Crunge name. The lead-in to the bow solo features some excellent interplay, and the middle section is simply devastating. Whole Lotta Love is blistering and contains the only known rendition of Only The Lonely from the repertoire of Roy Orbison. What comes next is probably the most amazing run of encores of all the times. Rock And Roll is vivid and ferocious. The organ solo is long and features a great mini-medley and is followed by a gorgeous Thank You that has an outstanding guitar solo. The crowd goes absolutely wild as the band returns to the stage for a riotous rendition of Money (That's What I Want) from The Beatles' annals, which is unfortunately cut after two and half minutes. After that, we're left in the middle of the first appearance of Over The Hills And Far Away. It's a shame the introduction is cut off, since it would be nice to hear how Plant introduces the song. After more than three hours, Plant tells the audience, “We're only contracted to do fifty minutes in the first place, and it's now three hours and twenty minutes since we started.“ A must-have!

JUNE 21 - DENVER COLISEUM, DENVER (CO), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Tape Drone [ cut ] >> Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker [ cut ], [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, The Ocean, [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed and Confused [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Mean Mistreater [ cut ], [ cut ], Going Down Slow [ cut ]..] [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll [ cut ], [ cut ], Louie Louie [ cut ], [ cut ], Thank You [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair audience recording. Almost 58 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): The Mighty Zeppelin Roars: Denver 1972 (Graf Zeppelin)

      This is terribly sounding and a very fragmentary recording of what was arguably a great show. The introduction is the deep drone and Immigrant Song blasts over the audience like a storm. By the time the band plays Black Dog, the tape is more clear and detailed. The Ocean is introduced to zero fanfare, the song sounds rough and powerful. Only the first half of Since I've Been Loving You is present, and almost the whole acoustic set is cut. The sound actually levels off pretty nicely for another mammoth Dazed And Confused that is truncated by many tape cuts. The recording picks up into Whole Lotta Love that is very fragmentary. The remaining portion is awesome, it features a bit of Johnny Winter's Mean Mistreater in the medley, played only by this occasion. A little over a minute of Rock And Roll gives way to an incomplete yet killer several second version of The Kingsmen's Louie Louie followed by two minutes of Thank You.

JUNE 22 - SWING AUDITORIUM, SAN BERNARDINO (CA), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Tape Drone [ cut ] >> Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Going To California, [ cut ], That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Going Down Slow..), Rock And Roll.
Source: Incomplete very good audience recording. Near 139 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), Heartbreaker, Black Dog, Stairway To Heaven, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge..), Whole Lotta Love [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 16mm silent color amateur footage. 3 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): Berdu (Screaming Oiseau) & The Final Option (no label)

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Berdu (Cobra Standard Series, Moonchild Records & Graf Zeppelin), Berdu: San Bernardino 1972 (Graf Zeppelin), Born To Be Wild (Magnificent Disc & Whole Lotta Live), Di Rigori Armato Il Seno 1972 (Wendy Records), Route 66 (California 2 Days) (Tarantura), Swinging In San Bernardino (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Welcome Back: How The West Was Won Tapes Revisited (Complete Californian Summer 1972 Diaries) (Godfatherecords box), & Welcome Back To California (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): 1970-1972 (Cosmic Energy), Assemblage (Cosmic Energy), Early Visions/The Best Of Led Zeppelin Clips Volume One (Celebration Definitive Masters), The Film Vol. 2 (Wendy Records), & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      A compact and regular set in front of a poorly responsive crowd. Even though there are no previews whatsoever here and only one encore, the standard set still excites. While Immigrant Song finds Plant struggling with his war cries, Heartbreaker and Black Dog are truly devastating and incredibly powerful. The whole playing is devastatingly vivid and visceral, and Page plays in extremes, quiet and restrained one moment, wild and dramatic the next. His epic soloing paints a vast emotional landscape during Since I've Been Loving You and Stairway To Heaven, and the acoustic set is subtle and full of mellow duels between guitar and mandolin. Dazed And Confused is pure genius closed in twenty-seven minutes, full of funky acrobatics and breathtaking improvisations, and the entire middle improvisation is delivered with guts and emotion to an audience that is way too undeserving ... the crowd is quiet and responds dully after songs. This even provoked Plant to comment on, “C'mon all you white folks - do The Crunge!“ during the middle of the song. A shame as this is a great version, standing not too far away from the officially released album a few days later. Whole Lotta Love is usually a killer, and the medley includes a standard run of classic tunes, but it rocks to the ground. Jimmy unleashing a flurry of wild licks during the extended blues segment as nobody else. Rock And Roll is the only encore tonight and is thunderous.

JUNE 23 - SPORTS ARENA, SAN DIEGO (CA), UNITED STATES
The show was interrupted when someone had burned an American flag in the seats behind the stage.

JUNE 25 - THE FORUM, INGLEWOOD (CA), UNITED STATES
Whole concert was recorded professionally. The large fragments were later released on How The West Was Won album in 2003. The afternoon soundcheck likely was also recorded and consisted of "Elvis Golden Discs Volume One" renditions.

Recording Includes: Tape Drone [ cut ] >> Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California, That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Dancing Days, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Heartbreak Hotel, Slow Down, Going Down Slow [ cut ]..), [ cut ], Rock And Roll, [ cut ], The Ocean, Louie Louie >> Organ Solo (<< Everyday People..) >> Thank You, [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..), [ cut ], Bring It On Home.
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent audience recording. 188 minutes.

Recording Includes: Tape Drone >> Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California, That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be, Dancing Days, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Going Down Slow..), Rock And Roll, The Ocean, Bring It On Home.
Source: Incomplete superb multitrack recording. 150 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): LA Forum - A Night At The Heartbreak Hotel (Artemis Record Works)

Official CD Reference(s) multitrack: How The West Was Won (Atlantic)

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Burn Like A Candle (no label, Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 3CD original 2002/4CD reissue 2002/4CD reissue 2003/5CD box reissue 2010, Graf Zeppelin, Moonchild Records, & Wendy Records, original & reissue), Burn That Candle (Equinox & Tarantura box), How The West Was Redone (no label & Moonchild Records), LA Forum - A Night At The Heartbreak Hotel (Cobra Standard Series), A Night At The Heartbreak Hotel (Missing Link), Route 66 (California 2 Days) (Tarantura), Silently Ravaging America (Whole Lotta Live), & Welcome Back - How The West Was Won Tapes Revisited (Complete Californian Summer 1972 Diaries) (Godfatherecords box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) multitrack: How The West Was Won Revisited (Empress Valley Supreme Disc bonus discs from Texas Hurricane 9CD box)

Official DVD Audio Reference(s) multitrack: How The West Was Won (Atlantic)

      This is quite possibly the best Zeppelin gig ever! The set has a bit of new material for the as-of-yet-unrecorded Houses Of The Holy album, as well as killer playing from everyone. The first complete recording of Over The Hills And Far Away was well introduced by Plant, “We'd like to try a number off the new album. We haven't really decided what we're gonna do at the end of it yet, so you'll have to bear with us!“ His voice is in incredible shape, Jimmy plays brilliantly with fast-lightning pace, especially on longer improvisations and guitar solos, and the rhythm section is just great. The Ocean is explosive, and Dancing Days was another triumph, as Robert told the audience about the new album that it “is not gonna be called Led Zeppelin Five, it's got every possibility of being called Burn That Candle.“ The show is notable for having one of the best versions of Stairway To Heaven. Dazed And Confused is almost half hour long wild race. The transitions between the musicians are extremely tight here, far from the disjointedness of the upcoming years. The whole band plays like they're possessed, and the outroduction is mesmerizing, with Page playing some of his best guitar licks ever. Bonham shines throughout his drum solo in Moby Dick, and the long medley of Whole Lotta Love - which has been dedicated to LA solely - bring down the house, followed by seven encores, which ends with the last known full rendition of Bring It On Home. After a lightning-fast Rock And Roll, tired Plant told to someone who have been fighting, “Hey, big man, cool it! Let me tell you something. Before there's any blows start. You start blowing blows and we'll go, right? And let me tell you something else - it's no good antagonizing them either. If everybody keeps cool, we can stay here all night!“ and a massive excitement roared throughout the venue. Even more, after Thank You, he added: “You don't even give us a chance to have a cigarette, do ya? I was thinking of the other variety actually.“ So shame they did not release everything officially. A definitive must!

JUNE 27 - LONG BEACH ARENA, LONG BEACH (CA), UNITED STATES
Whole concert was recorded professionally. The large fragments were later released on How The West Was Won album in 2003. (Immigrant Song dubbed to silent color amateur footage for Sydney Feb. 27, 1972 was used on DVD in 2003.)

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Going To California, That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused [ cut ], [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Blueberry Hill, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], Rock And Roll.
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience recording. 119 minutes.

Recording Includes: Tape Drone >> Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Going To California, That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be, Dancing Days, Moby Dick [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Blueberry Hill, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll.
Source: Incomplete poor to fair 2nd audience recording. Near 143 minutes.

Recording Includes: Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California, That's The Way, [ cut ], Tangerine [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be [ cut ], Dancing Days, Moby Dick [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Blueberry Hill, Going Down Slow [ cut ]..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 3rd audience recording. Almost 120 minutes.

Recording Includes: Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, [ cut ], That's The Way [ cut ], Tangerine, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Blueberry Hill, Going Down Slow..).
Source: Incomplete very good 4th audience recording. Near 103 minutes.

Recording Includes: What Is And What Should Never Be, Dancing Days, Moby Dick [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 26 minutes.

Recording Includes: Tape Drone >> Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, Going To California, That's The Way, Tangerine, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be, Dancing Days, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Let's Have A Party, Hello Mary Lou, Going Down Slow..), Rock And Roll, The Ocean, Bring It On Home.
Source: Incomplete superb multitrack recording. 150 minutes.

Official CD Reference(s) multitrack: How The West Was Won (Atlantic)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source 4: Burn Like A Candle (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 5CD box) & Get Back Where You Once Belonged (Wendy Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source mixes: Definitive Beach Party (Graf Zeppelin), How I Won The West (Wendy Records, original & reissue), Welcome Back - How The West Was Won Tapes Revisited (Complete Californian Summer 1972 Diaries) (Godfatherecords box), & Wild Beach Party (Led Note)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) soundboard: Studio Daze (Scorpio)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Burn Like A Candle (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 4CD original 2002/4CD reissue 2003/5CD box reissue 2010), Definitive Beach Party (Graf Zeppelin), How I Won The West (Wendy Records), & Welcome Back - How The West Was Won Tapes Revisited (Complete Californian Summer 1972 Diaries) (Godfatherecords box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard: Definitive Beach Party (Graf Zeppelin) & How The West Was Redone (no label & Moonchild Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) multitrack: How The West Was Won Revisited (Empress Valley Supreme Disc bonus discs from Texas Hurricane 9CD box)

Official DVD Audio Reference(s) multitrack: How The West Was Won (Atlantic)

Official Visual Reference(s): DVD (Warner Music Vision)

      Another great show used to produce How The West Was Won. Maybe it is even better than its famous predecessor in some places. Plant commented the previous night, “This is, uh, this is something I think we've done once before and that was the night before last we played at The Forum. And that was too much. It was really great.“ and his voice is just wonderful as he sings as high as on the album, and sometimes higher, and the band once again turns in an excellent performance. The start of Immigrant Song and Heartbreaker is bombastic, Black Dog leaves the audience under devastating impact, and a lenghty Dazed And Confused is simply out of this world, having one of the best if not the best outro ever. The lead-in to the bow solo section features a great driving rhythm before everything slows down to a jazzy tempo to accompany ethereal wanderings, Bonzo is like an unstoppable locomotive throughout, and Jimmy is once again a true leader, teasing everyone with haunting melodies with his violin in the middle. He's also on fire during Since I've Been Loving You and another superb version of Stairway To Heaven. The setlist comes back to its more routine programme, with aggressive Dancing Days and recent Over The Hills And Far Away as the only previews. The latter is also the shortest of all the early versions, it's obvious that the band still learning the breaks. The acoustic section is a bit of low-key compared to the previous night, but still impresses, and Robert jokes that Bonzo's rendition of It's Only Make Believe was meant to be on the last album, “but he paid us enough money to keep it off“ before Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp. The drum solo in Moby Dick is yet again bombastic and makes the crowd really crazy, and the Whole Lotta Love medley is one of the best from this tour and features an extraordinary run of covers, of which most notable is Fats Domino's Blueberry Hill that hasn't been played for almost two years in a row. Rock And Roll caps the event, leaving the crowd begging for more, and Plant's voice is still right up there. Another must-have!

JUNE 28 - COMMUNITY CENTER ARENA, TUCSON (AZ), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Tape Drone [ cut ] >> Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, Dazed And Confused (<< Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), What Is And What Should Never Be, Dancing Days, Moby Dick [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Stuck On You, Hello Mary Lou, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Rock And Roll.
Source: Incomplete good to very good audience recording. 143 minutes.

Recording Includes: Stairway To Heaven, Dazed And Confused, What Is And What Should Never Be, Dancing Days, Moby Dick [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. 3 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Burned Out Candle (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Crashing Reverly (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Get Back (Scorpio), Get Back Where You Once Belonged (Wendy Records), Hard-As-Knuckles: Tuscon 1972 (Graf Zeppelin), LZ Riders In Arizona (Tarantura, original box and standard 2012 & reissue standard), & Tucson 1972 Reel Archives (no label)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): Assemblage (Cosmic Energy) & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      The last performance of their eight North American tour and no disappointments here. The setlist is oddly truncated here, almost entire acoustic set minus Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp plus extra encores are dropped for some reason and Over The Hills And Far Away and Dancing Days are the only new material. Interestingly, the band would continue playing the one song acoustic set through to the rest of the dates from the forthcoming months until it would come back a few years later eventually. This is also the last time we can hear both Immigrant Song and Heartbreaker are played as the opening medley. A typically amazing Dazed And Confused marks the highlight of the evening. Bonham's relentless pounding is like cannon fire during the initial verses of the song. Jimmy is on fire during the frantic guitar solo section. The four of them are locked into each other, playing as one well-oiled machine during the epic improvisation. Moby Dick is thunderous and makes the audience on the brink of madness before a visceral Whole Lotta Love. Once again the medley is more compact and features more common material, but is usually great, where Jones plays on his organ instead of bass during Howlin' Wolf's Going Down Slow. Plant jokingly sings a bit of When You're Smiling, popularizing by Louis Armstrong, before they close the show with a high-energy Rock and Roll, where Page starts his guitar solo way too late.

Led Zeppelin Second Japan Tour
October 2, 1972 - October 10, 1972

OCTOBER 2 - BUDOKAN HALL, TOKYO, JAPAN
DJ Goro Itoi introduced the band.

Recording Includes: Goro Itoi Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My Baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..), [ cut ], Goro Itoi Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Almost complete excellent 1st audience recording. 126 minutes.

Recording Includes: Goro Itoi Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My Baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete very good 2nd audience recording. 126 minutes.

Recording Includes: Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Recording: Incomplete good to very good 3rd audience recording. Almost 45 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My Baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete very good 4th audience recording. 131 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My Baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 5th audience recording. 118 minutes.

Recording Includes: Goro Itoi Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My Baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..), Goro Itoi Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 6th audience recording. 128 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My Baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 7th audience recording. Almost 80 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My Baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree), Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..), Goro Itoi Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good 8th audience recording. 116 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], [ cut ], Dancing Days [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ], [ cut ], The Rain Song [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good 9th audience recording. Near 14 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, My Baby Left Me, Killing Floor, I Can't Quit You Baby..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 10th audience recording. 120 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Black Dog, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same, Dazed And Confused [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. Almost 4 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 1: The Best Of Led Zeppelin Live Vol. I & II (The Wizard's Quest Continuing Saga Records), The Final Option (no label), Live At Budokan In '72 OG), Live At The Budokan (Remember), & Live In Tokyo 10/2/72 (Toasted Records)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 2: Live In Japan 71-72 (Digger)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 3: Live In Tokyo Oct. 2-3 1972 Budokan Big Hall (LLX) & Tokyo 10/2/72 (Amazing Stork Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Budokan 1972 1st Night (no label 2CD & 4CD), Budokan 1972 1st Night Revisited (no label), The Campaign (Tarantura box), Complete Live In Japan (Last Stand Disc), Live In Japan 1972 (Last Stand Disc, 2CD & 12CD), No Use Greco (Tarantura), & Presentation 1972 (Patriot Label)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: Love And Peace In Hiroshima (Bumblee Bee with bonus CDRs)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 4: The Campaign (Tarantura box), Complete Live In Japan (Last Stand Disc box bonus discs), & Live In Japan 1972 (Last Stand Disc box bonus discs)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 9: Live In Tokyo (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Budokan 1972 2nd Night: 6 Source Mix (no label), Budokan Live 1972 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Campaign (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Far East Side Story (Wendy Records), The Hard Truth (no label), Jimmy Page No Use Greco (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Led Zeppelin Is My Brother (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Live At The Big Hall Budokan Oct 2 1972 (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Live In Tokyo (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), October Premiere (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Overture (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box & Sanctuary)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): Assemblage (Cosmic Energy), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), In Japan (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & Live In Japan (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      The first gig from their second Japanese tour mixes some great playing with some sloppiness. In fact, no one else but Jones and Bonham drive this show. The premiere of the newly revamped setlist kicks off with the first appearance of Rock And Roll as the opening number. Robert's voice is still high and great, but is showing signs of coming down noticeably. Over The Hills And Far Away is now a regular addition to the programme, as well as Dancing Days. Misty Mountain Hop has its live premiere here as a regular track, with Bonzo in absolute top form, throwing in inventive fills at every turn. The song segues directly to Since I've Been Loving You with a new arrangement. This medley would soon develop into a moment of high drama with Page playing a show stopping flurry of leads, here it is yet just good. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp is the only acoustic piece, and it is followed by another two previews, The Song Remains The Same (called Zep) and The Rain Song. Both are fully realized and sound very effective, with a gorgeous orchestration by the courtesy of Jonesy and his Mellotron on the latter. Dazed And Confused is a strange version ... Jimmy seems to be a measure ahead of the rest of the band, and it sounds quite exciting. Stairway To Heaven is now pushed to the latter part, and Whole Lotta Love ends the main set and is usually great, as it features the first live performances of Killing Floor and I Can't Quit You Baby in more than a year. A run of three energetic encores, with Immigrant Song now being the second in a row, closes this somewhat uneven performance.

OCTOBER 3 - BUDOKAN HALL, TOKYO, JAPAN
DJ Goro Itoi introduced the band.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete very good 1st audience recording. 57 minutes.

Recording Includes: Goro Itoi Introduction, Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..).
Source: Incomplete good 2nd audience recording. 91 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete very good 3rd audience recording. 92 minutes.

Recording Includes: Goro Itoi Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete good to very good 4th audience recording. 122 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete good to very good 5th audience recording. 130 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), [ cut ], The Ocean, [ cut ], Goro Itoi Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good 6th audience recording. 121 minutes.

Recording Includes: Goro Itoi Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me [ cut ]..), Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), The Ocean, Goro Itoi Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good 7th audience recording. Almost 135 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Dancing Days [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remaains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 8th audience recording. 114 minutes.

Recording Includes: Goro Itoi Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), The Ocean.
Recording: Incomplete fair to good 9th audience recording. 128 minutes.

Recording Includes: Goro Itoi Introduction, Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), [ cut ], The Ocean, [ cut ], Goro Itoi Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 10th audience recording. 128 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Misty Mountain Hop, Dazed And Confused, Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. 3 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 1: Live In Tokyo Oct. 2-3 1972 (LLX) & Tokyo 10/2/72 (Amazing Stork Records)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 2: Untitled (aka Tokyo October 3, 1972) (no label)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 4: Live In Tokyo (Amsterdam)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 5: Live At The Big Hall Budokan Oct 3 1972 (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: 2nd Night In A Judo Arena (Tarantura), Budokan Live 1972 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Campaign (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box & Tarantura box), Complete Live In Japan (Last Stand Disc), Explosion (Flagge), Great Dictator (Wendy Records), Live At Nippon Budokan (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Live In Japan 1972 (Last Stand Disc), Live In Tokyo (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Majestic Rock (Reel Masters), No Use Gneco (Tarantura box), The Overture (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Role To Play (no label), & Tokyo 1972 2nd Night (no label)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): The Film Vol. 2 (Wendy Records)

      The second Budokan show, and overall a much better performance, although the crowd doesn't create a very good atmosphere. “It is very good to be back. When group come to Tokyo - group have fun! We should clap you!“ introducing Plant. There are some really interesting parts, where the band sounds very confident, although Rock And Roll sounds a bit sluggish and weak. Black Dog is pushed before Over The Hills And Far Away, and it builds a strong opening, it would retain second spot for the remainder of the tour eventually. Plant rushes the first verse of Since I've Been Loving You, causing the rest of the band to speed up the changes to catch up. The Song Remains The Same is simply glorious and is introduced under as The Overture. The Mellotron in The Rain Song is clearly heard in this version, it sounds like Jones has to cohere than a bit at the beginning, once they get going it adds the needed orchestral vibe. There's some enjoying mood in the air that night, and the band seemed to be much relaxed, as Robert teases Elvis Presley's Blue Suede Shoes just before they launch into Whole Lotta Love. The song continues to change and evolve, and the medley features the first vocal reference to Everybody Needs Somebody To Love and a come back of You Shook Me. Page uses these old songs to just soar by playing almost lyrical and quite fluent lead guitar. Two encores finishes this evening. Immigrant Song sounds a bit out of place when not coupled with Heartbreaker, and The Ocean makes its one and only appearance in Japan, amazingly you can clearly hear John Bonham counting in.

OCTOBER 4 - FESTIVAL HALL, OSAKA, JAPAN

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Got A Lot O' Livin' To Do, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..), Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), [ cut ], Band Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 1st audience recording. Almost 133 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Got A Lot O' Livin To Do, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..).
Source: Incomplete very good 2nd audience recording. 108 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Got A Lot O' Livin To Do, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..).
Source: Incomplete very good 3rd audience recording. 121 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 1: Live In Japan 71-72 (Digger)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 2: Led Zeppelin 71-72 (Digger Productions), Live (LLX), & My Brain Hurts (Bruce's Records, GLC Great Live Concerts, Grausam Reime Schallplatten, High In-Fidelity Records, Idle Mind Productions, Jester Productions, & Trade Mark Of Quality)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: Live (no label), Live: 2017 Transfer (no label), Love And Peace In Hiroshima (Bumble Bee edition with bonus CDRs), Osaka Tapes: Raw Tapes II (Amsterdam box), & The Second Daze (Mud Dogs)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 3: The Campaign (Tarantura box), Complete Live In Japan (Last Stand Disc), Dancing Geisha (Bonzo's Favorite) (Tarantura), Live In Japan 1972 (Last Stand Disc), Osaka 1972 1st Night (no label), & Osaka Tapes: Raw Tapes I (Amsterdam box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: The Campaign (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Dancing Page (Tarantura), Live At Festival Hall 1972 (Power Archives), Live In Osaka 1971 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Moral Reader (Wendy Records), Osaka Tapes: Connexion (Amsterdam box), The Overture (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Rock Explosion 72 (Tarantura), & The Spirit Of Zero Fighter (Tarantura)

      The first night in Osaka and an excellent, although rather nervous performance from Robert. He's getting better at controlling his voice, but it's still far from perfect what's very listenable during Rock And Roll and Over The Hills And Far Away, where he tries to find a melody to accommodate his weakened vocals. The rest of the band is on fire, and really rips through the set. The transition from Misty Mountain Hop to Since I've Been Loving You is spot on. Page is in no hurry, as he plays some nice quiet notes that only add to the drama. Dancing Days is very explosive, The Song Remains The Same is yet again great, but Plant's out-of-tune vocals put a damper on The Rain Song. The long Dazed And Confused is really superb on this night. Jimmy plays an embryonic passage that sometime after evolving into an unquestionable hit of the hippie generation era, San Francisco written by Scott McKenzie. The long middle section finds the guitarist seemingly improvising several themes trying to connect them all without losing coherence, easy for him to do with the steady rhythm section of Jones and Bonham laying the foundation. The very beginning of Stairway To Heaven is once again marked by a beautifully constructed Mellotron background melody, giving the piece almost pastoral feel. The medley in Whole Lotta Love is a lot of fun and the old 1950s covers sound excellent when mixed up with some tasty blues licks, and two vivid encores are great to hear, with Heartbreaker and now-obligatory Immigrant Song.

OCTOBER 5 - KOKAIDO (CIVIC ASSEMBLY HALL), NAGOYA, JAPAN

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War [ cut ]..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, I Feel So Good, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..), [ cut ], Mellotron Solo (<< Sakura Sakura..) >> Thank You.
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience source. Near 115 minutes.

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, I Feel So Good, Let's Have A Party, You Shook Me..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd audience source. 111 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 1: Squeeze Me (Ass Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: The Campaign (Tarantura box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: The Geisha Boys (Akashic Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: The Campaign (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Complete Live In Japan (Last Stand Disc), Dragon (Flagge), High Noon (Wendy Records), Live In Japan 1972 (Last Stand Disc), Live In Nagoya (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Overture (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Rock 'N Roll Springtime (Image Quality), & Sakura, Looking Up! Great Discovery (Jelly Roll)

      Another very good show and while the rust has been shaken off the band seem in a hurry. Over The Hills And Far Away is removed from the set temporarily, Plant's voice is clearly strained, but instrumentally, the band is in great shape. Page gives a great workout in Black Dog, and his guitar seems to drown out Jones' organ a bit during Misty Mountain Hop, giving the song a heavier sound. He also plays a really great transition into Since I've Been Loving You again that instantly changes the mood and seems to toy a bit with the audience before playing the main guitar passage. The Song Remains The Same is called The Overture again on this night, and while the music is generally good, Robert demonstrates his vocals at its weakest stage, seemingly unable to sustain any note. The Rain Song is beautiful in contrast, and Dazed And Confused is truly outstanding, including some great wah-wah work at the beginning and a spine-chilling bow solo along with earth-shattering improvisation from all the band members. At one moment, the whole band turns into an impromptu jam based on a structure similar to the one from the old As Long As I Have You, giving a blast to the past from their formative years. Whole Lotta Love makes the audience to get loose as always, and has a very rare I Feel So Good of Big Bill Bronzy. The encore section is completely unique, as it features Jonesy playing the only version of the traditional Japanese song, Sakura Sakura (Cherry Blossom), before a final Thank You.

OCTOBER 9 - FESTIVAL HALL, OSAKA, JAPAN

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Moby Dick, [ cut ], Stand By Me, Immigrant Song (<< Sing A Simple Song..).
Source: Incomplete very good 1st audience recording. 75 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Down By The River, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Something's Got A Hold On Me, Milk Cow Blues Boogie, Leave My Woman Alone, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Heartbreak Hotel, Wear My Ring Around Your Neck, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stand By Me, Immigrant Song (<< Sing A Simple Song, Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..).
Source: Incomplete very good 2nd audience recording. 143 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Down By The River, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 3rd audience recording. Almost 87 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good 4th audience recording. 71 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 2: Live (LLX) & My Brain Hurts (Bruce's Records, GLC Great Live Concerts, Grausam Reime Schallplatten, High In-Fidelity Records, Idle Mind Productions, Jester Productions, & Trade Mark Of Quality)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: Complete Live In Japan (Last Stand Disc), Let Me Get Back To 1972 (H-Bomb Music), Live (no label), Live Vinyl Rip 2017 Transfer (no label), Live In Japan 1972 (Last Stand Disc), Live In Osaka 1972 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Stand By Me (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & Tapes From The Darkside (H-Bomb Music, original & reissue)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: The Campaign (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box & Tarantura box), Live (Tarantura), Live In Osaka 1972 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 2CD and 7CD box), Magical Dreams (Wyvern Legend), Moby Dick (Boleskine House Records), My Brain Hurts (Tarantura both editions), The Overture (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Rock Explosion 72 (Tarantura), & Unprocessed 109 (no label), & Stand By Me (Wendy Records)

      Undoubtedly this is the best concert of the tour, with fast and exciting playing throughout! “We've just come back from Hong Kong. We went to Hong Kong for a few days and we're well knackered.“ told Plant to the audience. His voice is again in good shape, and the band is an amazing instrumental machine that grooves. The opening Rock And Roll sounds still a bit rough, but Over The Hills And Far Away is blistering, and both The Song Remains The Same - called The Campaign this time - and the following Rain Song are really superb. Very surprisingly, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp is dropped, possibly because of the inclusion of Moby Dick in the latter part, with Robert announcing the drummer as John "Samurai" Bonham! In fact, however, the show gains momentum along with a superb version of Dazed And Confused. The beginning has a mysterious, almost intimate quality. Bonzo is amazing as he does a couple short fast fills, pauses then hits the gong to great effect, and the quiet section before the bow solo has Page working with some unique passages and this bit of improvisation inspires Plant to sing a few lines from Neil Young's Down By The River. The middle section is fast and finds Jimmy working out new places, even if he's out of tune sometimes. Stairway To Heaven finds the vocalist hitting one of his highest notes, and the guitar solo is simply great. The Whole Lotta Love medley is very long this time, has almost no blues but only fast rockabilly songs, of which some are played only here, and the group really flies. What makes this gig so unique are the encores. The first has the band playing the only known version of Ben E King's hit single, Stand By Me, on which Bonham can be heard adding backing vocals. With just seconds to catch one's breath, the whole band plough into the second encore, a frenzy version of Immigrant Song. Highly recommended!

OCTOBER 10 - KAIKAN HALL #1, KYOTO, JAPAN
The show was shortened as the band had plans to return to Tokyo by the last train.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, That's Alright Mama, Let's Jump The Broomstick, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 1st audience source. 97 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, That's Alright Mama, Let's Jump The Broomstick, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..).
Source: Incomplete very good 2nd audience source. Almost 101 minutes.

Recording Includes: Out On The Tiles Intro [ cut ] >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, The Song Remains The Same > The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, That's Alright Mama, Let's Jump The Broomstick, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), [ cut ], Band Outroduction.
Source: Incomplete good to very good 3rd audience source. Near 90 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: The Campaign (Tarantura box) & Live In Kyoto 1972 (Cobra Standard Series)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: Complete Live In Japan (Last Stand Disc), The Last Night In Japan (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), & Live In Japan 1972 (Last Stand Disc)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: The Campaign (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Evil Spirits In Kyoto (Tarantura box), Live In Kyoto (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 2CD 2014), Live In Kyoto (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 2CD 2022 & 4CD 2022), Live In Kyoto 1972 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Mirage (Flagge), The Old Capital (Wendy Records), & The Overture (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      The last show of their second Japanese visit, and a very short, high speed set. Robert's voice is truly awesome, but this would be the last time his vocals was as high-pitched, as it would never be the same within the next tours. Bonham starts his drum intro to Rock And Roll, then stops until the others are ready. Black Dog is performed with extreme impact, and the smaller venue has an intimate sound and feel to the concert. Dancing Days and Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp are dropped from the set in favour of two new songs. The Song Remains The Same, which is again introduced as The Campaign, is played quite flexibly but fast and The Rain Song is just wonderful. Dazed And Confused clocks in at just over eighteen minutes and while it remains one of the most compact versions ever during this tour, it still retains its intensity if not more. The middle section is omitting any casual references to The Crunge, but the bow solo is truly great, and the middle jam issimply breathtaking. Another curiosity of the set is that Over The Hills And Far Away is played after Stairway To Heaven. Both songs are kept in a more standard vein and because of that both are sounding similar to the album versions. It's really great to hear the boys discussing what track to play next - Moby Dick can be heard at one point. A thunderous Whole Lotta Love includes a frantic intro and an interesting medley with the only known performance of Let's Jump The Broomstick from the repertoire of Brenda Lee. The encore is an erratic and somewhat wiped version of Immigrant Song.

Led Zeppelin Warm-Up for Eighth United Kingdom Tour
October 28, 1972 - October 29, 1972

OCTOBER 28 - THE PAVILLION, MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND
OCTOBER 29 - THE PAVILLION, MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND

Led Zeppelin Eighth United Kingdom Tour
November 30, 1972 - January 30, 1973

NOVEMBER 30 - CITY HALL, NEWCASTLE, UNITED KINGDOM
Tony Smith introduced.

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Dancing Days [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same, [ cut ], The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], Mellotron Solo [ cut ] >> Thank You.
Source: Incomplete good audience recording. 127 minutes.

Recording Includes: Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Immigrant Song (< Mr. You're Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree.).
Source: Incomplete poor to fair 2nd audience recording. 21 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Newcastle Symphony (Image Quality), Nice Starter! (The Symbols), & Stepmothers Club (Mad Dogs)

      Led Zeppelin began their biggest tour of the United Kingdom with an excellent, although low-key gig. Plant's voice is weak at start, but he improves within next few songs. The band rolls throughout the whole set, have a lot of fun (Plant introduced Misty Mountain Hop as My Brain Hurts according to Monty Python sketch), and Since I've Been Loving You - similar to Japanese shows - is dramatic and well played. A great and monumental version of Dazed And Confused featuring the lead-in to the bow solo section that includes a brief instrumental and gloomy riff of what soon will become San Francisco interlude. Over The Hills And Far Away was still unreleased at this point, and it sounds almost identical to the studio recording mostly because Page messes up the solo, and he's in a big hurry to finish. More previews including British premieres of Dancing Days, The Song Remains The Same (with a proper title finally), and The Rain Song. All are performed with true passion. Moby Dick is dropped for good this time, and the Whole Lotta Love medley is compact and visceral. The old opener in the form of Immigrant Song and Heartbreaker is the first encore. Page begins the song in the wrong key, and the rhythm section keeps playing the song until he comes back in with the correct one. The finale is Jones' pastoral Mellotron symphony, perfectly capturing the mood of England in November, that fades into Thank You.

DECEMBER 1 - CITY HALL, NEWCASTLE, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Cowgirl In The Sand, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, I Need Your Love Tonight, For What It's Worth, Heartbreak Hotel..).
Source: Incomplete poor to fair 1st audience recording. Near 103 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Cowgirl In The Sand, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War [ cut ]..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete poor to fair 2nd audience recording. Near 66 minutes.

      Another great show from the beginning of the tour, this time in truly awful quality. Over The Hills And Far Away is thigh and dynamic, and Black Dog is powerful and shakes the building. Since I've Been Loving You shares signs of masterpiece of Page's skills, and the whole band builds a dramatic crescendo at the end. The Song Remains The Same is performed under its final title once again, and the playing is superb here. The hauntingly beautiful instrumental interlude based on a melody similar to San Francisco, yet with no lyrics, is again introduced during Dazed And Confused. The middle section is full of breathtaking gymnastics and licks from Page, and the band is kept at a frenzy throughout the song. They even introduced a bit of Neil Young's Cowgirl In The Sand in the lead-in to the bow solo section. Whole Lotta Love is probably the most outstanding song taped this evening. A rather unusual medley is here, with nice renditions of Elvis Presley's I Need Your Love Tonight, now rarely performed Buffalo Springfield's For Worth It's Worth, and another Elvis classic, Heartbreak Hotel instead of usual blues ending.

DECEMBER 3 - GREEN'S PLAYHOUSE, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, That's Alright Mama, Heartbreak Hotel [ cut ], [ cut ], Going Down Slow [ cut ]..), Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Mona, Pretty Thing..), Mellotron Solo >> Thank You.
Source: Almost complete fair to good audience recording. 151 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): From U.K. With Love (Tarantura box), Glasgow 1972 1st Night (no label & Graf Zeppelin), & Pop Gets Tied Up (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 3CD & 5CD)

      A really solid, kinetic and highly inspired show. Page is in a very inventive mood, which really captures the listener's attention throughout. Over The Hills And Far Away finds Robert singing without any bigger difficulties. Since I've Been Loving You is outstanding as always, and heavy-pounding Dancing Days follows. After being bowled over by The Song Remains The Same, which is another great version, the contrast of The Rain Song is soothing. Dazed And Confused stands out as fluent and strong. Prior to its starting, Plant tells one member of the audience to shut up and gets a huge ovation for doing so. They play the famous hit single, San Francisco by Scott McKenzie for the first time here, although this is nothing more than an instrumental exercise. The middle guitar solo is incredibly furious, and the band is on fire until the very last second of this epic tune. One of the better versions so far. The Whole Lotta Love medley is superb and the medley is a pretty standard for the time. A real gem is four encores, though. Starts off with a furious Immigrant Song, it leads to Heartbreaker. Close to the end of the middle guitar solo, Page shifts from his unaccompanied hoe-down soloing and starts playing the riff to Mona by Bo Diddley, complete with vocal verses. Several seconds later, Page transitions to the riff from another Diddley's classic, Pretty Thing to finish off the jam before resuming the main solo. Thank You rounds it all off with Page being effortlessly sublime.

DECEMBER 4 - GREEN'S PLAYHOUSE, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ], [ cut ], The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Cowgirl In The Sand, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, [ cut ], Stuck On You [ cut ], I Can't Quit You Baby..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience recording. 120 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< Cowgirl In The Sand, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, [ cut ], Stuck On You [ cut ], I Can't Quit You Baby [ cut ]..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good 2nd audience recording. 115 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: From U.K. With Love (Tarantura box), Pops Gets Tied Up (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 5CD), & Stuck On You (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Glasgow 1972 2nd Night (no label) & Glasgow A GoGo (Wendy Records)

      What a day can do, the audience is far more boisterous than the previous night, although this could be attributed to the tapers being farther back. Page has taken his playing to the next level and the band storms throughout the whole set. Over The Hills And Far Away is excellent and features a great guitar solo. Black Dog is spectacular too. Jimmy seems to weave the main riff and solo and back to riff so effortlessly, seemingly channelling divine inspiration. All the new tracks from yet not finished Houses Of The Holy album are performed with vitality, enjoyment and expected power. Page's fingers flying across the fretboard during the solos, Robert's voice is still in very good condition, and the whole machinery of the rhythm section is unbelievably confident. Dazed And Confused is quite similar to the previous evening. The San Francisco interlude continues to get closer to its final form, with Plant experimenting with lyrics for the very first time as the rest work to perfect the arrangement. They seem more focused on the instrumental passages than the previous night, taking what they learned from that version and applying it here, with easier transitions from one segment to another. Whole Lotta Love features a heavy jam that leads into the wild Theremin freak-out and the medley is blistering. Heartbreaker is the only existing encore tonight, and it rocks as Jimmy develops a truly outstanding guitar solos.

DECEMBER 7 - HARDROCK CONCERT THEATRE, MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM

DECEMBER 8 - HARDROCK CONCERT THEATRE, MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, Cowgirl In The Sand, Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, It's Your Thing, Bottle It Up And Go, Cumberland Gap, They're Red Hot, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Say Mama, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), Communication Breakdown.
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience source. 92 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, Cowgirl In The Sand, Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, The Crunge [ cut ], Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, It's Your Thing, Bottle It Up And Go, Cumberland Gap, They're Red Hot, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Say Mama, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby [ cut ], Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..).
Source: Incomplete very good 2nd audience source. 133 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Hardrock! (Sanctuary)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Hard Rock Manchester (Wendy Records), Let It Zep (Tarantura), & The Rovers Return (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      A very energetic and extensive performance, with some excellent playing throughout. The band starts with Rock And Roll n a little sluggish mood, but within Black Dog everything is already properly set. Plant forgets some lyrics during the first verse of Misty Mountain Hop, and Page plays extremely fluidly during an excellent Since I've Been Loving You and The Song Remains The Same. The real highlight is another epic version of Dazed And Confused, which is incredibly powerful, and full of interferences. The lead-in to the bow solo features a great heavy jam with Bonham thrashing violently at anything within reach before a superb short medley of James Brown's There Was A Time and Neil Young's Cowgirl In The Sand. The middle instrumental section is an explosion of raw energy, led by lightning-fast soloing. They even throw a bit of Walter's Walk and Hots On For Nowhere. The outro is drenched in wah-wah as Robert's screeches and howls echo out over the crowd. The main programme concludes with a furious Whole Lotta Love. Page leads the band in a jam on a funky riff before the theremin freak-out, and the medley is full of the old classic tunes not played since the last few years. It even features I Can't Quit You Baby, this going to be soon a standard inset during the many forthcoming shows. The enthusiastic crowd is rewarded with three gutsy encores. Heartbreaker is a great, utterly explosive version, with Jimmy gets Jones and Bonham into a high-speed jam in the middle of the a cappella solo. Immigrant Song follows with a huge impact, and a quick and unexpected Communication Breakdown finishes this fantastic evening. Highly recommended!

DECEMBER 11 - CAPITOL THEATRE, CARDIFF, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM

DECEMBER 12 - CAPITOL THEATRE, CARDIFF, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Whole Lotta Love (<< Let's Have A Party [ cut ], Heartbreak Hotel, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), [ cut ], Mellotron Solo [ cut ] >> Thank You [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good audience recording. Near 37 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Cardiff 1972 Second Night (Graf Zeppelin) & Detroit Rock City (Lemon Song)

      This is another good show, but only the last few songs were recorded. The tape begins during the Whole Lotta Love medley, with the crowd being very into the performance. The audience scream and stomp until the band returns and plays a bit of traditional song Old MacDonald Had A Farm before the encores section. The transition from nursery rhymes into Immigrant Song happens in a flash, yet the crowd is there in spades. Page rips a great solo. The crowd wants more, and we are treated to Jimmy checking the Les Paul before starting a muscular and heavy sounding Heartbreaker. Like the rest of the tape the crowd is whipped into a fury and the band know they will need more, so they play a final encore of Thank You, a wonderful tranquil version, very relaxing and seemingly satisfies the audience.

DECEMBER 16 - ODEON THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Heartbreak Hotel, I Can't Quit You Baby..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good audience recording. 130 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Live From England 1972 (Graf Zeppelin, original & reissue) & Sweet Brummy Roll (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original & reissue)

      A very good concert, but the band seems to be a bit disjoined at places. Over The Hills And Far Away and Black Dog finds Page in a very aggressive and intense mood. The Song Remains The Same is played close to the album version's arrangement, with Plant attempting to hit the high notes and duplicate the interjections found on the album. The Rain Song, by contrast, is one of the more unique versions on tape. Jones is playing the organ instead of the Mellotron, which goes out of tune, and it sounds damn good. Apparently there were problems with the instrument, and he had to switch to the keyboards. Dazed And Confused is next and again, the band seems to be a bit disjointed at times during the long middle guitar solo, even despite some incredibly fluid playing from Jimmy. This is also the first time, when the whole band plays a full version of San Francisco with lyrics, unfortunately the tape is cut and most of it is missing. What's more interesting, during the coda section, they play the heavy descending riff that would later evolve into In The Light eventually. On the opposite, Stairway To Heaven is typically routine and features an excellent guitar solo, and an inspired version of Whole Lotta Love is the main set closer. The sole encore is Heartbreaker, where Page plays yet another great guitar licks.

DECEMBER 17 - ODEON THEATRE, BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM

DECEMBER 20 - THE DOME, BRIGHTON, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Mystery Train, Heartbreak Hotel, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good audience recording. 52 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Live From England 1972 (Graf Zeppelin, original & reissue) & Sweet Brummy Roll (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      Only almost the last hour of the show exists, since the taper later recorded a Rory Gallagher show over this. This gig is most well known for the comment saying that the band played a special encore of Christmas carols to celebrate the Yuletide season. Very unfortunately, there's nothing like that present, even though Plant does mention Christmas in the introduction to Whole Lotta Love. The recording begins with apologizing to the crowd for the delay before introducing Black Dog that sounds thigh and vivid. Misty Mountain Hop is another solid version. Very unfortunately, the tape is cut three minutes into a promising Since I've Been Loving You. An entire twenty-six minute version of Whole Lotta Love is present in its full glory, and the medley features a very rarely performed Elvis Presley's Myestery Train. Plant wishes everybody a good Christmas before a bit disjoined Heartbreaker ends the show.

DECEMBER 22 - ALEXANDRA PALACE, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party [ cut ], Heartbreak Hotel, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 1st audience recording. 130 minutes.

Recording Includes: Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Heartbreak Hotel, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..) >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], Mellotron Solo >> Thank You.
Source: Incomplete good to excellent 2nd audience recording. Near 58 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 1: Alexander Palace (no label), Alexandra Palace 1972 (Geil Records), & People Weekly (Toasted Records)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 2: Riot House/Riot Show (Jump Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Electric Magic Show (Electric Magic) & Riot House (Wendy Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: Ally Pally Hard Rock Daze (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box) & Riot House (Wendy Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Ally Pally Hard Rock Daze (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), Flawless Performance (Image Quality), & Riot Show (Cobra Standard Series)

      This is the second to last performance from the first leg of the tour in front of an unresponsive and frozen audience. “It's a bit warmer than the last gig we managed to pull off - that was at that notorious Wembley place.“ Plant told to the audience. Jimmy and Jonesy are really amazing throughout, and Bonzo hammers away. Robert sounds fine, except for his upper range, which is a little rusty. Rock And Roll is a bit harsh, but with Over The Hills And Far Away everything is kept in a right order, where Page plays a wonderful guitar solo. The coupling of Misty Mountain Hop into Since I've Been Loving You is perfectly joined here, the middle guitar solo is highly dramatic and the audience applauded after the song with appreciation. The usual medley of The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song sounds still fresh. Things finally heats up with the ever evolving and monstrous Dazed And Confused that features the second known inclusion of San Francisco with lyrics, which is preceded by a heavy jam. Jimmy's fingers fly across the fretboard at lightning speed during the middle section, and the frantic outro sounds heavy, underlined by massive accents from Bonzo. A real gem. The main set ends with Whole Lotta Love that brings the house down, and the string of songs in the medley features the band firing on all cylinders. This time the audience is treated with three great encores. The visceral Immigrant Song segues directly into Heartbreaker, and the very climatic Mellotron solo links to Thank You that features a beautiful vocal rendition from Plant that sounds very much from the heart.

DECEMBER 23 - ALEXANDRA PALACE, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven (stop), Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< The Crunge, Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Let's Have A Party, Heartbreak Hotel, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..).
Source: Almost complete good to very good 1st audience recording. 128 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good 2nd audience recording. 28 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Alexandra Palace 1972 2nd Night (no label), Ally Pally Hard Rock Daze (Empres Valley Supreme Disc box), Disturbance House (Wendy Records), Merry XMas Mr. Jimmy (Lemon Song), & Titanic (Image Quality)

      While this final night is not as good as the concert from the day before, it is certainly no slouch either. There are some great solos from Jimmy, where he is just playing inspired licks from the soul. Black Dog crushed the gates, and Bonham trashes wildly at his drums during The Song Remains The Same, pounding out the urgent rhythm with great intensity. The Rain Song is usually majestic and mellow instead. Dazed And Confused follows, and this version is almost as good as the one from the previous evening. Page sounds like he is experimenting with many different notes and themes and is slowly working his way to perfection that would come during the European tour in a couple of months time. The audience seems to agree, but they stop Stairway To Heaven a minute plus into the song. After Plant's seating instructions, they start it again: “Listen, I gotta tell you something before you all start shrieking about. First, it is the 23rd December and it is supposed to be the season of goodwill. So, if you all sit down, there's people at the back who prefer to sit, 'cos really it's one of the hardest numbers to do without a monkey house going crazy!“ Moby Dick was calling by the member of the audience, which inspired Robert to introduce it as The Titanic before as they start Whole Lotta Love. The song features a great The Crunge inset at the start of the medley, and the rest is a pure delight to the ears. A storming version of Heartbreaker is the only encore, dedicated to Roy Harper.