JANUARY 2 - CITY (OVAL) HALL, SHEFFIELD, 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, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, The Hunter, 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, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair audience recording. Almost 122 minutes.

      A very interesting recording in terms of the instrumental interplay, but Plant's vocals are reduced to a croak as he caught the flu while hitch-hiking to the show, so they dropped Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp out from the set. Sometimes it gets a nice vibe, however - the instrumental machinery can be heard in its full power because of that. For example, Over The Hills And Far Away is sung in an injured monotone, while Black Dog sounds almost like a cacophony assault. The guitar work in Since I’ve Been Loving You features fantastic Page soloing and collective playing. The Song Remains The Same is very good and is followed by another highly delicate The Rain Song. On this night Jimmy's solos are impressive all throughout and Dazed And Confused is the best example of his musical genius. He plays plenty of different licks and acrobatic structures, and on more than just one occasion the group get into prolonged and jams heavily during the middle section. He also plays a snippet of The Hunter, and the outro section features again a nice descending riff that will evolve into In The Light in the near future. The storming Whole Lotta Love is delivered in a ferocious mood. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love section features an extended guitar solo break. The tape ends with a heavy Heartbreaker.

JANUARY 7 - NEW THEATRE, OXFORD, 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, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Walter's Walk/Hots On For Nowhere, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Almost 94 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Ascension In The Wane - The January 1973 Soundboards (Godfatherecords box), Best Of Tour 1973 (Forever Standard Series), British Story (Wendy Records), Made In England (Tarantura), Nasty Music (Tarantura box), Oxford 1973 (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Oxford Blues (no label & Flying Disc Music), & Oxford Midnight (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      This is a really good show with the whole band giving an exceptional performance. However, Robert is still struggling with the flu and his vocals are very weak. Over The Hills And Far Away has the rhythm section on fire, and Misty Mountain Hop is very powerful, the playing is in its full blow here. Dancing Days has swagger right from the start, and Bonzo sounds like a cannonade during The Song Remains The Same, unleashing a thunderous stampede of drums. On the opposite, Plant moans instead of shouts over Bonham’s thunderous drums. He even minimizes the vocal gymnastics during Dazed And Confused too, and this is the part, where we can listen to one of the best guitar workouts from Jimmy, where he indulges in some exotic and strange sounding soloing in the fast section that sounds quite breathtaking amongst the bashing of the rhythm section. Furthermore, he conjures up a vast array of new riffs and licks as Bozno and Jonesy hold down the urgent rhythm. The whole band seemed to be so relaxed that they are quoting short fragments from Walter's Walk and Hots On For Nowhere. An incredibly heavy version. The tape ends with Whole Lotta Love that is dedicated to the road crew, “Any of our road managers that didn't get arrested in Sheffield. This really is a bit heathen for a Sunday night.“ Unfortunately, almost the whole medley is cut, and possible encores are absent too.

JANUARY 14 - THE EMPIRE, LIVERPOOL, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], 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 (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care [ cut ], Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby/Stones In My Passway, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 116 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): Trouble At The Front/Death Wish Out Takes (Tropo)

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Ascension In The Wane - The January 1973 Soundboards (Godfatherecords box), Days Of Heaven (Tattytura), The Fabulous Four (Tarantura), Four Lads In Liverpool (Wendy Records), Here's One For The M6 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Is One For M6? (Tarantura), Live In Liverpool (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Nasty Music (Tarantura box), & One For The M6 (Crazy Dream)

      Another excellent sounding tape, and another great show. The recording starts with Over The Hills And Far Away, and the playing is thigh and the rhythm section is definitely on, laying a solid background. Misty Mountain Hop features a great workout from Page, while the rest are simply flying above the ground. It segues directly to wild and loose Since I've Been Loving You, performed in a significantly dramatic vein. The long version of Dazed And Confused has some truly savage playing, and the Jones and Bonham duo owns this piece. Sadly, the tape is cut and picks up right shortly after as the lead-in to the bow solo starts. Jimmy is getting warmer, playing a blistering early solo before they cover San Francisco. During the middle section, and before the return to the third verse, he samples some great far eastern Asian sounding melodies, and experimented with a number of new riffs and themes. These eventually evolve into a superb-constructed showcase of his skills during the forthcoming European tour. A must-hear. The visceral Whole Lotta Love features someone playing bongos or congas during the theremin freak-out. The band plays again a great medley with Page is nothing short of inspired during the extended blues improvisation. An excellent a cappella solo in Heartbreaker is his another momentum and is followed by an earth-shaking guitar solo section. They close the show with a rare The Ocean.

JANUARY 15 - TRENTHAM GARDENS, STOKE-ON-TRENT, 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 (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, The Crunge, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 110 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Ascension In The Wane - The January 1973 Soundboards (Godfatherecords box), Broken Fingers (Image Quality), Dedicated To Rizzlers (Equinox), Live At Trentham Gardens (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2006 & reissue 2010), Live In Stoke 1973 (no label), Nasty Music (Tarantura box), Soul Brothers (Tarantura), Stoke 1973 (no label), Stoke On Trent Multiband Remaster (Wendy Records), The Stoker (Tarantura), Stroke In Stoke (Red Devil), Vis Unita Fortior (Wendy Records), & Voodoo In The Gardens (Moonchild Records)

      Even though the entire band is playing incredibly well here, this show belongs to Bonham - he uses different and unique fills throughout. Black Dog received a very confusing introduction, “This is a song about a Labrador that used to come with when we went shooting people ... we don't shot animals!“ Misty Mountain Hop is dedicated to Rizlas (a brand of rolling paper for sale in the United Kingdom). The band is tight and professional here, with Bonzo continuing to assert himself as an outstanding performer. The song number segues into Since I’ve Been Loving You that starts out beautifully calm and restrained, slowly building toward the powerful climax. Page plays a bit of That's The Way during the instrumental breakdown in Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp for the very first time. The highlight of the show is obviously Dazed And Confused. The initial guitar licks are building a needed space for volcanic eruption during the start. Bonzo transforms the lead-in to the bow solo into a frantic shuffle, and Page plays some incredible structures, transforming this epic song into another dimension. He shreds through the guitar solos with amazing precision and the band, including The Crunge during the middle guitar jam. Whole Lotta Love includes a bit of Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) and contains some different playing and drumming, making it one of the best performances from this tour. Instead of going into the demanding blues improvisation, the band goes straight to the closing verse of the main song, and the rest of the tape, including possibly at least one encore, is missing.

JANUARY 16 - KINGS HALL, ABERYSTWYTH, WALES, UNITED KINGDOM

JANUARY 18 - ST. GEORGE'S HALL, BRADFORD, UNITED KINGDOM
The show rescheduled from January 4, 1973.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Dancing Days [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Let It Bleed, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Blue Suede Shoes, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby/Stones In My Passway, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..).
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 128 minutes.

Recording Includes: Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Just A Little Bit, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Let It Bleed, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Blue Suede Shoes, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby/Stones In My Passway, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Immigrant Song (<< Mr. You're A Better Man Than I..)[ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Near 50 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: Bradford UK 1973 (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Ascension In The Wane - The January 1973 Soundboards (Godfatherecords box), The Great Lost Live Album (Nasty Music, 3CD), Heart Attack (Condor), Fallin' In Love With The Fallin' Angel (Led Note), & Summer Colored Nancy (Wendy Records)

      This is unbelievably great show, and the whole band giving one of their best. Even Plant is trying to improve his vocals as much as possible. So unfortunately, much of the gig is captured in a poorly sounding recording. Rock And Roll segueing into Over The Hills And Far Away almost seamlessly, giving a taste of what would become a standard during the next North American tour. Black Dog explodes with truly incredible force, and the usually excellent Since I've Been Loving You sounds especially expressive and brutal, only to turn into a highly delicate dialogue between the musicians in a moment. Robert’s voice sounds especially strong during The Song Remains The Same as he lets loose some infernal drones over Jimmy's solos. Dazed And Confused contains some variations unique to this performance. The lead-in to the bow solo features an excellent funky jam, and Page and Bonham have this unique and amazing interplay here, and Jones throw in just about every time signature at the drop of a hat. Plant unleashes a barrage of spine-chilling screams during his call and response with Jimmy, and the outroduction sounds like a razor's blade and leaves everyone in a visceral mood. Whole Lotta Love is just brutal. While Page spittes out his sledgehammer riffs, Robert gives a parodic nod to The Rolling Stones’ Let It Bleed and the medley continues the variations known from the previous dates but debuts a bit of Carl Perkins' Blue Suede Shoes. The show ends with what will prove to be the final recorded performance of Immigrant Song. Highly recommended!

JANUARY 21 - GAUMONT THEATRE, SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM
The soundcheck for the upcoming show on January 22, 1973.

Recording Includes: Drums & Mellotron Tuning [ cut ], Love Me, Frankfurt Special, King Creole, You're So Young And Beautiful >> Love Me (reprise).
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Near 6 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): Hiawatha Express (Stash Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Ascension In The Wane - The January 1973 Soundboards (Godfatherecords box), British Story (Wendy Records), Burn That Candle (Tarantura box), Countdown (Boogie Mama), The Great Lost Live Album (Nasty Music, 3CD), Hiawatha Express (Condor), Sessions (Antrabata Reference Master box), & Studio Sessions Ultimate (Scorpio box)

      One of only two Led Zeppelin soundchecks achieved on tape. It begins with Bonham cursing at a roadie, Jones and Plant (no Page) bang out some Elvis hits. Eventually, Robert took the drums occasionally and played a bit here and there. Love Me and King Creole are two songs that were never played in any medley, so it's good to have these. Between the songs, the boys are joking a lot, and it's very funny to hear the whole band so relaxed and happy. Awesome!

JANUARY 22 - OLD UNION REFECTORY, SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY, SOUTHAMPTON, UNITED KINGDOM
The whole show was recorded professionally and initially was thought as a part of How The West Was Won album but abandoned later in procees of mixing, mainly because of fact the overall level of performance wasn't enough satisfying.

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 ], Dancing Days, 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, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby/Stones In My Passway, Going Down Slow [ cut ]..) [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), Mellotron Solo >> Thank You, [ cut ], How Many More Times (<< The Hunter..) >> Communication Breakdown.
Source: Incomplete superb multitrack recording. 152 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Any Port In A Storm - The Lost Soundboard Show (Godfatherecords), Ascension In The Wane - The January 1973 Soundboards (Godfatherecords box), Burst On Fire (Moonchild Records), Full Throttle (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Great Lost Live Album (Nasty Music, 3CD & 2CD), Live At Clive's (Boleskine House Records), Live At Southampton University - Working Tapes (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Mein Kampf (My Struggle) (Black Dog Rekords), Southampton University (Wendy Records), Southampton University 1973 (no label), Swastika (Tarantura), University Of The Holy (Empress Valley), & The Valkyrie's Vigil (Tarantura box)

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

      The show was added to the itinerary at the last minute, and it was also recorded for a potential live album. This seems to lend itself to the type of performance given that night - very relaxed, very loose, very cool ... and sometimes very uneven. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp was dropped out from the set for the second time around, and the playing is still a bit shaky during the first hour, especially during Since I've Been Loving You and The Song Remains The Same. The Rain Song is beautiful in contrast and played with confidence. All these issues seemed to be completely solved with Dazed And Confused. The lead-in to the bow solo features an excellent frantic jam with Page soloing wildly as Bonham and Jones hold down the funky rhythm. The band continues to experiment with the structure of the San Francisco interlude, and the middle call and response section is preceded by a great mellow, ethereal interlude. Unfortunately, as annoyance, the level reached a moment ago drops again during Stairway To Heaven. Of particular and special note is a long run of encores, though. The band is preparing for no less than four additional tunes. Heartbreaker starts the race, no one was aware of it except for the band ready to deliver some unique setlist that night. Thank You is preceded by a sweeping but beautiful orchestral solo from Jonesy, but yet again, the guitar solo is somewhat subdued. The biggest surprise is the first full performance of How Many More Times for a good amount of time. You can hear the band play off of each other as they all take turns guiding the music's direction. The band is a bit rusty after not playing the song in over three years, but they make up for a lack of precision with power and enthusiasm. Jimmy leads the band in an excellent stop-start jam on a heavy riff, and the whole group skips the Rosie section, instead going directly into The Hunter, after which they segue suddenly into a frenzy Communication Breakdown, which is also the final tune.

JANUARY 25 - MUSIC HALL, ABERDEEN, 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, [ cut ], 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, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby [ cut ], Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], What Is And What Should Never Be.
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 134 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): A15 (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin)

      A very good concert in the face of a rowdy but enthusiastic Scottish audience. Plant is in really fine form, but skips a line during the final verse of Rock And Roll and ends up ahead of the band for a few bars before getting himself back on track. The Song Remains The Same is superb, and Page keeps a great condition throughout the whole show with his groovy licks. The band shines during a truly great rendition of Dazed And Confused, with Bonham attacking his drums with incredible force during the initial verses. The lead-in to the bow solo jam features an excellent call and response between Plant and the rest of the band. The middle jam is superb, with Jimmy simply flying over the rest at lightning speed, making this another masterpiece. Stairway To Heaven finds Robert in his prime, it seems that he almost already had dealt with the flu. The main set closes with visceral Whole Lotta Love, which is preceded by a short and fantastic intro kept in The Who-like style. The medley is delivered with expected power, and the tasty blues improvisation is full of incredibly forceful licks from Jimmy. The biggest surprise is the last encore, What Is And What Should Never Be, that will prove to be the final ever performance of this song achieved on tape.

JANUARY 27 - CAIRD HALL, DUNDEE, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop [ cut ] >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Dancing Days [ cut ], [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..) [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 45 minutes.

Recording Includes: Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow, Ramble On..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Almost 37 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) soundboard: Trouble At The Front/Death Wish Out Takes (Tropo)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: A Soundboard Platter (Scorpio), Ascension In The Wane - The January 1973 Soundboards (Godfatherecords box), British Story (Wendy Records), Dundee 1973 (Graf Zeppelin), From Boleskine To The Alamo (Flying Disc Music), Nasty Music (Tarantura box), Oxford Blues (no label), & Thundering Herd (Wendy Records)

      With any doubts, this is a much better gig than previous one with exceptional playing throughout. However, none of the available sources is virtually complete. The audience tape begins during the chorus prior to the guitar solo in Over The Hills And Far Away. A very good and strong version with blistering playing from the whole band. Misty Mountain Hop shares excellent playing, and Bonham thrashes wildly at anything within reach during Since I've Been Loving You. He swings in a truly amazing way, bringing the tempo to the song. The audience recording ends at the beginning of the lead-in to the bow solo during Dazed And Confused. We can only suspect if this was another epic performance. The soundboard tape starts just shortly after the Theremin battle in Whole Lotta Love. Plant is overtly concerned about the security during the improvisations, mentioning them several times. Bonham bashes the hell out of the drum kit, the Scottish punters are so enthusiastic their cheering can be faintly heard even in this recording. With a rather big coincidence, Plant sings a line from Ramble On during the coda. Two heavy encores completes this really great evening, a ferocious version of Heartbreaker and Communication Breakdown, which is played at a slightly slower pace than usual.

JANUARY 28 - KING'S THEATRE, EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND, UNITED KINGDOM

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco [ cut ], Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair audience recording. 48 minutes.

      Another very good show, although very incomplete and with poor quality. The tape begins with Rock And Roll already in progress. Over The Hills And Far Away is again well played and shows almost fully recovered Plant as his voice is again strong, reaching higher registers. The tape cuts out and leads to a strong version of The Song Remains The Same, which is followed by a gorgeous The Rain Song sharing the intimacy, and with the Mellotron a bit out of tune. The real highlight is Dazed And Confused, which is just great and full of inspiration. The band jams heavily during the section before the San Francisco interlude. The instrumental machinery is in full swing during the guitar solo section, and the outroduction is wild and kept in cacophony assault. Unfortunately, the rest of the concert is likely not taped.

JANUARY 30 - GUILDHALL, PRESTON, UNITED KINGDOM
The show rescheduled from January 3, 1973.

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 (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< Cat's Squirrel, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Sing A Simple Song, The Hunter, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, You've Got To Love Her With A Feeling, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ].
Source: Almost complete good to very good audience recording. 125 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Plant's Influenza (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Strange Affinity (Electric Magic), & Zep (Tarantura)

      The last date of the tour and a relaxed and great performance. This lends to a really superb playing from Page and Bonham, both are just spots on. Jimmy plays some unique guitar solo in the middle of Over The Hills And Far Away, and Bonzo is out of control in bombastic Black Dog. An outstanding rendition of Since I've Been Loving You has Page bursting every single note on the guitar bridge in a truly magnificent mood. However, not earlier than in Dazed And Confused we can feel what the the musicians had in store. Jimmy carries on unmoved, and the improvisation turns out to be one of their heaviest. He solos wildly during the lead-in to the bow solo, as Bonzo and Jonesy hold down a funky rhythm. Later on, he leads the band to a heavy riff from Cream's Cat's Squirrel just before they start the very haunting San Francisco interlude. After that, he teases the audience with some start-stop jamming as he goes down for a doomy bow solo. The whole level of improvisations is unbelievably high here. The finale is the heavy Whole Lotta Love that reaches almost an hour long. They play a bit of The Hunter prior to the Theremin freak-out, making this section very frenzy, and the medley includes the only known brief rendition of of Freddie King's You've Got To Love Her With A Feeling. The only minor is that the very end of Whole Lotta Love and possible encores have been not recorded.

Led Zeppelin Third European Tour
March 2, 1973 - April 2, 1973

MARCH 2 - K.B. HALLEN, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK

Recording Includes: Dazed And Confused [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good audience recording. 29 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): European Tour 1973 (Graf Zeppelin) & (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction: Stockholm 1973 (Graf Zeppelin)

      This is another amazing discovery, the first show of their biggest European tour so far. Unfortunately, most of the recording has been lost, the tapes were reused and recorded over. The playing is excellent throughout, though. The band is in great form, and Page gives moments of inspiration during the solos. Whole Lotta Love is rapid and starts off with some extremely groovy intro, and the medley now begins with James Brown's Ain't It Funky Now interlude. The blues segment features the long unplayed The Lemon Song. We can guess that they played at least one encore, but there's no evidence of this.

MARCH 4 - SCANDINAVIUM, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

MARCH 6 - KUNGLIGA TENNISHALLEN (ROYAL TENNIS ARENA), STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN

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 (<< That's The Way..), [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Woogie, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..), [ cut ], The Ocean [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 141 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin & Graf Zeppelin) & Stockholm Syndrome (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      An average performance with some interesting moments. Robert's voice is strong, and the band just ploughs through the set. The guitar intro to Over The Hills And Far Away is interrupted by a hum of feedback, but the middle solo is great. Misty Mountain Hop and Since I've Been Loving You are powerful. Jimmy plays dramatically, his soloing is underscored by Bonham's thunderous pounding. Plant announces for the first time that the title of the new album is Houses of the Holy while introducing Dancing Days. He plays a bit of The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction opening intro just before The Song Remains The Same, and yet again, his soloing is wild and spectacular. Dazed And Confused contains more funk and jazz than heavy rock and is very good. The San Francisco interlude is haunting, and the bow solo is very different, as Page plays call and response with himself, using octave jumps to create a startling effect. He attacks his guitar viscerally at the start of Whole Lotta Love, but he begins the guitar solo too early but quickly rights himself to join the band for the raucous medley, which is just great, and the extended blues segment continues to be a major highlight of each performance. The two encores are played with blazing speed and power, with an unusual and exciting heavy intro to Heartbreaker. A taster of shows to come from this tour.

MARCH 7 - MESSEHALLE, OSLO, NORWAY (cancelled)

MARCH 14 - MESSE-ZENTRUM HALLE A, NUREMBURG, GERMANY

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 ], Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good audience recording. Near 128 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): Live In Nuremburg - 1973 (Private Collection)

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg (Wendy Records), Nuremburg 1973 (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin & Graf Zeppelin), & Triumph-Zug (Graf Zeppelin)

      This concert is the beginning of what would be the best run of shows during their third European tour. Robert's voice starts out a little rough but develops into a devastating howl, and Page’s playing is extremely fluent. Usually, the start is a bit rough, but with vivid Misty Mountain Hop and slow Since I've Been Loving You, the playing is breathtaking, fluent and inspired. Just before The Song Remains The Same, Jimmy plays the opening riff of Eric Clapton’s Layla on the double neck guitar, and Jones fights with the Mellotron during the excellent The Rain Song. Dazed And Confused marks return to excellent form. In fact, Bonham plays his drums as a lead instrument, making this version brutal and ferocious. He plays fast rolls at the beginning of the song prior to Plant’s vocals, almost letting Page know he is ready and is coming for him. The prelude to the oriental riffs and bow solo is excellent, with Bonham challenges on every turn with alternating drum patterns. Later on, Bonham plays a new stop-start rhythm at the beginning of The Mars: The Bringer Of War section, building tension with his thunderous pounding. Jimmy teases the audience with a snippet of Ramble On before as he gets through Stairway To Heaven, and with a bit of Tarantella Napoletana prior to Whole Lotta Love and its medley, which sounds heavy. The band closes this event with a smoking version of Heartbreaker.

MARCH 16 - STADTHALLE, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

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 (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Sing A Simple Song, Cat's Squirrel, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party [ cut ]..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent 1st audience recording. 90 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 (<< That's The Way..), [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Sing A Simple Song, Cat's Squirrel, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Killing Floor..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd audience recording. 128 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 (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Sing A Simple Song, Cat's Squirrel, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Killing Floor..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 3rd audience recording. 124 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, [ cut ], Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..) [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Sing A Simple Song, Cat's Squirrel, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Killing Floor..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..).
Source: Incomplete good 4th audience recording. 125 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 ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Sing A Simple Song, Cat's Squirrel, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Killing Floor..), Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..).
Source: Incomplete very good 5th audience recording. 126 minutes.

Recording Includes: Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Sing A Simple Song, Cat's Squirrel, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Killing Floor..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..).
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 60 minutes.

Recording Includes: Over The Hills And Far Away, Black Dog, Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, The Song Remains The Same, Dazed And Confused, Whole Lotta Love (<< Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby..) [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. 3 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) audience source 1: The Final Option (no label), Live In Vienna (no label), Vienna Vol. Two (Geil Records), & Wrench In The Works (Screaming Oiseau Records)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) audience source 2: Lead Poisoning Live In Vienna 73 (no label), Whole Lotta Rock! (no label), & Zeppelin Over Europe (Happy Hippo Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: A Soundboard Platter (Scorpio), Lead Poisoning (Flying Disc Music), Lead Posionong: Live In Vienna 1973 (Graf Zeppelin), & Zig Zag Zep (Tarantura)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: A Night At The Opera (Electric Magic), A Very Nice Night (Eat A Peach), Goodnight Vienna (Moonchild Records), Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), King - A Night At The Opera (Tarantura box), Lead Poisoning (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Lead Poisoning: Live In Vienna 1973 (Graf Zeppelin), Lead Poisoning/Live In Vienna 1973 (Cobra Standard Series), Matrix Leded (Tarantura), Remains Of The Holy (Cashmere), Vienna 1973 (no label, The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin, & Tarantura), Vienna Fireworks (Moonchild Records), Vienna 1973: New 4 Source Matrix (no label), & Wrench In The Works (Cobra Standard Series & Wendy Records)

      This is one of the greatest Led Zeppelin concerts ever from this tour, and the music level is simply outstanding. All four members of the group, but especially Jimmy, are just unstoppable, playing with such force, guts, dynamics and passion that it must be heard to be believed. The boys are in an excellent humour, with Plant admitting, “It's very nice to be here in Vienna ... you've even got some good groupies!“ The opening of Rock And Roll gets this gig going in proper fashion, and Over The Hills And Far Away dispels all doubts. Since I’ve Been Loving You features a superb solo from Page. The initial verses are beautifully restrained, and his delicate passages build tension as Bonham's thunderous pounding slowly grows in intensity. His drumming is hammering, he's a real star in Dancing Days and The Song Remains The Same, which is played with passion and incredible pace. Jones' Mellotron is absent during the first verse of The Rain Song, though. The meat of the concert is a perfectly constructed Dazed And Confused, clocking in at close to thirty minutes. The song keeps Jimmy’s guitar up in the face, which gives it a very heavy feel. Plant’s ode to San Francisco is nicely fleshed out, and the violin bow solo sounds hauntingly powerful. The middle fast segment is simply devastating. Towards the end, the rhythm section rumbles behind Page as he works his wah-wah pedal like a man possessed. As the song ends, Robert sings a bit of Happiness Is A Warm Gun from the repertoire of The Beatles. Stairway To Heaven is extremely gorgeous, and the guitar solo is just great. Whole Lotta Love is simply fantastic. The band chug about while Page fiddles with his Theremin, then wham into the famous guitar break and the oldies section. His leads during the boogie section are an incredible showcase of speed and fluency, and Bonzo hammers at his drums with incredible intensity during the finale. The only encore, Heartbreaker, is preceded by an excellent instrumental jam on a heavy riff and the song itself is just brilliant. A must-listen!

MARCH 17 - OLYMPIAHALLE, MUNICH, GERMANY

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, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song, Going Down Slow..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good audience recording. Near 135 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): 1973 Marzfest Munich (Wendy Records), Going Down Slow (Tarantura), Having A Party (no label), Lunatics In Munich (Holy Grail), Munich 1973 (no label), Olympiahalle 1973 (Immigrant), Pure Percy (Flagge), Songs For Europe (Tarantura), & Sturm Und Drang (Led Note)

      Another absolutely fabulous and exceptional show. The entire band is playing better than ever before or since, and Jimmy in particular is absolutely incendiary and beyond words. Every song is nailed with amazing playing, and Robert's voice for the most part is fairly strong but he struggles at times. Black Dog is a pure, brutal assault, with Bonham pounding his drum kit with incredible strength. This mood is continued with a massive Misty Mountain Hop that segues directly to the fantastic version of Since I've Been Loving You, where Page is on fire during an epic guitar solo. Dancing Days, the second song from the yet unreleased Houses Of The Holy album, sounds a bit chaotic in few places. The Song Remains The Same is a great display of the skills of all the band members, as the song is performed in a lightning fast precision, and The Rain Song is simply stunning and sounds relaxing in contrast. Dazed And Confused is one of the highlight points of this gig. Jimmy solos wildly as Plant's ethereal moans cascade over the crowd during the lead-in to the bow solo. Bonham wants to play The Crunge during the middle section but Page and Jones don’t go along, but it doesn’t matter to him though as he just keeps playing that tune, then Page plays a delicate melody as Jones and Bonham play a smooth jazz rhythm. Amazing. The Whole Lotta Love medley is outstanding as always, adopting a slow blues, Going Down Slow at the end, and Jimmy's licks are incredibly pampered. The only encore of the show is a brilliant Heartbreaker, with a fantastic funky dialogue between Jimmy and Bozno before the middle guitar solo.

MARCH 19 - DEUTSCHLANDHALLE, BERLIN, GERMANY

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 (<< That's The Way..), [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, I Got A Feeling, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby [ cut ], The Lemon Song..).
Source: Incomplete very good 1st audience recording. 125 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop [ cut ] >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Dancing Days, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, I Got A Feeling, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby [ cut ], The Lemon Song..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd audience recording. 84 minutes.

Recording Includes: Whole Lotta Love (<< Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Near 23 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) audience source 1: Inedits Vol. 6: A Good Job (no label)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source 1: European Tour 1973 (Graf Zeppelin), Let's Have A Party (Graf Zeppelin), Majestic Holies (Immigrant), & Wings Of Desire (Wendy Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source 2: European Tour 1973 (Graf Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: A Soundboard Platter (Scorpio), Air Raids Over Germany (Tecumseh Recording Co.), Let's Have A Party (ARMS), Nasty Music (Tarantura box), Twopenny Upright (Antrabata Reference Master), & Wings Of Desire (Wendy Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: Happy Time (Moonchild Records) & Let's Have A Party (Graf Zeppelin)

      A really good performance but a step down from the thunderous marathons of the last two dates. This is also one of the very few shows, where there are no encores. Plant is still in trouble with his voice, which forcing him to adopt a raspy tone as he tries to salvage the melody during Over The Hills And Far Away. Misty Mountain Hop is played with utmost sincerity before it segues into Since I've Been Loving You, which is another dramatic and stellar rendition. The Song Remains The Same features a flawless guitar solo from Page, and Jones and Bonzo are relentless, but during The Rain Song they are seemed to be a bit distracted. Jimmy plays a little bit of Stuck In The Middle With You of the Stealers Wheel as Robert jokingly tells the crowd, “sorry, but Whole Lotta Love was recorded by Jethro Tull“ prior to a wild Dazed and Confused. The song itself is yet again a masterpiece in improvisational skill. Bonham in particular forgets all restraint and bangs away throughout the entire piece. During the long jam session, they do Ricky Nelson’s I Got A Feeling right before the funk section that leads into the heavy call-and-response segment, and during the coda we can hear another attempt to the melody that would become In The Light in the future. The culmination is Whole Lotta Love that features a great blues segment at the end.

MARCH 21 - MUSIKHALLE, HAMBURG, GERMANY

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 ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..), [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< Cold Sweat, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War [ cut ].. ) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Cold Sweat, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, D'yer Mak'er, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, [ cut ], Let's Have A Party [ cut ], I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 135 minutes.

Recording Includes: Dazed And Confused (<< Cold Sweat, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Cold Sweat, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, D'yer Mak'er, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Almost 56 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) soundboard: 1st April (A Paris Affair) (Oh Boy)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: Suspended Animation (Image Quality)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: 1st April (A Paris Affair) (Oh Boy), A Soundboard Platter (Scorpio), European Tour 1973 (Graf Zeppelin), & Fallin' In Love With The Fallin' Angel (Led Note)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: European Tour 1973 (Graf Zeppelin), Hamburg 1973 (no label), & Mercy On Me (no label)

      This concert belongs to Page, but the whole band is content to simply hammer the set out in spectacular fashion. Rock And Roll is heavy, and it leads straight to a fantastic Over The Hills And Far Away. Jones is a hidden star here, he certainly not just plays standard rhythms, he adds many flourishes. The show gains momentum with the devastating Black Dog, then breaks through with the great Since I've Been Loving You and the scoring Dancing Days. Page plays again a bit of Layla before The Song Remains The Same. The guitar solo is simply great, and his playing throughout the song is incredibly precise and lightning-fast. Things begin to heat up with an incredible version of Dazed And Confused. Jimmy solos wildly as Bonham thrashes angrily at anything within reach during the lead-in to the bow solo. He also absolutely shreds through the first guitar solo, while Bonzo is like an unstoppable blitzkrieg, hammering away with unbelievable force. The intensity is in full swing during the amazing workout section, and each line of the final verse is punctuated by a machine gun snare blast from the drummer. The outro features an excellent stop-start rhythm as Page's fingers race up and down the fretboard. Undoubtedly, one of the best performances thus far. A mellow Stairway To Heaven features a great guitar solo, and Whole Lotta Love picks up where Dazed left off. The intensity of the playing here is so huge that it may seem that each of the musicians is flying above each over just to reach the same impact. The theremin freak-out is bookended by a frenzied funky jam, the latter part of which includes someone playing bongos or congas, and the medley is exceptionally fantastic, with a short snippet of D'yer Mak'er throwed in. They finish with a rare The Ocean a sole encore. A must-listen!

MARCH 22 - GRUGA-HALLE, ESSEN, GERMANY

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 (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, Cold Sweat, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good 1st audience recording. Near 93 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away, Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, Cold Sweat, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Pretty Thing, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Turn On Your Lovelight, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby [ cut ], The Lemon Song..), Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd audience recording. Almost 102 minutes.

Recording Includes: Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Pretty Thing, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Turn On Your Lovelight, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 51 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) audience source 1: Live In Essen W. Germany 1973 Vol. 1&2 (Magic Market)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source 1: Essen 1973 (Savage Beast Music) & Essential Led (Graf Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source mixes: Essential Led (Graf Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: A Soundboard Platter (Scorpio) & Essential Led (Flying Disc Music)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: Cold Sweat (Moonchild Records & Tarantura), Essential Led (Graf Zeppelin), Essentially Led Complete (Live Remains), & Gracias! (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      A phenomenal performance, perhaps the technical and inspirational peak for Page and Bonham exclusively. Usually, Rock And Roll is a bit rough, but within Over The Hills And Far Away all the things are set up properly. The unusual play between light and shade is perfectly achieved during the daring rendition of Since I've Been Loving You. All the new songs from the upcoming fifth album are played with true passion, Dancing Days is very intense, and The Song Remains The Same is performed in a dazzling pace. Even The Rain Song, which is the mainstay of peace, knocks down with a heavy interlude in the middle part. The extremely long Dazed And Confused is unbelievable, they pull out phrases and rhythms the like of which they hadn’t done before and will not achieve again on this tour. Every improvised note during the frantic middle jam is played with an authority and power that is superiorly different from the other versions of this epic piece. Old riffs and passages have a new colour to them and the solos just flow endlessly, and the syncopated outro jam contains another surprise as Bonham plays like a group of tribal drummers, laying down a flawless groove in which Page dances with a multitude of tones. It is as if they each kept going further and further out on a limb, pushing the envelope of their abilities. The main set ends with an explosive Whole Lotta Love preceded by a tongue-in-cheek Brenda Lee's Big Spender interlude. The Theremin battle is followed by a frantic rhumba, and the Everybody Needs Somebody To Love section features a bit of Bo Diddley's Pretty Thing and Bobby Bland's Turn On Your Love Light before as it ends in a high-speed cacophonous eruption. The rest of the medley sounds just excellent and is delivered so intensely that any other band would only envy it. Following a long pause, the band plays Move It from Cliff Richard repertoire before a furious version of Heartbreaker. Another must-listen!

MARCH 24 - ORTENAUHALLE, OFFENBURG, GERMANY

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 ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..), [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Cold Sweat, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..).
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 1st audience recording. 120 minutes.

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, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Cold Sweat, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby [ cut ], The Lemon Song..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd recording. 132 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 1: Custard Pie (International Records & UFO Records), The Final Option (no label), Led Zeppelin (aka The Can) (UFO Records), & No Page Unturned (Wendheath Rec.)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Cold Sweat (Live Remains) & Custard Pie (Cobra Standard Series)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Der Rote Baron (Wendy Records), Not Warm It's Hot (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Offenburg 1973 (no label, original & reissue), & Sweet At Night (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin)

      As for the interaction between the group and audience, this is undoubtedly the best gig from the entire European tour. Page is unbelievable in his solos, Plant's voice sounds very strong, and Jones and Bonham are a rhythm section possessed. The only negative is that Dancing Days wasn't performed at this show. Over The Hills And Far Away is played brilliantly, Jimmy flies over the fretboard during his expressive solo, and the medley of Misty Mountain Hop and Since I've Been Loving You is simply epic. It releases an avalanche of Jones' keyboards and chest pounding vocals from Robert. The band dynamics are in a full grandeur here, it steps into the footprints of past versions but also adds its own unique twists. Both The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song are a musical journey featuring superb and dynamic instrumental expression. As usual, the highlight is the lengthy Dazed And Confused, where Page solos wildly during the lead-in to the bow jam. The San Francisco interlude is eerily beautiful, and the middle instrumental section is one of a hell race, the machinery of the rhythm section is simply unstoppable. Surprisingly, this is the only time when they skipped Mars: The Bringer Of War section. Whole Lotta Love is wild and ferocious, with some of the best playing from Jimmy, and the ending blues improvisation is once again nothing short of amazing. The show ends with another superb version of Heartbreaker, where the whole band firing on all cylinders.

MARCH 26 - PALAIS DES SPORTS, LYON, FRANCE

Recording Includes: Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Cold Sweat, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party [ cut ], I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..), [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..).
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 132 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock and Roll, Over The Hills and Far Away, Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains The Same, The Rain Song, Dazed and Confused [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. Near 3 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Grimoire (Tarantura) & Lyon 1973 (no label)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): The Film Vol. 3 (Wendy Records) & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      A very shitty sounding recording, but the performance is a top notch. The playing is hot, and the show contains lots of wild improvisations and sudden tempo changes. The tape is incomplete, cuts in during Over The Hills And Far Away, and clears up near the end. Jimmy's soloing is succinct and extremely dynamic. His licks in The Song Remains The Same is precise and incredibly fast, but it's not until the very long instrumental sequences in Dazed And Confused that he's at his absolute peak. His guitar workouts meanders in certain passages to burst into an avalanche of sounds in others, all spiced up by a tireless rhythmic section that gallops with incredible impetus. A strange thing happens near the start of a haunting bow solo, as if his guitar all of a sudden went way out of tune, which results in him tuning it and then the rest of the band sort of jamming behind him for a while. These issues also present during Stairway To Heaven, the power just going out right before the fanfare section going into the solo. After two minutes of silence, the power is restored and the band picks up where they left off and Page delivers a great solo. Simply amazing. Whole Lotta Love knocks down with its weight, and a heavy Heartbreaker is again played as the only encore.

MARCH 27 - PARC DES EXPOSITIONS, NANCY, FRANCE
The show was shortened due to security issue circumstances as the band arrived late.

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 ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good audience recording. 104 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Heavy Machinery/The Dirty Trick (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2002 & reissue 2011) & Summer Colored Nancy (Wendy Records)

      Not really a bad show, but the band seems to be a bit tired, and problems with local promoters caused of shorter set - Dancing Days and Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp were dropped out. Bonham fans won't be disappointed, though, he's waging all out war against his drum kit. Jimmy's in fine form, he delivers a somewhat erratic solo in Over The Hills And Far Away, and Since I've Been Loving You is powerful. The turbulent atmosphere of the event compels Plant to flub the lyrics during the initial verses of The Song Remains The Same. Bonzo's stop-start rhythm gets a bit disjointed during the guitar solo, too. The bow solo in Dazed And Confused is disquieting and the end as it is interrupted by a loud squeal of feedback, but the ending section is one of the most unique moments of the whole evening. Page is experimenting with wah-wah a lot, and Bonham's final drumming is covered with some outstanding guitar workout, making this fragment an absolute must hear. The set closes with Whole Lotta Love, and has a casual medley, and possibly a sole encore of Heartbreaker is not taped.

MARCH 29 - SALLE VALLIER, MARSEILLE, FRANCE (cancelled due to the lack of security and organisation)
MARCH 31 - PALAIS DES SPORTS SAINT-SAUVEUR, LILLE, FRANCE (cancelled due to the lack of security and organsiation)

APRIL 1 - CENTRE SPORTIF - ILE DES VANNES, SAINT-OUEN, PARIS, FRANCE

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], [ cut ], Dancing Days, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby [ cut ], The Lemon Song..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience recording. 102 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], [ cut ], Dancing Days, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, The Lemon Song..).
Source: Incomplete fair 2nd audience recording. Near 117 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Vive La France (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin)

      A straight-forward and no-frills show, it is perhaps the sleeper hit of the entire tour. Whereas Page and Bonham seemed to have toned down their incredible technique at the last few dates, here they are definitely back at it. This might actually be the duo's most polished performance of the tour, having just enough of that frenetic energy from the week before, but mixed with a confident and effortless presentation. What makes this particular concert all that more of a standout is that this is also the best voice that Plant has been in since before his vocal crash in January. While Rock And Roll finds him still looking for the right level of his voice, Over The Hills And Far Away is great, and the whole song is played fluently and with vigor. The audience is very rowdy, throwing the bottles on stage, Plant asks them to not do this anymore. The very emotional Since I've Been Loving You marks the absolute peak of Jimmy's devoted soloing, and the very fast The Song Remains The Same featuring a very thigh guitar solo. The lead-in to the bow solo during Dazed And Confused features a heavy start-stop battle, Page gives also an outstanding lightning fast guitar workouts during the long middle section. Stairway To Heaven features Plant hitting some ultra-high notes during the final verse, and Whole Lotta Love starts with a blistering heavy riff that makes the audience mad. Again, this is one of the very few occasions, where the band played no encores.

APRIL 2 - CENTRE SPORTIF - ILE DES VANNES, SAINT-OUEN, PARIS, FRANCE

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 (<< That's The Way..), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love, Going Down, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care [ cut ]..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 1st audience recording. Near 103 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, [ cut ], Out On The Tiles Intro >> Black Dog, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, [ cut ], Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp (<< That's The Way..) [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Everybody Needs Somebody To Love [ cut ], Going Down, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Baby I Don't Care, Let's Have A Party, I Can't Quit You Baby, Going Down Slow..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker.
Source: Incomplete poor to fair 2nd audience recording. 99 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Vive Le Zeppelin (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      Just like the night before, the performance is a devastating yet in some ways reserved one. The whole band is in a good form, but perhaps the biggest star is Bonham, who in particular gives no let up at this show. It is also the last time they employ the setlist, which opens with Rock And Roll and Over The Hills And Far Away. Plant quips are kept to a minimum as he spends most of the time doing crowd control, telling the audience to take it easy and calm down, addressing a sarcastic comment while introducing Misty Mountain Hop, “This is a song about the English police, and a bad case of hashish.“ Dancing Days is also played for the very last time, and it would only appear as a rare encore in the next North American tour eventually. The Song Remains The Same is utterly devastating, balanced perfectly by the delicate beauty of The Rain Song. The whole machinery works perfectly in another version of Dazed And Confused that reaches the same heights as before, with Page duelling heavily with Bonham’s lyric drumming through the course of the middle improvisation. Page hints a few bars of a traditional tune Knees Up Mother Brown before the crushing Whole Lotta Love, which contains a great I'm Going Down by Don Nix. This is also the last live version of this epic tune, featuring an extended medley section. The final song is Heartbreaker, played with an impact and delivered in a ferocious mood.

Led Zeppelin Ninth North American Tour
May 4, 1973 - July 29, 1973

MAY 00 - UNKNOWN LOCATION (NONE)
Very possibly that this soundcheck could took place at the Braves Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia on May 4, 1973.

Recording Includes: Sugar Baby [AKA Strawberry Jam] (take 1) [ cut ], [ cut ], Sugar Baby [AKA Strawberry Jam] (take 2) [ cut ], Sugar Baby [AKA Strawberry Jam] (take 3), The Wanton Song (take 1), The Wanton Song (take 2), The Rover (take 1), The Rover (take 2), The Rover (take 3), [ cut ], Night Flight (take 1) [ cut ], Night Flight (take 2), Night Flight (take 3), Night Flight (take 4), Night Flight (take 5), Night Flight (take 6), Hail Hail Rock 'N' Roll, Nadine, Round And Round, Move On Down The Line, Love Me Like A Hurricane, Move It (C'mon Pretty Baby), Dynamite, Shakin' All Over, Hungry For Love, I'll Never Get Over You, Reelin' And Rockin', Surrender, drumming and organ [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 56 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): Sound Check 5th July 1973 (Timpani) & A Tribute To Johnny Kidd And The Pirates (Brigand)

Bootleg CD Reference(s): The Atrocity Exhibition (Scorpio), Chicago 1973 Soundcheck (Wendy Records), Hookin' & Jabbin' (Tecumseh Recording Co.), The Lost Sessions Volume 5 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Magical Mystery Tape (Tarantura), Round And Round (Ghost Records), Sessions (Antrabata Reference Master box), The Smithereens (Akashic, 3CD), Songs Of Innocence (Akashic), Studio Sessions Ultimate (Scorpio box), & Zoso's Back To Rock And Roll (Oh Boy)

      This is probably one of the most unique pieces in Zeppelin's underground discography. The exact venue is not known but from judging the condition of Plant's voice, likely it comes from the very start of their most recognizable tour. It starts off with an improvised piece called Sugar Baby, which sounds like the funky section of Whole Lotta Love. The Wanton Song is only a small fraction of the song. It doesn’t have the main riff nor lyrics but is only the descending riff leading to the bridge, so it is a bit of a misnomer, and it is more accurate to say it is a riff that was later incorporated into the song whose working title was Desire. The Rover appears as a fully constricted song with lyrics already. Night Flight is a complete version of the song taken at a faster tempo and reveals that it could have been a compelling stage piece if they bothered to include it in any setlist. The rest of the tape includes lots of rock and roll oldies, in such as a great Shakin' All Over from the repertoire of Johnny Kidd And The Pirates. The tape ends with some drumming and organ soloing that features a bit of Your Time Is Gonna Come-like solo. Simply awesome snapshot of a band developing new music and having fun with the old!

MAY 4 - ATLANTA STADIUM, ATLANTA (GA), UNITED STATES
Fragments were used on "Whole Lotta Love" promo video in 1997.

Recording Includes: Crowd Footage, Rock And Roll, Celebration Day, Black Dog, Miscellaneous scenes [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 16mm color professional footage with actual sound. Almost 4 minutes.

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): The Film Vol. 3 (Wendy Records) & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      The only remainder of Led Zeppelin's first show of their North American tour. The band performed in a huge stadium as an absolute star, and as can be expected, they gave a very good show. Unfortunately, no audio recordings have been preserved so far.

MAY 5 - TAMPA STADIUM, TAMPA (FL), UNITED STATES
Partially filmed by local TV news crew at the front of the stage.

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog >> Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], The Ocean [ cut ], [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 1st audience recording. 135 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog >> Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop [ cut ] >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ] >> Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..) [ cut ], [ cut ], The Ocean [ cut ], [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd audience recording. 122 minutes.

Recording Includes: Miscellaneous scenes (reports about actual show, etc.), Rock And Roll, Celebration Day, Black Dog [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 16mm color professional footage with and without actual sound. 3 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): The Beat Goes On: Inedits Vol. 4 (no label) & Quantient (Sad Song)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: 56,700 Fans Together And Boogie (Rock Calendar Records), First Day (ARMS), & Quantient (Cobra Standard Series)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: 56,800 In The Ocean (Silver Rarities) & Tampa Stadium (Tarantura)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Live At The Tampa Stadium 1973 (Wendy Records), Pigeon Blood (Flagge), Tampa 1973 (no label), & Top Of The World (Badgeholders)

Official Visual Reference(s): The Song Remains The Same (Warner Video, 2007 edition)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): The Film Vol. 3 (Wendy Records) & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      The second show of the tour in front of a record-breaking audience that is also completely out of control. “Hello. It seems between us we've done something nobody's ever done before ... and that's fantastic!“ Robert addressing the crowd. The band is in a fine form, but no tops, and the setlist is changed. Rock And Roll now links to Celebration Day that is followed by a short Bring It On Home before it segues directly to Black Dog and Over The Hills And Far Away. A very energetic start with some fiery playing throughout. Misty Mountain Hop explodes with a thunderous drumming of Bonham and the medley continues with Since I’ve Been Loving You in an arrangement known from the last European tour. No Quarter is a completely new piece from the Houses Of The Holy, and here is played yet in an arrangement close to the studio version, but it would soon be stretched out to twice that length. Dazed And Confused is just a mediocre version, with some sections sounding great and with the others having Jimmy doing some erratic solos. The San Francisco interlude has Plant singing out of sync with the main melody, too. No one could have predicted that in less than a week, this song would become the highlight of almost every concert. Moby Dick marks it's come back and skipping the return to the main riff surprisingly, seguing directly into a heavy Heartbreaker and then into Whole Lotta Love, the only time this is ever done. The medley is now very short and will be only extended just in a few occasions. Two encores closes this event, The Ocean dedicated to the audience and preceded by the first appearance of Bonzo's signature count-in, and a short but frantic version of Communication Breakdown.

MAY 7 - VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM, JACKSONVILLE (FL), UNITED STATES
MAY 10 - MEMORIAL COLISEUM, UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA, TUSCALOOSA (AL), UNITED STATES
MAY 11 - MISSOURI ARENA, ST. LOUIS (MO), UNITED STATES

MAY 13 - MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM, MOBILE (AL), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 114 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): IV 1/2+ (Last Stand Disc), Alabama Getaway (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2005 & reissue 2010), Best Of Tour 1973 (Forever Standard Series), Definitive Mobile 1973 (no label), Heritage Strain (Tarantura), Goin' Mobile (Midas Touch), Like A Box Of Chocolates (Wendy Records), Mobile Dick (Oh Boy), Speed Freaks (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & Upwardly Mobile/Mobile Dick (Ghost Music)

      This gig is spectacular and extremely powerful. It starts off with a thunderous Rock And Roll that moving seamlessly into a fast and vivid Celebration Day, and then into a heavy pounding Black Dog. Over The Hills And Far Away is now performed as a separate song, and features a few very unusual and exciting guitar passages. Misty Mountain Hop is extremely energetic, with the short-stop into Since I've Been Loving You being beautifully expressed by Jimmy during the solo, and all the tracks from the new album are played with fury and true passion. No Quarter is hypnotic and The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song are like night and day. The whole band is just beyond description during Dazed And Confused. The lead-in solo before San Francisco theme is full of different passages, and the bow solo is simply outstanding and very haunting. The middle instrumental section is flawlessly epic, and Page solos wildly during the ending jam. Stairway To Heaven is incredible too, the song now evolved into an international anthem of the band, and they deliver a storming rendition. The tape ends after Moby Dick unfortunately, and we can only assume the rest of the show was just as good.

MAY 14 - MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM, NEW ORLEANS (LA), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Crossroads, Cat's Squirrel, San Francisco, Cat's Squirrel reprise, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent audience recording. 151 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Crossroads, Cat's Squirrel, San Francisco, Cat's Squirrel reprise, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun [ cut ], Hideaway..), Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 149 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: Bourbon Street Renegades (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Best Of Tour 1973 (Forever Standard Series), Drag Queen (Tarantura), Johnny Piston & The Dogs (Thin Men), Live And Led Live/Live And Led Live Again Parts 1&2 (Flying Disc Music), & New Orleans 1973 (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: Bourbon Street Renegades (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Crossroads From New Orleans (Scorpio), The Drag Queen (Moonchild Records), Drag Racer Of New Orleans (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Drag Queen Of New Orleans (Wendy Records), The Drag Queen Of The New Orleans (Godfatherecords), The Goat New Orleans 1973 (Wendy Records), New Orleans 1973 (no label), New Orleans 1973: Soundboard And Audience Matrix (no label), & The Witch Queen (Tarantura box)

      If the previous show was awesome, this one is like nirvana and the rowdy audience only adds spice. “We've got to get these house lights down. It's pretty pointless us bringing our own lights, if we've got these things going on. Mr Cole, can you take your dress off and get these lights turned down please?“ asked Plant in rather humorously mood after as the authorities obligated to cut the things down. His voice is cracking at times, but the band is playing exceptionally well. The start is full of power and energy, and Over The Hills And Far Away is just excellent, with the middle guitar section played perfectly. Robert starts the second verse of Misty Mountain Hop early before backtracking to catch up with the rest, and No Quarter is epic here, slowly developing the space needed for meandering improvisations. But really the show kicks with an amazing version of Dazed And Confused, which has a unique vibe. The band plays a sort of very intriguing short jam that prior to a mournful San Francisco interlude during the lead-in to the bow solo section, which sounds very dark and thrilling. Just before that a sort of medley of Robert Johnson's Crossroads and Cream's Cat's Squirrel (repeated later in the fast section) can be heard, and the middle jam is very long and jaw-dropping, culminating with a devastating Mars: The Bringer Of War interlude. The song ends in a pure havoc, leaving the listener in a state of absolute awe. Bonzo is introduced as "the drag queen of New Orleans", and his drum solo is bombastic. With a great Heartbreaker, the performance reaches its peak, and Whole Lotta Love is one of a hell devastating culmination. To compensate for this level, the band plays a very feisty version of Communication Breakdown as an encore. A definitive must!

MAY 16 - SAM HOUSTON COLISEUM, HOUSTON (TX), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Going Down, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown.
Source: Incomplete poor to fair audience recording. 143 minutes.

Recording Includes: Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Going Down, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), Communication Breakdown [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 62 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Houston & Denver 1973 (no label), Going Down (Watch Tower box), Quick Diet (Godfatherecords), & Two Nights In May (Celebration Definitive Masters)

      One word describes this show...violence. The playing and attack is relentlessly aggressive, but the quality of the audience tape is just awful. The opening medley is a sonic attack, Celebration Day is performed at a frantic pace with Plant rushing to squeeze all the lyrics in. Page shines with his guitar licks during Over The Hills And Far Away, and Misty Mountain Hop was introduced as a song “about what happens when you take a stroll on a Sunday afternoon with a packet of cigarette papers and some good grass.“ The middle piano solo in No Quarter is punctuated by a barrage of thunderous cannon fire courtesy of Bonham. In fact, this is a very climatic version of this song. As usual, Dazed And Confused marks the absolute peak of the set, the lead-in to the bow solo is a cacophonous wall of sound with frenzied soloing from Jimmy slicing through the dissonant roar like a razor blade. Very fortunately, the last part is achieved as an excellent sounding soundboard, and it can be paired up with the European dates as it shares the exact same volcanic eruption in terms of energy delivered. Heartbreaker is an utterly devastating performance. The brutal Whole Lotta Love features a cacophonous Theremin battle and includes an excellent rendition of Going Down during the medley. The audience going nuts and Zeppelin returns to closes the show with a quick and dirty Communication Breakdown.

MAY 18 - DALLAS CONVENTION CENTER (MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM), DALLAS (TX), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Near 104 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): Fractured Ribs (no label & Toasted Records) & Hiawatha Express (Stash Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Dallas 1973 (no label), Dallas Triumphant Return (Wendy Records), Discover America (Tarantura box), Four For Texas (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Fractured Ribs: Dallas 1973 Soundboard Raw Master (Graf Zeppelin), Fractured Ribs/Heart Attack (Condor), Hiawatha Express (Condor), & Plays Oldie But Goodie (Tarantura original & reissue)

      This is all that exists from this gig. A mixed performance, rushed and tense for the most part as Jones is playing with fractured ribs! “John Paul Jones has got two fractured ribs, and he's still managing to stand. I think that's fantastic! That's not really fun at all ... we thought he'd got the clap.“ The first three numbers are a bit sloppy and also Celebration Day is plugged with some problems with the monitors, and Jimmy tests a heavy riff in the second guitar solo which is incongruent to the joy of the piece and the results sound strange. Since I've Been Loving You is a very good version in the opposite, and No Quarter is a really nice rendition, as it's almost exact duplicate of the studio track with no live elaboration. The most interesting part is Dazed And Confused that is rather loose but very exciting, energetic and bow solo is very dark. The middle jam is somewhat erratic, though.

MAY 19 - TARRANT COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER ARENA, FORT WORTH (TX), UNINTED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 105 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Best Of Tour 1973 (Forever Standard Series), Butter Queen (Moonchild Records), Fort Worth 1971 (no label), Fort Worth Express (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2006/reissue 2010/reissue 2013), From Boleskine To The Alamo (Flying Disc Music), I'm With The Band (Tarantura, original & two reissues), Thundering Herd (Wendy Records), Tympani For The Butterqueen (Midas Touch), & Worthwhile Experience (Flying Disc Music)

      Another great sounding tape. The whole band sounds strong, with some immense drumming from Bonham. Robert screeches at times but sounds strong, and Jimmy and Jonesy steam roll through the set. During Black Dog the audience seemed to be dull so Plant commenting that. Bonzo and Jones lay down a heavy groove as Page shreds through an erratically excellent guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. Some monitor problems truncated Since I've Been Loving You, where Robert unleashes a spine-chilling squeal at the end of rather uneven guitar solo. No Quarter is hauntingly epic this time, and you can feel that they tried to develop some energy into this piece, and both The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song are great. The superb Dazed And Confused finds the band back into a stunning condition, the frantic lead-in to the bow solo features one of the best renditions of San Francisco thus far. Jimmy is absolutely on fire during the epic guitar section, same as during Stairway To Heaven. A shame the rest of the recording isn't available.

MAY 22 - CONVENTION CENTER (HEMISFAIR) ARENA, SAN ANTONIO (TX), UNITED STATES
MAY 23 - UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, ALBUQUERQUE (NM), UNITED STATES

MAY 25 - DENVER COLISEUM, DENVER (CO), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, The Crunge..).
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 26 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Dallas Triumphant Return (Wendy Records), Fractured Ribs: Dallas 1973 Soundboard Raw Master (Graf Zeppelin), Houston & Denver 1973 (no label), Going Down (Watch Tower box), & Two Nights In May (Celebration Definitive Masters)

      Yet again one of the better shows from this leg of the tour and sadly only the last half of it is available. All songs presented here are playing with passion and energy. A massive version of Heartbreaker leads to the bombastic Whole Lotta Love, where Bonham lays down a funky rhythm during the Theremin freak-out and where Page plays some tasty licks throughout the whole medley. A hurricane Communication Breakdown closing this event for good.

MAY 26 - SALT PALACE ARENA, SALT LAKE CITY (UT), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], [ cut ], Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop [ cut ] >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco [ cut ]..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) [ cut ] >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 109 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 116 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: Heavy Machinery/Dirty Trick (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2002 & reissue 2011)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Georgia On My Mind (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2002 & reissue 2012), Salt Lake City 1973 (no label & Watch Tower), & Unidentified Live (Celebration Definitive Masters)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: For Frienzed Crowd (Wendy Records)

      After a few very intense and highly energetic performances, this one is a step-down. Pagey is kinda in "sticky finger" mode tonight, and Moby Dick is suddenly skipped. He breaks a string during Over The Hills And Far Away, and Plant seizes the idle time to chat up the crowd. Jonesy starts in on keyboards to waste some time, and the famous Georgia On My Mind of Ray Charles blossoms from the tinkering. This only lasts a few verses before Plant stops it, and Jimmy's guitar has been fixed. Since I’ve Been Loving You is usually smoking and powerful, and the new songs from Houses Of The Holy album, No Quarter especially, brings some nice momentum with a nice jazzy instrumental section delivered by Jonesy and subtle guitar playing from Page. Things do pick up a bit for Dazed And Confused as the solo after the call and response section is heavy and well played as the group builds on the occasion. Only during this show, Jimmy is clearly audible singing the Whole Lotta Love choruses as never before or after. The song has also no medley section except for some brief Ain't It Funky Now interlude, and ends with a common finale. A wildly cacaphonous version of Communication Breakdown is the sole encore.

MAY 28 - SPORTS ARENA, SAN DIEGO (CA), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], No Quarter (<< Your Time Is Gonna Come..) [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Honey Bee, Going Down, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 124 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Beautiful Reciprocal Arrangement (Wendy Records), Quick Diet (Godfatherecords), San Diego 1973 (Watch Tower box), & Three Days Before (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2002/reissue 2010/reissue 2013)

      This gig is something like an attempt to returning to a good form but still the band is little loose. Celebration Day is cut short when Jimmy launches into the guitar solo before the band has a chance to play the second chorus. He also flubs twice during the last part of Black Dog, repeating the bum note to make it seem intentional after the first mistake, then bursting with another flurry of notes, as he attempts to end of the song a second time. No Quarter is a really nice version here and the band goes through Your Time Is Gonna Come for a while, a song that has been played only very few times during their career. Curiously, Moby Dick is played right after Dazed And Confused, which exists as a few second snippet only. After a fun during Heartbreaker, as the boys chase each other around, perhaps the highlight of this set follows. After the Theremin madness, Jones launches into a bit of The Crunge, but it’s ignored by Page. Plant then sings a bit of Honey Bee, answered by a flurry of buzzing notes from Page, just like in the early days. After that brief interlude, he answers with notes from Going Down and the rest follows. A rousing The Ocean closes out the show.

MAY 31 - THE FORUM, INGLEWOOD (CA), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], Happy Birthday to Bonham, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 1st audience recording. 124 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Happy Birthday to Bonham [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], The Ocean, [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..).
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd audience recording. 150 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop [ cut ] >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Happy Birthday to Bonham, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..) [ cut ], [ cut ], The Ocean [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete very good 3rd audience recording. 141 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Almost 103 minutes.

Recording Includes: Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro, Over The Hills And Far Away, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same, Dazed And Confused [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. 3 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) audience source 1: The Best Of Led Zeppelin Vol. I (The Wizard's Quest Continuing Saga Records), Bonzo's Birthday Party (no label, Berkeley Records, Box Top Records original & alternate issues, Contra Band Music, K&S Records, Titanic Records Ltd., & Trade Mark Of Quality original & reissues), The Final Option (no label), Led Zeppelin (aka The Can) (UFO Records), Live In Zurich (Toasted Records), & The Trade Mark Of Quality Years (Trade Mark Of Quality)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) audience source 2: More From Bonzo's Birthday Party (no label)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source 1: The Trade Mark Of Quality Masters Volume One (Flying Disc Music box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source 2: Bonzo's Birthday Party (Cobra Standard Series & Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 9CD box 1999 & 11CD box 2011)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source 3: Bonzo's Birthday Party (Mud Dogs & Tarantura) & Bonzo's 25th Birthday (ARMS)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source mixes: Bonzo's Birthday Party (Empress Valley Supreme Disc 9CD box 1999/3CD standard 1999/11CD box 2011, The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin, Graf Zeppelin, & Sanctuary), & Bonzo's Birthday Party Collector's Edition (Neverland)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Bonzo's Birthday Party (Empress Valley Supreme Disc 2CD standard 2012 & 11CD box 2011, Moonchild Records and Watch Tower box), Bonzo's Birthday Party Collector's Edition (Neverland), Bonzo's Birthday Party Definitive Edition (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & Bonzo's Birthday Presents (Celebration Definitive Masters)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: Bonzo's Birthday Party (no label, Empress Valley Supreme Disc, Moonchild Records, & Wendy Records)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): Assemblage (Cosmic Energy), Assemblage II (Cosmic Energy), The Film Vol. 3 (Wendy Records), & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      An amazing show on Bonham's 25th birthday, and immortalized on the countless number of bootlegs by utilizing the now-legendary title, Bonzo's Birthday Party. “Today, John Bonham is 21 (sic) - he's always 21! I've known the birthday baby for about fifteen years ... and he's been a regular bastard all the time!“ The group all celebrates, turning in one of their finest performances from this tour, and Plant led the crowd through a few verses of Happy Birthday to Bonzo! The start is a bit rough, but with Black Dog everything is great, and even Jimmy's sprained finger do not prevent him from playing one of his best. Over The Hills And Far Away has a truly great, expressive guitar solo, and Since I've Been Loving You is highly dramatic and incredibly powerful. The instrumental section during No Quarter is fantastic. It delivers a dreamy, almost mysterious atmosphere and incorporates more improvisational momentum that will be expanded during the second leg of the tour. A very long Dazed And Confused is just perfect and the whole band plays like mad. The middle guitar jam is an epic and endless journey, culminating in an explosive return to the main riff. Even Robert's voice seemed to be almost fully recovered here, and he pushes himself to the limits during the final verses of Stairway To Heaven. Moby Dick sounds like a sonic assault and gets a loud ovation. What happens next is a short birthday wishes from the whole band, as well as from an already embittered public. From there, the overall playing is just stunning and both Heartbreaker and Whole Lotta Love are the thunderous blitzkrieg, coupled with incredible impact. The frenzied crowd does not let the all four members leave the stage, so they are forced to perform two encores. The Ocean is dedicated to the audience, and a raucous version of Communication Breakdown end this amazing event. A must-have!

JUNE 2 - KEZAR STADIUM, SAN FRANCISCO (CA), UNITED STATES
Led Zeppelin performed with a big delay. Support from Roy Harper, The Tubes, and Lee Michaels. Bill Graham introduced all the acts. Part of Dancing On The Outdoor Green event.

Recording Includes: Robert Plant Introduction, [ cut ], Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War.. ) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..), [ cut ], The Ocean, Bill Graham Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent audience recording. Near 137 minutes.

Recording Includes: Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Just A Little Bit, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing..), [ cut ], The Ocean, [ cut ], Bill Graham Outroduction [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 60 minutes.

Recording Includes: The footage capturing scenes from before the actual show, Rock And Roll, Celebration Day, Black Dog, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color 1st amateur footage. 3 minute.

Recording Includes: Robert Plant Introduction, Rock And Roll, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same, Dazed And Confused, Stairway To Heaven, Whole Lotta Love (<< Boogie Chillun..), The Ocean, Bill Graham Outroduction [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm color silent 2nd amateur footage. 3 minutes.

Recording Includes: Crowd footage, Rock And Roll, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 16mm color professional footage with actual sound. Near 2 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) audience: Persistence (Roon Dog)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: Acid And Sunshine (Tarantura), Best Vibes In Frisco (Jelly Roll), The Grateful Lead (Tarantura), Kezar Stadium 1973 (no label), Persistence Kezar (Holy), Rock And Roll Ever (Akashic), Takka Takka (Tarantura), Two Days After (Immigrant), The Vibes Are Real: Kezar Stadium 1973 (Graf Zeppelin), & Who's Next? (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Mary Kezar (Wendy Records, original & 2 reissues) & Vibes Are Real (Watch Tower box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: A Celebration For Being Who You Are (Godfatherecords), Imperial Kezar (Electric Magic), Kezar Stadium 1973 (no label), Led Five (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2002 & reissue 2010), Mary Kezar (Wendy Records, original & reissue), & The Vibes Are Real: Kezar Stadium 1973 (Graf Zeppelin)

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

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) professional movie: Assemblage (Cosmic Energy), The Film Vol. 3 (Wendy Records), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), & Latter Visions/The Best Of Led Zeppelin Clips Volume Two (Celebration Definitive Masters)

      A huge outdoor festival show and Jimmy is still struggling with problems with his finger. Robert screams and gets right up there for perhaps the last time in his career. Finding all the equipment not ready to play on, he made a fine statement before any tune was performed. Rock And Roll comes crashing through the gate. Bonzo is like an out of control locomotive, hammering at his drums with incredible force, but the rest of the band sounds a bit rough. They attempt to a fast recovery with a crunching Celebration Day and thunderous Black Dog. After all this mayhem, things calm down temporarily with the relatively subdued start of Over The Hills And Far Away. Since I’ve Been Loving You is an effective performance with an excellent vocal turn by Plant and atmospheric keyboards from Jones, and No Quarter is plenty of moody electric piano and great guitar workout. The next two songs from the new album are somewhat careless and lacking the consistency. Page plays like a man possessed through a somewhat erratic guitar solo during powerful Dazed And Confused, and Bonham and Jones going crazy at the end with the complex rhythms. The medley of Heartbreaker and Whole Lotta Love is very bombastic and a strong run of two energetic encores sums up the whole performance. A sudden heavy argument between Graham and Bonham at the backstage found their way to Robert's final comments before The Ocean.

JUNE 3 - THE FORUM, INGLEWOOD (CA), UNITED STATES
The show rescheduled from May 30, 1973.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog [ cut ], [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco [ cut ], Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< The Crunge, Going Down, I'm A Man, The Hunter, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], The Ocean, Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, The Crunge..), Organ Solo >> Thank You.
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent audience recording. 175 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s): 3 Days After (TMQ Records & Trade Mark Of Quality), Archipelago (Ze Anonym Plattenspieler), Atomic Asteroid (72016), The Final Option (no label), Led Zeppelin (aka The Can) (UFO Records), Sin City Social (K&S Records), & Three Days After (no label, Oz, Titanic Records Ltd., & Toasted Records)

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Three Days After (Cobra Standard Series, Empress Valley Supreme Disc, Silver Rarities, & Wendy Records), The Trade Mark Of Quality Masters Volume One (Flying Disc Music box), & Two Days After (Immigrant)

      The last gig of the first leg of their ninth North American Tour and the level of playing is just amazing. Robert is in incredible voice, Bonzo is simply thunderous and Jimmy is just amazing. The arena explodes with excitement as Rock And Roll crashes into motion. The rhythm section is unstoppable during a brutal Celebration Day. A cut in the tape just after the third verse of Black Dog leaves us at the end of the guitar solo in Over The Hills And Far Away. Since I've Been Loving You features a dramatic atmosphere punctuating by superb guitar workout and emotional vocals. No Quarter is marred with some speed fluctuations but even then the middle instrumental jam brings a full of joy and lot of inspiration. Page is in a truly great form here, he shreds through the guitar solos in a frantic pace during The Song Remains The Same. Dazed And Confused finds him in absolute peak but the San Francisco interlude is cut and large part of the violin bow segment is married with more tape issues. The long middle section is kept in a frenzy tempo, and the entire song sounds like an endless race. One of the greatest versions of Stairway To Heaven has a fantastic guitar solo from Jimmy and the final verse is incredibly powerful. The last hour of the show is simply unreal. Heartbreaker is devastatingly brutal and bombastic. The Theramin freak-out during Whole Lotta Love is transformed into a frantic stop-start battle between Page and the rest of the band, and the medley is much extended. It includes almost forgotten The Hunter insertion from the very old How Many More Times. The audience is so enthusiastic that they decide to perform three encores in a row, starting with the now-standard The Ocean. Communication Breakdown is the next and is full of visceral energy. The show closes with one of the most epic performances of Thank You that is preceded by an oustanding organ solo. A definitive-must!

JULY 6 - CHICAGO STADIUM, CHICAGO (IL), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, [ cut ], Heartbreaker [ cut ] >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, The Crunge..).
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience recording. 151 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, The Crunge..).
Source: Incomplete fair to good 2nd audience recording. 138 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, The Crunge..).
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 154 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: The Atrocity Exhibition (Scorpio), Best Of Tour 1973 (Forever Standard Series), IV 1/2+ (Last Stand Disc), Grandiloquence (Antrabata Reference Master), Not Quiet On The Midwestern Front Part 3/Razed And Confused (Flying Disc Music), Second City Showdown (Midas Touch), & Sweet Dreams Chicago (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 6CD & 3CD)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: Sweet Dreams, Chicago (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 6CD) & Windy City Adventure (Wendy Records)

      This is the first show of the second leg of the tour and a very rough performance for Robert. At the start his voice is completely squeaking, and even by the middle he's still rough and weak throughout. Also were there some PA issues as well as problems with fighting audience, so he called them down several times during the concert, but with no good results at the end. Because of these facts, the first few songs are sounding just good if not uneven, and the momentum is gained really with Since I've Been Loving You, where Plant is signing in a mournful tone to an elegantly restrained version of this great tune. From there the band is tense and thus confident sometimes, but yet again severe problems with Robert plagued The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song a lot. Dazed And Confused is a total failure that contains moments of inspiration but also a kind of heavy sloppiness. Jimmy's soloing is smooth at times, and the rhythm section commands a fair background, but some parts show a complete no sync at all. The rest of the set is just average, with Heartbreaker and Whole Lotta Love being quite a strong medley of tunes. Against all logic the event ends with Communication Breakdown as a poor choice due to Plant's voice.

JULY 7 - CHICAGO STADIUM, CHICAGO (IL), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day [ cut ], [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Moby Dick, Heartbreaker (<< Bouree, Feelin' Groovy..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..) [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, The Crunge..).
Source: Incomplete very good audience recording. 156 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Chicago 1973 2nd Night (no label), In The Windy City II (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & Untouchable - Lie At Chicago Stadium 1973 (Electric Magic)

      Rather mixed performance, but much better from the previous one. While Celebration Day is on fire, Over The Hills And Far Away sounds sluggish. Jimmy saves it all with a lengthy solo and a suddenly improved guitar volume. Since I've Been Loving You is a great rendition with Robert's raw, raspy voice to its full effect and Jimmy also in great form here. No Quarter is a perfect version without the enhancements of the long jams from the upcoming years. Bonzo adds a bit of tympani here and there during the keyboard solo, and Page joins very quickly for the jam. With Dazed And Confused Plant seems to be significantly recovered and ad libs and screams at will. Jimmy attacked from the beginning excellently, his leads are aggressive and authoritative. The violin bow solo is very haunting and his playing is clearly in charge during the middle section, as he seems to be in an exploratory mood and tries some different things after Mars: The Bringer Of War section and solos effortlessly during the final passage. Moby Dick is a real marathon, and started sounding really boring. A strong versions of Heartbreaker and Whole Lotta Love is followed by a sole encore of Communication Breakdown, featuring Plant again on his worse.

JULY 9 - CIVIC CENTER ARENA, ST. PAUL (MN), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Moby Dick, [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) [ cut ] >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, The Crunge..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good audience recording. 172 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): The Complete Performance In Minnesota (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin) & St. Paul 1973 (no label)

      The concert starts off kinda sluggishly, and Robert's voice is still raspy and hoarse for the first few songs. However, Black Dog finds Page really nailing all the leads. He plays a few opening bars to Dancing Days before Misty Mountain Hop and Laurel and Hardy theme some time later. Bonham is doing an outstanding job during Since I’ve Been Loving You. He also throws out just the right beat complimenting what Jimmy plays, sometimes before he plays it. His drumming is also worth of attention during No Quarter, especially during the middle section. Definitely the star of this show is Dazed And Confused with some intriguing playing in a looser than usual structure. After the beginning part where the band usually goes into an instrumental jam that leads into San Francisco interlude, Page plays it completely different with the others keenly listening and responding. There is a psychedelic lead in to the bow solo and the middle section has all four members giving their all and Jonesy and Bonzo laying the foundation with Jimmy soloing all over it. The band is still feeling the jam vibe, making for a great Heartbreaker, and the encore is yet another version of Communication Breakdown, preceded by a short jam.

JULY 10 - MILWAUKEE ARENA, MILWAUKEE (WI), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good audience recording. 117 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Live In Milwaukee (Tarantura), One More For The Road (Red Hot), Milwaukee 1970 Original Master (Graf Zeppelin), & Rock And Roll Bonanza (Electric Magic)

      Robert starts this show very low and uneven, but he recovers halfway through. The band is on top form however, and from the brutal middle of Rock And Roll, this is a great show. Black Dog is wonderful, and a really heavy Over The Hills And Far Away is next. Plant kindly asks the crowd to chill with the firecrackers, and Jimmy tears his heart and soul out for a beautiful Since I've Been Loving You. This song is laid back and intense all at once, sometimes the best performances of this tune are not the most expressive ones. The Rain Song features out of tune Mellotron, and Dazed And Confused is another unique and interesting rendition with superb oriental riffs section that leads up to the bow solo. Page’s playing is very fiery and inventive throughout the entire song. Bonham gets the cue and leads the band into the finale, sounding triumphant in his drum pattern. Unfortunately, the tape misses the last part of the show, including any and all encores.

JULY 12 - COBO ARENA, DETROIT (MI), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, St. Stephen, Going Down, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], Communication Breakdown (<< It's Your Thing, The Crunge..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 1st audience recording. 144 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, St. Stephen, Going Down, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete good to very good 2nd audience recording. 168 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Celebration Day, Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same, Dazed And Confused, Stairway To Heaven, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent colour amateur footage. Almost 3 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) source 1: Detroit Cobo Hall Michigan July 12, 1973 (no label)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Detroit Rock City (Lemon Song), Detroit Rock City 1973 (Graf Zeppelin), Detroit Hard Rock City (Wendy Records, original & reissue), Motor City Daze (Antrabata Reference Master), & Rock And Roll Ever (Akashic)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: The Band That Beat The Beatles (Tarantura box) & Detroit 1973 (no label)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s): The Film Vol. 3 (Wendy Records)

      A killer performance from the start right to the end, the control over the material they’re playing is one of a kind stand-out. Some stupid folks thrown a few firecrackers on stage, what provoked Plant to the following comment, “Don't, don't throw anymore of them firecrackers, 'cuz that's silly. It breaks the concentration, of which we've got very little left.“ The opening salvo of the first three songs is incredibly heavy, Over The Hills And Far Away includes an expressive middle guitar solo, and excellent version of Since I've Been Loving You features all the band's members delivering a superb instrumental workout with Robert hitting some higher notes during his very emotional singing. No Quarter is just epic yet still quite short. The middle instrumental section featuring incredible, meandering jam. An unusual jazzy groove can be heard at the end of improvisation. Jones bass is captured excellently in The Song Remains The Same, giving a rare opportunity to listen to him over the rest. The almost half an hour long Dazed And Confused is ferocious and very energetic. The violin bow solo is bathed in piercing atmosphere, while the middle section finds Page in a truly great form as he plays in unique style throughout. His soloing in Stairway To Heaven is also smoothly constructed. Within Heartbreaker, which is as heavy as Bonham's pounding introduction itself does, the show reaches its extreme peak. Whole Lotta Love is delivered with incredible impact and fury, and the medley features a bit of the Grateful Dead's St. Stephen, along with another renditions of a groovy Don Nix's Going Down. A dirty and high energetic Communication Breakdown is the first encore, and The Ocean is preceded by Bonzo's talk where he's explaining that on this song he was allowed to shout. Highly recommended!

JULY 13 - COBO ARENA, DETROIT (MI), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], Dancing Days.
Source: Incomplete very good audience recording. Almost 169 minutes.

Recording Includes: Moby Dick, Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], Dancing Days [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 55 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: Amazing Second Detroit Tape (Wisteria Records), Detroit Rock City 1973 Volume 2 (Graf Zeppelin), Friday The 13th (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Last Dancing Daze In Electric Form (Tarantura), & Motor City Daze (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Amazing Second Detroit Tape (Wisteria Records), Detroit 1973 (no label), Detroit Hard Rock City (Wendy Records, original & reissue), V 1/2+ (Last Stand Disc), Fly Over Nuremburg (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Friday The 13th (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Monsters Of Rock (Tarantura), Motor City Daze (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Song Of Detroit (Celebration Definitive Masters), & Stroke In Stoke (Red Devil)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: Detroit 1973 2nd Night (no label), Detroit Rock City 1973 Volume 2 (Graf Zeppelin), & The Last Dancing Daze In Electric Form (Tarantura)

      The second night in the Motor City finds the band in a more relaxed mood. The opening salvo of Rock And Roll is thunderous and segues into a fast Celebration Day and a powerful and heavy Black Dog that starts the evening properly. Plant try and set ground rules for this evening to not throw firecrackers, and it seems like the crowd was arriving fashionably late as described during the introduction to a still fairly fresh sounding Misty Mountain Hop. Page is still playing well during Since I've Been Loving You, not pushing it, although the heat is rising here. Things begin to warm with an excellent No Quarter, where Jimmy turns in a very exploratory soloing, with the musicians in sync with each other and with some great jam towards the end of the middle jam. Dazed And Confused is another excellent and jaw-dropping version, with lots of great improvisations and inspired jams, apart from the little mixup going into the final verse. The crowd seems a little bored during a very long drum solo in Moby Dick, and Bonham leads the whole group into a fat version of Heartbreaker. Five minutes in Page breaks into a bit of what sounds like a Bring It On Home middle battle, and soon after a heavy Whole Lotta Love delivers a gutsy playing. The band return to play just one encore, and this is the last time when they do Dancing Days as a standalone song.

JULY 15 - MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM, BUFFALO (NY), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You [ cut ], No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, There Was A Time, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 159 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, There Was A Time, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 112 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: Barrage Of Riffs (Graf Zeppelin) & Slowing Down In Buffalo (The Chronicles Of Led Zeppelin)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Best Of Tour 1973 (Forever Standard Series), In Concert And Beyond (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), Misty Mountain Crop/Razed And Confused (Flying Disc Music), Slowing Down In Buffalo (The Chronicles Of Led Zeppelin), & Where The Zeppelin Roam (Midas Touch)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: Barrage Of Riffs (Graf Zeppelin), Buffalo 1973 (no label), Melancholy Sunday (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Silly Putty (Wendy Records), & Slowing Down In Buffalo (Moonchild Records)

      This show is clearly not one of the best from this tour. Robert struggles with his voice again during opening hour or so, and overall the level of performance is just standard. Several times the band has to contend with lots of firecrackers and other objects thrown towards the stage, and Celebation Day is flubbed due to some problems with Jimmy's guitar. At the beginning of Over The Hills And Far Away a firecracker blows, prompting Plant to some sarcastic commentary, but the song features a nicely constructed guitar solo. The things are accelerating along with another climatic version of No Quarter, where they all play a nice instrumental jam. This is continued with a medley of The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song, both delivered with passion and with energetic playing throughout. The very long Dazed And Confused is next, and shares some characteristics with the great versions played in Europe earlier in the year, but in other moments the band - and Jimmy especially - is a bit sloppy. He also plays Stairway To Heaven by rote a hair, but with the last hour he and the rest of the boys seems to be returning from sluggishness for good, with a smoking Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love and The Ocean as a finale.

JULY 17 - SEATTLE CENTER COLISEUM, SEATTLE (WA), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker [ cut ] >> Whole Lotta Love (<< The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..) [ cut ], [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete excellent 1st audience recording. 103 minutes.

Recording Includes: Band Introduction , [ cut ], Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, There Was A Time, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete very good to excellent 2nd audience recording. 177 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, There Was A Time, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 114 minutes.

Bootleg LP Reference(s) audience source 1: The Best Of Led Zeppelin Vol. I (The Wizard's Quest Continuing Saga Records), The Final Option (no label), V1/2 Performed Live In Seattle (Berkeley Records, Highway HiFi 3 different issues, Trade Mark Of Quality, & Wizardo Records), Led Zeppelin (aka The Can) (UFO Records), Live Concert In Seattle (no label), Live In Seattle 1973 (Wind Records), Live In Seattle 73 Tour (The Amazing Kornyfone Record Label Trade Mark Of Quality), On Tour (Berkeley Records & Black Gold Concerts), Performed Live In Seattle (Berkeley Records & Pod Records), Seattle '73 (Phoenix Records), Seattle 1973 (The Amazing Kornyfone Record Label), Seattle Daze (Box Top Records), & The Trade Mark Of Quality Years (Trade Mark Of Quality)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source 2: V 1/2 (Cobra Standard Series), Grandiloquence (Antrabata Reference Master), Seattle Daze (Image Quality), & Zep Hakase (Akashic)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source mixes: Complete Seattle (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin box), V 1/2 (Graf Zeppelin), Performed Live In Seattle (Eat A Peach), & Seattle 1973 Master Reels (no label)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: V 1/2+ (Last Stand Disc), Best Of Tour 1973 (Forever Standard Series), Grandiloquence (Antrabata Reference Master), & Monsters Of Rock (Tarantura)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience source & soundboard mixes: Afterburner (Cashmere), V 1/2 (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2008 and reissue 2010 & Graf Zeppelin), V 1/2 Extravaganza (Badgeholders), Performed Live In Seattle (Tarantura & Wendy Records), & Seattle Supersonic (Moonchild Records)

      This is a real monster gig from the band ready to play at maximum level, the improvisations are fresh and unique and sound very different from anything heard before. It begins with the long introduction with the announcer asking the crowd to stop setting off the fireworks and promising a three-hour show if everyone stays cool, after which the audience is treated with a sonic assault of the opening salvo of Rock And Roll. Robert is in great form, Page delivers some great licks, and the rhythm section is as solid as we could wish for. Over The Hills And Far Away is very bombastic, and the middle guitar section is just awesome. Since I’ve Been Loving You is delivered in a highly dramatic and powerful shape, and a superb No Quarter follows, where Jimmy and Bonzo are in perfect synchronization. Their playing is incredible as they seem deep in a mind meld. The Song Remains The Same seems to be fast and aggressive yet retains its light feel and is followed by a gently beautiful The Rain Song. A spectacular and extremely expanded Dazed And Confused is an undisputed highlight of this evening. The violin bow solo is haunting and very doomy, and the middle section is simply outstanding as it keeps the all four members in an endless race, and the outro is visceral. Stairway To Heaven starts very subtly, then turns into a dynamic guitar solo maintained in an exquisite style. Moby Dick lasts for more than thirty minutes, and starting to be a bit overwhelming at all. The heavy Heartbreaker sounds very majestic, and the things are about to heat up even more after as Page plays a great solo, it explodes into a visceral Whole Lotta Love. The instrumental jam prior to the breakdown has Jones lays some truly mind-blowing background theme, not repeated anywhere after. The sole encore of The Ocean brings a riotous finish, with Plant screaming as the band jam on the end of the song. A definitive must!

JULY 18 - PACIFIC COLISEUM, VANCOUVER (BC), CANADA
The show was cut short due to Robert Plant illness.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro [ cut ] >> Black Dog [ cut ], Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter, [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], Band Outroduction.
Source: Incomplete very good audience recording. 85 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Canada Dry (Tarantura), Cut In The 70's (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin), No Firecrackers (Electric Magic), Taking A Spiked Drink (Tarantura), Twopenny Upright (Antrabata Reference Master), & Vancouver 1973 (no label)

      The performance is not as terrible as to be reported by several resources, but it's rather obvious that Robert is tired a bit. The rest of the band is still in excellent form, especially Jimmy who plays great solos in Over the Hills And Far Away, Since I've Been Loving You and No Quarter, with the middle instrumental jam being clearly superb, including a unique and dynamic organ melody during the solo as Jones duets with Page. The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song are completely absent from the tape, most likely the band decided to drop those two from the show that night. To recompensate this, they play an excellent version of Dazed And Confused, with the frenzied middle guitar gallop interrupted by a commotion in the audience, prompting Plant to repeatedly call out "take it easy" several times. Sometime after as Stairway To Heaven ends, an abrupt finale occurred when the announcer says that Robert is being taking to the hospital due to collapsing with exhaustion.

JULY 20 - BOSTON GARDEN, BOSTON (MA), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven], [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], Band Outroduction.
Source: Incomplete fair to good 1st audience recording. 109 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), Band Outroduction.
Source: Incomplete good 2nd audience recording. 115 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 1: Boston Cream Pie (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 4CD) & Zep Vs. Boston (Image Quality)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source 2: Wild And Relatively Mellow (Badgeholders) & Wreckage In Boston (Tarantura box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Boston 1973 (no label), Boston Cream Pie (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 4CD & 2CD), & Take It Easy! (Tarantura, original & reissue)

      Probably one of the worst Zeppelin concerts from this tour so far, performed in a front of the out of control audience, and with Plant's voice going into a fragile monotone during the first few songs. They drop Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, Moby Dick and all the possible encores in efforts to calm the crowd. The problems starts as Over The Hills And Far Away goes, after which Robert tries to deal with all the things, and with the band heading directly into No Quarter in hopes of calming the atmosphere a little bit. The middle jam is intense, Bonham's entrance is very explosive. Page delivers a powerful guitar solo that sounds very groovy and loose at the same time. More troubles come just before The Song Remains The Same, when people are getting crushed in front and The Rain Song is yet again interrupted by many impatient listeners. Surprisingly, these conditions do not prevent them from delivering relatively good version of Dazed And Confused, with Page shredding through the middle guitar section. The show ends with a nice medley of Heartbreaker and Whole Lotta Love with just a basic medley.

JULY 21 - PROVIDENCE CIVIC CENTER, PROVIDENCE (RI), UNITED STATES

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same [ cut ] >> The Rain Song [ cut ], [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Moby Dick [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun [ cut ], Cat's Squirrel [ cut ]..) [ cut ], [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete very good audience recording. 134 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): LZ Rider (Tarantura), LZ Rhoder (Thin Men), In Providence (Wendy Records), On The Rhode Again (Image Quality), Providence 1973 (no label, both issues), & There's So Much More Sound To Hear (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

      The whole band is on and plays incredibly powerful and hot music. Robert has recovered most of his range, even letting some high-pitched screams out here and there. Page and Jones lose track of each other during the guitar solo in Rock And Roll, but soon Jimmy becomes a man possessed, and the rhythm section plays as if they were the lead instruments. A very expressive guitar solo in Over The Hills And Far Away cuts the final verse short unexpectedly, leaving Plant to moan final lyrics during the outro. After the song he goes on a long tirade insisting that the crowd be cool and move back or the show cannot continue. The middle section in No Quarter is simply outstanding, with haunting melodies slowly building tension until a wildly passionate guitar solo explodes across the soundscape. After the song we can hear that Robert is interrupted by a girl in the audience throwing her phone number onstage. Amidst making a joke about giving it to the security guards. All the four members are on fire during a thigh and massive Dazed And Confused, where Jimmy races frantically through a violent cascade of notes as Bonham and Jones follow close behind. The pattern of excellence continues with a blistering Heartbreaker featuring a storming introduction from Bonzo, and an earth-shaking Whole Lotta Love, which blasts with incredible impact. The event closes with a thunderous rendition of The Ocean.

JULY 23 - CIVIC CENTER, BALTIMORE (MD), UNITED STATES
Rumoured to be professionally recorded. Backstage scenes were professionally filmed and used on The Song Remains The Same movie in 1976.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker (<< Bouree..) >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete poor to fair audience recording. 186 minutes.

Bootleg CD Reference(s): Baltimore Jack (The Diagrams Of Led Zeppelin box)

Official Visual Reference(s): The Song Remains The Same (Warner Video)

      Despite a very poor quality, this is one of the best performances from their ninth North American visit. Plant's voice is surprisingly strong as never before, as he reaches up high at the end of Rock And Roll, and the whole band is firing on all cylinders during Celebration Day and a very powerful Black Dog that has truly outstanding workouts from Page during the instrumental ending. Since I've Been Loving You is great, and Robert shreds his vocal cords greatly again here. No Quarter is another epic version, the instrumental section is very tasty and features some extraordinary dreamy jams from Jones and Jimmy, but it's nothing else than Dazed And Confused that makes this show a masterpiece. The band is playing very slick, and they reverse the sections completely, with the frantic lead-in to the bow solo followed immediately by the call and response with Plant, integrated with more furious soloing before finally coming back around to the San Francisco interlude. Page shreds uncontrollably again through the middle instrumental portion, creating a completely new arrangement as the song goes. A real gem. Moby Dick is yet again incredibly long, and from a blowout of Heartbreaker to the encore, this show is pure Zeppelin nirvana and the crowd's approval is deafening. Jimmy expressing himself much during Whole Lotta Love and shines with a superb guitar solos during the medley, the rhythm section provides another unque background line before the breakown, and The Ocean is kept in a havoc.

JULY 24 - THREE RIVERS STADIUM, PITTSBURGH (PA), UNITED STATES
Little Feat provided the support. Rumoured to be professionally recorded. Some short sentences were professinally filmed and used on The Song Remains The Same movie in 1976 and "Whole Lotta Love" promo video in 1997.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good to very good 1st audience recording. Near 115 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, [ cut ], Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], Heartbreaker [ cut ] >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete very good 2nd audience recording. Almost 57 minutes.

Recording Includes: Band Introduction [ cut ], Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< There Was A Time, San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete good 3rd audience recording. 126 minutes.

Recording Includes: Miscellaneous scenes (the group boarding plane, on plane, and limousine convoy), Band Introduction, Rock And Roll, Black Dog [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent 1st color amateur footage. 4 minutes.

Recording Includes: Over The Hills And Far Away, Dazed And Confused, Stairway To Heaven [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 16mm silent 2nd color amateur footage. Length not known.

Bootleg CD Reference(s) source mixes: Hello Pittsburgh (Image Quality), Pittsburgh Steelers (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & The Resurrection (Electric Magic)

Official Visual Reference(s): DVD (Warner Music Vision), The Song Remains The Same (Warner Video), & Whole Lotta Love (promo video)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) 1st amateur footage: Assemblage (Cosmic Energy), The Film Vol. 3 (Wendy Records), & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

      A really intense and absolutely vibrant show. After the sluggish start, things have been heating up within Over The Hills And Far Away and the crowd is really into it. Robert is powerful and savage, and Misty Mountain Hop and Since I've Been Loving You are delivered with vigor and subtlety in one. The middle instrumental section in No Quarter is very polished, it now sounds much similar to the version from the official live album. Jimmy plays some incredibly constructed guitar licks during the immense Dazed And Confused that features an eerie and haunting bow solo. He's in truly unstoppable mood during the long middle instrumental section, which features an out of control interplay and where he gives a showcase of his guitar skills. The same can be said about Stairway To Heaven, which has an excellent guitar section. Plant makes an announcement asking an audience member named Tammy Davis to meet her boyfriend at the side of the stage before Moby Dick. The end of the performance is extremely heavy and a joy to hear, especially how Robert controls the unruly crowd. Heartbreaker begins with Bonzo pounding all the hell out of his drum kit, and the fast guitar solo section is exceptional. The song links directly to a visceral Whole Lotta Love, and Theremin freak-out is cacophony explosion. The medley, albeit short, is a pure genius and a showcase of Page's skills. The Ocean is again the only encore, and it rocks.

JULY 27 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY (NY), UNITED STATES
Whole concert was professionally recorded and filmed. Released on The Song Remains The Same movie and video soundtrack in 1976. Fragments of pro shot video were used for "Travelling Riverside Blues" (late 1990), "Over The Hills And Far Away" (late 1990) and "Whole Lotta Love" (1997) promo videos. Finally, pro shot video was also released on DVD in 2003.

Recording Includes: The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), Announcer Speech, The Ocean, Band Outroduction.
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 98 minutes.

Recording Includes: Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..) [ cut ], Announcer Speech, The Ocean [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. 50 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete superb 2nd multitrack recording. Near 100 minutes (1976 soundtrack); Almost 132 minutes (2007 soundtrack).

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Celebration Day, Black Dog [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent 1st color amateur footage. 4 minutes.

Recording Includes: Celebration Day, Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent 2nd color amateur footage. Near 8 minutes.

Recording Includes: Intro/Dazed And Confused (bow sequence), Whole Lotta Love (conclusion), Celebration Day (intro), Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, No Quarter (middle section), Since I've Been Loving You (ending), Whole Lotta Love (excerpt), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Moby Dick, Dazed And Confused (bow sequence), Whole Lotta Love (conclusion). The film also features scene outside the venue and short interviews with fans in between The Rain Song and Moby Dick.
Source: Incomplete 16mm & 35mm professional footage with actual sound. 36 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete 16mm & 35mm professional footage with actual sound. 132 minutes (1976 movie); 157 minutes (2007 movie); 23 minutes (2003 DVD). [ Times reveals non-musical movie contents also. ]

Official LP Reference(s) multitrack: The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song)

Official CD Reference(s) multitrack : The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: The Out Of Song Remains (Holy)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: Discover America (Tarantura box), V 1/2+ (Last Stand Disc), V1/2 Extravaganza (Badgeholders), Best Of Tour 1973 (Forever Standard Series), Complete Madison Square Garden (Wendy Records), The Garden Tapes - The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), Grandiloquence (Antrabata Reference Master), Like A Box Of Chocolates (Wendy Records), & The Safecracker's Show (Midas Touch)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: The Garden Tapes - The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), The Goat Garden Tapes Uno (Wendy Records), The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), The Song Remains The Same Expanded (no label, original & reissue), & The Song Remains The Same JRK Remaster (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg & Official Mix CD Reference(s) soundboard & multitrack mixes: Live At Madison Square Garden Working Tapes (Empress Valley Supreme Disc) & The Song Remains The Same (Tarantura)

Official Visual Reference(s): DVD (Warner Music Vision), Over The Hills And Far Away (promo video), The Song Remains The Same (Warner Video, 1976 & 2007 editions), Travelling Riverside Blues (promo video), & Whole Lotta Love (promo video)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) 1st amateur footage: 1973 (Cosmic Energy), Assemblage II (Cosmic Energy), The Garden Tapes: The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) 2nd amateur footage: 1973 (Cosmic Energy), Assemblage II (Cosmic Energy), The Film Vol. 3 (Wendy Records), The Garden Tapes: The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) professional footage: 1973 (Cosmic Energy), Evolution Is Timing 3: Video History (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Garden Tapes: The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), In For A Quick Garden (no label), Live At Madison Square Garden Working Tapes (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & The Song Remains The Same Expanded (no label, reissue)

      The first of three nights at the Garden used to create The Song Remains the Same movie and the live album of the same name. The concert is extremely important and is the tightest of all the three shows, most of it is used officially by the band but only a fragmentary audience and soundboard tapes are in circulation. The Rain Song is cut at the start and sounds great, but this version of Dazed And Confused is simply out of this world. The San Francisco interlude is both hauntingly beautiful and devastatingly heavy, and the bow solo is beyond the words. The band is absolutely on fire during the outstanding middle section, everyone is literally locked to each other during that race. The outro is just thrilling. Plant introduces Stairway To Heaven saying, “I think this is a song of hope and it's a very quiet song so shut up!“ but only the first part of his introduction can be heard on the official release. This is one of the finest renditions ever, featuring one of the most emotional solo from Page. Bonham launching with a fury his drum introduction to Heartbreaker and then heavily leads the band with Whole Lotta Love that has a superb boogie section. Strings of firecrackers crackle in the distance as the band returns to the stage to close the show with The Ocean. A must!

JULY 28 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY (NY), UNITED STATES
Whole concert was professionally recorded and filmed. Released on The Song Remains The Same movie and video soundtrack in 1976. Some parts of unofficial amateur footage and pro shot video were used on the DVD in 2003. Pro shot sentences can be also found on "Travelling Riverside Blues" (late 1990), "Over The Hills And Far Away" (late 1990) and "Whole Lotta Love" (1997) promo videos.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter, [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 113 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song [ cut ], Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Crossroads, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, [ cut ], Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..) [ cut ], [ cut ], The Ocean [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent 1st soundboard recording. Near 167 minutes.

Recording Includes: Moby Dick, [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..) [ cut ], The Ocean [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete excellent 2nd soundboard recording. Almost 59 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete superb multitrack recording. Near 100 minutes (1976 soundtrack); Almost 132 minutes (2007 soundtrack).

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll, Celebration Day, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same, The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused, Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker, Whole Lotta Love, The Ocean [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent color amateur footage. Almost 11 minutes.

Recording Includes: Intro/Dazed And Confused (bow sequence), Whole Lotta Love (conclusion), Celebration Day (intro), Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, No Quarter (middle section), Since I've Been Loving You (ending), Whole Lotta Love (excerpt), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Moby Dick, Dazed And Confused (bow sequence), Whole Lotta Love (conclusion). The film also features scene outside the venue and short interviews with fans in between The Rain Song and Moby Dick.
Source: Incomplete 16mm & 35mm professional footage with actual sound. 36 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete 16mm & 35mm professional footage with actual sound. 132 minutes (1976 movie); 157 minutes (2007 movie); 23 minutes (2003 DVD). [ Times reveals non-musical movie contents also. ]

Official LP Reference(s) multitrack: The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song)

Bootleg LP Reference(s) soundboard source 1: Duck-Walks And Lasers (Box Top Records, International Records, & Rock Solid), Duckwalks And Lasers (International Records), Duckwalks And Lasers Part 1 (Rock Solid), & The Final Option (no label)

Official CD Reference(s) multitrack: The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard source 1: The 9th US Tour (Whole Lotta Live), Complete Madison Square Garden (Wendy Records), Discover America (Tarantura box), Grand Finale (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Final Statements (Antrabata Reference Master), MSG (Cannonball), One More Magic (Immigrant), Out From The Movie (Forever Standard Series), Tour-De-Force (Tarantura), & Towa No Uta (Tarantura box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard source 2: The Garden Tapes - The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: The Effect Is Shattering... (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, original 2004 & reissue 2012 ), The Garden Tapes - The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box & 6CD box), The Goat Garden Tapes Dos (Wendy Records), Madison Square Garden Deux (Wendy Records), Live In Japan (Oh! Show) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), The Song Remains The Same Expanded (no label, original & reissue), & The Song Remains The Same JRK Remaster (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg & Official Mix CD Reference(s) soundboard & multitrack mixes: Live At Madison Square Garden Working Tapes (Empress Valley Supreme Disc) & The Song Remains The Same (Tarantura)

Official Visual Reference(s): DVD (Warner Music Vision), Over The Hills And Far Away (promo video), The Song Remains The Same (Warner Video, 1976 & 2007 editions), Travelling Riverside Blues (promo video), & Whole Lotta Love (promo video)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) amateur footage: 1973 (Cosmic Energy), Assemblage II (Cosmic Energy), The Garden Tapes: The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) professional footage: 1973 (Cosmic Energy), Evolution Is Timing 3: Video History (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Garden Tapes: The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), In For A Quick Garden (no label), Live At Madison Square Garden Working Tapes (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & The Song Remains The Same Expanded (no label, reissue)

      The second concert of the three night stand at the Garden and the performance suffers from the middle show syndrome and the playing at times showcases the band getting a bit loose. The show starts quite strong and steady, but Robert again struggles with his cranky voice, and Over The Hills And Far Away is good, with some really expressing middle section. Since I've Been Loving You is a solid version, but Plant is surprisingly strong this time. Jimmy's soloing is very inspiring, however. No Quarter is simply majestic, the instrumental jam is a haunting death march that includes an excellent guitar solo from Page. This tune, and both The Song Remains The Same and The Rain Song are probably the strongest portion of this gig, and this is where a part of the official live album and movie is formed (except for some smaller chunks of music taken from elsewhere). This cannot be said about Dazed And Confused, which sounds sloppy and disjoined at places. The middle instrumental section shares a tiredness from Jimmy, and seems that the whole band was pumped out already, playing as if they lacked energy and inspiration. This syndrome is also present during Stairway To Heaven. Moby Dick is impossibly long and sometims lacks of inspiration. The things are changed within last three songs that rocks hard. The usual medley of Heartbreaker and Whole Lotta Love bring the house down, and the vivid The Ocean adds an appropriate ending.

JULY 29 - MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK CITY (NY), UNITED STATES
Whole concert was professionally recorded and filmed. Released on The Song Remains The Same movide and video soundtrack in 1976. Backstage scenes and some pro shot video were used on DVD in 2003. Pro shot sentences can be also found on "Travelling Riverside Blues" (late 1990), "Over The Hills And Far Away" (late 1990) and "Whole Lotta Love" (1997) promo videos. The West Indian fire-eater, Mike Quashie made his short appearance setting gong and drum stick on fire while Bonham playing his drums at the end of Whole Lotta Love.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, [ cut ], No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..) [ cut ], Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick [ cut ], Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], The Ocean, [ cut ], Organ Solo [ cut ] >> Thank You.
Source: Incomplete fair to good audience recording. 183 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll [ cut ] >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter [ cut ], The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War [ cut ]..) [ cut ], [ cut ], Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), [ cut ], The Ocean [ cut ], [ cut ], Organ Solo >> Thank You.
Source: Incomplete excellent soundboard recording. Near 167 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete superb multitrack recording. Near 100 minutes (1976 soundtrack); Almost 132 minutes (2007 soundtrack).

Recording Includes: Miscellaneous scenes (airport arrival), Dazed And Confused [ cut ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent 1st color amateur footage. 3 minutes.

Recording Includes: Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop [ cut throughout ].
Source: Incomplete 8mm silent 2nd color amateur footage. 3 minutes.

Recording Includes: Intro/Dazed And Confused (bow sequence), Whole Lotta Love (conclusion), Celebration Day (intro), Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, No Quarter (middle section), Since I've Been Loving You (ending), Whole Lotta Love (excerpt), The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Moby Dick, Dazed And Confused (bow sequence), Whole Lotta Love (conclusion). The film also features scene outside the venue and short interviews with fans in between The Rain Song and Moby Dick.
Source: Incomplete 16mm & 35mm professional footage with actual sound. 36 minutes.

Recording Includes: Rock And Roll >> Celebration Day >> Bring It On Home Intro >> Black Dog, Over The Hills And Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop >> Since I've Been Loving You, No Quarter, The Song Remains The Same >> The Rain Song, Dazed And Confused (<< San Francisco, Mars: The Bringer Of War..), Stairway To Heaven, Moby Dick, Heartbreaker >> Whole Lotta Love (<< Ain't It Funky Now, The Crunge, Boogie Chillun, Hideaway, Cat's Squirrel..), The Ocean.
Source: Incomplete 16mm & 35mm professional footage with actual sound. 132 minutes (1976 movie); 157 minutes (2007 movie); 23 minutes (2003 DVD). [ Times reveals non-musical movie contents also. ]

Official LP Reference(s) multitrack: The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song)

Official CD Reference(s) multitrack: The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience: Grand Finale (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) soundboard: A 2 Last Nights (Tarantura), Grand Finale (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), Missing Doll (Tarantura), MSG 1973 (Firepower), & The Trade Mark Of Quality Masters Volume One (Flying Disc Music box)

Bootleg CD Reference(s) audience & soundboard mixes: The Garden Tapes - The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box & 6CD box), The Goat Garden Tapes Tres (Wendy Records), Grand Finale (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Last Of The Last (Tarantura), Madison Square Garden Trois (Wendy Records), Missing Doll (Tarantura), Live In Japan (Oh! Show) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), The Song Remains The Same Expanded (no label, original & reissue), & The Song Remains The Same JRK Remaster (Empress Valley Supreme Disc)

Bootleg & Official Mix CD Reference(s) soundboard & multitrack mixes: Live At Madison Square Garden Working Tapes (Empress Valley Supreme Disc) & The Song Remains The Same (Tarantura)

Official Visual Reference(s): DVD (Warner Music Vision), Over The Hills And Far Away (promo video), The Song Remains The Same (Warner Video, 1976 & 2007 editions), Travelling Riverside Blues (promo video), & Whole Lotta Love (promo video)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) amateur footage: Assemblage (Cosmic Energy), The Garden Tapes: The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), & History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box)

Bootleg Visual Reference(s) professional footage: 1973 (Cosmic Energy), Evolution Is Timing 3: Video History (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), The Garden Tapes: The Song Remains The Same Concerts (Expanded And Revisited Collector's Edition) (Empress Valley Supreme Disc, 18CD box), History Lesson (Empress Valley Supreme Disc box), In For A Quick Garden (no label), Live At Madison Square Garden Working Tapes (Empress Valley Supreme Disc), & The Song Remains The Same Expanded (no label, reissue)

      The third show at the Garden and the last gig of their extensive North American tour, with just a little that has been used on the movie and soundtrack album. The opening numbers are just powered through and Jimmy's playing is spectacular, but Robert fights with his vocals. Rock And Roll explodes out of the gate, and Black Dog and Over The Hills And Far Away are excellent renditions, where Bonham hammers at his drums with incredible intensity. No Quarter repeats the doomy, misty atmosphere of the past versions, and is yet again brilliant, especially because of superb keyboard playing from Jonesy. Dazed And Confused is a pure showcase and is just a triumphant come back to top form from all four members. The violin bow solo is very haunting, and the middle section is very intense and epic. Page emits noon whistles and cybernetic death rattles throughout his endless workouts, while the rest are just behind him, serving a powerful background. Moby Dick is immensely long as usual but from Heartbreaker to the end, there is a riot that has the crowd, as well as the listener, in an absolute frenzy - the music's that good. Whole Lotta Love features a freaky Theremin section, and the ending of the song is most notable for Bonham’s extended workout. While he bangs away, he’s joined by belly dancers on stage as Plant tries to end the song several times. Fantastic! Two extra encores closes this performance, both are played the last time ever. The Ocean is as energetic as it always was, and Thank You is a kind of beauty.