Badgeholding

["Larry Burnett" <lburnett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

And no, I'm not reffering to the new name, or any conflicts among 
members.

Instead, I'm talkin' about the six fabulous nights at the L.A Forum, 
arguably the best concerts ever by Messers Page, Plant, Jones and 
Bonham. Ferocious, in your face Rock and Roll, delevered almost 
perfectly, and it was obvious the boys were having a blast. From the 
opening attack of The Song Remains the Same/Sick Again on the 21st, 
to the crashing end of Rock and Roll on the 27th, it was definately a 
special week. Six concerts, seven days, each night sold out, 
something that had never been done before, and Led Zeppelin *rocked* 
every single night they played, and to some ears, this week of 
concerts showed the Zep at their ultimate peak. Add to this the 
surprise appearance by Keith Moon, and Robert's obsession to the 
phrase "badgeholders", you have a very magical week indeed.

The two most famous nights, of course, are the 21st and the 23rd, 
mainly because of two of the most famous bootlegs available, "Listen 
to This Eddie" and "For Badgeholders Only," But after recently 
receiving a tape of the 26th (thanks Jim!) I've come to the 
conclusion that the last three nights unrightfully overlooked. While 
the first three shows were indeed amazing, after the break they took 
on the 24th, they came back even more relaxed, and it showed in the 
music. Sure, it could be argued that more relaxed also meant more 
sloppy, but I don't think so. More suprises, more wandering off the 
beaten path. 

The first night back, right in the middle of In My Time of Dying, 
they decide to whoop it up with Rip It Up. The acoustic set really 
sees some fun after the break, as Goin' Down South, That's Alright, 
and Dancing Days all make appearences, and Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp is 
extremely fun to listen to all three nights. Hell, there's even an 
encore of "It'll Be Me" thrown on to the end of the 26th show, 
mysteriously itroduced as "something from the next album"

So for me, the last three nights of the 1977 L.A. Forum six night 
stand will rank a tad higher than the first three, regardless of the 
revered status given to Eddie and Badgeholders.

Oh, and a side note about these shows: Whenever I get a new tape, if 
it doesn't have a j-card with it, I always go looking for a cool 
graphic to make one with. Well, for the 26th show, I found in 
Godwin's CD Rom Collectors Guide an ad for the six Forum shows, and 
found two lines that caught my eye. At the top, it says "good seats 
available for all shows!" and at the bottom it says "the only rock 
group in history to sell out 6 shows at the fabulous Forum." Well 
dammit, how the hell can there still be good seat available if all 
six shows are sold out?! 

Bless your socks,
Larry
*****************************************
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