Re: Accurate Info and more flames from Don

[Roblazer@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 6/9/99 11:43:51 PM Central Daylight Time, 
ccimino@xxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

> As for "real" mandatory Zeppelin content... it's been 22 years since the
>  infamous summer tour of '77. I sure hope to read some great recollections 
> from
>  those in attendance of those great U.S. shows.

Gosh, it's been so many years. I guess my remembrances start at the day they 
announced the concert. I was driving down the interstate listening to the 
radio because they had promised to announce the biggest concert to ever come 
to Oklahoma City. When they announced the biggie as Zeppelin, I had to pull 
over on the shoulder, I was shaking so hard.

Then came the ticket sales. Camping out for three days at the end of January 
and not seeing the sun until the morning they went on sale. 15,000 people 
lined up 10 wide waiting to buy tickets. Police sending the dogs in to chase 
away the people who tried to get in front of the barricades. Buying tickets 
and then getting lifted up and passed over everybody's heads because that was 
the only way to get out of line.

Then, two days before the original date, it was postponed. Seemed that Robert 
had taken ill. Had to wait another month.

Finally, April 3, 1977. A month and a half to high school graduation and the 
night of my life. The anticipation was incredible. The air inside the arena 
almost felt tense. And the lights go out. With no spoken introduction, 4 rock 
gods walk out onto the stage. And the arena explodes.

Memories......The stage filling with smoke during the opening strains of "No 
Quarter". As the song goes along, the smoke (fog) gets thicker and thicker 
while Jonesy's keyboards begin to rise into the air. The smoke eventually 
envelops Bonham, Page and Plant while Jones sits above the fog and 
plays.......The lasers forming a pyramid around Jimmy. He strikes the bow to 
the guitar and then "hits" one side of the pyramid. It shifts. Hits the 
guitar. Hits the laser. It shifts again. Before long he's hitting the laser 
repeatedly and the lasers are flying around Jimmy as he makes the guitar 
scream........The acoustic set. Having some sound problems so one of the guys 
lights a joint. They're passing it among them as the monitors are being 
fixed. Finally, they start playing. Robert has the joint. Looks at Jimmy and 
says "Uh, Jimmy". Page stops playing, takes the joint, takes a toke and 
passes it into the crowd......."Moby Dick".....There are columns to the side 
of the stage. When the drum solo begins, the drum riser begins moving to the 
front of the stage. As he passes each set of columns, fire erupts from the 
top......"Kashmir"......maybe the most incredible thing I've ever heard live. 
I remember thinking that I wished this song would just last all night. I 
don't know the words to describe it. Just incredible.....Robert starts 
talking about how they had been here before, several years earlier. He talks 
about how the last time they were here, this song hadn't even been written 
yet. And then we here the opening to "Stairway". Well, I thought the arena 
had erupted when they came on stage. I could feel the floor shaking as people 
reacted to hearing the 12 string. Then, suddenly, it got very quiet in the 
crowd and all you could hear was the band. Almost eerie.......Robert singing 
about going to Oklahoma with an aching in his heart......

All in all, a magical evening. I read later that Jimmy apologized for the 
quality of the show, with it being only the second of the tour and all. If 
this was Zeppelin at their worst, my only regret in life is that I never got 
to see them at their best.

Rob