review of show 5-30-77

[harry p <zennjazz8081@xxxxxxxxx>]

5-30-77/ review of show

well it was a long time ago, memorial day 1977. home
from school. My roommate had come up for the show. My
brother had scored the tickets for me 5 tickets
because at the time I had 5 buds who wanted to go, now
just me and Tom. Interestingly during the day local tv
station was showing ?Yellow Submarine? by the Beatles,
what a way to start the day. There was another guy who
lived nearby we were going to see if he wanted to go
to the show . So we drove to see this other guy told
him I had the tickets and he said his parents wouldn?t
like it if he went?I go ?man you?re 21 who cares what
your parents think?..SO Tom and I scooted up
interstate 95 to the show. Get some beer for the ride
up to the Capital Center(side note here where the
bullets- now wizards and capitols used to play-it was
destroyed this past year.) 
Man lots of folks here 4th night of the cap center
run. Zeppelin had been setting all sorts of attendance
records this spring for shows, Pontiac Silver Dome I
remember was a record, this was a record for the DC
area 4 nights 22,000+ each night sold out.
Anyway lots of hot Zeppelin babes in the parking lot
and lots drinking and smoking.
So I had 3 extra tickets sold them to a couple of
guys, made a few $ enough to cover the cost of my
ticket and a t-shirt, which I still have black with
swan song ?angel? says 1977 Tour in white letters.
Get in find our seats, easy frisk this day, had cut my
hair the before I left school, for summer job, so I
looked clean cut..lol, so the pipe got in and the
instamatic camera.
You don?t know what anticipation it was to see
Zeppelin Live, Page/Plant, Page Crows, Plant solo,
nothing compared to seeing Zeppelin in the
spring/summer of 1977, they were it in 77, nothing
bigger nothing better, they ruled rock-n-roll, and the
concerts were ?events? unto themselves.
They were ½ hour or so late as I remember, ahh the
wait the wait.. the lights go down??yes.. light up the
?rainbow? pot I had?multi colored stuff that?s why we
called it rainbow?
boot review M>DAT>CDR?. Song Remains the Same,
something wrong with the tape deck for first song ,
lots of distortion, but better that Running on Pure
Heart and Soul(ROPHAS). Live it was LOUD. Sick Again,
after the first few cords, a switch is hit, aahhh the
sound gets much better, from here on sound quality is
much better than ROPHAS. Sick Again, standard fair for
77 shows. Nobody?s Fault is next. Here the boys crank
up the intensity, rousing version. During the song
somebody shoots a bottle rocket/smoke bomb at Robert ,
It hit him or got very close, Robert does this twirl
in the smoke and takes his shirt off. Taking his shirt
off made me think the smoke bomb hit him. Anyway his
next ?plantation? he talks about getting undressed
before small audiences but never before 22,000., then
puts his shirt back on, and Jimmy slides into IMTOD.
OH my this version has to be up there as one of the
best all time, great slide work, great Bonham fills,
just a great version of this tune. SIBLY is next, back
to back blues numbers but again Jimmy slides into this
one also, some killer solos in this song. Next is 
?the nimble fingers of JPJ?, for No Quarter. Funny
thing I decided I wanted to walk around during this
number, is was Tom?s favorite song and he didn?t
really want to get up , but I said he maybe we will
see some hot chicks? lol, well anyway we toured the
arena with the chords of NQ pumping out of each
tunnel. Wow mesmerizing song. This version still has
the cut after the first verse, tape change obviously.
Without the missing vocals this would be another all
time great version, well it still is actually. More so
because of Jimmy?s playing when he comes back in after
the JPJ solos. Great jamming, killer stuff, this is
Zeppelin at their improvisational best. End of CD 1.
CD 2 Ten Years Gone, Plant says waiting for Jonesy,
?strolling behind the amps casually while drinking
wine, come on Jonesy?.
Then JPJ sits down and the boys proceed to play THE
best Ten years Gone I have heard (of course I was
there so I am prejudiced). Sound quality is just
amazing much better than ROPHAS, Close to the sound of
Dragon Slayer. ROPHAS had some overloading during TYG
and  the acoustic set, not so with Dragon Slayer or
the Master tape version. You can hear the tambourine
in the back ground, and there is a one of a kind solo
at the end by Page, like a machine gun ripping off the
notes.
Then the acoustic set, Battle For Evermore, Black
Country Woman, Bron-yr-Aur Stomp.
Just before this a  Plantation, ? music comes in
colors and we are going to change the shade a bit for
your entertainment, so you don?t remember us just as a
gong, gong gong gong?? pretty funny. Again very clear
no distortion as in ROPHAS. One of the best acoustic
sets, no glaring mistakes very good stuff.
Then White Summer/ into Kashmir, good not great,
course I have listened too much to the 6-25-77 Kashmir
so every other version pales in comparison to that
one. Here Page does the jamming at the end not Bonzo.
End of Disc 2
Disc 3
Over the Top?? Complete here, the ROPHAS was cut at
about 15+ minutes, 21:45 here, good version. Guitar
solo? well had to be there I guess, missed not seeing
Dazed live, this was what we got in 77. best part was
the green laser pyramid coming down from the ceiling
turning around Page as he did the bow part( just like
in the movie TSRTS).
Page dose a little part of the star spangled banner in
the middle also, good version of the guitar improv
thing, the best being that 6-25 show IMHO. OK then
into Achilles good version, nothing outstanding to
point out? Then the end is coming Stairway?aahh ..
well again to see them do it live then get to re-live
the experience, words can?t describe the emotion, the
excitement, but YOU can enjoy the fret work solo of
Page on this version of Stairway, different than any
version I have heard ( the 8 minute mark on!!, the
stop start) different than any 77 version, Page was on
this night with Stairway. Some shows on the tour
seemed a bit tired at the end, NOT here ripped up the
place, crowd was WILD!!   Encore?
Seeing the flashlights as the boys return to the
stage!!! WLL/R &R? they turned up the PA that is why
it sounds louder on the boot, IT WAS!!  Man to end the
show with R&R that is unfair!!! And contrary to other
boots (Destroyer III I think) and other folks they did
NOT play Trampled as a second encore here, lights came
on etc etc.
OMG we were spent, you should have seen the air
guitars during the encore- most every guy in the place
was jamming along with page it was unbelievable!!!

Oh man that was 26 years ago tonight! I can?t believe
it.


harry