Zeppelin in Helsinki saga continues...

["Mauri Mikola" <maurimikola@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

While we're at it, here's another transcript of a story that was printed in 
the Suosikki magazine in March 1970... You can see my original notes made 
during the transcript at the bottom of this note - this isn't too good of 
journalism either. But it's a nice piece to read nevertheless.

Cheers
Mauri

Suosikki 3/1970

LED ZEPPELIN IN HELSINKI!
LED ZEPPELIN COLORFUL ON STAGE ? BUT MORE SO OFF-STAGE!

The tickets for the Led Zeppelin concert were sold out several weeks before 
the concert. The tickets, priced at 20 Finnish marks, found their lucky 
owners in a couple of days which meant that many rock music aficionados came 
up empty-handed. This is because many could not guess beforehand how popular 
Led Zeppelin actually are in Finland. Even before the concert at 
Kulttuuritalo people were trying to buy tickets at almost any price.

The audience had to wait for Led Zeppelin for an extra hour. In Leo 
Heinonen?s papers the concert was scheduled to start at 7 PM, when Led 
Zeppelin stated a starting time at 8 PM. The real reason for the delay, 
however was that one of the roadies threatened his life by trying to catch 
some missing parts of the organ from the airport in an extremely short time. 
The story goes that back at Kulttuuritalo, several individuals from the 
police force and security complacently stated this roadie that other people, 
without tickets, were trying to get in by plainly speaking English ? but a 
ticket would have been needed to get into the building. A colorful play had 
begun.

Wild rumors abound of Led Zeppelin?s visit; stories that get better just 
like old wine. People say that the group?s road manager destroyed a forklift 
because he insisted on moving the band?s equipment himself. To make this up 
for the forklift driver, the road manager dragged him to the concert ? but 
in this case this was more a punishment. The driver tried to survive and 
afterwards noted that it was kinda alright.

After the gig Led Zeppelin moved on to the N-klubi to have dinner and 
drinks. Of course they also wanted to get some company with Finnish girls. 
Anki had the dubious honor to be Zeppelin?s favored girl. Every member of 
the group wanted to party with her. She was supposed to get some of her 
friends to join, but at this point she cleanly faded from the party. The 
musicians thought Anki to be an ordinary groupie when she approached them 
for a chat.

The Finnish blokes were bitter about Led Zeppelin?s road managers: the 
Englishmen had picked up some Finnish girls. Because the people at N-klubi 
know each other, the blokes naturally greeted the girls just like before. 
But Zeppelin?s crew didn?t like this; instead they kicked the ?intruders? in 
the ass. On the other hand, another story goes that a Finn would have hit a 
member of Zeppelin entourage. The whole band then left their cabinet, 
prepared to start up a fight which never materialized.

> From the N-klubi Zeppelin went to a home party and then to sleep at hotel 
Palace.

Zeppelin was supposed to stay for the Tuesday here in Helsinki and leave for 
Switzerland on Wednesday. The boys, however, comprehended to go to 
Gothenburg and left Finland immediately on Tuesday morning. The staff at 
hotel Palace were left wondering at what sort of gentlemen these long-haired 
boys were, as they were unsatisfied with such a nice hotel.

In the meantime, people were going crazy at the Finnish radio. Led Zeppelin 
had borrowed a gong from the Radio?s symphony orchestra that was packed with 
the group?s other gear during the night and was sent to Zurich. The 
situation was a bit odd now: a valued instrument that belonged to a 
respected orchestra had mixed up with the gear of the wild musicians. For 
the whole next day, people were trying to reach a local road manager, the 
group?s visit to Copenhagen in a few days being the last chance. The lost 
property was supposed to be found from there at latest.

?They were a little unpredictable, oh yes?, noted Leo Heinonen, when the 
group was happily escorted to the airport.

Led Zeppelin liked the Finnish audience dearly. This was just about what 
they could see of Finland. And if they hadn?t liked their audience, I?m sure 
that they would have stated it clearly.

By the way: when we left the concert in a taxi, the taxi driver cracked the 
window carefully to somewhat see who were trying to get in.. ?You know, one 
doesn?t dare to take in just anybody. It seems that a curious Mass is taking 
place here?, the driver defended his behavior.

After all, on must state that the world?s top groups have something about 
them that others don?t and this clearly discerns the top groups from smaller 
artists.

---
My notes...it seems that Richard Cole was had a field day in Finland, based 
on these stories. You can see him in the photo which has the boys leaving 
their hotel...
The mention on a Zurich concert must be false here, at least on Wednesday 
the 25th. I think this day has been confirmed to Gothenburg in several 
sources. However, could there be a Zurich concert later in the schedule? 
Perhaps after Copenhagen?
And no, I don?t know who Anki is.. perhaps a scene-maker or a face from 
those days. The in crowds were small in Finland back then and she must have 
been one of them.
However bad journalism this is (it?s more like tabloid journalism than a 
proper piece of music journo), it does reveal nice stories about the visits. 
I don?t think stories like this were printed in NME, Melody Maker and the 
likes and we fans are the ones to benefit at this point.

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