Re: Zeppelin Over London - One Year Ago

["Nech" <tytlane@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Awesome Wyatt, I got a lump in my throat and some redness in the eyes...
Thanks alot for sharing.

I think th eonly one possible thing that could've made it any better at all
would have been to have my significant other with me. But as both
Tangerineman and El Franko will tell you, I made sure to take time whenever
I could to call home and tell my wife how much I loved her, how much I
wished she was there and thank you thank you thank you.

And Yes Wyatt, we also danced to Thank You at our wedding.  Not as a first
dance...that I let her pick... I doubt anyone here will ever ever ever guess
what that was...
but I made sure that after I made my 'thank you' speech to our crowd, I  had
the band stop playing and Thank You ( the album cut ) was the next number.

Thank You Wyatt and Laura for helping to keep the flame going and for being
here on FBO along with the rest of us nuts.

I wish you all the best at your nuptials... what table am I sitting at?!


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Wyatt Brake" <wyattbrake@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "FBO" <zeppelin@xxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 6:07 PM
Subject: Zeppelin Over London - One Year Ago


> It was all happening one year ago today.  As I prepare to watch the
> 3rd Eye Productions video of that incredible concert once again, I
> will join in sharing a few memories of the concert and its agonizing
> prelude.
>
> It wouldn't have been possible without Laura.  The girlfriend who
> became my fiancee less than a month after the concert helped to make
> sure that my dreams came true.  The bottom line is that there is
> little chance that I would have made it to London alone without a
> substantial loan from family and friends.  Laura knew how important it
> was to me to be there for the show and made it happen.  When we have
> our first dance as husband and wife this coming June, Thank You from
> the BBC Sessions will be playing, and Laura's dedication to getting us
> to London is one of the things that will go through my mind.
>
> Laura and I purchased a passcode from eBay on October 1, 2007.  I
> posted about it on FBO and received mostly good wishes, along with a
> few admonishments, along with - believe it or not - a smattering of
> somewhat more mean-spirited messages from people that seemingly wanted
> us to fail utterly.  No matter.  Ultimately of course, it worked out.
> I won't waste everyone's time by recounting the sick feelings we had
> in our stomachs as the weeks ticked by with no resolution to the
> situation.  It was a harrowing experience, but obviously worth it in
> the end.  And not insignificantly - a few FBOers came up to me at The
> Pilot Inn the night before the show to talk to us about taking the
> same "route" as we did to get to the show.  Jonathan M. was
> particularly gracious and Laura and I enjoyed meeting him after all
> our correspondence leading up to the trip.
>
> While I'm on the subject, for the benefit of newer FBO members - the
> Pilot Inn was the established meeting place for FBO (and
> Royal-Orleans, although I wasn't that familiar with some of those guys
> yet at that point, so I didn't meet many of them) members attending
> the show (or just in London).  It was such a pleasure to meet and chat
> with people like Nech, Mike 'TangerineMan', Stephane, Steve Z, Sunila
> (whom we also met after the show in our hotel lounge), Jonathan,
> Scott, Tom, Dave Lewis, and others I'm sure that I'm temporarily
> forgetting and hoping they won't be slighted!
>
> We had originally worked up a nice little vacation around the show,
> since the concert was going to be held the week of Thanksgiving here
> in the US.  We had a two-day trip to Scotland planned, along with a
> few other activities.  All that changed when Jimmy took a tumble in
> his garden!  We scrambled to change our flight and our hotel bookings,
> all at considerable cost.  Our trip was shortened to accommodate our
> work schedules, and Scotland was now out.
>
> ---sorry, have to interrupt the tale for a moment because I'm
> listening to the show and For Your Life is fucking nasty in the best
> possible way... the riff is just dirty and powerful all at once---
>
> Of course, one year later, I read about the speculation in Mick Wall's
> book that he didn't do much to tamp down that the show was delayed
> because Page was concerned the band wasn't well-rehearsed enough due
> to Plant's absence while promoting Raising Sand.  Who knows if we'll
> ever find out for sure... (now where are those x-rays...?  ha!)
>
> Apologies if I'm all over the place with this... as with most of my
> posts, this is more stream-of-consciousness than anything thought out.
>
> I took the 3rd Eye out and put in the Wendy release.  I normally favor
> Clay B's/Todd E's "mastered" source as the best, most
> balanced-sounding audio version of the show, but I figured I'd try a
> different perspective.  Does anyone else find Wendy's version to be a
> bit harsh?  It definitely sounds like you're right on stage with the
> guys, but the cymbals in particular are a bit too 'bright' and the
> guitar isn't loud enough.
>
> On December 10, we arrived at the O2 around noon local time and were
> somewhat surprised that the line wasn't longer.  We settled in next to
> two guys from Calgary who weren't actually big Zep fans - just fans of
> good music.  One of the guys was just known to all his friends as a
> person who always got tickets to big events, and this was the biggest
> one of the year.  Leo and Vincent were really nice guys to talk with,
> and we had about five hours in which to do some talking...
>
> We waited fairly patiently through the opening acts.  I hadn't had
> anything to drink since around 2pm because I was intent on enjoying
> every bit of Led Zeppelin without thinking about how much I had to go
> to the men's room.  This might not have been the most intelligent
> idea, since I felt like I was literally going to pass out about three
> songs into the set from a combination of locking my knees while
> standing up for hours and the sheer unbelievability of the moment I
> was witnessing, but at the time, it seemed imperative.  Even though
> the line we had been standing in was fairly long, it compressed down
> into a surprisingly small area as we were assembled outside the inner
> doors of the arena, prior to having our wristbands checked.  I recited
> to Laura the same thing I had been saying for the past few hours... I
> had only seen Jimmy Page play once - in Pittsburgh in 2000 with the
> Crowes - and for that reason, I would like to be on the right side of
> the stage.  However - if there was an obvious difference between right
> and left in terms of how close we could get, I'd move like a bullet
> for Jonesy's side (I had seen JPJ play three times and met him on two
> occasions).  Well, the crowd was seven rows deep on Page's side when
> we race-walk/jogged in past the disapproving O2 staff, while the crowd
> was paltry on John Paul's side.  JPJ's side it was - and we settled
> into the second row - able to grasp the rail when we needed it.  We
> were positioned just slightly to the right of Jonesy's Korg keyboard
> rig, and I was understandably ecstatic about that turn of events.  As
> the concert transpired, the guys seemed to huddle around the drums
> anyway, so I felt like we certainly made the right choice.
>
> Before the band came on, I remember just willing them with everything
> I had to just have a good show that they themselves would be proud
> of... we've all seen Live Aid, the Atlantic show in '88, and the Rock
> HoF induction.  While each of those performances had their moments for
> various reasons, and had some magic based on their context in time,
> none of those 'reunions' lived up to the expectations of the band or
> really to those of us who have heard recordings of their unbelievable
> live gigs - famous enough to be known by such brief names - Blueberry
> Hill, Burn That Candle, FBO... the list is long and those are but a
> few.  There was so much hype leading up to this show - billed finally
> once again as LED ZEPPELIN - that they just could not afford to fail.
>
> The lights lowered and the Tampa segment played.  Everyone watched the
> screen.  I watched the darkened stage, heard the footfalls.  'Those
> are the sights and sounds...,' said the somewhat dorky-looking TV
> anchor... click, click, click BOOM!!  Good Times Bad Times - the shock
> somewhat lessened by Jason's interviews with the press, but still
> overwhelming.
>
> I felt as if I was about to collapse.  My back felt as if rigor mortis
> had set in, but my legs were jelly.  I clamped down on Laura's hand as
> the tears welled up in my eyes and I yelled some guttural sound of
> triumph and vulnerability.  It was really happening, and I was there.
> The culmination of ten years of becoming an increasingly obsessive
> fan, over the years of 16 to 26 - the memories of subjecting friends
> and relatives to hours of the albums and the bootlegs... I was living
> it all in those brief moments, even as I was singing '...when I
> whispered in her ear, I lost another friend...'  From Puffy and Jimmy
> on SNL in May 1998 all the way to December 2007...
>
> When I started to get over myself and start actually zeroing in on the
> concert in front of me, I was forced to admit that I couldn't make out
> Jimmy's guitar that well... well enough to hear the blistering solo on
> GTBT, but certainly not loud enough to overcome the constant feedback
> screeches coming from the speakers.  What the hell was going on with
> that?  It was bad all night, but it was especially bad during the
> first few songs.  Listening to IMTOD, Dazed, Stairway... jesus - even
> just now during the start of Misty Mountain Hop... it's bad.  Whose
> responsibility is that?  I remember seeing Robert in Toronto in 2001
> and him making some comments about 'is that a ship coming in?  Is that
> a bird?' and '...gonna have somebody's balls for this...'  I don't
> know what happened there, and I don't know who was in charge of
> getting things right at the O2, but it's annoying.
>
> I admit that I haven't listened to the whole show all the way through
> in a while.  Lots of times I just take out the DVD and watch a few
> tracks, like In My Time of Dying, For Your Life, and Kashmir in
> particular.  Oddly enough, I rarely go for the encores.  Whole Lotta
> Love has always been a favorite track of mine, but the encores were a
> blur to me at the show after Kashmir, which had pummeled me into a
> sweet oblivion.
>
> So back in sequence here... Ramble On.  Again, Page's guitar sound was
> somewhat buried and muddy where we were, at least to my ears.  Jason's
> drums were *heavy* on this song.  It sounded quite different from the
> Page and Plant days, and I don't think it was just the tuning-down - I
> think it was Jason.  Black Dog... never one of my most favorite tracks
> - I often say that I feel it's overplayed.  Well, I think Jason added
> a lot to spice the song up with his drumming underlining some of the
> vocal lines during the breaks.  It sounds fresh, and was a nice
> surprise.  Page really tore it up on this solo, with JPJ really
> holding things down with Jason during the whole thing.  This was
> Jonesy's baby, remember - even though the band had to alter his
> original arrangement to make it a little simpler.  Jason is all over
> the place on the drum solo coda to the song.
>
> Here are some thoughts I posted six months ago, starting with IMTOD:
> _____
> That stretch toward the end of In My Time of Dying, with Plant doing
> the "Je-je-je-je-Jeeesus-ooooohhhh" sends shivers down my spine at the
> same time it makes me pump my fist and want to growl, "yeaaaah!"  I
> think I was in shock somewhat for a lot of the first couple songs...
> but wow, do I love listening to that over and over again.
>
> There was Plant's introduction mentioning "Terraplane Blues" and me
> giddily yelling, "TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT!"  Then the song started and
> someone turned around to look at me... I realized somewhat belatedly
> that I was singing/yelling the lyrics, squeezing Laura's hand, and
> sort of jumping/bouncing up and down!  I was momentarily embarrassed and
tried
> to calm myself down...
>
> So many people have said that Kashmir was the defining song of the
> show, and to me, it really was.  The encores were kind of a blur, but
> my god, that song was the absolute pinnacle... Plant, over to stage
> left in front of Jonesy's keyboard and directly in front of me,
> bending down slightly and letting it absolutely rip... "tryin' to find
> where I've beeeeeeeen" and the "Tell me-tellme-tellme" part where he
> can't quite contain himself ... truly incredible.
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7vO3sORuCo
> (From around 6:25 - 7:20 on this video)
>
> I also remember pretty vividly Jimmy soloing in Stairway; Plant had
> drifted over to our side and some people were shouting for him and
> waving.  He waved back, but then he pointed over at Jimmy, and seemed
> to be saying, "don't watch me, watch him!"
> ______
>
> Just a few other things, even though I realize this is already a few
> 'chapters' long...
>
> For Your Life - the riff is so heavy, so dirty, and so powerful.  One
> of the best most overlooked and under-appreciated tracks from their
> career.  The solo on the album is incredible, so I must admit that
> Jimmy's solo at the O2 was a little underwhelming.  Perhaps it was due
> to the finger injury, but there wasn't quite the dexterity in the solo
> that there needed to be.  He seemed to rely too much on the long-held
> bends than the real 'picking' that would have made it even more
> awesome (is it obvious that I don't play guitar and have no idea what
> I'm talking about???).  These songs are even *better* than I really
> remember them being:  No Quarter, Since I've Been Loving You, TSRTS
>
> Stairway really did seem heartfelt.  Perhaps this is one area where
> Robert was right.  According to our buddy Mick Wall, he insisted the
> song be placed in the middle of the set rather than at the conclusion,
> and that it not be introduced with any particular significance.  As a
> result, the beginning wasn't buried with applause.  Plant didn't sing
> his "I hope so" after the 'two roads you can go by' (the one I used
> for my quote in my senior yearbook).  But even with it's "reduced
> status" from a set-closer, it still proved to have a lot of dignity
> and meaning.  It's not a song that I listen to very often, and I've
> never let it become overplayed to the point of losing its high place
> in my mind.  I'm young enough that it was never used as a song at any
> of my school dances, so to me it's still... I don't know... perfect.
> Except for that bloody feedback.  Damn it!  The other thing that
> wasn't perfect was the camera guy in front of my face during the solo
> seemingly waiting for me to burst into tears (it wasn't a burst - I
> just welled up!).  It was distracting from the moment at hand though.
>
> Not a big fan of Misty Mountain Hop, but the guitar did sound great.
> I really like the way that Cameron Crowe used the song in Almost
> Famous - and this was another one of those times when it really
> sounded good.  Would I have preferred a few other songs in its place?
> Probably, but it worked.  And of course Jason's ICQYB introduction
> after Plant's good-natured ribbing about John singing "The Wind Cries
> Mary" four hundred times a night was great.
>
> Kashmir was epic.  I've already written so much about that performance
> since that date that it's hard for me to write much more about it.  It
> was incredible.  Just awesome.  Listening to Whole Lotta Love now.  It
> actually sounds really good.  As I said earlier in this memoir of an
> email, it gets lost after Kashmir, but Jonesy's bass in particular
> sounds excellent on this track.  The almost obligatory Rock and Roll
> at the tail-end sounds great too.  Jimmy's in fine form, Robert
> reaches for some high notes, and Jason finishes with a furious
> mini-solo.
>
> We staggered into an Asian restaurant in the O2 complex after the show
> for a couple overpriced drinks, entering the establishment to the
> sounds of Stairway To Heaven from the fourth album.  I was kind of
> numb.  We made our way back to the Docklands Ramada and ordered some
> room service because we were kinda starving.  When we woke up the next
> day, we didn't realize what a hellish trip home we would be enduring -
> something I blame on the eggs we ate from the buffet at the hotel that
> morning.  I've never had any problems of that nature on a plane
> before, and to have such intestinal issues on a trans-Atlantic flight
> was an absolute nightmare - not to mention almost missing our flight
> after vomiting on some guy on the Tube on the way to the airport... I
> will forever be sorry to whomever that was...  We both took the next
> day off from work, though we hadn't asked for it.  Everyone assumed we
> got trashed for the show and were still recovering, but that really
> wasn't the case.
>
> Certain things are very curious in retrospect.  Especially in light of
> the Mick Wall book and his sources telling him that Plant insisted on
> no "heavy metal" tracks - which apparently include Immigrant Song and
> Achilles Last Stand... why no acoustic set?  It would have given the
> guys a chance to sit down and take a bit of a breather, and it also
> would have cemented their legacy as more than just a hard rock band to
> do acoustic songs at such a high profile event.  It makes me
> wonder...really makes me wonder.
>
> I will conclude here, I think.  I've enjoyed thinking back on this
> day, and I've enjoyed reading the tales from all of you who were there
> at the arena and there in spirit.
>
> Thank you to Nech in particular, who wears his heart on proverbial
> sleeve just like a lot of us here.  Keeper of the flame - just as
> Jimmy has been the keeper of Zeppelin's flame.
>
> Most of the better pictures that Laura and I took that night can be
> found throughout this page on my blog:
> http://zepcowboy.blogspot.com/2007_12_01_archive.html
>
> and one from Ross:
>
http://zepcowboy.blogspot.com/2008/09/crowd-shot-from-led-zeppelin-2007-12-10.html
>
> If you're not already planning on listening/watching this remarkable
> show, do it tonight!
>
> Thank you, FBO!
>
> -Wyatt
>