(Excerpted from Proximty #27, full version appears in the issue. Photos courtesy of Bob Barlow, they are different from the ones that appear in the issue)
Well, I don't know if I can truly describe the rush. I'm sitting there, just reading the newspaper on a lazy Saturday back in '77. I glance at a tiny little box about upcoming concerts, and buried in the middle, I suddenly see it: "tickets also go on sale tomorrow for Led Zeppelin at the Forum June 21 - 27. . ." Wow! For this 19 year old die-hard fan, there were no sweeter words.
My euphoria quickly turned into the more appropriate panic. "Tomorrow," it said! They would always do this, just spring word on you without any warning whatsoever. I guess it was to avoid long line-ups, so I had to quickly form a plan. One thing was certain-I was going!
I'd seen Zeppelin once before, at the 3/24/75 Forum show (also another story). I wish I'd seen them earlier, but I just wasn't old enough. I think of those who saw the great earlier gigs (Blueberry Hill, Whisky, etc.) and feel like a late-comer. Thankfully, though, not too late! One real bummer was the cancellation of the summer '75 tour due to Plant's auto accident. They were to play the Rose Bowl in my hometown of Pasadena on September 6, 1975. I had tickets and planned to weasel my way up front. I mean, Led Zeppelin in an outdoor afternoon show right in front of me in my own town. God, that would've been so great, I just know it! The cancellation broke my heart. So when the mammoth '77 tour finally rolled around, you better believe I was ready!
The singer in my band, Roger, had a girlfriend who worked at Ticketron (the late '70s precursor to Ticketmaster), and she agreed to set a pair of tickets aside for us-and sure enough, she did! I don't know for sure, but I think we picked the third night. Let 'em work the bugs out of the P.A., or something. Anyway, I finally had it in my hand-a ticket to Led Zeppelin, at The Forum, for June 23, 1977. I was one happy hippy!
Showtime! We arrived at the Fabulous Forum (now the "Great Western" Forum, still "Fab" to me) and the parking lot party was already swinging, albeit in a clandestine sort of way. There was a definite electricity, a Zeppelin vibe that's hard to explain. Not just another concert, like Peter Grant says: "an event!" I was dying to check out my seat. so we quickly made for the entrance. A major bummer here: the thoughtless doormen were tearing off the part of the ticket that said "Led Zeppelin" and handing us the stubs with only numbers on them, thus ruining a good souvenir.
As I went through the turnstile and was patted down by security (how do these bootleggers do it?) I looked out the door and saw the marquee at the corner: "Tonight-Led Zeppelin-Sold Out," and I felt like one of the lucky ones. Twenty years later, I still do.
We handed our stubs to the usher, who pointed to what looked like some very good seats. We walked closer. . . wow, they were great seats, just to the left and up a little bit. Perfect! We spotted a friend down in the front row and went down to chat. I couldn't believe it. The stage was so close, yet so tall, that from his front row seat, you couldn't see much of anything! He'd be standing on that seat for several hours, I figured, but happy to do so!
We returned to our seats andI looked at the stage, where the familiar equipment awaited. The 'Zoso' logo on Jimmy's cabinet. Bonzo's new chrome Ludwig kit. John Paul's massive array of keyboards. And one lone mic up front. Just knowing they would be coming on soon was a thrill like no other. The excitement grew, as cheering filled the place, occasionally peaking, as if 'this was it,' only to subside while more time passed. Then suddenly, the place went dark. Thunderous cheers. We could barely make out the band in the dark as they strolled onstage. Bonzo did his trademark warm-up lick of "BOOM! BOOM! DA-DAT! DA-DAT! BOOM!" It was so loud, I could not believe it. "Holy shit!" I screamed, as Roger just laughed.
Then, pow! Into "The Song Remains the Same" with full lights and mucho gusto! Jimmy stalked the stage in his super-cool way-he seemed to wear his guitar lower every tour, and by now it was practically banging off his knees-but then, something funny happened. The guitar strap on Jimmy's big double-neck broke! He nearly dropped it, and roadies scrambled out to fix it. What should have taken a second drags on and on. . . Jimmy is leaning against the drum riser, grinning like a fool, cigarette hanging out of this mouth, still wailing, as the problem grows into a comedy. Robert is glancing back, now quite amused by it. Jimmy was dying to dance around, you could tell. Finally he's back on his feet, to big cheers. But, alas, it comes off again soon, and he has to finish the song sitting on the drum riser. So rather than segue right into "Sick Again," there's a break so Jimmy can change guitars.
"Nobody's Fault But Mine" was our first look at a live Presence song. I was
eager to watch Bonzo and Jones on this one. The crowd really dug it when
Plant whipped out the harp, it had been a few years since anyone had seen
that live. "Since I've Been Loving You"was high drama, and remains one of
my favorite versions.
The assault continued with a song I only dreamed they might do: "Achilles
Last Stand." This and "Ten Years Gone" really caught us by surprise. Heck,
with John Paul Jones in the band you could really do anything! At some
point, we spotted this crazy dude behind the equipment line on stage
running around, banging his head on the gong and whatnot. "Where's
security?", we wondered. I borrowed some binoculars and took a close look.
"That's fucking Keith Moon!", I informed Roger. We were aware of Moonie's
presence long before he staggered onstage to babble into the mic (as if the
concert wasn't cool enough, now we got guest stars!). Bonzo got right to
work showing Moonie how it's done in "Over The Top." Keith was content to
bang the tympani and tambourine, which he did in typically manic fashion.
Same thing on "Rock & Roll."
I remember the dramatic first notes of "Kashmir"-Jimmy had been sitting
down, tinkering with "White Summer" for quite a while. Then while still
playing "Black Mountain Side," he rose up and slowly strolled toward the
front of the stage. Then without warning, BAM! "Kashmir" crushed us! It
seemed much louder suddenly, almost too loud. And then they screwed up
totally, and got lost for quite a while. That was hilarious! Hey, they were
human. Bonzo is great in these circumstances, playing strong, never
tentative, even when lost. It's still a mighty version.
After a great "Stairway," they said good night. One thing I gotta say here-Led Zeppelin made you wait longer than anyone I've ever seen. We stood cheering in the dark for what seemed like forever, before they finally came back out for the encores. But if I was going to beat my hands together until they were raw, who better to do it for than Zeppelin? Our patience was rewarded with the "Whole Lotta Love/Rock & Roll" blast, of course featuring Moonie. "LA, it's been very funny," said Plant, and it was over. We had come to the concert with sky-high expectations-and they had exceeded them.
know I'll never see a better concert. I feel very lucky to have seen them, and feel sorry for those who didn't, especially drummers, like myself. Nobody can come close to Bonzo, in my book, he was just devastating! Whenever I'm at the drums and stuck on something, I picture a surly Bonham looking on, giving me shit: Right, no mucking about, then, mate-like this!" And whenever I go to The Forum, whether for a basketball game or a concert, I gaze up at the walls and I can still hear it, loud and clear-"BOOM! BOOM! DA-DAT! DA-DAT! BOOM!" I'll never forget that moment. Led Zeppelin at The Forum, and I was there! The hammer of the Gods indeed!
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