Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1971
Encyclopedia
Led Zeppelin
's 1971 North American Tour was the seventh concert tour of North America
by the English
rock
band
. The tour commenced on August 7 and concluded on September 17, 1971. It included two warm-up shows in Montreux, Switzerland.
This tour took place just prior to the release of the band's fourth album
. The band had hoped to release this album in time for the tour, but various delays prevented this from occurring.
This was the longest break that the band had from touring North America to date, with their last tour there having taken place almost a year previously. During the interim the hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad
had asserted its influence on the American music market, and Led Zeppelin was keen to re-establish their live reputation through this stint of concert performances.
The new material from the fourth album which was presented by the band on stage was very well received by audiences, which helped to ensure massive sales of that album when it was eventually released in November 1971.
The tour is also notable for the high frequency of crowd disturbances
which occurred at the concerts, including those at New York
, Toronto
and Boston
, as the bootlegs
of these concerts attest.
Before this tour, Robert Plant shaved off his beard, a style which he and the rest of his bandmates had adopted the year before. John Paul Jones followed suit a month later, as did Jimmy Page the following winter.
On this tour, the band grossed $1 million.
for the tour was:
Encores (variations of the following list):
There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
's 1971 North American Tour was the seventh concert tour of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. The tour commenced on August 7 and concluded on September 17, 1971. It included two warm-up shows in Montreux, Switzerland.
This tour took place just prior to the release of the band's fourth album
Led Zeppelin IV
The fourth album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin was released on 8 November 1971. No title is printed on the album, so it is generally referred to as Led Zeppelin IV, following the naming standard used by the band's first three studio albums...
. The band had hoped to release this album in time for the tour, but various delays prevented this from occurring.
This was the longest break that the band had from touring North America to date, with their last tour there having taken place almost a year previously. During the interim the hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
had asserted its influence on the American music market, and Led Zeppelin was keen to re-establish their live reputation through this stint of concert performances.
The new material from the fourth album which was presented by the band on stage was very well received by audiences, which helped to ensure massive sales of that album when it was eventually released in November 1971.
The tour is also notable for the high frequency of crowd disturbances
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
which occurred at the concerts, including those at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, as the bootlegs
Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings
The Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings are a collection of audio and video recordings of musical performances by English rock band Led Zeppelin which were never officially released by the band, or under other legal authority. The recordings consist of both live concert performances and outtakes from...
of these concerts attest.
Before this tour, Robert Plant shaved off his beard, a style which he and the rest of his bandmates had adopted the year before. John Paul Jones followed suit a month later, as did Jimmy Page the following winter.
On this tour, the band grossed $1 million.
Tour set list
The fairly typical set listSet list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
for the tour was:
- "Rhumba (Walk Don't Run)" (only on 22 August)
- "Immigrant SongImmigrant Song"Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released as a single from their third album, Led Zeppelin III, in 1970.-Overview:...
" (PageJimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
) - "HeartbreakerHeartbreaker (Led Zeppelin song)"Heartbreaker" is a song from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1969 album, Led Zeppelin II. It was credited to all four members of the band, having been recorded at A&R Studios, New York, during the band's second concert tour of the United States, and was engineered by Eddie Kramer."Heartbreaker"...
" (BonhamJohn BonhamJohn Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
, Page, Plant) - "Since I've Been Loving YouSince I've Been Loving You"Since I've Been Loving You" is a blues-rock song in C minor by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on the 1970 album Led Zeppelin III.-Overview:...
" (Page, Plant, JonesJohn Paul Jones (musician)John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
) - "Out on the TilesOut on the Tiles"Out on the Tiles" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from the 1970 album Led Zeppelin III. The title of the song is derived from the British phrase for going out for a night on the town. Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham would talk about going "out on the tiles," meaning to go to bars,...
" (intro) (Page, Plant, Bonham) / "Black DogBlack Dog (song)"Black Dog" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, the lead off track of their fourth album, released in 1971. It was also released as a single in the United States and Australia with "Misty Mountain Hop" on the B-side, and reached #15 on Billboard and #11 in Australia.In 2010, the song was...
" (Page, Plant, Jones) - "Dazed and Confused" (Page)
- "Stairway to HeavenStairway to Heaven"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album . The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which...
" (Page, Plant) - "Celebration DayCelebration Day"Celebration Day" is the third track from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1970 album Led Zeppelin III.The track was almost left off the album, due to a studio oversight in which an engineer accidentally erased the first few bars of John Bonham's drum track...
" (Jones, Page, Plant) - "That's the Way" (Page, Plant)
- "Going to CaliforniaGoing to California"Going to California" is a song performed by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their fourth album, released in 1971.-Overview:The song's wistful folk-style sound, with Robert Plant on lead vocals, acoustic guitar by Jimmy Page and mandolin by John Paul Jones, contrasts with the heavy...
" (Page, Plant) - "What Is and What Should Never BeWhat Is and What Should Never Be"What Is and What Should Never Be" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin on their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant....
" (Page, Plant) - "Moby Dick" (Page, Jones, Bonham)
- "Whole Lotta LoveWhole Lotta Love"Whole Lotta Love" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is featured as the opening track on the band's second album, Led Zeppelin II, and was released in the United States and Japan as a single. The US release became their first hit single, it was certified Gold on 13 April 1970, when it...
" (Bonham, DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
, Jones, Page, Plant)
Encores (variations of the following list):
- "Communication BreakdownCommunication Breakdown"Communication Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin.- Structure :The pounding guitar riff was played by Page through a small, miked Supro amplifier throughout; and ran his Fender Telecaster through a fully closed Vox wah pedal to...
" (Bonham, Jones, Page) - "Organ Solo" (JonesJohn Paul Jones (musician)John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
) / "Thank YouThank You (Led Zeppelin song)"Thank You" is a song written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page that was released by English rock band Led Zeppelin on their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II.-Overview:...
" (Page, Plant) - "Rock and RollRock and Roll (Led Zeppelin song)"Rock and Roll" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, which was first released as the second track from the band's fourth album in 1971, with a guest appearance by The Rolling Stones pianist Ian Stewart.-Overview:...
" (Page, Plant, Jones, Bonham) - "Weekend" (on 7 August only)
There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.
European warm-up shows
- 07/08/1971: Montreux CasinoMontreux CasinoMontreux Casino ' is a casino located in Montreux, Switzerland, on the shoreline of Lake Geneva. It has served as the venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival and was rebuilt following a 1971 fire memorialized in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water." It is a property of Groupe Lucien...
- MontreuxMontreuxMontreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :... - 08/08/1971: Montreux CasinoMontreux CasinoMontreux Casino ' is a casino located in Montreux, Switzerland, on the shoreline of Lake Geneva. It has served as the venue for the Montreux Jazz Festival and was rebuilt following a 1971 fire memorialized in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water." It is a property of Groupe Lucien...
- MontreuxMontreuxMontreux is a municipality in the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.It is located on Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps and has a population, , of and nearly 90,000 in the agglomeration.- History :...
North America
- 19/08/1971: Pacific ColiseumPacific ColiseumPacific Coliseum is an indoor arena, at Hastings Park, in Vancouver, British Columbia.Completed in 1968, at the former site of the Pacific National Exhibition, the arena currently holds 16,281, for ice hockey, though capacity at its opening was 15,713....
- Vancouver, BC - 20/08/1971: Seattle Center Coliseum - Seattle, WA
- 21/08/1971: The Forum - Inglewood, CA
- 22/08/1971: The ForumThe Forum (Inglewood, California)The Forum is an indoor arena, in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. From 2000 to 2010, it was owned by the Faithful Central Bible Church, which occasionally used it for church services, while also leasing the building for sporting events, concerts and other events.Along with Madison...
- Inglewood, CA - 23/08/1971: Tarrant County Convention Center - Fort Worth, TX
- 24/08/1971: Memorial AuditoriumDallas Convention CenterThe Dallas Convention Center, originally the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, is a meeting hall, event/convention center and civic center in the Convention Center District of downtown Dallas, Texas...
- Dallas, TX - 26/08/1971: Hofheinz PavilionHofheinz PavilionGuy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion, often known as simply Hofheinz Pavilion, is an 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Houston campus in Houston, Texas. Located at 3875 Holman Street, it is home to the University of Houston Cougars men's and women's basketball teams as well as...
- Houston, TX - 27/08/1971: Civic AuditoriumCivic Auditorium-Canada:*Oshawa Civic Auditorium in Oshawa, Ontario*Estevan Civic Auditorium in Estevan, Saskatchewan-United States:*Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California...
- Oklahoma City, OK - 28/08/1971: St. Louis ArenaSt. Louis ArenaThe St. Louis Arena was an indoor arena located in St. Louis, Missouri, that stood from 1929 to 1999...
- St. Louis, MO - 29/08/1971: Municipal AuditoriumMunicipal Auditorium (New Orleans)The Morris F.X. Jeff, Sr. Municipal Auditorium is a 7,853-seat multi-purpose arena in New Orleans, Louisiana, and a component of the New Orleans Cultural Center, alongside the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts. It is located in the Treme neighborhood in Louis Armstrong Park near Congo...
- New Orleans, LA - 31/08/1971: Sports StadiumOrlando Sports StadiumOrlando Sports Stadium was an indoor arena, located in Orlando, Florida. The venue was opened in 1967 and was later re-named after professional wrestler and promoter Eddie Graham....
- Orlando, FL - 01/09/1971: Hollywood SportatoriumHollywood SportatoriumThe Hollywood Sportatorium was an indoor arena in Pembroke Pines, Florida, located at 17171 Pines Boulevard . The Sportatorium was from downtown Miami and from downtown Fort Lauderdale...
- Pembroke Pines, FL - 03/09/1971: Madison Square GardenMadison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
- New York, NY - 04/09/1971: Maple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena that was converted into a Loblawssupermarket and Ryerson University athletic centre in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.One of the temples of hockey, it was home to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the...
- Toronto, ON - 05/09/1971: Chicago AmphitheaterInternational AmphitheatreThe International Amphitheatre was an indoor arena, located in Chicago, Illinois, between 1934 and 1999. It was located on the west side of Halsted Street, at 42nd Street, on the city's south side, adjacent to the Union Stock Yards....
- Chicago, IL - 06/09/1971: Boston GardenBoston GardenThe Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
- Boston, MA - 09/09/1971: Hampton Roads ColiseumHampton ColiseumThe Hampton Coliseum is a multi-use cultural, entertainment and sports arena in Hampton, Virginia. Construction on the arena began on May 24, 1968 and the venue opened in 1970 as the first large multi-purpose arena in the Hampton Roads region and the state of Virginia, opening a year prior to...
- Hampton, VA - 10/09/1971: Onondaga Veterans AuditoriumWar Memorial at OncenterThe War Memorial at Oncenter, originally the Onondaga War Memorial, is a 6,159-seat multi-purpose arena in Downtown Syracuse, New York. It is part of the Oncenter Complex....
, Syracuse, NY - 11/09/1971: War Memorial AuditoriumBlue Cross ArenaThe Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial is a multi-purpose indoor arena, located in Rochester, New York. Its maximum seating capacity is 13,000...
- Rochester, NY - 13/09/1971: Berkeley Community TheatreBerkeley Community TheatreThe Berkeley Community Theatre is a theatre, located in Berkeley, California on the campus of Berkeley High School. The Art Deco-style theater has 3,491 seats, including a balcony section...
- Berkeley, CA - 14/09/1971: Berkeley Community TheatreBerkeley Community TheatreThe Berkeley Community Theatre is a theatre, located in Berkeley, California on the campus of Berkeley High School. The Art Deco-style theater has 3,491 seats, including a balcony section...
- Berkeley, CA - 16/09/1971: Neal S. Blaisdell Arena - Honolulu, HI
- 17/09/1971: Neal S. Blaisdell Arena - Honolulu, HI
External links
- Comprehensive archive of known concert appearances by Led Zeppelin (official website)
- Led Zeppelin concert setlists
Sources
- Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.