Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1972
Encyclopedia
Led Zeppelin
's 1972 North American Tour was the eighth concert tour of North America
by the English
rock
band
. The tour was divided into two legs, with performances commencing on May 27 and concluding on June 28, 1972. It included two warm-up shows in Europe
.
considers Led Zeppelin at this point to have been at their artistic peak. However, despite selling out their concerts, the tour had the lowest profile of all of the band's eleven North American concert tours, being vastly overshadowed by the Rolling Stones' tour of the same period
, much to the annoyance of Led Zeppelin. In order to prevent this from happening again, the band's manager, Peter Grant, decided to hire PR
consultants to help promote subsequent tours.
During this concert stint the band stopped at New York
to mix tracks that had been recorded at Olympic Studios
in London
the previous month, for their forthcoming fifth album
.
According to Led Zeppelin experts Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett, it was at around this period in time that Grant began to implement the unprecedented policy of asking concert promoters for 90% of all gate receipts:
For this tour, and all of Led Zeppelin's subsequent American tours, the band hired Dallas-based company Showco
to provide its lighting and sound.
, several of the concerts performed by the band on this tour were recorded by fans as unofficial bootlegs
. Some of these were subsequently released on bootleg titles such as Burn Like a Candle
.
In soundboard recordings from two of the concerts from this tour, at the L.A. Forum
on June 25 and the Long Beach Arena on June 27 respectively, were remastered by Page and officially released on the album How the West Was Won.
No official live footage of the band was filmed during this tour. In an interview he gave to The Times
newspaper in 2010, when asked which performances from Led Zeppelin's career stand out to him now, he made reference to the tour, but acknowledged the lack of visual recordings:
("Over the Hills and Far Away
", "Dancing Days
", and "The Ocean"). This was also the last concert tour on which Led Zeppelin included an acoustic section until it was revived in 1975 for their Earls Court performances
. The decision to drop the acoustic set was perhaps made because their live concerts were regularly extending into three hour long marathons (and sometimes up to four and a half hours), which were becoming taxing on all four band members.
The fairly typical set list
for the tour was:
Encores (variations of the following list):
There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.
Note: The June 18th show was moved to Seattle from the planned location in Vancouver at the last minute due to fan rioting.
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 1972 North American Tour was the eighth 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 was divided into two legs, with performances commencing on May 27 and concluding on June 28, 1972. It included two warm-up shows in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
History
Guitarist Jimmy PageJimmy Page
James 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...
considers Led Zeppelin at this point to have been at their artistic peak. However, despite selling out their concerts, the tour had the lowest profile of all of the band's eleven North American concert tours, being vastly overshadowed by the Rolling Stones' tour of the same period
The Rolling Stones American Tour 1972
The Rolling Stones American Tour 1972, often referred to as the S.T.P. Tour , was a much-publicized and much-written-about concert tour of The United States and Canada in June and July 1972 by The Rolling Stones...
, much to the annoyance of Led Zeppelin. In order to prevent this from happening again, the band's manager, Peter Grant, decided to hire PR
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
consultants to help promote subsequent tours.
During this concert stint the band stopped 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...
to mix tracks that had been recorded at Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
the previous month, for their forthcoming fifth album
Houses of the Holy
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed "Houses of the Holy". It was the second Led Zeppelin album to not...
.
According to Led Zeppelin experts Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett, it was at around this period in time that Grant began to implement the unprecedented policy of asking concert promoters for 90% of all gate receipts:
For this tour, and all of Led Zeppelin's subsequent American tours, the band hired Dallas-based company Showco
Showco
Showco is a sound equipment provider of touring sound reinforcement equipment and services to the concert touring industry. It is based in Dallas, Texas....
to provide its lighting and sound.
Recordings
Like many other Led Zeppelin concert toursLed Zeppelin concerts
From September 1968 through the summer of 1980, English rock group Led Zeppelin were one of the world's most popular live music attractions, performing hundreds of sold-out concerts around the world.-History:...
, several of the concerts performed by the band on this tour were recorded by fans as unofficial 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...
. Some of these were subsequently released on bootleg titles such as Burn Like a Candle
Burn Like a Candle
Burn Like a Candle is a bootleg recording of the English rock group Led Zeppelin's performance at the Los Angeles Forum on June 25, 1972. It was originally released on CD format in the 1990s by the Smoking Pig label....
.
In soundboard recordings from two of the concerts from this tour, at the L.A. Forum
The 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...
on June 25 and the Long Beach Arena on June 27 respectively, were remastered by Page and officially released on the album How the West Was Won.
No official live footage of the band was filmed during this tour. In an interview he gave to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper in 2010, when asked which performances from Led Zeppelin's career stand out to him now, he made reference to the tour, but acknowledged the lack of visual recordings:
Tour set list
This was the first tour in which Led Zeppelin used songs from their upcoming album Houses of the HolyHouses of the Holy
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed "Houses of the Holy". It was the second Led Zeppelin album to not...
("Over the Hills and Far Away
Over the Hills and Far Away (Led Zeppelin song)
"Over the Hills and Far Away" is the third track from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1973 album Houses of the Holy.-Overview:Jimmy Page and Robert Plant originally constructed the song in 1970 at Bron-Yr-Aur, a small cottage in Wales where they stayed after completing a gruelling North American...
", "Dancing Days
Dancing Days
"Dancing Days" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It appears on their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy, having been recorded at Stargroves in 1972. It was inspired by an Indian tune that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant heard while traveling in Bombay.This was the first track from the album to...
", and "The Ocean"). This was also the last concert tour on which Led Zeppelin included an acoustic section until it was revived in 1975 for their Earls Court performances
Earls Court 1975
Earls Court 1975 were five concerts performed by the English rock band Led Zeppelin at Earls Court Arena in London in May 1975.-Overview:The concerts were initially booked for three nights on May 23, 24 and 25, but due to unprecedented public demand , two further dates were added for May 17 and 18,...
. The decision to drop the acoustic set was perhaps made because their live concerts were regularly extending into three hour long marathons (and sometimes up to four and a half hours), which were becoming taxing on all four band members.
The fairly typical set list
Set 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:
- "LA DroneLA Drone"LA Drone" is a short piece of music that the English rock band Led Zeppelin played as an intro tape on the second half of their 1972 concert tour of the United States...
" (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...
, 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...
) - "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:...
" (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) - "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...
" (Page, Plant, Jones) (on 27 May and 9 June only) - "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) - "Over the Hills and Far AwayOver the Hills and Far Away (Led Zeppelin song)"Over the Hills and Far Away" is the third track from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1973 album Houses of the Holy.-Overview:Jimmy Page and Robert Plant originally constructed the song in 1970 at Bron-Yr-Aur, a small cottage in Wales where they stayed after completing a gruelling North American...
" (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, Jones) - "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) - "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) - "Black Country WomanBlack Country Woman"Black Country Woman" is the fourteenth song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1975 album Physical Graffiti. It was originally intended to be part of the Houses of the Holy album, which had been released two years earlier....
" (Page, Plant) (only on 19 June) - "That's the Way" (Page, Plant)
- "TangerineTangerine (Led Zeppelin song)"Tangerine" is a folk rock song composed by Jimmy Page and performed by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on their 1970 album Led Zeppelin III....
" (Page) - "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp" (Page, Plant, Jones)
- "Dazed and Confused" (Page)
- "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) - "Dancing DaysDancing Days"Dancing Days" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It appears on their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy, having been recorded at Stargroves in 1972. It was inspired by an Indian tune that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant heard while traveling in Bombay.This was the first track from the album to...
" (Page, Plant) - "Moby Dick" (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):
- "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) - "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) - "The Ocean" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant)
- "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) - "Bring It On Home" (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...
, Page, Plant) - "Money (That's What I Want)Money (That's What I Want)"Money " is a 1959 hit single by Barrett Strong for the Tamla label, distributed nationally on Anna Records. The song was written by Tamla founder Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford, and became the first hit record for Gordy's Motown enterprise....
" (Bradford, Gordie) (only on 19 June)
There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.
European warm-up shows
- 27/05/1972: Oude RaiAmsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention CentreThe Amsterdam RAI Exhibition and Convention Centre , or RAI for short, is a complex of conference and exhibition halls in the Zuidas business district of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The complex gives its name to the nearby Amsterdam RAI railway station...
- AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population... - 28/05/1972: Vorst NationaalForest NationalForest National or Vorst Nationaal is a multi-purpose arena in Brussels, Belgium. The arena can hold 8,000 people. It hosts indoor sporting events, as well as music concerts, by a wide variety of music artists....
- BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
North America
- 06/06/1972: Cobo HallCobo HallGavin Hamilton memorial arena is a major convention center situated along Jefferson Ave. in downtown Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was named for Albert E. Cobo, mayor of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. Designed by Gino Rossetti, opened in 1960. Expanded in 1989, the present complex contains of exhibition...
- Detroit, MI - 07/06/1972: Montreal ForumMontreal ForumThe Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...
- Montreal, QB - 08/06/1972: 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, MABostonBoston 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... - 09/06/1972: Charlotte ColiseumCharlotte ColiseumThe Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles' Coliseum, the Charlotte Convention Center, and Ovens Auditorium...
- Charlotte, NC - 10/06/1972: Buffalo Memorial AuditoriumBuffalo Memorial AuditoriumBuffalo Memorial Auditorium was an indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. It hosted the Buffalo Bisons of the AHL, the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, the Buffalo Braves of the NBA, the Buffalo Stallions of MSL, the Buffalo Bandits of MILL, the Buffalo Blizzard of the second NPSL and the Buffalo...
- Buffalo, NY - 11/06/1972: Civic Center - Baltimore, MD
- 13/06/1972: The SpectrumWachovia SpectrumThe Spectrum, formerly known as the CoreStates Spectrum , First Union Spectrum , and Wachovia Spectrum was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
- Philadelphia, PA - 14/06/1972: Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY
- 15/06/1972: Nassau Coliseum - Uniondale, NY
- 17/06/1972: Memorial Coliseum - Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
- 18/06/1972: Seattle Center ColiseumKeyArenaKeyArena at Seattle Center , is a multipurpose arena, in Seattle, Washington. It is located north of downtown in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition...
- Seattle, WA - 19/06/1972: Seattle Center Coliseum - Seattle, WA
- 21/06/1972: Denver ColiseumDenver ColiseumDenver Coliseum is an indoor arena, owned by the City and County of Denver, operated by its Theatres and Arenas division and is located in Denver, Colorado...
- Denver, CO - 22/06/1972: Swing AuditoriumSwing AuditoriumSwing Auditorium was an indoor arena located on E Street in San Bernardino, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. It had a capacity of 10,000 patrons.Named for Senator Ralph E...
- San Bernardino, CA - 23/06/1972: San Diego Sports Arena - San Diego, CA
- 25/06/1972: The Forum - Inglewood, CA
- 27/06/1972: Long Beach Arena - Long Beach, CA
- 28/06/1972: Tucson Community CenterTucson Convention CenterThe Tucson Convention Center , previously named the Tucson Community Center, is a large multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona...
- Tucson, AZ
Note: The June 18th show was moved to Seattle from the planned location in Vancouver at the last minute due to fan rioting.