Led Zeppelin North American Tour Spring 1969
Encyclopedia
Led Zeppelin
's Spring 1969 North American Tour was the second concert tour of North America
by the English
rock
band
. The tour commenced on April 18 and concluded on May 31, 1969.
By this point in time, Led Zeppelin's skyrocketing popularity was such that the group had reached top billing, sharing that honour for some of their gigs with established acts such as Julie Driscoll
, Delaney & Bonnie and Three Dog Night
. They were now receiving four times the money that they had previously commanded on their first tour of America
just a few months earlier. Indeed, the band was also one of the first groups to be a single act without any opening group for some of their performances. However, for the band's concert at Columbia, Maryland
, on May 25, manager Peter Grant agreed for Led Zeppelin to receive second billing in support of The Who
. This was the only time that these two English bands ever performed on the same bill.
During this tour the band took time out at various recording studios to record tracks for their forthcoming album, Led Zeppelin II
. Many of the tracks were later mixed down by Eddie Kramer
at A&R Studios, New York
.
It was during this period that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page
switched from using his Telecaster to his signature Gibson Les Paul
, whilst also incorporating the use of Marshall amplifiers.
for the tour was:
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 Spring 1969 North American Tour was the second 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 April 18 and concluded on May 31, 1969.
By this point in time, Led Zeppelin's skyrocketing popularity was such that the group had reached top billing, sharing that honour for some of their gigs with established acts such as Julie Driscoll
Julie Driscoll
Julie Tippetts is an English singer and actress, known for her 1960s versions of Bob Dylan's "This Wheel's on Fire", and Donovan's "Season of the Witch", both with Brian Auger & The Trinity...
, Delaney & Bonnie and Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
. They were now receiving four times the money that they had previously commanded on their first tour of America
Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1968/1969
Led Zeppelin's 1968/1969 tour of North America was the first concert tour of North America by the English rock band. The tour commenced on December 26, 1968 and concluded on February 15, 1969.-Overview:...
just a few months earlier. Indeed, the band was also one of the first groups to be a single act without any opening group for some of their performances. However, for the band's concert at Columbia, Maryland
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
, on May 25, manager Peter Grant agreed for Led Zeppelin to receive second billing in support of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. This was the only time that these two English bands ever performed on the same bill.
During this tour the band took time out at various recording studios to record tracks for their forthcoming album, Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin II
The finished tracks reflect the raw, evolving sound of the band and their ability as live performers. The album has been noted for featuring a further development of the lyrical themes established by Robert Plant on Led Zeppelin's debut album, creating a work which would become more widely...
. Many of the tracks were later mixed down by Eddie Kramer
Eddie Kramer
Edwin H. Kramer is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with, among others, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Kiss , Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Spooky Tooth, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Loudness, and Robin Trower.-1960s:Eddie...
at A&R Studios, 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...
.
It was during this period that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page
Jimmy 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...
switched from using his Telecaster to his signature Gibson Les Paul
Gibson Les Paul
The Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
, whilst also incorporating the use of Marshall amplifiers.
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:
- "Train Kept A-Rollin'Train Kept A-Rollin'"Train Kept A-Rollin" is a song written by Tiny Bradshaw, Howard Kay, and Lois Mann. Bradshaw first recorded the song as a jump blues in 1951—his best known recording. After a rock and roll version of the song was recorded and released by Johnny Burnette and the Rock and Roll Trio in 1956, numerous...
" (BradshawTiny BradshawMyron C. Bradshaw was an American jazz and rhythm and blues bandleader, singer, composer, pianist, and drummer from Youngstown, Ohio.-Early years:...
, Kay, Mann) - "I Can't Quit You BabyI Can't Quit You Baby"I Can't Quit You Baby" is a blues standard written by Willie Dixon and first recorded by Chicago blues artist Otis Rush in 1956. The song, a slow twelve-bar blues, has been recorded by various artists, including Led Zeppelin, who included it on their debut album.- Otis Rush version :"I Can't Quit...
" (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...
) - "As Long As I Have You" (MimmsGarnet MimmsGarnet Mimms is an American singer, influential in soul music and rhythm and blues...
) - "Dazed and Confused" (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...
) - "You Shook MeYou Shook Me"You Shook Me" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir. Earl Hooker first recorded it as an instrumental which was then overdubbed with vocals by Muddy Waters in 1962....
" (Dixon, LenoirJ. B. LenoirJ. B. Lenoir /ləˈnɔːr/ was an African American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter, active in the 1950s and 1960s Chicago blues scene....
) - "How Many More TimesHow Many More Times"How Many More Times" is the ninth and final track on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. The song is credited in the album liner to Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, but is listed by ASCAP as written by all four members of the band.-Album version:At eight...
" (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...
, Jones, Page) - "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) - "White SummerWhite Summer"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page, recorded with both The Yardbirds and, later, with Led Zeppelin.-The Yardbirds version:...
"/"Black Mountain SideBlack Mountain Side"Black Mountain Side" is an instrumental by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on the band's 1969 début album Led Zeppelin. It was recorded at Olympic Studios, London during October 1968.-Song structure:...
" (Page) - "Killing Floor" (WolfHowlin' WolfChester Arthur Burnett , known as Howlin' Wolf, was an influential American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player....
) - "Babe I'm Gonna Leave YouBabe I'm Gonna Leave You"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is a folk song written by Anne Bredon in the late 1950s. It was recorded by Joan Baez and released on her 1962 album Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1, and also by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, who included it on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin...
" (Bredon, 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...
) - "Sitting and Thinking" (on 27 April only)
- "Pat's Delight" (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, Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant)
There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.
Tour dates
- 24/04/1969: Fillmore WestFillmore WestThe Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
- San Francisco, CA - 25/04/1969: Winterland BallroomWinterland BallroomThe Winterland Ballroom, often referred to as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland, was an old ice skating rink and 5,400-seat music venue in San Francisco, California...
- San Francisco, CA - 26/04/1969: Winterland BallroomWinterland BallroomThe Winterland Ballroom, often referred to as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland, was an old ice skating rink and 5,400-seat music venue in San Francisco, California...
- San Francisco, CA - 27/04/1969: Fillmore WestFillmore WestThe Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
- San Francisco, CA - 01/05/1969: Crawford HallCrawford HallCrawford Hall is a volleyball arena for UC Irvine. Crawford Hall Gym is where the men's and women's volleyball matches are held and is one of the top 25 largest volleyball-only facilities in the nation. The gym seats 1,400 and also houses the UC Irvine intercollegiate athletics offices...
- UC Irvine, Irvine, CA - 02/05/1969: Rose PalaceRose PalaceThe Rose Palace, also known as the Pasadena Rose Palace, is a building located at 835 South Raymond Avenue in the city of Pasadena, California...
- Pasadena, CA - 03/05/1969: Rose PalaceRose PalaceThe Rose Palace, also known as the Pasadena Rose Palace, is a building located at 835 South Raymond Avenue in the city of Pasadena, California...
- Pasadena, CA - 04/05/1969: Santa Monica Civic CenterSanta Monica Civic AuditoriumSanta Monica Civic Auditorium is a multipurpose convention center in Santa Monica, California owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket....
- Santa Monica, CA - 05/05/1969: Santa Monica Civic CenterSanta Monica Civic AuditoriumSanta Monica Civic Auditorium is a multipurpose convention center in Santa Monica, California owned by the City of Santa Monica. It was built in 1958 and designed by Welton Becket....
- Santa Monica, CA - 09/05/1969: Edmonton GardensEdmonton GardensThe Edmonton Gardens was the first indoor hockey arena built in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was originally built as Edmonton Stock Pavilion in 1913, and held 5,200 spectators after its 1966 renovations....
- Edmonton, AB - 10/05/1969: 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 - 11/05/1969: Green Lake Aqua TheaterGreen Lake Aqua TheaterThe Green Lake Aqua Theater was an outdoor theater located at Green Lake in Seattle, Washington.The Aqua Theater was built in 1950 for the first Seafair Summer Festival in order to house an attraction called the Aqua Follies and their "swimusicals" - a combination of aqua ballet, stage dancing, and...
- Seattle, WA - 13/05/1969: Civic AuditoriumCivic Auditorium-Canada:*Oshawa Civic Auditorium in Oshawa, Ontario*Estevan Civic Auditorium in Estevan, Saskatchewan-United States:*Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California...
- Honolulu, HI - 16/05/1969: Grande BallroomGrande BallroomThe Grande Ballroom is a historic live music venue located at 8952 Grand River Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. The building was designed by Detroit engineer and architect Charles N. Agree in 1928 and originally served as a multi-purpose building, hosting retail business on the first floor and a large...
- Detroit, MI (two shows) - 17/05/1969: Convocation CenterConvocation Center (Ohio University)Convocation Center is a 13,080-seat multi-purpose arena that is home to the Ohio Bobcats basketball, volleyball, and wrestling teams. The first men's basketball game in the arena featured an 80–70 Ohio victory over the Indiana Hoosiers on December 3, 1968.The Convocation Center,...
- Athens, OH - 18/05/1969: Guthrie TheaterGuthrie TheaterThe Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
- Minneapolis, MN - 23/05/1969: Northern California Folk-Rock FestivalNorthern California Folk-Rock Festival (1969)The Northern California Folk-Rock Festival was a music festival held at Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose, California on the 23-25 May 1969...
- San Jose, CA - 24/05/1969: Kinetic PlaygroundKinetic PlaygroundThe Kinetic Playground was a short-lived nightclub located in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.The club was opened on April 3, 1968 as the Electric Theater by Aaron Russo and was located at 4812 North Clark Street...
- Chicago, IL - 25/05/1969: Merriweather Post PavilionMerriweather Post PavilionMerriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue located within Symphony Woods, a 40-acre lot of preserved land in the heart of the planned community of Columbia, Maryland. It was named for the American Post Foods heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post...
- Columbia, MD - 27/05/1969: Boston Tea PartyBoston Tea Party (concert venue)The Boston Tea Party was a concert venue located on 53 Berkeley Street in Boston, Massachusetts...
- Boston, MA - 28/05/1969: Boston Tea PartyBoston Tea PartyThe Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
- Boston, MA - 29/05/1969: Boston Tea PartyBoston Tea PartyThe Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
- Boston, MA - 30/05/1969: Fillmore EastFillmore EastThe Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
- New York City, NY - 31/05/1969: Fillmore EastFillmore EastThe Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
- New York City, NY
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.