Led Zeppelin North American Tour Summer 1969
Encyclopedia
Led Zeppelin
's Summer 1969 North American Tour was the third concert tour of North America
by the English
rock
band
. The tour commenced on July 5 and concluded on August 31, 1969.
By this point in the band's career, Led Zeppelin were earning $30,000 a night for each of the concerts they performed. According to music journalist Chris Welch
:
This concert tour is notable for the number of festival appearances made by Led Zeppelin. On July 21 Led Zeppelin were the headliners of the Schaefer Music Festival
at New York City
's Wollman Rink
, along with B.B. King. The band also appeared at the Atlanta International Pop Festival
on July 5, the Newport Jazz Festival
on July 6, the Laurel Pop Festival
on July 11, the Summer Pop Festival on July 12, the Midwest Rock Festival
on July 25, the Seattle Pop Festival
on July 27, the Singer Bowl Music Festival on August 30 and the Texas International Pop Festival
on August 31.
It was during this tour that the infamous shark episode
is alleged to have taken place, when Led Zeppelin visited Seattle for their appearance at the Seattle Pop Festival.
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 Summer 1969 North American Tour was the third 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 July 5 and concluded on August 31, 1969.
By this point in the band's career, Led Zeppelin were earning $30,000 a night for each of the concerts they performed. According to music journalist Chris Welch
Chris Welch
Chris Welch is a music journalist, reviewer and critic with Melody Maker, famous during the 1960s and 1970s for reporting on the rise of such bands as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, If, Cream and Jeff Beck. During that time he also reported on the UK jazz scene.- Career...
:
This concert tour is notable for the number of festival appearances made by Led Zeppelin. On July 21 Led Zeppelin were the headliners of the Schaefer Music Festival
Schaefer Music Festival
The Schaefer Music Festival was a music festival which had been held in the summers between 1968 and 1976 at the Wollman Skating Rink in New York City's Central Park. The series had been sponsored by F. & M...
at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Wollman Rink
Wollman Rink
Wollman Skating Rink is a public ice rink in the southern part of Central Park, Manhattan, New York City. The rink was opened in 1949 with funds donated by Kate Wollman who donated $600,000 for the rink to commemorate her entire family from Leavenworth, Kansas)...
, along with B.B. King. The band also appeared at the Atlanta International Pop Festival
Atlanta International Pop Festival (1969)
The first Atlanta International Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Atlanta International Raceway on the July Fourth and weekend, 1969, more than a month before Woodstock. It was organized by Alex Cooley, who later went on to organize the Texas International Pop Festival. The crowd...
on July 5, the Newport Jazz Festival
Newport Jazz Festival
The Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
on July 6, the Laurel Pop Festival
Laurel Pop Festival
The Laurel Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Laurel Race Course in Laurel, MD on July 11–12, 1969.The festival featured Buddy Guy, Al Kooper, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter. Edwin Hawkins and Led Zeppelin ; and Jeff Beck, Ten Years After, Sly and the Family Stone, Mothers of Invention,...
on July 11, the Summer Pop Festival on July 12, the Midwest Rock Festival
Midwest Rock Festival
×The Midwest Rock Festival was a music festival held at the State Fair Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 25th-July 27, 1969.The festival featured Led Zeppelin, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The First Edition, Sweetwater, Pacific Gas & Electric, SRC and Shag ; Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends,...
on July 25, the Seattle Pop Festival
Seattle Pop Festival
The Seattle Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Gold Creek Park, Woodinville, Washington from July 25 to July 28, 1969. The event was organized by Boyd Grafmyre....
on July 27, the Singer Bowl Music Festival on August 30 and the Texas International Pop Festival
Texas International Pop Festival
The Texas International Pop Festival was a music festival held at Lewisville, Texas, on Labor Day weekend, August 30-September 1, 1969. It occurred two weeks after Woodstock...
on August 31.
It was during this tour that the infamous shark episode
Shark episode
The Shark episode or Mudshark incident was an alleged event which took place at the Edgewater Inn in Seattle, Washington, on 28 July 1969, involving Richard Cole, a road manager for the English rock band Led Zeppelin, and members of the American psychedelic rock band Vanilla Fudge...
is alleged to have taken place, when Led Zeppelin visited Seattle for their appearance at the Seattle Pop Festival.
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...
) - "Dazed and Confused" (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) - "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....
" (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...
, 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...
" (Bonham, 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) - "Long Tall SallyLong Tall Sally"Long Tall Sally" is a rock and roll 12-bar blues song written by Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Enotris Johnson and Richard Penniman , recorded by Little Richard and released March 1956 on the Specialty Records label....
" (Johnson, Blackwell, Penniman) (on 6 July only)
There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.
Tour dates
- 05/07/1969: Atlanta International Pop FestivalAtlanta International Pop Festival (1969)The first Atlanta International Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Atlanta International Raceway on the July Fourth and weekend, 1969, more than a month before Woodstock. It was organized by Alex Cooley, who later went on to organize the Texas International Pop Festival. The crowd...
- Atlanta, GA - 06/07/1969: Newport Jazz FestivalNewport Jazz FestivalThe Newport Jazz Festival is a music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island, USA. It was established in 1954 by socialite Elaine Lorillard, who, together with husband Louis Lorillard, financed the festival for many years. The couple hired jazz impresario George Wein to organize the...
- Newport, RI - 11/07/1969: Laurel Pop FestivalLaurel Pop FestivalThe Laurel Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Laurel Race Course in Laurel, MD on July 11–12, 1969.The festival featured Buddy Guy, Al Kooper, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter. Edwin Hawkins and Led Zeppelin ; and Jeff Beck, Ten Years After, Sly and the Family Stone, Mothers of Invention,...
- Laurel Race Course - Laurel, MD - 12/07/1969: 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 - 13/07/1969: Singer BowlSinger BowlThe Singer Bowl is a stadium that formerly stood in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City borough of Queens. The stadium was built for events during the 1964 World's Fair, also hosting various Olympic trials and concerts over the years....
- New York City, NY (unscheduled, impromptu performance) - 18/07/1969: 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 - 19/07/1969: 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 - 20/07/1969: MusicarnivalMusicarnivalMusicarnival was a music "tent" theater located on Warrensville Center Rd. in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, among the first of its kind. The theater was expanded in 1958 from its initial seating capacity, growing from 1,500 to 2,563...
- Cleveland, OH - 21/07/1969: Schaefer Music FestivalSchaefer Music FestivalThe Schaefer Music Festival was a music festival which had been held in the summers between 1968 and 1976 at the Wollman Skating Rink in New York City's Central Park. The series had been sponsored by F. & M...
- Wollman RinkWollman RinkWollman Skating Rink is a public ice rink in the southern part of Central Park, Manhattan, New York City. The rink was opened in 1949 with funds donated by Kate Wollman who donated $600,000 for the rink to commemorate her entire family from Leavenworth, Kansas)...
, Central ParkCentral ParkCentral Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, New York City, NY - 25/07/1969: Midwest Rock FestivalMidwest Rock Festival×The Midwest Rock Festival was a music festival held at the State Fair Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the 25th-July 27, 1969.The festival featured Led Zeppelin, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The First Edition, Sweetwater, Pacific Gas & Electric, SRC and Shag ; Blind Faith, Delaney and Bonnie and Friends,...
- State Fair ParkWisconsin State Fair ParkThe Wisconsin State Fair Park is a fairgrounds and exhibition center in the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, Wisconsin, USA. It has been the location of the Wisconsin State Fair since 1892. It also hosts other venues such as the Milwaukee Mile, the oldest continuously operating motor speedway in...
, Milwaukee, WI - 26/07/1969: PNE AgrodomePNE AgrodomePNE Agrodome is a sports arena located in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was built in 1963 and holds 5,000 people or 3,260 when configured to use the hockey or lacrosse surface. It annually hosts the provincial high school boys' 'AAA' basketball championships...
, Vancouver, BC - 27/07/1969: Seattle Pop FestivalSeattle Pop FestivalThe Seattle Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Gold Creek Park, Woodinville, Washington from July 25 to July 28, 1969. The event was organized by Boyd Grafmyre....
- Woodinville, WA - 29/07/1969: Kinsmen Field HouseKinsmen Field HouseKinsmen Field House is a multi-purpose sport and recreation facility located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.The facility was opened January 3, 1968 and provides year-round public facilities for sports and recreational activities...
- Edmonton, AB - 30/07/1969: Terrace BallroomTerrace BallroomThe Terrace Ballroom was a ballroom, located on 464 South Main Street, in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the 1930s, when it was called "Coconut Grove", there was no larger ballroom in the United States...
- Salt Lake City, UT - 01/08/1969: Fairgrounds Arena - Santa Barbara, CA
- 02/08/1969: Civic AuditoriumAlbuquerque Civic AuditoriumAlbuquerque Civic Auditorium was an indoor arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was demolished in 1987. It was notable for its innovative construction, as the dome was created by pouring concrete over a mound of packed earth which was subsequently removed. The auditorium was located east of...
- Albuquerque, NM - 03/08/1969: Houston Music HallHouston Music HallThe Houston Music Hall was a music hall, located in Houston, Texas. The venue was opened in November 1937. It was located at 801 Bagby Street, near downtown. It was built in conjunction with the Sam Houston Coliseum, which was adjacent to the hall...
- Houston, TX - 04/08/1969: State Fair ColiseumState Fair ColiseumFair Park Coliseum is a 7,513-seat multi-purpose arena in Dallas, Texas on the Fair Park grounds. It was home to the Dallas Black Hawks ice hockey team and Dallas Chaparrals basketball team. It was built in 1955....
- Dallas, TX - 06/08/1969: Memorial Auditorium - Sacramento, CA
- 07/08/1969: 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, CABerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington... - 08/08/1969: 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 - 09/08/1969: Anaheim Convention CenterAnaheim Convention CenterThe Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. Much of the Anaheim Convention Center has been renovated in recent years with state-of-the-art facilities...
- Anaheim, CA - 10/08/1969: San Diego Sports Arena - San Diego, CA
- 14/08/1969: Municipal AuditoriumMunicipal AuditoriumMunicipal Auditorium is a large, multi-purpose facility in Kansas City, Missouri with three halls: The Arena, Music Hall, and Little Theatre. It opened in 1936 and features Streamline Moderne and Art Deco architecture and architectural details.-Background:...
- Austin, TX - 15/08/1969: HemisFair ArenaHemisFair ArenaHemisFair Arena was an indoor arena, located in San Antonio, Texas, United States.It was home to the NBA's San Antonio Spurs, from 1973 to 1993 and the San Antonio Force, of the AFL, during the 1992 season, their only year of existence....
- San Antonio, TX - 16/08/1969: Asbury Park Convention HallAsbury Park Convention HallAsbury Park Convention Hall is a 3,600-seat indoor exhibition center located on the boardwalk and on the beach in Asbury Park, New Jersey. It was built between 1928 and 1930 and is used for sports, concerts and other special events. Adjacent to the Convention Hall is the Paramount Theatre; both are...
, Asbury Park, NJ - 17/08/1969: Oakdale Musical TheaterChevrolet TheatreToyota Presents: The Oakdale Theatre, is a venue for music and other performances located in Wallingford, Connecticut in the United States.- Founding/Early Years :...
- Wallingford, CT - 18/08/1969: The RockpileMasonic Temple (Toronto)The Masonic Temple, also known as the CTV Temple or the MTV Temple, is a six-storey building on the north-west corner of Davenport Road and Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada....
- Toronto, ON (2 Shows) - 20/08/1969: The AerodromeThe AerodromeThe Aerodrome was a nightclub located at 1588 State Street in Schenectady, New York.The Aerodrome was established in 1967 by Jack Rubin of Chicago. The building was originally a 32-lane bowling alley named 'Woodlawn Lanes', which was converted by Rubin into a music venue...
- Schenectady, NY - 21/08/1969: Carousel TheaterCarousel TheaterThe Carousel Theater was a theatre in the round located in Framingham, Massachusetts, on the Old Connecticut Path. The Carousel Theater was opened in 1958. It had a capacity of approximately 2,500-3,000 people....
- Framingham, MA - 22/08/1969: Pirate's WorldPirate's WorldPirate's World was an pirate-themed amusement park in Dania, Florida that opened in 1967. Developed by Recreation Corporation of America, it was located on the north side of Sheridan Street, east of US 1....
- Dania, FL - 23/08/1969: Pirate's WorldPirate's WorldPirate's World was an pirate-themed amusement park in Dania, Florida that opened in 1967. Developed by Recreation Corporation of America, it was located on the north side of Sheridan Street, east of US 1....
- Dania, FL - 24/08/1969: Veterans Memorial ColiseumJacksonville Memorial ColiseumJacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum was an 11,000-seat multi-purpose arena, in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. Built in 1960 and known as "northern Florida's most historic concert venues", it was home to most of the city's indoor professional sports teams and hosted various concerts, circuses and...
- Jacksonville, FL - 27/08/1969: Casino BallroomHampton Beach Casino BallroomOpened in 1899, the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom is a seasonal live music and comedy venue located on the boardwalk of Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. The venue is open from April to November, and within those eight months schedules upwards of 70 shows...
, Hampton Beach, NH - 30/08/1969: Singer BowlSinger BowlThe Singer Bowl is a stadium that formerly stood in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, in the New York City borough of Queens. The stadium was built for events during the 1964 World's Fair, also hosting various Olympic trials and concerts over the years....
- New York City, NY, - 31/08/1969: Texas International Pop FestivalTexas International Pop FestivalThe Texas International Pop Festival was a music festival held at Lewisville, Texas, on Labor Day weekend, August 30-September 1, 1969. It occurred two weeks after Woodstock...
- Dallas, TX
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.