Led Zeppelin always seemed to bump it up a notch when touring the West Coast/PNW, and this is no exception. March 19, 1975 in Vancouver, BC is one of the better shows from this tour. I have covered this show before, but it's been almost 5 years since then, so.... fair game.

I play Sick Again, Kashmir, & In My Time of Dying; all of which new songs for this tour.

On July 1, 1980 Santana played Frankfurt, Germany at the same venue in which Led Zeppelin played the night before. Jimmy Page hung around and attended the show, and even joined the band for a couple of tunes.

What is noteworthy is how good the jams are. 1980 Jimmy can be very hit or miss. This is a hit. A hit out of the park. First of all Santana is an incredible band as is the recording (Master Soundboard) which was remastered by Dario Romero. They did a great job.

I play a raucous and extremely tight Shake Your Moneymaker where Jimmy easily matches Carlos lick for lick. It's great. I then play Evil Ways which says it has Jimmy on it but I'm not too sure. Still a great performance from a great band.

June 17, 1980 is the first date in Led Zeppelin's Tour Over Europe, and on that date we find the band in Dortmund. They come out of the gate with something to prove, and they deliver. The show opens with an intense and dangerous Train Kept A Rollin' followed without a breath by Nobody's Fault But Mine, which now is truncated as the intro guitar is eliminated going right into the song. I like it. The Rain Song is perfection as it usually is with Bonzo bringing fury and bombast, which will diminish tragically as the tour progresses.

This show has been around forever in lower quality but this is transferred from the reel master. Heinz Esser is the taper of this awesome Free concert, and he also taped Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple (and more). He caught a great performance by Paul Rodgers and Co. for sure. Paul Kossof is a master of tone and technique at only 19 years old. Andy Fraser's thicc bass and Simon Kirke's tight drumming create a powerful engine, with Paul Rodgers at the controls.

I play The Hunter (Zep fans will recognize this song) and Fire and Water which are both incredible.

The very last time the Firm played publicly was May 28, 1986 in good ol' Seattle. Everyone in the band knew it was the end of the project, and they all play their hearts out. Paul Rodgers outdoes himself with delivery and passion. Jimmy is very upbeat and talkative. This show is really good.

You know how I am at best lukewarm on the Firm, overall, but the Mean Business tour sounds streets ahead of the 1985 tour. You're going to enjoy the energy, the music, and the balls of this show. I play an incendiary Spirit of Love, a furious Midnight Moonlight, and a very heavy and dark bluesy I Just Wanna Make Love to You. Even if you're not a big Firm fan this one is the exception. Enjoy.

The 1996 Page/Plant tour of Japan has been extremely well regarded, and documented, for close to 30 years. Thanks to the fantastic audio and video captured, with the ok of the band, by Third Eye, we have a magnificent full stereo recording of February 12, 1996 in Tokyo.

We hear a tender Tea for One (only ever played on this tour) with orchestra, a brilliant and bombastic Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, with a nice Stairway tease, and a supremely tight and cool af Whole Lotta Love, which contains the original, the Knebworth version, and new sections exclusive to the Page/Plant partnership. It's awesome. The whole show.

I once again revisit one of the finest Zep concerts, at least of the post 1973 era. July 24, 1979 at the Falkoner Theater in Copenhagen is absolutely brilliant concert by the biggest band in the world, playing a 1200 seat venue, as a warmup to their 200,000+ Knebworth shows the next month.

I play Trampled Underfoot, In The Evening (2nd time played), and a raucous Whole Lotta Love with a new arrangement for a new era.

All this in anticipation of the newly discovered live film from this show, to be released with synced sound by LedZepFilm, on 2/18/25 on his youtube channel. So cool.

Only the first two songs of this show are publicly extant, and I always have love for the runt of the litter, so here we go! Led Zeppelin played Wallingford, Connecticut on August 17, 1969 and we are able to hear Train Kept A Rollin' and I Can't Quit You Baby, at least. Thank god for tapers!

There's a good reason I'm coming back to this show, after almost 5 years. Watchtower has released a version of this show in fantastic quality, without the noise reduction that muffled prior releases. It's also one of the best shows from one of the best years of one of the best bands around. So there's that.

This is band's first night of their first Japanese tour and they're out to impress the people of Tokyo. I play a superlative Since I've Been Loving You, which you should listen to right now. I also play an exceptional Stairway to Heaven with an amazing solo, and I finish with the small acoustic set of Bron-y-Aur Stomp, That's the Way, and Going to California. The sound is fantastic as is the performance.

On August 19, 1971 Led Zeppelin began their North American tour in Vancouver, BC and we have the pleasure of hearing peak Zep, thanks to an intrepid taper. Last time I touched upon this show we featured the first few songs; this time we're back for more. I play a scorching Black Dog (sung like the record), a powerful (better than the European ones, imo) Gallows Pole (on the doubleneck 12 string), and a raucous and frenzied cover of Eddie Cochran's Weekend. Each performance is pure fire, as is the rest of the show. Truly awesome.