Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
's 1968 tour of Scandinavia was a
concert tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by the English
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Band or BAND may refer to:
Places
*Bánd, a village in Hungary
*Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran
* Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania
*Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...
. The tour commenced on 7 September and concluded on 24 September 1968. It was Led Zeppelin's first concert tour. However, the band was billed under the name "
The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
" at the time.
Overview
Led Zeppelin's debut tour was an outstanding
contractual
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to t ...
commitment left over from
The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...
. The band's first concert at Teen Club, a school gymnasium in Gladsaxe, Denmark, was performed exactly two months to the day after The Yardbirds' final concert.
Mick Wall
Mick Wall (born 23 June 1958) is a British music journalist, author, and radio and TV presenter. He has been described as "the world's leading rock and metal writer".
Career
Wall began his career contributing to the music weekly ''Sounds'' in 19 ...
(2008), ''When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography Of Led Zeppelin'', London: Orion, p. 47. The band's manager,
Peter Grant, later said of this first concert: "Standing by the side of the stage, it was obvious that there was special chemistry."
[Ian Fortnam, "Dazed & confused", '']Classic Rock Magazine
''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 60, ...
: Classic Rock Presents Led Zeppelin'', 2008, p. 41.
Guitarist
Jimmy Page recalled that "the tour went fantastically for us, we left them stomping the floors after every show."
[Dave Schulps]
Interview with Jimmy Page
''Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
'', October 1977. According to singer
Robert Plant:
Plant also recalled the following:
For these early shows, the band was billed as the "Yardbirds" or "New Yardbirds", despite the fact that Jimmy Page was now the only surviving link with the previous band. Page later said:
Tour dates
Setlist
The setlists of the earliest shows are sketchy, as no recordings of these shows exist.
A likely setlist for this tour consisted of:
# "
Train Kept A-Rollin'
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" (or "The Train Kept A-Rollin'") is a song first recorded by American jazz and rhythm and blues musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951. Originally performed in the style of a jump blues, Bradshaw borrowed lyrics from an earlier son ...
"
# "
I Can't Quit You Baby"
# "
Dazed and Confused"
# "
How 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 Robert Plant was later added to ...
"
# "
White Summer
"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page, that incorporates Indian and Arabic musical influences. Page initially recorded and performed it with the Yardbirds and later included it in many Led Zeppelin concer ...
"
# "
For Your Love
"For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots ...
"
# "
You Shook Me
"You Shook Me" is a 1962 blues song recorded by Chicago blues artist Muddy Waters. Willie Dixon wrote the lyrics and Earl Hooker provided the instrumental backing; the song features Waters' vocal in unison with Hooker's slide-guitar melody. "Yo ...
"
# "
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is a folk song written by Anne Bredon in the late 1950s. Joan Baez recorded a solo version for her 1962 album '' Joan Baez in Concert'' and a variety of musicians subsequently adapted it to a variety of styles, including ...
"
# "
As Long As I Have You"
# "
Communication Breakdown
"Communication Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1969 self-titled debut album. It was also used as the B-side of the group's first single in the US, " Good Times Bad Times". A promotional video was released ...
"
References
Sources
*Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) ''Led Zeppelin: The Concert File'', London: Omnibus Press. .
External links
Comprehensive archive of known concert appearances by Led Zeppelin (official website)*
ttp://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=117377988734231201134.0004565272f0bb08afb8a&ll=57.314657,14.567871&spn=8.970175,19.6875&z=6 View in Google Earth
{{Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin concert tours
1968 concert tours
1968 in Denmark
1968 in Sweden