35 years ago.
The Ritz was
packed. Lots of Hell's
Angels, too.
The show started really late, like almost 1:AM late.
But as mediocre as the "Outrider" album is, it was still a thrill seeing Jimmy Page from only a few feet away.
But as mediocre as the "Outrider" album is, it was still a thrill seeing Jimmy Page from only a few feet away.
I was in Madison Square Garden for Led
Zeppelin in both 1975 and 1977, but I can't legally say I saw or heard them. My seats both times were way back and very high, and the sound was
absolute crap for both, though I've kept the memories of loving '75 and hating '77, just not sure why.
Plus, in 1977, I went with my father, who had the
patience of a chihuahua and wanted to kill "every f**king
hippy junkie" around us.
The guy to his right had a cast on his leg,
which pretty much sat on my father's thigh for over three hours.
That
was fun.
I was feeling my father's anger and impatience oozing through his pores. I tried to distract him.
"Dad, this
one is from the new album. It's called Achilles Last Stand, one of Page's best guitar solos."
He just glared
at me. If looks could kill...
Nothing like having an anxiety attack in the green section.
Nothing like having an anxiety attack in the green section.
Back to the Ritz:
As
we exited, there had to
have been about 20 of the Angels' motorcycles lined up directly in front of the club along East
11th.
I misjudged the amount of space
between them, and tried crossing the street sideways between two, rather
than walking to the corner.
Of course, that didn't work after a half
dozen cocktails.
I lost my balance and knocked into both
bikes like a pinball and then did my best Jesse Owens towards 4th Avenue, not wanting to be
there for the horrible outcome.
Good times!
Oh, "Outrider"
still kinda stinks, though Page's solo in "Hummingbird" is quite
stunning, if you can stomach Chris Farlowe's horribly hammy lead vocals.
16 comments:
Don't know about Jimmy, but I see Mason Ruffner was opening, and would've likely been touring behind 'Gypsy Blood', an album I love. Any thoughts on the opener?
C in California
@ C In California,
I don't have any real memory of that opening set, but I do remember buying "Gypsy Blood" soon after. So I guess Mason must have been good.
Why in God's name did your dad come with you to Led Zeppelin? Were you too young to go alone? Was he a fan?
@Michael Giltz,
Chapter 10, in the book, the whole story.
Tickets didn't sell well for that tour. The scalpers and agencies took a bath on it. The problem was Page released Outrider months before the tour. It wasn't exactly Talk Is Cheap. It was almost universally panned. Deservedly. He should have worked harder on the songs and got some singers that could keep it in their pants. I mean, he produced it. Why didn't he have them reel in their jerk off performances. The instrumental songs and some of the guitar solos are pretty good. I liked the tour a lot better. John Miles wasn't as irritating on tour as on the album. Love the Chopin thing. I never get tired of White Summer either. Page was in pretty good form. I taped that show on a Sony TC-D5 Pro II. But Millard's tape is better.
In L.A. the opener was the Rock City Angels.
VR
I don't have many concert regrets, but one of them is that I've never caught anyone from the Zep in concert yet. And the one I might like to see most of all - judging by boots I've heard - might be John Paul Jones. Blimey!
That $20 ticket is equivalent to $52 today. Pretty fair price!
Hey, I'm a little slow about remembering your life story since I read it in pieces and out of order. I need the whole book so I can read it in order and remember everything. Plus I want it autographed!
During that tour, I attended the Kansas City show - went with a couple of friends, we arrived at the venue a couple of hours prior to showtime, and as we're standing in line (outside), we see a couple of limos pull in to the drive at the side of the venue. My two buddies get the grand idea to follow the limos around the side of the venue to check things out. I volunteered to stay behind to keep our spot in line, thinking they were wasting their time. A little while later they came strutting back with huge grins - turns out they got to meet Jimmy and Jason and get their photos. Me...I just missed a chance to meet my all-time hero. Such is life.
Randy
"patience of a chihuahua" is an all-time great phrase
@ VR:
For all the effort (side-eye) he put into remastering the Zep catalog within a fucking inch of its life *and* the masters*, even giving us (my take) YET ANOTHER STAIRWAY as if we asked, you'd think 35 years ago he'd have known how to produce an album better than that, and it wasn't even like he tweaked himself unevenly just because either...The Firm wasn't anything to write home about either, but at least he had Rodgers there not trying to be another Plantling...[shrugs]
*The mastered Paris show w/Zep I I do thank him for, though.
Another great story for the book! And I think even with the crappy sound and cranky father, at least you were in the room, so to speak, you lucky bastid!
What book?
VR
@ VR:
Was about to ask Sal in PM, apparently his profile isn't public, so I can't, figured it might be an entry in the blog, but search (when it works) brings up nothing, and 'book' does the same, so I second your query, because just from the faye dust he dropped on this Page story, this comes off as a really crazy episode of That 70's Show with Sal as Eric and his dad as Red LMAO
Just on a lark, I hit up Amazon for "nunziato" and all I find are pics of this Italian actress with big tits and an ass to die for, but no book that seems to fit :(
That's probably the same behavior I'd get from my dad if he took me to a rock concert, which is why I never asked him.
I'm impressed- Two near-death experiences and you can still write great stories!
Funny how that post led to you listening to Presence, not Outrider. Seeing Jimmy solo must've been a thrill nonetheless.
But how did it compare to The Firm at MSG? I saw Firm but really don't remember much except for the sound of a fretless bass and Paul Rodgers warbling, though that might be a Queen memory.
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