A truly magical few days and ones I will never forget. I grabbed a page of the Sounds music paper from someone and a felt tip pen and went round getting all their autographs, well all except Grants – he was terrifying, and I didn’t ask Jason for his either. Throughout the ’70s, Led Zeppelin had maintained their status as the world’s leading stadium rock’n’roll band but when punk came along to tear up the rule book, there was every chance that Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham would fall victim to the new regime and be classed as dinosaurs. It was 41 years ago (on August 11th, 1979), that I attended my VERY FIRST Rock and Roll Concert, LED ZEPPELIN at the Knebworth Festival in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England. Far out. E.g. Camping in the car park for 3 nights drinking excessively and a fantastic concert. Recorded live at Knebworth Festival, Stevenage, England on August 4th, 1979. Achilles Last Stand and Trampled Underfoot were awesome, too. The band had just debuted the ITTOD tune a week earlier at the August 4 Knebworth concert. Led Zeppelin / Knebworth 2nd Day / 2DVD With OBI Strip /Wendy Label. A week after night one of the 1979 Knebworth Festival, the band returns for what will prove to be their final performance in England.The nerves of the first show have subsided and the band launches into The Song Remains the Same with power and gusto. The final Knebworth festival of the decade and also the final festival promoted by veteran promoter Freddie Bannister at Knebworth (or elsewhere for that matter).The return to the UK of Led Zeppelin, after a four year hiatus, was to prove an artistic success but a financial disaster for the luckless promoter, who was, it appears, a victim of circumstances, not all of his own creating. I remember 4th August being a gloriously sunny day. Will never forget this ever! Knebworth Festival Stevenage Hertfordshire UK,August 11, 1979. We called the radio station who told us to call a record store in London (don't remember the name). So please guy's keep the Zeppelin afloat as (and I know this sounds a bit sad for a 51 year old Psychotherapist from Shropshire) you are part of my life and I miss you like crazy 'Since I've Been Loving You'. 'Kashmir' and 'No Quarter' were majestic and Jimmy's solo with the laser was spellbinding. Amongst the many achievements scattered across his 44 years in live entertainment production, Jack Calmes is the man who should be credited with bringing laser technology into the rock’n’roll touring world. It was my first ever concert. 1979 Unreleased promo LP - JJ Jackson Knebworth interview, Knebworth 8-4-79 review (LZ Captivate 150,000), Copenhagen 1979 - (Danish Run-Through For Zeppelin) Billboard, Knebworth 1979 (Review fan letter / Evening Standard). Well first of all thanks to the US NAVY for my transportation and my CPO for letting me leave for a two night liberty to go to this show. Although a small chant of In My Time falls on deaf ears, Trampled ain't a bad choice. Get the Led Zeppelin Setlist of the concert at Knebworth House, Knebworth, England on August 11, 1979 and other Led Zeppelin Setlists for free on setlist.fm! The stage was dark save for a pyramid of green laser beams. The Knebworth Festival, an outdoor setting outside Britain, has been a show of many artists since 1974. Following a couple of hours sleeping on the grass I awoke to the biggest crowd I had ever seen. I remember camping out all night outside the record store in Camberley, Surrey - the nearest venue to stock tickets for the show. Best things I see vividly portrayed to me through their sounds of musical perfection. Other memorable pieces included magnificent versions of ‘Trampled Under Foot’ and ‘Kashmir’ plus ‘Achilles Last Stand’ which hurtled through the arena like an irresistible force. Then the trudge back to Stevange station after the show, the live rails had to be turned off as everyone was walking along the railway line! All you could see were the lasers and the orange bow, trembling, rising and falling, creating strange and wonderful sounds across the guitar strings. The Knebworth Festival 1979 consisted of two concerts performed by the English rock band Led Zeppelin and other artists at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England, in August 1979. Now we had to get there...cheap. Was working with a couple of guys called Happy and Jade, great couple of lads we were putting up the white sheeting around the stage area which would keep the weather out if it rained. Unfortunatly my two halves are stuck to the front of a record/lp catalouge and are unretreveable, and at the moment unfindable, must be in the loft somewhere. Unable to process your request at this time. We parked up and set off across the corn fields to join the crowds with such an air of excitement building. He even has a street legal Formula Ford racer, taxed and MOT’d would you believe. my memory of exact date is hazy to say the least. Hit the town centre as soon as we arrived, buying chow, smokes & booze then, picked a spot to bed down, crowds started to really swell and the vibe was unforgetable, really mellow & good, we went to a nearby wood & grabbed some branches, sticks ect & had a fire going & scored some rocky, remember some dudes from the US coming over with these huge demijohns of moonshine whisky that they shared for a few spliffs and as the night fell, there were bonfires blazing everywhere. The legendary Monday gigs at The Pavilion, Bath commenced 50 years ago last week To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary we are offering as a 'celebration set' these seminal Bath Pavilion event posters and handbills for just £16 which also includes a DVD with 100 photos of Led Zeppelin at the Knebworth 79 festival and an interview with Robert Plant and John Paul Jones. First things first then, tickets – when and where? The concerts — which also featured Fairport Convention, Keith Richards’ & Ron Wood’s The New Barbarians, Todd Rundgren, Commander Cody, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and the ever-so-slightly unsuitable Chas’n’Dave — were the last open-air events promoted at Knebworth by Frederick Bannister, who had presented festivals there since 1974. Song remains started, having recently got hold of white towers DVD release of the concert, I was able to relive the moment as it was captured almost exactly as I remember it. I took the Friday off work and travelled to Stevenage from Kent on my Kawasaki 250cc motorbike with a friend - my longest trip at the time. Wearing (the magazine editor)) then you probably heard it regardless. I was 17 and had only passed my test a few months before. The iconic Knebworth Festival, located Knebworth House in Hertfordshire, welcomed the sell-out two concerts headlined by Led Zeppelin in August 1979. Zeppelin’s stand at Knebworth were the last shows Bannister promoted. The journey on the train from London's Kings Cross station was memorable, as my cousin (Pete 17) and myself just 19 gasped at the number of fans gathering as we approached Stevange station. Additional sound crew included Allen Branton and Joe Crowley. You've seen the enthuiasm this gig has generated. We were building our Pyramid loudspeakers in those days and it was a cool idea.”. For me, it has been the "definitive" rock concert of my life. Led Zeppelin a splendid creation of which if anything listeningmore so and I have a duty not to dissimilar a role of a missionary to show the light and to Follow. As the set started the most abiding impression on me was that somebody had just tuned an additional PA system on: not only was the volume notably louder, but the clarity was amazing. This is the RARE original 1979 Knebworth Festival Programme, featuring Led Zeppelin as the headline act! Left off the their last tour, tonight this version sparkles and I just love the reverb off the 12 string. Those professionals included Martin Bushnell and Alan Hogarth from Link Electronics, the company sub-contracted to provide the Eidophor projectors. Updated versions of the laser heads were sub-rented from The Who’s Ramport warehouse for Led Zep’s Knebworth shows as it was convenient to source from within the UK. The 40 measures of vodka that Bonzo had consumed the previous day resulted in pulmonary oedema. Heartbreaker is very weak. YIPEE!! This took a number of very skilled professionals several days to perfect it for Knebworth.”. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Incidentally, this was prior to the release of ‘In Through the Out Door’, but I had been sent a tape of the album, a few weeks before the gig, so was one of the few people who recognised ‘In the Evening’. [{"parent":{"title":"Get on the list! Misty Mt Hop and Since I've Been Loving You are played independently. Come with us we are camped on a kids playground, loads of room, …Cheers! Eventually Zeppelin treated us to a set piece which has been one of the most emotional experiences of my life and will forever remain a high point. Littrell ran the Showco pin-matrix lighting console that controlled a rig of standard theatrical fixtures including over 200 steel PAR cans, Lekos, beam lights and strobes. It's a bit difficult to explain to someone who doesn't 'get' it just how important this gig was for a lot of us. Also included are Fairport Convention, Chas and Dave, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Commander Cody, Todd Rundgren and Utopia and The New Barbarians! They asked if I was here for the gig, …yes of course, did I have a place to stay or camp, …no. Was it Winters? I think now that's a good thing, still surprised by life every day whether in a good way or not, still rocking, still a Led Zep fan , still love Robert like a brother, still got my own hair. The band reportedly played to record crowds in excess of 200,000 people, even though official admission records only list 109,000 people. Yep mr 2 days, free bar, loads of space, all the bands and guests….DOH!!!!!!!! Jimmy really struggles and the show is over. August 4th 1979 remains one of the very best memories. only problem was that by the time zeppelin come on i was really ripped and a lot of it was a blur. I remember Chas and Dave doing Rabbit, a bit of Fairport Convention and Todd Rundgren the Electric Banana. By Tuesday I was bored, no work, no money so I thought bugger this and hitched back home. Considering the extended layoff, I would consider tonight a success. Although arguably not their greatest-ever musical performances, the shows set the band apart from their fellow ’60s survivors and gave the young punks a timely reminder of how to move an audience. The 11th would be a different story. This was the first UK gig for four years and the final two Led Zeppelin shows played in the UK. No Quarter is the "extended piece" tonight and it's completely revamped from the '77 tour. LOT Vol.1 & Vol,2 (3 xCD) 1. Found a spot towards the rear where it was a little less congested. Typical! “I think that because of the size of that crowd, the climate was magical. Also involved from the UK was SGB, who built the stage, and Tim & Hoagy Davies, whose company Hijack Productions had been hired by Freddie Bannister to supply on-stage rigging and the inflatable stage roof — originally designed by Bill Harkin for Wings’ 1976 Piazza San Marco, Venice concert. There were 400 stewards on-site and 150 backstage crew; local police charged a record fee of £50,000 and the security budget exceeded the same amount. Needless to say I had stopped work by then. I saw the gig advertised on the Old Grey Whistle Test, apparently the Eagles had pulled out and Zep stepped in, that was it, decided, I was going come hell or high water. Awesome Memory! Led Zeppelin then played “Rain Song” followed by the Jimmy Page featuring “White Summer/Black Mountain Side.” The heavy “Kashmir” came next ahead of “Trampled Under Foot,” “Sick Again” and the massive “Achilles Last Stand.” Zeppelin returned to material from ITTOD with “In The Evening” (also debuted on August 4) before closing out the evening with a run of classics that included “Stairway To Heaven,” “Rock And Roll,” “Whole Lotta Love” and “Communication Breakdown.”, “If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out.” — Levon Helm, “Just give me one thing that I can hold on to.” — John Prine. Makes me smile just to remember our ludicrous that all was. So glad to see the footage finally come out officially in 2003. The age of rock/pop music is gone. I was one of the lucky thousands who made it to see Led Zeppelin’s concert on August 4th at Knebworth, home of the Street Rod Nationals for the last two years. I thought my time had come, but he just looked up and said 'It's alright, we're all here for the same thing, now piss-off'. The grounds of Knebworth House near the village of Knebworth had been a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts since 1974. After the last note, Plant said: "All you people that have come so far. The supporting bands played their way happily through the day and there was a wonderfully relaxed, friendly atmosphere everywhere you went, even the constable who rode ‘shot-gun’ with me through the crowds, seemed to be enjoying himself. Following a four year absence, Led Zeppelin make their triumphant return to England with two of the biggest shows of their career. I aslo remember missing the coach back to Manchester cos the show finished late - getting a train to Kings Cross and sleeping on the platform. Digitally Remastered. I have never experienced anything so beyond the realm of my comprehension as those 3 hours. They did half a dozen songs for the soundcheck, Rock’n’Roll , Trampled Underfoot – which Jason played the drums on – Brilliantly by the way, at 12!! “Peter liked a gamble and the ritual was that he and I would play a game of cards in order for him to get a reduction of our fee. Thanks for eleven years!". Many thanks to u all. The bow itself was a fibre optic tube. The festival proved to be a financial disaster for the promoter, Freddie Bannister, whose company went … Then the shuttle bus to the site and then the memories from the two 78 Knebworth shows (Genesis, then later that year Zappa and the Tubes)...but seeing Zeppelin this must be something else...and of course it was! The crowd roared. But above all, to those of you who will be there, enjoy what I am sure will be an amazing night's entertainment. Achilles Last Stand is aggressive and In The Evening is intense, but Stairway To Heaven sounds timid and tired ... 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