Led Zeppelin United Kingdom Tour Summer 1969

Led Zeppelin's Summer 1969 United Kingdom Tour was a concert tour of the United Kingdom by the English rock band. The tour commenced on 8 June and concluded on 29 June 1969. It included a single show in Paris, France, performed for French television.[1] This was the band's final ever television appearance,[2] portions of which were later released on the Led Zeppelin DVD.

United Kingdom Summer 1969
Tour by Led Zeppelin
Associated albumLed Zeppelin
Start date8 June 1969
End date29 June 1969
Legs1
No. of shows12
Led Zeppelin concert chronology

The band's tour was supported by Blodwyn Pig and The Liverpool Scene, and was promoted by the booking agency, Chrysalis.[2]

On this tour, three of Led Zeppelin's performances were recorded and later broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).[2] The performance on 16 June was broadcast on Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae,[3] the recording on 24 June was broadcast on John Peel's Top Gear,[4] and the 27 June show was broadcast on the Radio One In Concert series.[5] Selected songs from all of these recordings were subsequently made available on the 1997 album BBC Sessions.

Tour set list

The fairly typical set list for the tour was:

  1. "The Train Kept A-Rollin' " (Bradshaw, Kay, Mann)
  2. "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon)
  3. "Dazed and Confused" (Page)
  4. "As Long As I Have You" (Mimms) (on 15 June only)
  5. "Killing Floor" (Wolf) (on 15 June only)
  6. "White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side" (Page)
  7. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Page, Plant, Bredon) (dropped after 15 June)
  8. "You Shook Me" (Dixon, Lenoir)
  9. "Pat's Delight" (Page, Jones, Bonham) (dropped after 20 June)
  10. "How Many More Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page)
  11. "Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, Page)
  12. "Long Tall Sally" (Johnson, Blackwell, Penniman) (on 29 June only)

There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.

Despite having been previewed during previous Led Zeppelin concert tours, tracks from their second album were not played live on this tour. These songs included "Pat's Delight" (a.k.a. "Moby Dick)", "Whole Lotta Love", and "Killing Floor" (a.k.a. "The Lemon Song"). Instead the band concentrated solely on tracks included on their first album. Some commentators have speculated that this was a deliberate promotional surprise strategy in lieu of the release of their second album.[6]

As some of the bootlegs (and many official documents, including the Led Zeppelin DVD) show, many of the performed songs during this tour were played in a quite different way from their studio versions. "You Shook Me" and "How Many More Times" were much extended, as was "Dazed And Confused", for which Page's bow solo was now no longer accompanied by the input of other band members. Also, the coda of "Communication Breakdown" incorporated a funky jam that included parts of "Just A Little Bit" and "It's Your Thing". Only "I Can't Quit You Baby" was played in a version closely resembling the original.

Tour dates
Date City Country Venue
13 June 1969BirminghamEnglandBirmingham Town Hall
15 June 1969ManchesterFree Trade Hall
16 June 1969LondonAeolian Hall (BBC)
19 June 1969ParisFranceTous En Scène, TV Show, Antenne Culturelle du Kremlin Bicetre
20 June 1969Newcastle upon TyneEnglandNewcastle City Hall
21 June 1969BristolColston Hall
22 June 1969Manchester Free Trade Hall
24 June 1969LondonMaida Vale Studios (BBC)
26 June 1969PortsmouthPortsmouth Guildhall
27 June 1969LondonPlayhouse Theatre (BBC)
28 June 1969BathBath Festival - Pavilion Recreational Ground
29 June 1969LondonRoyal Albert Hall

References
  1. Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary
  2. Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 28.
  3. Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary
  4. Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary
  5. Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary
  6. Luis Rey (1997) Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes, Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press, p. 50.

Sources
  • Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.