As live experiences go, Led Zeppelin are renowned for putting on a rock and roll performance for the ages. And no more so were they on the top of their live game then at their legendary five night residency which took place at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in May 1975.
At the time the band were undoubtedly the biggest band on the planet. In 1973 on a US tour they beat attendance records set by the Beatles a decade previously. And a more recent 1975 tour of the US, which took place two months before the Earls Court dates, became one of the most profitable tours ever. 1975 also saw Led Zeppelin release their sixth studio album Physical Graffiti which debuted at No.1 in the UK (and US) charts. It also saw all six of their earlier albums re-enter the Top 200 UK charts.
So, yeah, they were riding high at this point in their career, so how can you top that? Well you play a sellout set of dates that go on to be remembered as the best live shows you ever did.
Initially the band were only going to play the 23 to 25 May, but two further dates had to be added, 17 and 18 May, due to popular demand. In fact Mel Bush who was the promoter behind the Earls Court gigs said that they added these dates because there was a “demand unprecedented in the history of rock music.”
The band shipped over their 40-ton stage that had toured the US earlier in the year for the shows, along with putting up a huge projection screen so people could watch the performance. Something that’s pretty standard these days but back then it was one of the first times it had been done. It also had a cutting edge sound equipment by Showco.
Each night the band were introduced by DJs, including Bob Harris, Johnnie Walker, Kid Jensen, Nicky Horne, and Alan Freeman. The performances themselves saw Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham all on fine form.
Bonham’s nightly performance of “Moby Dick” went on for as long as 30 minutes sometimes. In his memoir 31 Songs writer Nick Hornby recalls being at one of the Earls Court shows. And during one of these epic Bonham solos he dashed off to a local pub, had a pint, came back and Bonham was still going.
Other songs on the set list included opener "Rock and Roll", “The Song Remains the Same", "Tangerine", "Dazed and Confused", "Stairway to Heaven", "Whole Lotta Love", "Black Dog” and more.
And the last gig, on 25 May, is considered to be the best of the bunch. While each night was around three hours, this swansong show went on for nearly four. “I thought they were the best shows that we ever put on in England.” Bonham has said about them.
While music journalist Chris Welch wrote about the shows. “The band played with tremendous fire, possessed by an almost demonic power, amidst clouds of smoke pierced by green laser beams. Jimmy Page flailed his violin bow against the guitar strings, producing eerie, echoing gothic howls. At the time, I wrote in a review that ‘Robert Plant maintains an essentially human, chatty approach to audiences, almost like a guide taking us through the story of the band, a jester at the wheel of some fearsome juggernaut, offering sly asides and poetic ruminations between moments of terrible power.’ The band enjoyed the Physical Graffiti material far more than the old war horses, and the best moments from the previous albums came in the shape of ballads and acoustic songs.”
It was four years until the band played a live show again in the UK, which was at Knebworth in August 1979. For the many people who weren’t there, fans finally got to experience a little bit of what it was like when the Earls Court shows were eventually released—although not in their entirety—on DVD in 2003.
Rockarchive is delighted to be able to offer all these images, along with many other photos of Led Zeppelin, as limited edition photographic prints which you can buy here.
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968 & considered one of the most innovative & influential rock bands in history.
I had the good fortune to be present the first time Led Zeppelin (The New Yardbirds at the time) performed before an audience in Copenhagen.
In the midst of colourful stage lights, a silvery sheen fell on his face turning him - in my Mexican eye - into an Aztec warrior.
Led Zeppelin, backstage with manager Peter Grant at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England, in August 1979.
Robert Plant onstage at the Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico during his Fate of Nations Tour in January 1994
Robert Plant & Jimmy Page performing in New York City in 1977, their eleventh & final concert tour of North America by the English rock band
Q Magazine’s picture editor says "Live rock photos don’t get any cooler than Jorgen’s timeless shot of Jimmy Page.
Robert Plant onstage the second night of Led Zeppelin's classic five night stint at the Earl's Court Arena in 1975
Jimmy Page onstage at Led Zeppelin's legendary Earls Court Arena concerts in 1975
Led Zeppelin performing onstage at their legendary Earl's Court Arena concerts in May 1975
Bob Gruen began making photos of Rock Stars thirty years ago and is one of the most well known and respected photographers in Rock'n Roll.
Jorgen Angel entered the world of rock photography as a schoolboy & has been in the music industry from the late 60's up til the early 80's.