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.Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary This was the band's final ever television appearance,Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. , p. 28. portions of which were later released on the Led Zeppelin DVD.
The band's tour was supported by Blodwyn Pig and The Liverpool Scene, and was promoted by the booking agency, Chrysalis.
On this tour, three of Led Zeppelin's performances were recorded and later broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The performance on 16 June was broadcast on Chris Grant's Tasty Pop Sundae,Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary the recording on 24 June was broadcast on John Peel's Top Gear,Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary and the 27 June show was broadcast on the Radio One In Concert series.Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary 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:
"The Train Kept A-Rollin' " (Bradshaw, Kay, Mann) "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon) "Dazed and Confused" (Page) "As Long As I Have You" (Mimms) (on 15 June only) "Killing Floor" (Wolf) (on 15 June only) "White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side" (Page) "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Page, Plant, Bredon) (dropped after 15 June) "You Shook Me" (Dixon, Lenoir) "Pat's Delight" (Page, Jones, Bonham) (dropped after 20 June) "How Many More Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page) "Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, Page) "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.Luis Rey (1997) Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes, Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press, p. 50.
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 Venue13 June 1969 Birmingham England Birmingham Town Hall15 June 1969 Manchester Free Trade Hall16 June 1969 London Aeolian Hall (BBC)19 June 1969 Paris France Tous En Scène, TV Show, Antenne Culturelle du Kremlin Bicetre20 June 1969 Newcastle upon Tyne England Newcastle City Hall21 June 1969 Bristol Colston Hall22 June 1969 ManchesterFree Trade Hall24 June 1969 London Maida Vale Studios (BBC)26 June 1969 Portsmouth Portsmouth Guildhall27 June 1969 London Playhouse Theatre (BBC)28 June 1969 Bath Bath Festival - Pavilion Recreational Ground29 June 1969 London Royal Albert Hall
References
External links Comprehensive archive of known concert appearances by Led Zeppelin (official website) Led Zeppelin concert setlists
Sources Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. .