Led Zeppelin's Spring 1969 North American Tour was the second concert tour of North America by the English rock band. The tour commenced on 18 April and concluded on 31 May 1969.
By this point in time, Led Zeppelin's popularity was such that the group had reached top billing, sharing that honour for some of their gigs with established acts such as Julie Driscoll, Delaney & Bonnie and Three Dog Night.Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. , p. 24. They were now receiving four times the money that they had previously commanded on their first tour of America just a few months earlier.Chris Welch (1994) Led Zeppelin, London: Orion Books. , p. 39. Also, the band for some of its performances was one of the first groups to give single bill concerts without an opening act.Luis Rey (1997) Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes, Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press, p. 38. However, for the band's concert at Columbia, Maryland, on 25 May, manager Peter Grant agreed for Led Zeppelin to receive second billing in support of The Who. This was the only time that these two English bands ever performed on the same bill.Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary
During this tour the band took time out to record tracks at various recording studios for their forthcoming album, Led Zeppelin II. Many of the tracks were later mixed down by Eddie Kramer at A&R Studios, New York City.
It was during this period that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page switched from using his Telecaster to his signature Gibson Les Paul, whilst also incorporating the use of Marshall amplifiers.
Tour set list The fairly typical set list for the tour was:
"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) (dropped after 24 May) "Killing Floor" (Wolf) "White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side" (Page) "Sitting And Thinking" (Guy) (on 27 April only) "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Bredon, Page, Plant) "You Shook Me" (Dixon, Lenoir) "How Many More Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page) "Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, Page) "Pat's Delight" (Bonham) "Whole Lotta Love" (Bonham, Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant) (on 26 April, 11 May, and 25 May only) There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.
Tour dates Date City Country Venue24 April 1969San FranciscoUnited States Fillmore West25 April 1969Winterland Ballroom26 April 196927 April 1969 Fillmore West1 May 1969 Irvine Crawford Hall - UC Irvine2 May 1969PasadenaRose Palace3 May 19699 May 1969 EdmontonCanadaEdmonton Gardens10 May 1969 Vancouver PNE Agrodome11 May 1969 SeattleUnited States Green Lake Aqua Theater13 May 1969 Honolulu Civic Auditorium16 May 1969 Detroit Grande Ballroomtwo shows17 May 1969 Athens, OH Convocation Center18 May 1969 Minneapolis Guthrie Theater23 May 1969 Chicago Kinetic Playground24 May 196925 May 1969 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion26 May 1969BostonBoston Tea Party27 May 196928 May 196929 May 196930 May 1969New York CityFillmore East31 May 19691 June 1969St. LouisKiel Auditorium
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. .