Led Zeppelin's 1968 tour of the United Kingdom was the first concert tour of the United Kingdom by the English rock band. It commenced on 4 October and concluded on 20 December 1968.
For some of these early shows, the band were billed as the "New Yardbirds". Press releases eventually announced that they would make their debut under the name 'Led Zeppelin' on 25 October at the University of Surrey (although posters advertising this concert erroneously continued to bill them as the 'New Yardbirds').Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary
There was very little press reaction to this tour.Liner notes by Cameron Crowe for The Complete Studio Recordings
The band's second London concert (18 October, billed as 'New Yardbirds'; 9 November, billed as 'Led Zeppelin') at the Roundhouse on 9 November doubled as singer Robert Plant's wedding reception.Nigel Williamson, "Good Times...Bad Times", Uncut, May 2005, p. 54.
Jeff Beck attended the Canterbury show on 13 December. "Things went slightly wrong!" he recalled to Jimmy Page. "Your fucking amp blew up and I went, 'What's up with that, Jim?' And then I realised it was my amp, because my roadie had moonlighted and rented Jimmy my equipment! And he'd changed the impedance on the back so it sounded like a pile of shit! But I could see the potential. It was just amazing – blew the house down, blew everybody away."
Tour set list Exact set lists during this tour are sketchy, due partly to the lack of early live Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings. Old Yardbirds' live staples such as "Train Kept A-Rollin'", "Dazed and Confused", "White Summer" and possibly "For Your Love" were performed, in addition to material from the then unfinished debut album, such as "Communication Breakdown", I Can't Quit You Baby, "You Shook Me", "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", and "How Many More Times". The band also likely performed a Garnet Mimms cover, "As Long as I Have You".Led Zeppelin official website
A likely set list for the tour was:
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" (Bradshaw, Kay, Mann) "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon) "As Long as I Have You" (Mimms) "Dazed and Confused" (Page) "White Summer" (Page) "For Your Love" (Gouldman) "You Shook Me" (Dixon, Lenoir) "Pat's Delight" (Bonham) "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Bredon, Page, Plant) "How Many More Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page) "Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, John Paul Jones, Page)
Tour dates Date City Country Venue4 October 1968 Newcastle upon Tyne England Mayfair Ballroom17 October 1968WolverhamptonLafayette Club18 October 1968 London Marquee Club19 October 1968 Liverpool Liverpool University25 October 1968 Guildford University of Surrey2 November 1968 Ewell Ewell Technical College9 November 1968 London Roundhouse23 November 1968 Sheffield Sheffield University29 November 1968 Richmond Crawdaddy Club10 December 1968 London Marquee Club13 December 1968 Canterbury Bridge Place Country Club14 December 1968 Leeds University of Leeds15 December 1968 Hampstead Bridge Place Country Club16 December 1968 Bath Bath Pavilion19 December 1968 Exeter Civic Hall20 December 1968 London Wood Green Fishmongers Hall
References
External links Comprehensive archive of known concert appearances by Led Zeppelin (official website) Led Zeppelin concert set-lists
Sources Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. .