1975 Led Zeppelin Plays the Historic Red Barn In Detroit
Led Zeppelin was on their North America tour in 1975. The tour was divided into two legs, with performances commencing on 18 January and concluding on 27 March 1975.
At this point, Led Zeppelin was already used to playing the Motor City, having played shows at the Grande Ballroom five times and Olympia once in 1969. Supporting the band’s 1st debut album.
Physical Graffiti Support Tour
In 1975, Led Zeppelin was on tour in North America and Europe and released their double album Physical Graffiti.
The tour featured a new stage show with money, which at that point was no object went into laser lights and behind drummer John Bonham, a huge lighted sign saying, Led Zeppelin.
Incredible Zeppelin Songs In The Show
With the new songs from their double album. The audience was introduced to powerful songs like “Kashmir,” and “In My Time of Dying.”
The tour was a huge success as tickets for the Detroit shows sold out. Olympia Stadium sold out 16,500 tickets in four hours without any advertisements,
Check out the setlist from Setlist.fm HERE
The Album Physical Graffiti Hits #1
1975 also saw Led Zeppelin release their sixth studio album, Physical Graffiti, which debuted at No. 1 in the US and UK charts.
The Press Reviews Were Positive For Led Zeppelin
Zeppelin Are Sexy – Rock and roll is powered by sex, just like the moms and dads feared two decades ago — and no band is sexier than Led Zeppelin.
For 2 1/2 hours at Olympia Friday night—no intermission, no warns-up, no relief — Zeppelin surged with a basic, erotic power. [The Windsor Star. February 1, 1975, John Laycock]
Check out the full review of the concert by clicking this link to Led Zeppelin.com HERE
All Good Things Came To An End In 1975
Led Zeppelin later that year had to cancel the remaining dates on the tour due to tragedy.
On August 4, 1975, Robert Plant rode in the passenger seat with his wife Maureen at the wheel when the car veered off the road and slammed into a tree. Plant shattered his right leg in addition to breaking his right elbow and ankle, while everyone else also suffered serious injuries. Doctors told him he’d have six months before he could walk without aid.
Plant told Rolling Stone in 1976 that he continued to work through his injury because he didn’t have much of a choice:
“My only alternative was to turn around and stand against the storm with my teeth gritted and fists clenched and make an album. All the energy that had been smoldering inside us getting ready for a lot of gigs came out in the writing and later in the studio. What we have is an album that is so Zeppelin. It sounds like the hammer of the gods.”
5 Rock Bands Influenced By Tolkien
I have always loved finding out the stories behind songs. I was researching a song the other day, and it led me to the question: “What are some of the rock bands influenced by J.R.R. Tolkien?”
The Tolkien Influence
Tolkien is one of my all-time favorite writers. I have read The Hobbit and the Lord Of The Rings trilogy repeatedly. I credit Tolkien as a huge influence on many fantasy and sci-fi fans today, including myself. Tolkien’s books have sold more than 600 million copies since the release of The Hobbit in 1937.
A lot of rock songs written in the ’70s and ’80s were influenced by books. Robert Plant and many other rock stars are avid readers… specifically of Tolkien. Along with a thousand death-metal band names, Tolkien has influenced the lyrical content of many rock songs.
Tolkien’s Books On The Big Screen
Huge thanks to Peter Jackson. Before his cinematic magic on this novel set, only The Hobbit cartoon (1977) and the awful Lord of the Rings animated film existed outside the books. I still remember watching The Hobbit cartoon in school and being offended at what they had done to the storyline. Peter Jackson became the first person to direct three major feature movies simultaneously when he made the Lord of The Rings movies.
By The Same Tolkien – Musical Influences
Recently, I was looking up “Sugar Magnolia” from the Grateful Dead and found out a new-to-me nugget of knowledge. The song describes the character Goldberry in the novel, Fellowship of The Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The novel describes the character as “fair young Goldberry, sitting in the rushes.” The lyrics in “Sugar Magnolia” include “Rolling in the rushes down by the riverside.” There are more several comparisons that have been made in regard to the song lyrics and the Tolkien novels.
I knew of a couple of Led Zeppelin songs with references to Tolkien’s work so I started poking around for more rock bands influenced by Tolkien. These are my findings.
Rock Bands Influenced By Tolkien
