for 1+3, enter 4. This concert was and remains the highlight of my life (wife, kids & God excepted) - it was Led Zeppelin at their very, very best and a life changing experience. Let's just hope for a UK tour, if not thanks for some great memories! went with 3 mates & remember we were stoked weeks before the gig, discussing plans to get there ect on the banks of a local river around a few spliffs, we went by train to victoria station then coach to stevenage. Forty years ago today, on August 11, 1979 Led Zeppelin took the stage at Knebworth for their second concert at the historic 1979 festival. As the set started the most abiding impression on me was that somebody had just tuned an additional PA system on: not only was the volume notably louder, but the clarity was amazing. Left off the their last tour, tonight this version sparkles and I just love the reverb off the 12 string. The bow itself was a fibre optic tube. Fortunately we had a friend in the Royal Air Force who managed to get us on flight from Edmonton to Brize Norton if we could get there (its only 3000km from Ottawa to Edmonton) we were on it. Great seats or ground lol.. Had the greatest day & night of outdoor Rock & Roll! Other Versions (5 of 25) View All. It's a bit difficult to explain to someone who doesn't 'get' it just how important this gig was for a lot of us. Took the train to Stevenage. Traded some American Whiskey with the Inn keeper & gave us discounted rooms & free meal. PS Brother's name Robert Anthony Ceciliato. The gig was probably the most memorable of my life (apart from Capt Beefheart and the Magic Band at Guildford the following year, sorry). Remember a fantastic atmosphere - impossible to walk anywhere, it was so tightly packed, and I trod on a huge Hell's Angel. The Song Remains the Same 02. In honor of the big reunion show in the UK, I thought I'd look back at the last 2 shows they played in England........KNEBWORTH 1979. I'm still held in awe by some of my younger friends and colleagues because I was actually there and saw Led Zep at their prime. Amongst the many achievements scattered across his 44 years in live entertainment production, Jack Calmes is the man who should be credited with bringing laser technology into the rock’n’roll touring world. actually the coment was they had been together for 11 years so this song was a year overdue, was there best ever gig ben to  zep started with rock and roll. One person who remembers those two weekend shows well is Jack Calmes, the founder and president of Led Zeppelin’s production vendor, Dallas-based Showco, before establishing automated xenon lighting systems manufacturer, Syncrolite, 25 years ago. Das erste Konzert in Knebworth mit der Allman Brothers Band im Jahr 1974 zog über 60.000 Besucher an. ps i travelled down for the second show as well, could not say which was better. Get the Led Zeppelin Setlist of the concert at Knebworth House, Knebworth, England on August 11, 1979 and other Led Zeppelin Setlists for free on setlist.fm! “Peter liked a gamble and the ritual was that he and I would play a game of cards in order for him to get a reduction of our fee. You will be taking part in a piece of musical history! This piece ran straight into ‘In The Evening’, a track off the new album ‘In Through The Out Door’, spurred into life by Robert Plant’s penetrating voice. My main memory, though, is someone sitting next to us with catarrh blowing their nose and his mate saying "snot sandwich anyone?". Achilles is respectable as this song live has seen it's better days. The band reportedly played to record crowds in excess of 200,000 people, even though official admission records only list 109,000 people. As mentioned at the start of this article, audience figures across the two Saturday shows vary wildly depending on who one asks. LOT Vol.1 & Vol,2 (3 xCD) 1. So a couple of months fly by and its time for the gig, well being 17 and a bit naïve, I thought – OK I had to camp overnight to get a ticket, how bloody long before should I get to the concert to make sure I get a good spot…? Then, I later missed a show in Munich because the guys I was travelling with were not interested in the band and I, wrongly as it turned out, thought that there would be other opportunities to see the band. Led Zeppelin then played “Rain Song” followed by the Jimmy Page featuring “White Summer/Black Mountain Side.” The heavy “Kashmir” came next ahead of “Trampled Under Foot,” “Sick Again” and the massive “Achilles Last Stand.” Zeppelin returned to material from ITTOD with “In The Evening” (also debuted on August 4) before closing out the evening with a run of classics that included “Stairway To Heaven,” “Rock And Roll,” “Whole Lotta Love” and “Communication Breakdown.”, “If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out.” — Levon Helm, “Just give me one thing that I can hold on to.” — John Prine. 2. I am of knowing where I am going. From Street Machine Magazine Dec. 1979. I am sad that I will not be at the Dome in December, but hope that this time around there will be other nights: that this will not be a one-off show and more will follow; preferably in the north of England. Typical! While Peter dealt with the day-to-day business, Richard was the main interface for Zeppelin production and still regarded as the fifth member. as much as we were getting off on them. Led Zeppelin / Knebworth 2nd Day / 2DVD With OBI Strip /Wendy Label. Following the Bray rehearsals, Page and the crew had time to perfect this particular element of the production when the party headed out to Copenhagen’s Falkoner Theater in late July, to work on both the music and the show design. Considering the extended layoff, I would consider tonight a success. My roomate and I were young Privates in the Canadian Airforce stationed in Ottawa, Ontario. The role of lighting director at Knebworth would have been long-timer Ted Tittle’s, had he not tragically died in a motorcycle accident just days before the crew departed to the UK. I had decided that as I was going to be there all day and at least half the night, and as Knebworth Park is not exactly famous for facilities more comfortable than a grassy bank, something more suitable to retire to than my car was in order, (brewing tea in the Buick is not really on!) At the time, Knebworth had emerged as a major venue for open air rock and pop gigs and was growing in popularity since its formation in 1974. The guitar solo was unbelieaveable (I can still see the lasers swirling around Jimmy Page). Found a spot towards the rear where it was a little less congested. Song remains started, having recently got hold of white towers DVD release of the concert, I was able to relive the moment as it was captured almost exactly as I remember it. my memory of exact date is hazy to say the least. Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. The Knebworth Festival 1979 consisted of two concerts performed by the English rock band Led Zeppelin and other artists at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England, in August 1979. Sorry, but I'll take a bad '77 version over this anyday. Flashback: Led Zeppelin Return to the Stage Ahead of Their Final LP Band played England’s Knebworth Festival shortly before releasing their bizarre art … OK I figure a week should do it! Oh well. NO writing or tears. A LONG dedication prefaces Stairway to Heaven and again, this song has seen better (check out Earls Court '75 on the DVD). All the warmup acts were good especially Todd Rungren. This piece of music is like an animal with a soft centre – hear it – you’ll know what I mean. I remember the biggest cheer of the day before Zepplin appeard was when they played "Since You've Been Gone" by Rainbow - the crowd was hotting up. The 11th would be a different story. As I was walking up near the top of the lane a Transit pulls in front of me and the back doors are flung open..”Want a Lift?”, Silly question, I hopped in to the van and there were 4 or 5 people in it. The Knebworth Festival 1979 consisted of two concerts performed by the English rock band Led Zeppelin and other artists at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England, in August 1979. I was right. As 'zero hour' approached I made my way to get closer to the stage, although we had not set up camp that far away in the first place. Went with my girl and a couple of mates, but it seemed everyone I knew was there too. Then the trudge back to Stevange station after the show, the live rails had to be turned off as everyone was walking along the railway line! YIPEE!! Well first of all thanks to the US NAVY for my transportation and my CPO for letting me leave for a two night liberty to go to this show. Makes me smile just to remember our ludicrous that all was. Nobody's Fault is also an improvement as Page is starting to find his groove. photos, links, tape trades. Message to Led Zeppelin - tour again. Although arguably not their greatest-ever musical performances, the shows set the band apart from their fellow ’60s survivors and gave the young punks a timely reminder of how to move an audience. Celebration Day is also rushed and it appears the boys are a bit nervous. This is the RARE original 1979 Knebworth Festival Programme, featuring Led Zeppelin as the headline act! I remember calling into Harlequin record store next to Waterloo Station on the morning the tickets went on sale for the 4th August show... and within minutes (no queue) had two tickets in my hand...none of this e-mail/ballot stuff (I'll come to that later!). A pretty good show but nothing compared to the standards Zeppelin had set in the past. I remember finally trooping back to the tent, crashing and then queueing for about 4 hours just to get out of the car park on the Sunday. Click here to view the concert programme. All I remember is that zeppelin was awsome, the place was packed and we had the time of a lifetime. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 'Welcome To The 1979 Knebworth Festival' (CD 1 & CD 2) Knebworth Festival Stevenage,England 11th Of August 1979. Yeah that was right they took all your "ticket". In 1979, veteran promoter Freddy Bannister booked Led Zeppelin to play that year's concerts, which took place on August 4th and 11th. We wondered thru the crowd to get up closer & met a guy with a press pass & asked him, if would get you some "Jack Daniels" could we get a pass! Clocking in at 18 min, this is the new Zep like it or not. We just knew it was going to be a very special night. Led Zeppelin Knebworth Festival 1979 - Aug 11, 1979 Aug 11 1979 Led Zeppelin Westfalenhalle 1, Dortmund - Jun 17, 1980 Jun 17 1980 Last updated: 21 Jan 2021, 15:28 Etc/UTC on the 11th we made sure of a good place ( tickets brought) about 50 mtrs from the front. Following a four year absence, Led Zeppelin make their triumphant return to England with two of the biggest shows of their career. It turned into an impromptu party. When Grant asked Calmes to fly over to the UK for a meeting in the summer of 1979, it was obvious to the Showco chief that something significant was about to happen even though the advance detail was thin. The only tickets available were to the rear of the stage and I thought there would probably not be much to see! John Paul Jones and Benji Le Fevre found him dead the following afternoon. Drove down from Redcar Cleveland and we were the 2nd vehicle queuing to get in at 5am. It's been kinda like a blind date. Knebworth Park concerts 8-4-79 and 8-11-79, led zeppelin sound check and accounts from roadies ,commander cody,utopia, fairport convention, New barbarians, chas and dave ,southside johnny and the asbury jukes ,setlists, reviews. Saturday was up early, around 4 ish I think and in to the arena. Yeah come down tomorrow with us theres loads to do. I remember 4th August being a gloriously sunny day. ","body":" Get exclusive\u00a0official\u00a0Led Zeppelin news and announcements. Amazingly amongst the swelling crowds we bumped into some friends (this was way before mobile phones) who shared their food and booze - things were getting even better! I aslo remember missing the coach back to Manchester cos the show finished late - getting a train to Kings Cross and sleeping on the platform. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1979 Vinyl release of Knebworth II on Discogs. The shows even included a couple new numbers from In Through the Outdoor that hadn't been released yet (a slight delay!). Virgin store St Johns Shopping Centre Liverpool, probably some time in June. We found a place not far from the soundbooth. My first Zeppelin concert at 18 years old. Zeppelin’s stand at Knebworth were the last shows Bannister promoted. The final Knebworth festival of the decade and also the final festival promoted by veteran promoter Freddie Bannister at Knebworth (or elsewhere for that matter).The return to the UK of Led Zeppelin, after a four year hiatus, was to prove an artistic success but a financial disaster for the luckless promoter, who was, it appears, a victim of circumstances, not all of his own creating. Bannister died on August 11, 2019, 40 years to the day after Led Zeppelin performed their second show at the 1979 Knebworth Festival… Updated versions of the laser heads were sub-rented from The Who’s Ramport warehouse for Led Zep’s Knebworth shows as it was convenient to source from within the UK. “We established a video department around 1975-76 which was managed by Phil Squires, who went on to run the technical department at Burbank Studios in the ’80s,” says Calmes. Eventually Zeppelin treated us to a set piece which has been one of the most emotional experiences of my life and will forever remain a high point. The day had been great, a bunch of us had travelled down from the Midlands. [{"parent":{"title":"Get on the list! “After many days and late nights spent fine-tuning the effects in rehearsals at Bray Film Studios, we all felt we had a production that would work — one we could be proud of.”. I arrived at the store, sleeping bag in hand around 6pm on the Sunday night, tickets went on sale on Monday, I was 3rd in the queue, after a sleepless night low key parting with fellow fans we ended up at opening time with a queue around the whole shopping centre, straight in 1 x £7.50 ticket – must have been a whole weeks dole money then! The Knebworth Festival, an outdoor setting outside Britain, has been a show of many artists since 1974. Way to go! My first ever gig also turned out to be the best. A major dispute over recorded audience numbers between Bannister and Zeppelin’s feared, larger-than-life manager, Peter Grant, was so fierce and damaging that the promoter’s company, Tedoar Ltd, was left with huge debts and was forced into liquidation. I was there and what I do remember was that prior to the song Robert Plant said that they were going to play 10 years gone even though they have been away for 11 years. “It was a very time-consuming process to set up the 60’ x 40’ screen and interlock those Eidophors, and get them lined up to give you a clear picture. But great sadness is also attached to Knebworth - I have seen Page & Plant since (NEC) and Robert Plant & the New Sensation (Wolverhampton) but - having waited 28 years I cannot get a ticket for the Reunion. Contiene le riprese televisive del concerto dell' Agosto 1979 come principale attrazione del Knebworth Music Festival, in Inghilterra. The sun came up early, the mist came and went and the PA came on. He’d never quit until he won something, and that day he managed to cut between five and 10 grand off our price!”. Bannister would never run a show at Knebworth again. After three encores they finished at about 1.30 am, nearly four hours of sheer musical excellence, backed up by well-conceived lighting and special effects, a piano solo from J P Jones and John Bonham doing his best to pound an expensive set of drums to dust. The Aug 04 Knebworth was and still the concert highlight of my life. watch the video of nobodys fault but mine and see how unbelievably tight those 3 musicians are on this song then you add the singers harmonica and scat singing and that makes it one of the greatest live songs of all time. I was one of the lucky thousands who made it to see Led Zeppelin’s concert on August 4th at Knebworth, home of the Street Rod Nationals for the last two years. Camping in the car park for 3 nights drinking excessively and a fantastic concert. We called it and although they were spectical about us they told us to send a money order for 15 pounds for two tickets which we did. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. This took a number of very skilled professionals several days to perfect it for Knebworth.”. Disagreements on final attendance figures and money led to a bitter fallout between the two. The encores are energetic and good, and Whole Lotta Love features the new arrangement first tried in Copenhagen in July. Best things I see vividly portrayed to me through their sounds of musical perfection. Such a memorable part of my life, except meeting Jimmy in a catering line at the Bellafield Festival when I was on tour with R.E.M. Eternally seeking Arthur Mix~William. Jon Batiste Releases New Single ‘I Need You’, Brendan Bayliss Covers Jim Croce, Bright Eyes, Gerry Rafferty & More For ‘Dry Not, Wine Not?’, Amanda Shires & Jason Isbell Perform ‘The Problem’ On ‘Fallon’, Today’s Livestreams, January 23, 2021: Jeff Tweedy, Leftover Salmon, Earthless & More, Phish Selects July 25, 2003 Charlotte Show For ‘Dinner And A Movie’, “If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out.”, “Just give me one thing that I can hold on to.”. One week apart, Led Zeppelin’s two concerts in Knebworth Park 30 years ago this month marked not only the last truly legendary live events of the seventies, but also the last time the original quartet would grace a British stage. Took us up front left of the stage to the press area, made the trade & there we were. Check it out. I can't remember whether I heard it on a bootleg recording or it actually happened, but someone shouted, "There's a screen, they've got a screen." 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