Led Zeppelin European Tour 1970

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = Europe 1970

Poster for Led Zeppelin's concert at Stockholm, Sweden, used to help promote its 1970 European tour
artist = Led Zeppelin
type = Concert
locations = Europe
start_date = February 23, 1970
end_date = March 12, 1970
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 15 (16 originally scheduled)
last_tour = U.K. Spring 1970
this_tour = Europe 1970
next_tour = North America Spring 1970

Led Zeppelin's 1970 European Tour was a concert tour of Europe by the English rock band. The tour commenced on February 23 and concluded on March 12, 1970.

Overview

During this tour, the cover for the band's debut album met with controversy. At a 28 February 1970 performance in Copenhagen, the band was billed as "The Nobs" as the result of a threat of legal action from aristocrat Frau Eva von Zeppelin, descendent of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin creator of the Zeppelin aircraft, over use of the 'Zeppelin' name. [ [http://ledzeppelin.com/show/february-28-1970 Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary] ] Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page commented to the music newspaper "Melody Maker" that Frau Eva von Zeppelin initially took issue during an early Led Zeppelin concert performance in Copenhagen in October of 1969, when she tried (unsuccessfully) to stop a television appearance.

As a gesture of good will, the band invited her to meet with them. The meeting was apparently a cordial one. However, upon leaving the studio, her anger reignited when she saw the cover of the group's first album - the exploding Hindenburg aircraft. Frau von Zeppelin felt the band's use of "Zeppelin" was insulting and dishonoured her family name. As a result, hostility toward the rock group continued on their next tour of the country in early 1970 by threat of a lawsuit, unless they agreed to change their name while working there. While Peter Grant (the band's manager) was not normally passive when faced with a confrontation, it was decided to appease the aristocrat by temporarily changing the group's name.

One name speculated in the national press was "Ned Zeppelin", which Jimmy Page found humorous. After some discussion, Grant and Page settled on the tongue-in-cheek name "The Nobs", a playful pun on the name of their European promoter, Claude Nobs.Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) "Led Zeppelin: The Concert File", London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 43-44.]

The controversy in Copenhagen was considered advantageous to Led Zeppelin early in their career, as the incident gained them worldwide publicity. The band's choice of names was widely seen as an expression of the band's likability and wit.

One concert from this tour, at Frankfurt on March 10, was cancelled at a week's notice as a result of riots having previously occurred at the venue following a concert by Jethro Tull. It was replaced by a gig at Hamburg.

Tour set list

The fairly typical set list for the tour was:

#"We're Gonna Groove" (Page)
#"I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon)
#"Dazed and Confused" (Page)
#"Heartbreaker" (Bonham, Page, Plant)
#"White Summer"/"Black Mountain Side" (Page)
#"Since I've Been Loving You" (Page, Plant, Jones)
#"Thank You" (Page, Plant)
#"What Is and What Should Never Be" (Page, Plant)
#"Moby Dick" (Bonham)
#"How Many More Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page)

Encores (variations of the following list):
*"Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, Page)
*"Whole Lotta Love" (Bonham, Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant)
*"Bring It on Home" (Dixon, Page, Plant)

There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.

Tour dates

*23/02/1970 flagicon|Finland Kulttuuritalo - Helsinki, Finland
*25/02/1970 flagicon|Sweden Goteborg, Sweden
*26/02/1970 flagicon|Sweden Konserthuset - Stockholm, Sweden
*27/02/1970 flagicon|Netherlands Concertgebouw - Amsterdam, Netherlands
*28/02/1970 flagicon|Denmark K.B. Hallen - Copenhagen, Denmark
*02/03/1970 flagicon|Belgium Brussels, Belgium
*03/03/1970 flagicon|Germany Cologne, Germany
*04/03/1970 flagicon|Germany Hanover, Germany
*05/03/1970 flagicon|Germany Frankfurt, Germany
*06/03/1970 flagicon|Germany Nuremberg, Germany
*07/03/1970 flagicon|Switzerland Montreux Casino - Montreux, Switzerland
*08/03/1970 flagicon|Germany Circus Krone - Munich, Germany
*09/03/1970 flagicon|Austria Wiener Konzerthaus - Vienna, Austria
*10/03/1970 flagicon|Germany (Cancelled) Musikhalle - Hamburg, Germany
*11/03/1970 flagicon|Germany Musikhalle - Hamburg, Germany
*12/03/1970 flagicon|Germany Rheinhalle - Dusseldorf, Germany

ources

*Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) "Led Zeppelin: The Concert File", London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.

References

External links

* [http://www.ledzeppelin.com/timelinebrowse Comprehensive archive of known concert appearances by Led Zeppelin (official website)]
* [http://www.bootledz.com/setlists.htm Led Zeppelin concert setlists]