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Concert Dates :: Led Zeppelin
Stats
| Date |
April 12, 1977 |
| Location |
Bloomington, Minnesota |
| Venue |
Metropolitan Sports Center |
| Start Time |
8:00PM |
| Attendance |
16,000 |
| Ticket Prices |
$8.50 |
Lineup
Robert Plant - vocals
Jimmy Page - guitar
John Paul Jones - bass
John Bonham - drums |
Setlist
1. The Song Remains The Same
2. Sick Again
3. Nobody's Fault But Mine
4. In My Time of Dying
5. Since I've Been Loving You
6. No Quarter
7. Ten Years Gone
8. The Battle of Evermore
9. Going To California
10. Black Country Woman / Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
11. White Summer / Black Mountain Side
12. Kashmir
13. Moby Dick
14. Guitar Solo / Achilles Last Stand
15. Stairway To Heaven
16. Rock And Roll |
Notes
Concert Memories
From: Steve Benson
That the Mighty Led Zeppelin played to a capacity crowd at
The Met Sports Center here in Bloomington, Minnesota. The
following night was, of course, another sell out at The St.
Paul Civic Center. Zeppelin played to 32,500 in the two
nights and according to most sources, couldn't have seen the
band in two very different lights. I was in attendance with
about 10 of my buddies that first night, April 12th of
1977. I had my Drivers' License for all of a month, as did
my buddy who drove. We were all 16, independent and on top
of the world..attending our first big event on our own!
My seat wasn't as good as one my friends, but I couldn't
argue the fact that........hell! I was going to be in the
fricking building with the greatest band that ever
assembled! I had held a grudge against my parents for 2
years because they wouldn't allow me to attend the 1975 tour
opener here at the Met. Wow, was I pissed. I was asked to
go with some older friends twice and was denied.
Jumping ahead to to the present...
My buddy Greg, who drove, borrowed his Dad's Chevy pickup
with a topper on back. There were 3 guys in the front and
about 6 or 7 of us in the back...partying like there was no
tomorrow!
While one of my close friends was seated 2nd row, Jimmy's
side. I was in the first row of the upper deck just stage
right and had a great sight line. I can confirm that JPJ
used his "acoustic, three-necked instrument" that night,
early in the tour.
It was one of the most brutal evenings of weather I can
remember in my lifetime. The rain, in particular. It was
beyond "torrential" or any other adjective or description.
The band was nearlys 2 hours late and I thought there would
be some very intense shit going on soon if they didn't
show. A stage announcer showed a couple of times to give us
the message that because of the weather, the band was
delayed departing from Chicago. No one was really buying
it. Why, would they wait all day to leave..knowing the
weather was so terrible? Why didn't they cancel or postpone
instead of letting everyone venture out into this awful,
dangerous evening? Why would they take the chance? There
were no good answers, really ever! But there were some
stories currculating about Jimmy's health and drug use. It
was providing good fodder for explaining this ridiculous
situation.
When the band did finally show, it was the most amazing
burst of energy I have ever witnessed. It was so wild for
the first 10 minutes that it didn't even sink in that they
were actually there until "Nobody's Fault But Mine". My
fondest memory of the night was at this point, when Robert &
Jimmy were like bookends at opposite ends of the
stage..constantly moving. Then, they would weave doing
360's and twirling and met at the center of the stage in
time for the next verse. It rivaled those common scenes
during "Achilles". There didn't seem to be anything wrong,
to me, for awhile. There was this point during "In My Time
of Dying" that I thought Jimmy might just keel over. And,
he nearly did! At the end of the song, I recall him
curiously going up to left edge of the stage and bending
over. I thought maybe he was taking an item from a fan down
in front. But, as it turns out, he was throwing up! My
buddy, John, who had that 2nd row seat was there to fill in
the blanks for this one. OK...was it the incredibly scary
flight they went through in "Caesar's Chariot" to get to the
gig? Was it the drugs &/or alcohol? My guess is, it
probably was all three components. Who knows, really?
Anyway, this situation did happen here in Minneapolis and it
seems it could have been one of those rare, dark moments for
the band that foul, April eve. It wasn't until a few months
later that Creem magazine, doing a date by date account of
their '77 tour, cites this very tense arrival into the Twin
Cities. The Star newspaper mentioned that the band was
"visibly shaken" when they arrived at the Met. Robert's
voice was sure strong that night!
You know, there couldn't be a more perfect example of
"timing is everything" as this situation. I couldn't attend
the next evening's show, for whatever reason. It turns out
that the second night, here in St. Paul, has been pointed
out by Richard Cole and, I believe, Robert Plant as one of
the best nights of the tour! The band had taken the day to
relax in town and were ready to rock on April 13th! Thanks
for indulging me, I need to hear "Ten Years Gone" from "Deep
Striker" right now! If anyone, ever comes across recordings
from either of the Twin Cities' shows...'75 or '77. Please
remember this story contact me immediately! Have
a..."Good Evening".
Steve Benson
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 Concert Watch
4 May 2013
John Paul Jones
Manchester, England
The Ritz
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