Led Zeppelin - 1979-08-04 - Knebworth, UK (SBD)

Led Zeppein
1979-08-04
1979 Knebworth Festival
Knebworth, England
Soundboard Recording
320 kbps
Artwork Included

CD 1:
01. Introduction
02. The Song Remains The Same
03. Celebration Day
04. Black Dog
05. Nobody's Fault But Mine
06. Over The Hills And Far Away
07. Misty Mountain Hop
08. Since I've Been Loving You
09. No Quarter

CD 2:
01. Ten Years Gone
02. Hot Dog
03. The Rain Song
04. White Summer - Black Mountain Side
05. Kashmir
06. Trampled Underfoot
07. Sick Again
08. Achilles Last Stand

CD 3:
01. Guitar Solo
02. In The Evening
03. Stairway To Heaven
04. Rock And Roll
05. Whole Lotta Love
06. Heartbreaker

Led Zeppelin - 1979-08-04 - Knebworth, UK (SBD)

Led Zeppelin, who had taken the rock world by storm earlier in 1969 with their ground breaking debut album, was invited to play Woodstock. The band declined, opting to play 2 shows at the convention  center in Asbury Park instead. The band's manager, Peter Grant, apparently decided that headlining their own concert was preferable, explaining "I said no because at Woodstock we'd have just been another band on the bill."  Of course, that explanation seems a bit hollow given that the band played the Texas Pop Festival on August 31, 1969, just 2 weeks after Woodstock where they were just one of over a dozen bands on the bill!

A decade after Woodtsock, Led Zeppelin found themselves on the grounds at Knebworth House, located 26 miles north of London. The site hosted itss first rock festival in 1974, when the Allman Brothers, Van Morrison and The Doobie Brothers took the stage in front of 60,000 fans (go here for more on Knebworth's history). Additional festivals were held in 1975, 1976, and 1978 with acts such as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Genesis. No Knebworth show might have been more anticipated, however, than the one in 1979, when Led Zeppelin agreed to perform. For Led Zep, it would be their first live show since the death of Robert Plant's son in 1977, and their first show in the UK in 4 years. Ticket demand for the initial August 4 performance was so great that a second show was added on August 11. Zeppelin would return to the stage in front of over 400,000 fans during those 2 days, reinforcing their place at the time as rock's biggest act. Their shows would also feature the first live performances of tunes from their soon to be released album. In Through The Out Door. Some reviews claimed the band sounded rusty -- hardly surprising after a 2 year lay off - and the band members themselves were not completely satisfied with their performance. Maybe they sensed it was the beginning of the end. Led Zep's original line up would never again perform live in their home country. In fact, within a year, John Bonham would be dead and Led Zeppelin would be no more. Download this soundboard of their 1st Knebworth show from 45 years ago today, August 4, 1979, therefore, to capture their next to last live performance in England.