Led Zeppelin Japanese Tour 1972

infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = Japan 1972

Poster for Led Zeppelin's concerts at Tokyo, used to help promote its 1972 Japanese tour
artist = Led Zeppelin
type = Concert | locations = Japan
start_date = October 2, 1972
end_date = October 10, 1972
number_of_legs = 1
number_of_shows = 6
last_tour = North America 1972
this_tour = Japan 1972
next_tour = United Kingdom 1972/1973

Led Zeppelin's 1972 Japanese Tour was the second and final concert tour of Japan by the English rock band. The tour commenced on October 2 and concluded on October 10, 1972.

This tour took place shortly following the recording of the band's fifth album, "Houses of the Holy". Two tracks from the album were played live for first time, namely "The Song Remains the Same" and "The Rain Song". For these tracks, Jimmy Page used his characteristic Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck guitar. Other songs from the album were also played, but these had already been debuted on previous concert tours.Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) "Led Zeppelin: The Concert File", London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 81.]

It was on this tour that John Paul Jones played his mellotron for the first time. He used it for the tracks "Stairway to Heaven", "The Rain Song" and "Thank You". He also introduced an arco stand-up bass, which he played during "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp".

Some observers have noted that it was during this tour that the vocals of singer Robert Plant began to show signs of damage, as he arguably started to lose the extremely high-pitched wail which was evident on previous concert tours and album releases.Luis Rey (1997) "Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes", Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press, p. 202.]

Whilst on this tour, Jones bought a traditional Japanese string instrument called a Koto. He later used this instrument on his solo album "Zooma" (1999).cite journal |last=Long |first=Andy |title=Get The Led Out |journal=Global Bass Online |date=March, 2002 |url=http://www.globalbass.com/archives/mar2002/john_paul_jones.htm |accessdate=2008-03-17 ]

Tour set list

The dropping of the acoustic set by the band resulted in shorter set lists than those played on more recent tours, with shows now extending to a more manageable length of around two hours. The fairly typical set list for the tour was:

#"Rock and Roll" (Page, Plant, Jones, Bonham)
#"Black Dog" (Page, Plant, Jones)
#"Over the Hills and Far Away" (Page, Plant)
#"Misty Mountain Hop" (Jones, Page, Plant)
#"Since I've Been Loving You" (Page, Plant, Jones)
#"Dancing Days" (Page, Plant)
#"Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp" (Page, Plant, Jones)
#"The Song Remains the Same" (Page, Plant)
#"The Rain Song" (Page, Plant)
#"Dazed and Confused" (Page)
#"Stairway to Heaven" (Page, Plant)
#"Whole Lotta Love" (Bonham, Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant)

Encores (variations of the following list):
*"Heartbreaker" (Bonham, Page, Plant)
*"Immigrant Song" (Page, Plant)
*"Thank You" (Page, Plant)
*"The Ocean" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant)
*"Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, Jones, Page)
*"Stand by Me" (King, Leiber, Stoller), performed in Osaka on October 9

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

Tour dates

*02/10/1972 flagicon|Japan Budokan Hall - Tokyo, Japan
*03/10/1972 flagicon|Japan Budokan Hall - Tokyo, Japan
*04/10/1972 flagicon|Japan Koseinenkin Kaikan (Festival Hall) - Osaka, Japan
*05/10/1972 flagicon|Japan Kokaido - Nagoya, Japan
*09/10/1972 flagicon|Japan Festival Hall - Osaka, Japan
*10/10/1972 flagicon|Japan Kyoto Kaikan - Kyoto, Japan

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]

References

ources

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