- Led Zeppelin United Kingdom Tour Spring 1971
infobox concert tour
concert_tour_name = United Kingdom Spring 1971
Poster for Led Zeppelin's concert at Southampton University, used to help promote its 1971 "Back to the Clubs" tour
artist =Led Zeppelin
type = Concert
locations =United Kingdom
start_date = 5 March 1971
end_date = 4 April 1971
number_of_legs = 2
number_of_shows = 13 (14 originally scheduled)
last_tour = North America Summer 1970
this_tour = United Kingdom Spring 1971
next_tour = Europe 1971Led Zeppelin 's Spring 1971 United Kingdom Tour (also known as the Back to the Clubs Tour) was aconcert tour of theUnited Kingdom by the English rock band. The tour commenced on 5 March and concluded on 4 April 1971.Overview
For this tour, the band decided to mainly perform at the smaller clubs that they had originally played earlier in their career, rather than large arenas and auditoriums. This decision was made to reward those fans who had been loyal to them from the start of their career. The small, more intimate size of the venues, and the correspondingly smaller ticket sales and gate receipts, was offered as proof that Led Zeppelin wasn't preoccupied with making money, but genuinely endeavoured to create a connection with their audiences when performing on-stage. However, as the tour progressed, it became evident that this intention was somewhat mitigated by the fact that thousands of fans who wished to see the band were shut out of shows because of the scarce availability of concert tickets.Luis Rey (1997) "Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes", Ontario: The Hot Wacks Press, p. 136.]
The Belfast concert on March 5 [ [http://ledzeppelin.com/show/march-5-1971 Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary] ] featured the first public performance of their now-legendary song "
Stairway to Heaven ", which was played at nearly every subsequent Led Zeppelin show. One scheduled concert from the tour, atLiverpool University , was cancelled and rescheduled to take place during the band's subsequent tour of Europe.During this period the band members began to experiment with their stage attire, introducing strange caftans and garments and growing longer hair and beards, which gave them a very fashionable appearance.
Tour set list
A fairly typical
set list for the tour was:#"
Immigrant Song " (Page, Plant)
#"Heartbreaker" (Bonham, Page, Plant)
#"Since I've Been Loving You " (Page, Plant, Jones)
#"Black Dog" (Page, Plant, Jones)
#"Dazed and Confused" (Page)
#"Stairway to Heaven " (Page, Plant)
#"Going to California " (Page, Plant)
#"That's the Way " (Page, Plant)
#"What Is and What Should Never Be " (Page, Plant)
#"Moby Dick" (Page, Jones, Bonham)
#"Whole Lotta Love " (Bonham, Dixon, Jones, Page, Plant)Encores (variations of the following list):
*"Organ Solo"/Thank You" (Page, Plant)
*"Communication Breakdown " (Bonham, Jones, Page)
*"Rock and Roll" (Page, Plant, Jones, Bonham)There were some set list substitutions, variations, and order switches during the tour.
Tour dates
*05/03/1971 flagicon|UK
Ulster Hall -Belfast ,Northern Ireland
*06/03/1971 flagicon|Ireland National Stadium -Dublin ,Ireland
*09/03/1971 flagicon|EnglandLeeds University -Leeds ,England
*10/03/1971 flagicon|EnglandUniversity of Kent -Canterbury ,England
*11/03/1971 flagicon|EnglandSouthampton University -Southampton ,England
*13/03/1971 flagicon|England Bath Pavilion - Bath,England
*14/03/1971 flagicon|England Hanley Place - Hanley,England
*16/03/1971 flagicon|England (Cancelled)Liverpool University -Liverpool ,England
*18/03/1971 flagicon|EnglandMayfair Ballroom -Newcastle upon Tyne ,England .
*19/03/1971 flagicon|EnglandManchester University -Manchester ,England
*20/03/1971 flagicon|England Stepmothers Club -Birmingham ,England
*21/03/1971 flagicon|England Boat Club -Nottingham ,England .
*23/03/1971 flagicon|EnglandThe Marquee -London ,England
*04/04/1971 flagicon|EnglandParis Theatre -London ,England 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
* Keith Shadwick, "Led Zeppelin : the story of a band and their music, 1968-80". ISBN 0-8793-0871-0.
*Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) "Led Zeppelin: The Concert File", London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.