Me and my at-the-time boyfriend had tickets for the Sunday, July 25^th 1977 Oakland Coliseum show. They were playing Saturday and Sunday that weekend, I decided to get the tickets for Sunday thinking that the last show would be best.
For the weeks leading up to it, a girl I worked with kept begging me to trade tickets with her. She had tickets for Saturday, but her husband couldn’t get out of work that day. I resisted for a long time, but finally took pitty on the girl and traded her; my Sunday tickets for her Saturday tickets.
Never was a better trade made!
Typically, an Oakland “Day On The Green” (I went to nearly all of them) had four or five bands. But, this was Zeppelin, who cared about anyone else? So, for this show, there was only one opening act: Rick Derringer (BOOM BOOM, get off the stage!) The Oakland Coliseum is an outdoor stadium, and that Saturday was abnormally cloudy and overcast prior to, during, and long after Derringer played. There was like, a four hour wait between Derringer and Zeppelin. At least, that’s how my memory has it, there were mind-altering influences involved, so take that with a grain of salt.
Anyway, after waiting forever, and working my way as close to the stage as physics and bodies would allow, the clouds suddenly disappeared. I’m serious, all at once. I have poor quality photos to prove it’s not just the mind-altering influences talking there……….
Then, of course, in the blinding sunshine, Zeppelin came on stage. They played for hours, a fantastic show. I’ll never forget it.
That night Bonham got drunk (shocking!) and got into a fist-fight with one of Bill Graham’s stagehands, getting himself thrown into a drunk tank for awhile. It was apparently an ugly situation and the boys weren’t in a very giving mood when they took the stage the next day (Sunday the 25th). I understand they put on an intentionally poor and short show, left the stage and a very angry audience. I’m glad I wasn’t there to see it, would have broken this Zeppelin freak’s heart.
Of course, the very next day, on July 26^th, Plant’s son died. That was it, the end of the tour. With Bonham’s death before they could return to the US again, it was over. REALLY over
Many, many years later, I saw Plant and Page during their Walking Into Clarksdale tour, with Jason Bonham on drums. Needless to say, it wasn’t as magical as July 24^th, 1977 was, but it was damned good. You can’t expect anyone, even Page and Plant, to live up to the greatness that was Led Zeppelin in the 70s. At that show, I was so close to the stage that I got some of Plant’s sweat on me (heavy sigh)I’d give just about anything for a ticket to November’s London show. I know, me and about a million other people!

Ricks Story

In 1977 I was 19 years old, a student at the University of Cincinnati, living on the 18^th floor of Sanders Hall, when the guys responsible for some incredible records came to town. Tickets were $8.50 General Admission, double the price of other concerts at that time. Outrageous, I thought, but worth it because I didn’t go to that many concerts. Couldn’t afford it. Little did I know what I was going to get for my substantial investment?

Led Zeppelin came to River Front Coliseum for two nights in April. I saw them April 20, 1977. My roommate and I went down early in the afternoon to party and get in line. With General Admission, first-in had first-choice. Two hours before show time there were 2 to 3 thousand people waiting by the doors that I was near. Without warning a Coliseum Security Guard appeared at the door to leave the building. A fan jumped up, grabbed the door, and the Crush was on for the door!

For a half-hour or more, thousands of people were trying to get through one doorway. People were pushed together with so much force that breathing was difficult – your chest couldn’t expand. The combined body heat was so hot that it made you light-headed and my clothes were completely wet from perspiration. My feet would come off the ground for minutes at a time and I would be carried in what ever direction the crowd was swaying. Eventually, I was shot through the door. Looking back at the glass doors was a mash of people pressed against it. No one that I saw was hurt. In November of that same year, 11 people were crushed to death at The Who concert at River Front. Everyone that went to both shows still says they can’t understand why, because it was so much more intense at Zeppelin. General Admission seating was history after that.

Inside I had my choice of seats. I could have been standing right in front of the stage, but after my recent experience I chose a seat. Facing the stage I was about half way back and about 10 rows above floor level on the left. The anticipation was unbelievable. No warm up band, no worthless local DJ going on and on. I don’t remember them starting that late. Probably within a half-hour of the stated show time. The lights dimmened, the crowd went nuts and the Experience was on!

With encores and all, Led Zeppelin played well over two hours – going on three that night. A few times it got so quiet you could hear yourself breathe, other times so loud that I could feel the sound waves hitting my chest and moving through my hair. The memories I have of that night have stayed with me, my entire life. Since then there has only been One Band. My roommate and I went on to see them again a hand full of times after that. Always together. Led Zeppelin’s music has always been remarkable, but unless you’ve seen them Live this is just another story.

Rick

Send me your Zeppelin stories !!

BR