Led Zeppelin United Kingdom Tour 1968

Led Zeppelin's 1968 tour of the United Kingdom was the first concert tour of the United Kingdom by the English rock band. It commenced on 4 October and concluded on 20 December 1968.

United Kingdom 1968
Concert by Led Zeppelin
Poster for Led Zeppelin's concert at the University of Surrey (billed as "The New Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page"), used to help promote its 1968 U.K. tour
Associated albumLed Zeppelin
Start date4 October 1968
End date20 December 1968
Legs1
No. of shows16
Led Zeppelin concert chronology

For some of these early shows, the band were billed as the "New Yardbirds". Press releases eventually announced that they would make their debut under the name 'Led Zeppelin' on October 25 at the University of Surrey (although posters advertising this concert erroneously continued to bill them as the 'New Yardbirds').[1]

During this tour the band went to Olympic Studios in London to record their debut album, which took a mere 36 studio hours.

There was very little press reaction to this tour.[2]

The band's debut London concert at the Roundhouse on November 9 doubled as singer Robert Plant's wedding reception.[3]

Jeff Beck attended the Canterbury show on 13 December. "Things went slightly wrong!" he recalled to Jimmy Page. "Your fucking amp blew up and I went, 'What's up with that, Jim?' And then I realised it was my amp, because my roadie had moonlighted and rented Jimmy my equipment! And he'd changed the impedance on the back so it sounded like a pile of shit! But I could see the potential. It was just amazing – blew the house down, blew everybody away."[4]

Tour set list

Exact set lists during this tour are sketchy, due partly to the lack of early live Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings. Old Yardbirds' live staples such as "Train Kept A-Rollin'", "Dazed and Confused", "White Summer" and possibly "For Your Love" were performed, in addition to material from the then unfinished debut album, such as "Communication Breakdown", I Can't Quit You Baby, "You Shook Me", "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", and "How Many More Times". The band also likely performed a Garnet Mimms cover, "As Long as I Have You".[5]

A likely set list for the tour was:

  1. "Train Kept A-Rollin'" (Bradshaw, Kay, Mann)
  2. "I Can't Quit You Baby" (Dixon)
  3. "As Long as I Have You" (Mimms)
  4. "Dazed and Confused" (Page)
  5. "White Summer" (Page)
  6. "For Your Love" (Gouldman)
  7. "You Shook Me" (Dixon, Lenoir)
  8. "Pat's Delight" (Bonham)
  9. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Bredon, Page, Plant)
  10. "How Many More Times" (Bonham, Jones, Page)
  11. "Communication Breakdown" (Bonham, John Paul Jones, Page)

Tour dates
Date City Country Venue
4 October 1968Newcastle upon TyneEnglandMayfair Ballroom
15 October 1968 Surrey University of Surrey
17 October 1968 Wolverhampton Lafayette Club
18 October 1968LondonMarquee Club
19 October 1968LiverpoolLiverpool University
25 October 1968GuildfordUniversity of Surrey
26 October 1968EwellEwell Technical College
9 November 1968LondonRoundhouse
16 November 1968Manchester[[UMIST- University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology|College of Technology]]
23 November 1968SheffieldSheffield University
29 November 1968RichmondCrawdaddy Club
10 December 1968LondonMarquee Club
13 December 1968CanterburyBridge Place Country Club
16 December 1968BathBath Pavilion
19 December 1968ExeterCivic Hall
20 December 1968LondonWood Green Fishmongers Hall

References
  1. Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary
  2. Liner notes by Cameron Crowe for The Complete Studio Recordings
  3. Nigel Williamson, "Good Times...Bad Times", Uncut, May 2005, p. 54.
  4. Murray, Charles Shaar (August 2004). "The Guv'nors". Mojo. No. 129. p. 74.
  5. Led Zeppelin official website

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