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Today in 1968 Led Zeppelin Kicked Off First U.S. Tour

On this day (Dec. 26) in 1968, Led Zeppelin kicked off their first North American tour opening for the band Vanilla Fudge at Denver Auditorium in Colorado.

By Leslie Richin

Leslie Richin

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On this day (Dec. 26) in 1968, Led Zeppelin (not to be confused with “ Len Zefflin “) kicked off their first North American tour opening for psychedelic hard rock band Vanilla Fudge at Denver Auditorium in Colorado. A ticket to see them play would only set you back $5 and the setlist included a surprising eight covers ­and only a few original tracks off the band’s forthcoming self-titled debut album, which peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart in 1969.

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Robert Plant

Legendary promoter Barry Fey recalled the band’s first U.S. show in his autobiography, Backstage Past : “The night of the concert, I get on stage to make the announcement to open the show. “Ladies and gentleman, please welcome, direct from England for their North America debut, Led Zeppelin!” There was a smattering of polite applause. Then, Robert Plant let it rip and everybody in the audience was stunned. You didn’t have to be a genius to know Zeppelin was going to be a smash. Oh, my God. People were going crazy!”

Here’s where the collection of songs on the band’s U.S. tour setlist originated:

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1. “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” (cover) 

“Don’t you hear it callin’ me the way it used to do?”

Before becoming the infamous rock track on Zeppelin’s debut album, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” began as a folk song written by Anne Bredon in the ’50s. It was recorded by Joan Baez on her 1962 album, Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1 .

2. “I Can’t Quit You Baby” (cover)

“I can’t quit you, baby, so I’m gonna put you down for a while”

“I Can’t Quit You Baby” was written by the immensely influential Willie Dixon and first recorded by Chicago artist  Otis Rush  in 1956. Listen to Rush sing the blues and then follow with Zeppelin’s bluesy-rock version. Regardless of which version you prefer, there’s no denying that both Rush and Plant deliver the vocals.

3.  “Dazed and Confused” (cover) 

“Been dazed and confused for so long it’s not true”

“Dazed and Confused” was written and performed by  Jake Holmes in 1967, two years before appearing on Zeppelin’s debut album. It was also covered by Jimmy Page’s previous band, The Yardbirds , who Holmes opened for. Listen to Holmes’ psychedelic version and follow with the rendition that’s been known to melt a few faces.

4. “You Shook Me” (cover)

“You shook me so hard, baby, you shook me all night long.”

“ You Shook Me ” began as a blues song recorded by Chicago blues artist  Muddy Waters in 1962, co-written by Willie Dixon. It was then recorded by the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart on vocals in 1968, before being recorded for Zeppelin’s debut album in 1969. Zeppelin’s harmonica-turned-guitar solo (at 3:05) is in part responsible for the phrase “getting the Led out.”

5. “ Train Kept A-Rollin'”  (cover)

“I said, train kept a-rollin’ all night long”

First recorded by American jazz and R&B musician Tiny Bradshaw in 1951, “Train Kept A-Rollin'” was yet another song popularized by The Yardbirds (and Jeff Beck) before it was added to Zeppelin’s setlist. It was also previously covered by American rockabilly musician Johnny Burnette in 1956. Interestingly enough, Led Zeppelin’s version left the smallest digital footprint of all — perhaps because it wasn’t until 1974 that Aerosmith , not Zeppelin, brought the song into the hard rock mainstream.

6. “As Long As I Have You” (cover)

“Give me mountains to crumble and I’ll turn them to sand”

An extended version of Garnet Mimms ‘ 1964 song “As Long As I Have You” was performed during both Zeppelin’s U.S. and U.K. tours. Although Mimms version is notably underrated, Zeppelin took the song to another level entirely at the Fillmore West in San Francisco during the band’s second U.S. tour in 1969.

7. “For Your Love” (cover)

“I’d give the moon if it were mine to give.”

To continue the trend of songs performed live by Led Zeppelin post The Yardbirds, here’s “For Your Love,” originally written by Graham Gouldman (later of 10cc) in 1965. Although The Yardbird’s version became their highest charting single in the U.S. (peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 ), Zeppelin delivered the goods during the band’s performance at Hollywood’s world famous Whisky a Go Go in 1969.

8.  “Killing Floor” (cover)

“I should’ve quit you, babe, long time ago”

Prior to making its way onto Zeppelin’s setlist, “Killing Floor” was written by American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist  Howlin’ Wolf in 1964 and performed live by  Jimi Hendrix .

Eventually the song title (as well as the tempo and some of the lyrics) was changed to “The Lemon Song” (included on Led Zeppelin II ) after legal action was taken by Howlin’ Wolf’s publisher.

9. “How Many More Times”

“I can’t get through to her ’cause it doesn’t permit, but I’m gonna give her everything I’ve got to give”

“How Many More Times” was often Zeppelin’s closing number. At 8:29 minutes in length, it’s the longest song on the band’s debut album.

10. “Communication Breakdown”  

“I’m having a nervous breakdown, drive me insane”

Usually a tour opener or an encore song, this classic track is one of the few songs on which Page sang a backing vocal.

11. “Moby Dick” (aka “Pat’s Delight”)

During their first U.S. tour, Zeppelin drummer John Bonham would sometimes solo for upwards of 30 minutes on this instrumental. The original song title was named for Bonham’s wife.

12.  “White Summer/Black Mountain Side”

Another instrumental, but this time Page took the spotlight. During the band’s first U.S. tour, “Black Mountain Side” was combined with The Yardbirds song “White Summer,” which translated into an epic 9-minute solo for Page. Listen to both songs together during Zeppelin’s 1969 show in Paris.

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Led Zeppelin

• December 26, 1968 Setlist

Led Zeppelin Setlist at Denver Auditorium Arena, Denver, CO, USA

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Tour: North American Tour 1968-1969 Tour statistics Add setlist

• The Train Kept A-Rollin' ( Tiny Bradshaw  cover) Play Video
• I Can't Quit You Baby ( Willie Dixon  cover) Play Video
• As Long as I Have You ( Garnet Mimms  cover) Play Video
• Dazed and Confused ( Jake Holmes  cover) Play Video
• White Summer/Black Mountain Side Play Video
• How Many More Times Play Video

Note: First ever US show. Opened for Vanilla Fudge and Spirit

Edits and Comments

11 activities (last edit by dirkvandamme , 26 Apr 2019, 06:55 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• As Long as I Have You by Garnet Mimms
• Dazed and Confused by Jake Holmes
• I Can't Quit You Baby by Willie Dixon
• The Train Kept A-Rollin' by Tiny Bradshaw
• White Summer/Black Mountain Side
• How Many More Times

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Denver auditorium arena.

• Led Zeppelin This Setlist Add time Add time
• Spirit Add time Add time
• Vanilla Fudge Add time Add time

Led Zeppelin Gig Timeline

• Dec 19 1968 Civic Hall Exeter, England Start time: 7:30 PM 7:30 PM
• Dec 20 1968 Fishmongers Arms London, England Start time: 7:30 PM 7:30 PM
• Dec 26 1968 Denver Auditorium Arena This Setlist Denver, CO, USA Add time Add time
• Dec 27 1968 Seattle Center Arena Seattle, WA, USA Start time: 8:00 PM 8:00 PM
• Dec 28 1968 Pacific Coliseum Vancouver, BC, Canada Start time: 8:00 PM 8:00 PM

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[url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/led-zeppelin/1968/denver-auditorium-arena-denver-co-2bde5452.html][img]https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=2bde5452[/img][/url] [url=https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=2bde5452&amp;step=song]Edit this setlist[/url] | [url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/led-zeppelin-13d6b509.html]More Led Zeppelin setlists[/url]

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One of the greatest twosomes in all of rock history, robert plante and jimmy page have made their band led zeppelin iconic in all ways. The smooth and captivating skills of mr.page and the raw wild charisma that poured from mr.plantes lips have cemented them as musical history makers. From their unique sound to the drama filled lives of these true rockstars, led zeppelin has always made headlines whether for their amazing live performances and chart topping songs, or just for their wild ways. Fast riffs, slow beats, it's always a surprise when it comes to led zeppelins music bio. The slow steady beat and electric vocals like the ones in their song kashmir, show the sheer talent and songwriting ability of a truly excellent band, and the power behind robert plantes voice in stairway to heaven is enough to bring a person to tears.They made the music as real as could be, so why wouldnt you want to see them? You'd be watching a crucial part of rock history unfold before your own eyes. What else could a music lover want? You Get The Sexiest and most Raw performance of a lifetime. Theres nothing more a girl could ask for.

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Denver, 1968: Led Zeppelin Makes American Debut

Think Denver doesn’t have much rock n’ roll history?

Nearly forty-five years ago, on December 26, 1968, legendary British rock band Led Zeppelin opened for Vanilla Fudge at Denver’s Auditorium Arena.

Believe it or not, Denver was Led Zeppelin’s first stop on their first North American tour.

As the late Denver concert promoter Barry Fey (1938-2013) recalled in his 2011 autobiography , he nearly passed on Led Zeppelin. When Ron Terry (agent for Vanilla Fudge) approached Fey about adding Led Zeppelin as an opener to the already sold-out Vanilla Fudge show, Fey refused. It wasn’t until Vanilla Fudge offered $750 of their own money to pay for half of Led Zeppelin’s performance fee that Fey reconsidered.

Rocky Mountain News music critic Thomas MacCluskey reviewed the December 26 show and recounted the way Led Zeppelin played their set with a series of emphatic adverbs: “powerfully, gutsily, unifiedly, inventively, and swingingly.”

MacCluskey went on to describe the performance of each band member. While he was impressed by guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones, MacCluskey had fewer kind words for singer Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham:

• Robert Plant: “a cut above average in style, but no special appeal in sound”
• Jimmy Page: “exceptionally fine…used a violin bow on the guitar strings in a couple of tunes…”
• John Paul Jones: “solid, involved, contributing”
• John Bonham: “a very effective group drummer, but uninventive, unsubtle, and unclimactic in an uneventful solo"

​Led Zeppelin returned to Denver less than two years later on March 25, 1970, and played to a crowd of 11,500 at the Coliseum. MacCluskey’s review of the band’s performance was more positive this time around, with the critic noting a marked improvement of Plant’s vocals and Bonham’s drumming.

Looking for more Denver rock n’ roll history? A great place to start is the Western History Subject Index —a large, digitized index of newspaper articles relating to the history of Denver, Colorado, and the American West. While this index provides newspaper article citations (meaning you won't be taken directly to the article of your choosing), full-text articles are available in several DPL newspaper databases or on microfilm in DPL’s Western History and Genealogy Department .

My girlfriend and I were

My girlfriend and I were there in 1970. Zep played for three hours. Of all the concerts I attended in the 60s and 70s, it was the grooviest!

Very groovy! Thanks for

Very groovy! Thanks for posting, Marc!

I was 13 years old and the 70

I was 13 years old and the 70 concert was my first. I sat in section ZZ and still have my half ticket. It was an incredible evening!

What an awesome memento, John

What an awesome memento, John! Thanks for sharing!

I sat near the front and my

I sat near the front and my ears rang for a whole day after that gig. It was epic but it was loud!!

Epic indeed! Thanks for

Epic indeed! Thanks for sharing, Dave!

I was at the 1968 concert and

I was at the 1968 concert and I remember the third band that performed then- Spirit, with front man Randy California. They played a great set, including their hit "Fresh Garbage". Also, the drummers from each band played extended solos, perhaps in response to Ginger Baker of rock group Cream who displayed incredible drumming some months before at this same venue.

I was also there, and it was

I was also there, and it was amazing - and so unexpected since we were there to see Vanilla Fudge and Spirit.

Ditto Stephen! Holiday break

Ditto Stephen! Holiday break 1968. The old auditorium. Wintry night. Came for Spirit. Stunned by LZ!

I remember as if it was

I remember as if it was yesterday....which is amazing in itself!!

Must have been a pretty

Must have been a pretty amazing night, indeed!

Dear All, anyone of you saw

Dear All, anyone of you saw the following rock gigs played in Denver during the Seventies ? BLACK SABBATH 27 February 1971 (with MOUNTAIN) and 18 October 1971. TRAFFIC, JOHN MARTYN and FREE 29 January 1973. DEEP PURPLE 3 & 4 April 1974. TRAFFIC and GENTLE GIANT 8 October 1974. GENTLE GIANT 3 & 4 February 1975 Ebbett's Field. RAINBOW and PAT TRAVERS 30 March 1981.

Any memories to share ? Who knows if vintage press is available for those gigs ! Thanks for your kindly attention !

All The Best,

Poor guys did sing in our

Poor guys did sing in our elevation. Been at concerts where singer asked the audience “how the heck do you breathe here?!”

We were blown away, when they

We were blown away, when they were introduced everyone said “Who are they?

I was working security for

I was working security for Barry Fey, I was there when Barry Fey said yes to Led Zeppelin. Vanilla Fudge paid Led Zeppelin. Got to meet the band and party with them.

Did you know of any LED

Did you know of any LED ZEPPELIN gig planned in August / September 1975 in Denver (exact gig date still a mistery for all LED ZEPPELIN gig collectors) ? Seems so according to Swan Song press release dated 8 August 1975 anyway this gig was cancelled with all LED ZEPPELIN gigs planned for Summer 1975 when Robert Plant was hurt in a car accident in Rhodes Island 4 August 1975. Thanks for your memories !

Thanks for reading and

Thanks for reading and sharing this information about the lost Zeppelin shows!

Stones, Zeppelin, Black…

Stones, Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, those were the days. Saw Black Sabbath, and Humble Pie at a roller rink with cardboard admission 🎟️ No seats just pushing back and forth

I was at fillmore east when…

I was at fillmore east when led zeppelin opened up for iron butterfly. amazing show, zeppelin played their first album which was released the following monday, and their entire second album which they were recording when they were done, it seemed nobody cared about iron butterfly

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Led Zeppelin

• Discography
• London 12.10.07
• Merchandise
• Seattle Center Arena - December 27, 1968

These early U.S. dates include: Train Kept a Rollin', I Can't Quit You Baby, As Long As I Have You, Dazed and Confused, White Summer / Black Mountainside, Pat's Delight, How Many More Times.

Led Zeppelin open for Vanilla Fudge.

Press Review : (by B. Petrulis, Tribune Sun, written Oct. 1971)

December 1968 at the Seattle Center - They played as the warm-up band for Vanilla Fudge before they put out their first album. No one had ever heard of them, and the audience was expecting one of the usual grade of warm-up bands.

Zeppelin was introduced as including one of the old Yardbirds, Jimmy Page. At that time, they were largely a hard blues group, playing songs like I Can't Quit You Baby, You Shook Me, and Your Time is Gonna Come.

Page was, in the Jimi Hendrix tradition, playing his guitar through a wall of amplifiers, jumping around and using all the positions for playing he could think of. He also did something I had never seen before, when he played chords with a violin bow. In the midst of a very loud blues number, Robert Plant's vocal amp went out on him, but he just sang extra loudly and could he heard above about five thousand watts of guitar and bass amplification.

To cope with this problem, Bonham played an astounding drum solo, while the other three worked to get the broken amp back in working order.

Press Review : Leading the Led brigade

The band also made musical memories in Seattle. Its second show in America was here at the Arena, two days after Christmas 1968, opening for the now deservedly forgotten Vanilla Fudge. Led Zeppelin was unknown — its debut album had not yet been released in America — and the audience almost completely ignored them. The houselights were not even turned down during their set, because so many people were still finding their seats. People talked over the music.

It's one of the greatest shows I ever saw. The opening song, a cover of the blues classic "Train Kept A Rollin'," hit me so hard that I stood on my chair, waved my arms and yelled and screamed. Somebody behind me said, "Will you please sit down?" I turned and loudly pleaded, "Didn't you hear that? Don't you get it? Shut up and listen!" Everybody around looked at me like I was nuts.

Two months later, after the album had come out, I started my first radio show as a disc jockey at KOL-FM, Seattle's first progressive rock station, by playing the whole album. The phone response was immediate. "Who is that? What album is that?" I was so happy to tell them.

Over my nearly four years as disc jockey/music director/program director at KOL-FM, I played Led Zeppelin on every one of my shows. I like to think I helped make Led Zeppelin one of Seattle's favorite bands — although I know that Steve Slaton, now at KZOK and previously at KISW, has as big a Zep Jones as I do, and has carried that torch for all the 35 years he's been a fixture on Seattle radio.

That 1968 Arena show wasn't the only memorable Led Zeppelin concert here. There was that odd one at the old Greenlake Aqua Theater in 1969, where some fans jumped in the lake (I met the band backstage and invited them to an after-party at my house; they never showed). Equally unforgettable are shows at the Seattle Pop Festival at Gold Creek Park in Woodinville in 1969, where they pulled out all the stops because they preceded The Doors, and before 65,000 fans in 1977 in the Kingdome, where they nearly overcame the sound problems. (Patrick MacDonald-Seattle Times / Feb. 2008)

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This Day In History : December 30

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Led Zeppelin recorded live for the first time

Within a year, they’d be big. Within two, they’d be huge. And within three, they’d be the biggest band in the world. But on December 30, 1968, the quartet of British rockers preparing for their fifth-ever gig in the United States were using propane heaters to keep themselves and their equipment warm while they waited to go on as the opening act for Vanilla Fudge at a concert in a frigid college gymnasium in Washington State. A few serious rock fans in attendance had at least heard about the new band formed around the former guitarist from the now-defunct Yardbirds, but if those fans even knew the name of this new group, they might not have recognized it in the ads that ran in the local newspaper. The Spokesman-Review of Spokane, Washington, ran an advertisement on this day in 1968 for a concert at Gonzaga University featuring “The Vanilla Fudge, with Len Zefflin”—a concert of which a bootleg recording would later emerge that represents the first-ever live Led Zeppelin performance captured on tape.

At the end of the now widely available recording known as Gonzaga ’68 , Robert Plant can be heard introducing himself and his bandmates—John Paul Jones on bass, Jimmy Page on guitar and John Bonham on drums—to a smattering of applause. But some of those who were in attendance that day remember their reaction as being stronger. In a Spokesman-Review article published 29 years after the night in question, Bob Gallagher, a teenage record-store employee at the time, recalled the show’s opening number: “”Bonham came out and started drumming on ‘Train Kept a-Rollin’,” Gallagher said, “and everybody went, ‘Holy crap.'”

There is nothing raw or un-Led Zeppelin-like about the sound captured by an unknown Gonzaga student on a small, portable tape recorder that day. The Gonzaga ’68 bootleg features the band performing tight and thrilling versions of some songs that are now considered classics but were then unknown to those in attendance. Indeed, halfway through the set, Robert Plant introduces one number as follows: “This is off an album that comes out in about three weeks time on the Atlantic label. It’s called Led Zeppelin . This is a tune called ‘Dazed and Confused.'”

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Led Zeppelin Perform First Concert As ‘The New Yardbirds,’ On This Day In 1968 [Video]

Today marks the 52nd anniversary of  Led Zeppelin ‘s first-ever public performance. Billed as “The New Yardbirds,” the quartet was assembled as a means of fulfilling tour contracts put together by Jimmy Page ‘s then-main band, The Yardbirds , long after Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton had both left the group. Zeppelin’s first show took place at  Gladsaxe Teen Club in Gladsaxe, Denmark (near Copenhagen), in front of 1,200 curious fans who were interested in checking out Page’s new version of the popular blues-rock outfit.

Eager to press the boundaries of the British blues revival, it was Page who took the crumbling Yardbirds and put together a new lineup. Bassist/pianist/mandolinist  John Paul Jones was an obvious choice for the band, as the talented multi-instrumentalist was a well-known and respected session musician in England at the time. Though Page wanted Terry Reid to front the new band, Reid was unavailable and suggested Band Of Joy singer Robert Plant for the job. Plant eventually agreed to join and brought John Bonham along from his previous project.

Related: Just How Much Of Led Zeppelin’s Music Was Stolen?

“I knew this was going to be great … We locked together as a team immediately,” said Jones in an early interview in regards to their first rehearsals. Just a few weeks after playing together for the first time, the band made their live debut in Denmark. A local news outlet reported, “Their performance and their music were absolutely flawless, and the music continued to ring nicely in the ears for some time after the curtains were drawn after their show. We can therefore conclude that the new Yardbirds are at least as good as the old ones were.”

While footage of that fateful day isn’t in circulation, the band returned to Denmark a year later with some new music. They were now known as Led Zeppelin, a name that reportedly came from Keith Moon and John Entwistle of The Who  predicting that the band would “Go down like a lead balloon,” with the band altering the name slightly at the behest of infamous manager  Peter Grant .

The band returned to Denmark the following year in March 1969, where they taped their performance and aired it on TV BYEN . The band played a selection of original tunes that appeared on their debut album, released just two months prior, including “Communication Breakdown”, “Dazed and Confused”, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You”, and “How Many More Times”. Relive the performance in full below.

Led Zeppelin – TV BYEN – 3/17/69

[Video: Led Zeppelin Rarities ]