Achilles' Last Stand

May 22, 1977
Fort Worth, TX US
Tarrant County Convention Center


The Song Remains The Same,
(The Rover intro) Sick Again,
Nobody's Fault But Mine,
In My Time of Dying,
Since I've Been Loving You,
No Quarter,
Ten Years Gone,
Battle of Evermore,
Going to California,
Black Country Woman,
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp,
White Summer ~ Black Mountainside,
Kashmir, (Out On the Tiles intro)
Moby Dick,
Jimmy Page solo,
Achilles Last Stand,
Stairway to Heaven,
Whole Lotta Love ~ Rock and Roll,
It'll Be Me.

The crowd is riotous in this show and it adds a certain amount of chaos and tension to the concert. The band has to restart In My Time Of Dying as they messed up the tempo and Bonham completely ruins the end by playing so far out of time that I couldn't even find the beat by listening to the guitars (Plant: "I'll tell you what we'll do ... we'll start it again"). The concert is basically average, but still pretty good. Achilles is the real blowout; one of the most aggressive versions I have ever heard and very powerful. Stairway sounds really tired and worn out. Robert doesn't do any of his usual ad-libs and he sounds lazy and uninterested on all the vocals. The only part of the piece that sounds lively is the guitar solo and that jam section. The encores are good and It'll Be Me features Mick Ralphs of Bad Company on second guitar ... he shouldn't have bothered getting on stage. Not only does Jimmy make him look foolish with his playing but he gets completely drowned out as well!

This was my first concert. I was 14...almost 15 my birthday is May 27.
I remember that after the show people were saying that John's drum solo on Moby Dick was too long. I loved all of it. This was the best first concert I could have hoped for.
Tickets were hard to get and I bought mine for a very steep $50's. It was $50's well spent. I still have the stub and a few years ago I saw John Paul Jones and he autographed the back of it.

In January 1977 when the tickets went on sale, I along with 4 others went and spent the night on the streets of downtown Ft Worth. I had saved and borrowed about $400 to buy as many tickets as I could get. It was a very cold but wild sleepless night. At day break people started getting up and making a stand at the windows. The crowd pressed in and we stood that way for hours...no food and no way to go use the restroom....They started selling tickets about 10:00 or so...after hours of being crushed in the whole group only 1 made it to the window to get about 6 tickets...He thankfully sold each of us one for $8.50 for upper balcony.

What a show! Led Zepplin was one of the best shows I have ever seen. Jimmy was a magician with the guitar....and John Bonham...well is the best drummer in rock history! Years later in 1988 or so I saw U2 also in the same Tarrent County Convention Center with BB King...but Zepplin rocked the house!!
Bob Admire

It was an april morning when they told us we should go
As I turn to you, you smiled at me
How could we say no?

With all the fun to have, to live the dreams we always had
Oh, the songs to sing, when we at last return again

Sending off a glancing kiss, to those who claim they know
Below the streets that steam and hiss,
The devils in his hole

Oh to sail away, to sandy lands and other days
Oh to touch the dream, hides inside and never seen.

Into the sun the south the north, at last the birds have flown
The shackles of commitment fell, in pieces on the ground

Oh to ride the wind, to tread the air above the din
Oh to laugh aloud, dancing as we fought the crowd

To seek the man whose pointing hand, the giant step unfolds
With guidance from the curving path, that churns up into stone

If one bell should ring, in celebration for a king
So fast the heart should beat, as proud the head with heavy feet.

Days went by when you and i, bathed in eternal summers glow
As far away and distant, our mutual child did grow

Oh the sweet refrain, soothes the soul and calms the pain
Oh albion remains, sleeping now to rise again

Wandering & wandering, what place to rest the search
The mighty arms of atlas, hold the heavens from the earth

The mighty arms of atlas, hold the heavens from the earth
From the earth...
I know the way, know the way, know the way, know the way (x2)

Oh the mighty arms of atlas, hold the heavens from the earth.


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[firelord276]

Jimmy Page is my idol and he is the best guitarest there is!

[tjcoffey]

I had this show on vinyl back in the day. Page sounds out of tune in the beginning, but other than that, he sounds really together. He must have done a quick retune or something. Plant sounds great on this, too.

[BonziDrummer]

i wish I could get my hands on this recording...your lucky to have this...this is a damn good version on this all time greatest song.

[88mfranco]

@DarthKrattus I agree with you. I started listening to metal only a few days ago and this song immediately came to mind. It has a lot of characteristics that are related to metal.

And just to be clear i'm saying that this song in particular could be considered a heavy metal song. That doesn't mean Led Zeppelin is a heavy metal band. It's a hard rock band that transcends into other styles of music, heavy metal being one of them, which they are one of its precursors.

[SuperMegaUberGenius]

this is what rock and roll sounds like, sonny boy.

[TheCozybear65]

this is some serious recording..almost scary..

[margovallen]

@DarthKrattus Before I even clicked on the email to read your little diatribe, I knew it was going to be oozing with smegmatic sarcasm. Thats how in-depth and chocked full-o-substance you really are aka not at all.

Go bang your head some more.. maybe the short you created will "fix" itself. Now, with that having been stated, write back your little rebutted self all your heart desires.. as you'll not be hearing from me again :-)

Have a nice day.

[DarthKrattus]

I love your extensive arguments and well-supported facts to support your claim (yes, that was sarcasm). The term "heavy metal" was actually used in the 1960s, notably by Lester Bangs to describe Zeppelin and Sabbath. Also, saying that a criterion for being a heavy metal band is to have "no soul" is absolutely ridiculous and unfounded. Who are you to define soul, anyway? And yes, it DOES matter what the lyrics are about - if you sing about love, it's most likely "pop-metal."

[margovallen]

@DarthKrattus You evidently don't know much about music or bands. Led Zeppelin has been a Hard-Rock band for many years before the 'heavy metal' term was ever used when speaking of a style of music.

Aside from that truth another would be that compared with back in the 60's % 70's.. music has turned to sh*t. Only a few decent bands from the 80's..90's.. half can't play. They get into a band and then maybe learn how to play their instruments. Heavy Metal has no soul.. no feeling.. no meaning.

[margovallen]

@DarthKrattus Nope... not metal, sweetie. And it matters not what the lyrics are about. You cannot be born into a certain age and start changing rules and definitions. Led Zeppelin is NOT HEAVY METAL! End of story.

[DarthKrattus]

I'm sorry, but they are. What do you call the heavy riffs, galloping bass guitar, extended solos, and lyrics about mythology? Not all metal has to be about screaming.

[DarthKrattus]

A very true statement. So damn epic. So damn heavy.