Belfast
IE Ulster Hall
5/3/71
01: Immigrant Song
02: Heartbreaker
03: Since I've Been Loving You
04: Black Dog
05: Dazed And Confused
06: Stairway To Heaven
07: Going To California
08: What Is And What Should Never Be
01: Moby Dick
02: Whole Lotta Love
03: Communication Breakdown
04: Rock And Roll
05: Bring It On Home
The band debut a number of songs from their upcoming "Fourth Album", including the first public performance of Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California and Rock and Roll.
i was 16 zeppelin were my god;s unless u were there it is hard to describe fantastic is not good enough; i was lucky to get to stage door;s and got their autograph;s ; it was a night i have or never will forget i was on the stairway to heaven
In 1971 I was 16 and "fond" of Simon and Garfunkel and West Coast bands such as Crosby Stills, I had never been to a rock concert the previous highlight having been The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem with my aunt two years previously! There wasn't alot happening in Belfast around that time as the "troubles" were kicking in big time. I'd just bought Zeppelin 2 a month prior to the concert, I didn't get a ticket but went down to the Ulster Hall with a friend who had, and outside I manged to get one at face value (25 shillings or £1.25 in todays money!) from a guy whose girlfriend didn't turn up.
The band walked on stage with no warm up act and went straight into the Immigrant Song followed by Heartbreaker. I simply don't have words to aedquately describe the impact that first fifteen minutes had on me and on those that were there. It changed things for me. I, as did everyboy stood in disbelief in the face of the pure wall of energy, raw talent and passion, images and sound are etched in my memory and still are as vibrant 36 years later. I discovered what rock was all about that night (and alot else besides). I remember looking down from the balcony and seeing friends and the excitement on their faces. That was just the start it got better! It was the first time they played "Stairway" live,I remember Plant saying "this is a thing off the fourth album, I hope you like it". We did.
As I left the Ulster Hall around midnight I remember clearly looking up fully expecting to see cracks in the ceiling, such was the energy we all expended that night.
From time to time I meet people who were there, old friends and some new ones, we nod approvingly, smile with an understanding that knows we were lucky enough to have experienced something magical and life altering. We rarely try to describe it to the "others", those that didn't make it, because we know we can't do it justice.
Thank you.
The recording is slightly distorted as per many of the audience recordings of the time. Make no mistake about it, what you are hearing is Led Zeppelin at the very top of their game. Tonight's set kicks off with a bombastic Immigrant Song, crushing the audience with it's immense volume. A superb Heartbreaker follows, complete with a compact guitar solo. This concert is a must for any Robert Plant fan. He gives the show 110% and the unbelievable power of his amazing high pitched vocals is evident right from the start. A full-on version of Black Dog complete with a mistake in the first instrumental passage. For a long time, we have all wondered what the first ever public performance of Stairway To Heaven must have been like. Well, wonder no more for now it can be heard. Zeppelin finish the main set with a compact Whole Lotta Love medley. Rock And Roll is another preview, played at a frantic pace.
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this performance proves they are one of, if not one of the most talented bands of all time.
Pagedrixton 2 years ago