In this issue:

• The Milan Riot - July 1971

Led Zeppelin says "Ciao, Italia!"

An Italian journalist (and Led Zeppelin fan) interviewed two people who attended that fateful concert and wrote an extensive article, in French, which he has graciously shared with us. He wrote that Robert Plant, John Bonham and Richard Cole arrived at Milan-Linate International airport on Sunday, July 4 to participate in the 10th Annual “Cantagiro”, as the event was called.

They were joined the next day by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Peter Grant and the rest of the entourage. Based on that, I’ll cite the concert date as having been Monday, July 5, 1971. This is corroborated by other authors of Led Zeppelin literature; notably, Robert Godwin.

It was the first time Led Zeppelin had ever performed in Italy. It would also be the last. The band only managed to play Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I’ve Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, a severely shortened version of Moby Dick and Whole Lotta Love before the riot forced them to stop and flee the venue under police escort. Three of those songs were captured on amateur recordings that I’ll discuss a bit later.

YOUNG PEOPLE SPEAKIN’ THEIR MINDS

If you weren’t around during the 1960s and ’70s, it’s almost impossible to imagine the social and political upheaval. Even if you were there, things were so different from today that it’s easy to forget what an extraordinary time it truly was. A time that will never be repeated.

A lot of great music and art emerged from this period, fuelled by young people thumbing their noses at “The Establishment” with an attitude of being “mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore”, to borrow a line from the movie, Network.

Unrest at concerts and other gatherings where young people, security and police found themselves was commonplace. The members of Led Zeppelin had experienced this many times in the United States while on tour in 1970. They were quite shocked at the violence that would erupt at their concerts then. It wasn’t at all what Led Zeppelin was about and it upset the group tremendously.

The “Hippie Revolution” typified by its “new music” was largely viewed by traditional society as a threat to The Establishment. Music and the arts were seen and heard as frightening to the older generation. Reacting to this, they clamped down with police and security at events like rock concerts. Unnecessary force was often applied to control the perceived danger.

In North America, the Civil Rights Movement and protests against the Viet Nam “conflict” added fuel to the fire. Italy’s politics and national issues were very different but they, too, fanned the flames of civil unrest between the long-haired youth and la polizia determined to beat them down. Literally.

THE STAGE IS SET

Such was the backdrop for Led Zeppelin’s performance in Milan. The band was riding high at this time and planned to play a handful of dates in Europe before embarking on its 7th U.S. and Canadian Tour (1971).

Now, in July 2010, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the worst riot in Led Zeppelin’s career, when even the band’s music couldn’t save the day, violence threatened their safety and, in a very rare occurrence for the band, the show did NOT go on.

By this point in 1971, Led Zeppelin had become so popular that the band needed to play in large stadiums to accommodate legions of fans. But, before coming to Italy, the group had completed a “Return to the Clubs” tour in the United Kingdom, to reward their loyal home fans and to reconnect with them in smaller venues like the ones where they’d started.

Production problems had delayed the release of Led Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album, but the band debuted songs from it – such as Black Dog and Stairway to Heaven - when performing live on that club tour and also for this one-off gig at the Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan.

The Cantagiro was a government-sponsored festival that featured other acts besides Led Zeppelin, including Gianni Morandi, an artist who topped the charts in Italy in those days and a popular singer named Milva.

Before the concert, Peter Grant and the band had held a press conference at their hotel to present the cover of the upcoming untitled album and talk about the songs on it. Apparently, nothing like this press session had happened since The Beatles!

GONNA MAKE YOU SWEAT...

Meanwhile, back at the Vigorelli Velodrome, about 400 non-ticket holders were trying to crash the gate. Problems had always been commonplace at this venue and the police were used to mobilizing themselves and using force to keep the peace.

Political demonstrators and protest singers contributed to the general mêlée by throwing rocks and bottles, lighting fires and setting off firecrackers and cherry bombs. People were injured and arrested. There were thousands of fans and approximately 2000 police.

These disturbances delayed the acts, which just made the audience members even more angry. By the time Led Zeppelin finally took to the stage, explosions were heard at the back of the stadium.

Robert Plant asked the attendees to please stop lighting fires. Zeppelin’s musicians didn’t realize that what they were seeing and hearing was the police shooting tear gas to try and contain the enraged mob.

Photos from the scene show total chaos, as kids fled the clouds of tear gas and crowded the stage where Zeppelin was valiantly trying to perform regardless. You feel claustrophobic just looking at these pics. Everywhere, police are wielding batons and striking the youths.

Peter Grant finally ordered Zeppelin off the stage. Finding a narrow passageway, the band members made their way to a small room and locked themselves in to wait it out. People tried to break into their sanctuary. It must have been terrifying!

The roadies stayed onstage to save Zeppelin’s gear. A number of them were injured in the process. They scrambled to salvage what they could, amidst the choking tear gas and violence that enveloped the area. To their credit, the brave and loyal roadies did manage to save most of the equipment.

Eventually, Led Zeppelin was evacuated from the Vigorelli Velodrome under heavy police escort and returned to the band’s hotel where a journalist, who had been at the concert, irritated them with his insensitive line of questioning.

Next day, the group attended a press conference, still visibly shaken by the whole experience. Led Zeppelin has always said it was very distraught at concert violence; they just wanted everyone to have a good time at their concerts as they played, without any violence or hassles.

This gig at Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan on July 5, 1971, was the antithesis of that. The riot was the darkest incident of the band’s career up ‘til then.

GONNA MAKE YOU GROOVE!

Of course, this particular gig was documented in ways other than the mainstream media. Thanks to some faithful, intrepid bootleggers who risked life and limb, the fateful concert was captured on 25 minutes of tape! This bootleg tape stands out as one of the most rabid and virulent of Led Zeppelin’s entire career, led by Robert Plant’s screeching vocals. The recording has such an incredible feeling of urgency and aggressiveness, especially with Plant’s razor-cutting vocals over top of Jimmy Page’s frenetic guitar and all the violence going on around them at the time.

Although distorted and obviously made by someone in the rioting audience, the tape attests that Led Zeppelin is playing extremely well, in what turned out to be distressful circumstances for all concerned.

It’s so fortunate that aural evidence exists from this historical low point of Led Zeppelin’s career. It’s unfortunate, though, that it’s but a fragment and the rest of the abbreviated concert is missing.

This tape gave birth to several bootlegged recordings, as vinyl LPs, CDs and other formats. One is a Japanese acetate called Blow One’s Cool (GH-104 A-B). The other is a vinyl picture disc whose artwork is based on the psychedelic wheel from the cover of Led Zeppelin III. It’s called Central Park ’69 – Milan ’71 (72169 CD L-27465-X).

Artwork for the vinyl picture disc, Central Park '69 - Milan '71, is based on the wheel that appeared on the cover of Atlantic Records' official release, Led Zeppelin III. Photo courtesy of L.A. Reddon, used with permission. Enzepplopedia Publishing, Inc.

Both boots include these songs: Since I’ve Been Loving You (incomplete), Black Dog, Dazed and Confused (incomplete).

Prior to, and in Milan, Led Zeppelin was opening its concerts with Immigrant Song, followed by Heartbreaker. Since I’ve Been Loving You was third on the band’s set list. The boot starts in the middle of Page’s guitar intro to it. The poor bootlegger likely had problems getting set up in the helter-skelter atmosphere that reigned in the Vigorelli Velodrome that evening!

As Page soulfully plays his introduction of Since I’ve Been Loving You, you can feel a palpable buzz of the crowd. The air is charged as you listen, even all these years later. There’s a general feeling of malaise in the Italian crowd that’s definitely on this bootleg recording.

Plant’s vocals are absolutely scorching, as is the rest of the group's performance. From all indications, Led Zeppelin is out to show its goods for this Italian crowd, being the first-ever gig in Italy for the band. A good example of just how strong and razor-sharp Plant’s vocals are occurs when he sings a capella for a few seconds, in the middle of Since I’ve Been Loving You.

“Ahhhhhhhhh-I’ve been cryin’” cuts through like a roaring wildcat. As he sings the rest of the phrases, you can hear the crowd noises intensifying, getting noticeably louder and seemingly more agitated.

Next up is Black Dog. It’s one of Plant’s most chaotic versions of this song, ever recorded. He’s stealing the show at this point. His version is enough to incite a riot on its own!

The lyrics are also prototypical, with lots of ad libs that sound nothing at all like the rendition of Black Dog that will soon appear on Led Zeppelin IV. Despite the distortion, again, we are able to hear quite well what all four members of Led Zeppelin are doing. It’s a phenomenal performance of this song.

With the next song, Dazed and Confused, things really start to heat up. You can hear the crowd’s agitation building. Cries of “Sit down!” and “Bastard!”, are angrily shouted as Zeppelin goes through this number.

Plant also seems to be having some difficulty concentrating while he’s delivering the lyrics. We can only imagine what he must have been seeing and feeling as the clashes between the police and fans intensified. The end of this song is missing from the recording. Led Zeppelin apparently played a pared-down version of John Bonham’s drum solo, Moby Dick then cut things short with Whole Lotta Love. It was then that Peter Grant ordered them to leave the tear-gas-choked stage.

This bootleg recording is an amazing historical document, made by someone with a whole lotta guts! Given the riot that ensued, we can forgive the bootlegger for its incompleteness. You can almost feel the riot brewing as Zeppelin plays on this recording.

Throughout the three songs that were successfully captured on this short tape, there is a great feeling of unrest and uneasiness.

Thank you, Mr. Bootlegger, whoever and wherever you are!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Godwin, Robert. Ed. Robert Godwin. Led Zeppelin: The Press Reports. Collector’s Guide Publications, Inc. Burlington, Canada,1997.
Godwin, Robert. The Illustrated Collector’s Guide To Led Zeppelin: 3rd Edition. Collector’s Guide Publications, Inc. Burlington, Canada, 1990.
Lewis, Dave with Simon Pallett. Led Zeppelin: The Concert File. Omnibus Press. London, England, 2005.
Nannini, Dario. Ed. Benoit Pascal, Christophe LePabic. Fanzine Kashmir. Issue 3, March 2000. Original in French; © Fanzine Kashmir, all rights reserved. Translated and paraphrased by L. A. Reddon.
Rey, Luis. Led Zeppelin Live: An Illustrated Exploration of Underground Tapes: The Final Edition, The Hot Wacks Press. Owen Sound, Canada, 1997.
Shadwick, Keith. Ed.: Tony Bacon. Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Its Music 1968-1980, Outline Press, San Francisco, 2005.
Yorke, Ritchie. The Led Zeppelin Biography, Methuen Publications, Toronto, 1976.

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