10/3/1972 Tokyo, Japan (master>dat)Rock and Roll, Black Dog, Over the Hills and Far Away, Misty Mountain Hop, Since I've Been Loving You, Dancing Days, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song, The Ocean
The tape begins with a simple "good evening" from Plant before the thunderous crack of Bonzo's intro to Rock and Roll echoes through the hall. Plant is still having trouble with his voice. He gets into a call and response with the crowd before the guitar solo during Black Dog. Page blazes through the guitar solo during Over the Hills and Far Away. Before Misty Mountain Hop, Plant announces "it is very good to be back in Tokyo," adding "when group come to Tokyo, group have much fun."
Plant rushes the first verse of Since I've Been Loving You, causing the rest of the band to speed up the changes to catch up. Dancing Days is introduced as "a song about summertime and all the good things that happen." Plant introduces The Song Remains the Same as "The Overture" tonight. The Rain Song is fantastic. Unfortunately, there is a cut in the tape near the end of the song. Someone in the crowd shouts "John Paul Jones!" before Dazed and Confused, drawing a big cheer from the audience. There is an ear-piercing squeal of feedback during a quiet passage in the bow solo. Page leads the band in a great jam just before the call and response with Plant during the guitar solo/workout section. Bonzo explodes like a violent earthquake during the Mars, the Bringer of War section.
Stairway to Heaven is introduced as "a song about time... and some of the factors that go with our passage through it," adding jokingly "heavy trip, man." Plant sings a few lines of Blue Suede Shoes a cappella before Whole Lotta Love. The explosive Everybody Needs Somebody to Love section includes vocals from Plant for the first time. The medley includes Boogie Chillen', Elvis Presley's Let's Have a Party, and You Shook Me. There is a slight cut during the finale. The show ends with the Japanese premiere of The Ocean.
The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant and echoey.
I think this show represents another "event" for Plant vocals wise (in addition to the aforementioned 8/21/71, 5/27/72 and to a lesser extent, 6/25/72; plant sang hard on all of the above nights and suffered afterwards to varying degrees). Apart from the shaky starts, Plant settles down on the first two nights of this tour and sounds similar to the last show of the summer 72 tour in Tuscon. However, the next two nights he sounds very injured and can barely sustain any high note. When they return on the 9th, he sounds better, but a little less than before. The end is coming for his beautiful voice
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