Day 188: 2/8/1975 Philadelphia, PA

2/8/1975 Philadelphia, PA  (1st gen>cdr)

Rock and Roll, Sick Again, Over the Hills and Far Away, In My Time of Dying, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Kashmir, No Quarter, Trampled Underfoot, Moby Dick, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, Heartbreaker

A cut in the tape during the first verse of Rock and Roll leaves us near the beginning of the guitar solo as the tapers fumbles with his equipment. In My Time of Dying is incredibly powerful. Plant's voice is finally showing signs of improvement. The crowd erupts as Page blazes through The Song Remains the Same, prompting Plant to exclaim "take it easy!" Following The Rain Song, he asks the rowdy crowd "can we advocate that people please stay in the seats?" No Quarter is fantastic. The instrumental section is an epic journey. Page shreds wildly through the guitar solo during Trampled Underfoot. 

Before Moby Dick, Plant announces "we come to the point in the show where we bring you sheer musicianship, sheer craftsmanship... from the man with only two cavities... Mr. Ultraviolence... John Bonham!" Someone near the taper can be heard discussing a missing friend during the initial verse of Dazed and Confused. The band is out of control during the guitar solo/workout section. Page's fingers race across the fretboard in a violent cascade of notes. The return of the main riff is utterly devastating. Page solos wildly during the thunderous, pulsating outro. As the song ends, Plant tells the crowd "we really enjoyed that, we're glad you were here as well." Stairway to Heaven features another outstanding guitar solo from Page. The band closes the show with an explosive Heartbreaker. An excellent performance, the band finally seems to be warming up.

The tape is fairly clear, if a bit distant.

Thirteen minutes of 8mm color footage is available on Hercules's Film Noir Vol. 1. The film, shot from the floor section of the arena, includes the majority of Rock and Roll, Sick Again, and Over the Hills and Far Away, as well as several clips of In My Time of Dying. The picture is a bit blurry and washed-out at times, but is quite enjoyable.

Click here for a video sample courtesy of Black Beauty.