Day 201: 3/17/1975 Seattle, WA

3/17/1975 Seattle, WA  Blow-Jobs

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, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog

The tape begins just before the second verse of Rock and Roll. Page blazes through the guitar solos during Sick Again. As the song ends, Plant announces "for once in our career we started early, cause we didn't want to keep you waitin'." Over the Hills and Far Away features a blistering guitar solo from Page, one of the best in recent memory. In My Time of Dying is explosive. Plant sings "Seattle, won't you listen" during a frantic The Song Remains the Same. His voice is incredibly strong during Kashmir, having finally settled into his new range.

No Quarter features an excellent piano solo from Jones. The instrumental section is transformed into an upbeat free-form jazz improvisation. Page shreds erratically through the guitar solo during Trampled Underfoot. Plant sings a bit of Max Bygraves's You're a Pink Toothbrush before introducing Dazed and Confused. The hauntingly heavy Woodstock interlude continues to grow in complexity. Page is absolutely on fire during the guitar solo/workout section. His fingers tear across the fretboard in a furious cascade of notes as Bonzo and Jones race to keep up. The frenzy reaches its peak during the explosive outro jam, punctuated by a thunderous finale. A devastatingly heavy performance.

Stairway to Heaven features an amazing guitar solo. As the band returns to the stage, Plant hints at Louie Louie before dedicating Whole Lotta Love to "Seattle and The Pretty Things." The theramin freakout is preceded by an excellent rendition of The Crunge, the best and most complete thus far. Plant again throws in a bit of Licking Stick-Licking Stick during the funky breakdown. The band closes the show with a riotous Black Dog. An excellent performance.

The tape is a combination of two sources. The first, used through In My Time of Dying, is a bit distant and muffled. The second, used for the remainder of the show, is clear and well-balanced, if a bit noisy on the high end.