Monday, November 24, 2008

Day 255: 6/20/1980 Brussels, Belgium

6/20/1980 Brussels, Belgium (1st gen>dat)
Train Kept a Rollin', Nobody's Fault But Mine, Black Dog, In the Evening, The Rain Song, Hot Dog, All My Love, Trampled Underfoot, Since I've Been Loving You, Achilles Last Stand, White Summer/Black Mountain Side, Kashmir, Stairway to Heaven, Rock and Roll, Whole Lotta Love

Bonzo can be heard shouting "can you hear me?" as he counts-in to a thunderous Nobody's Fault But Mine. The band hammers through a bone-crushing Black Dog, introduced by Page as "chien noir." Plant's voice is like gravel as he barks aggressively through each verse. The Rain Song is beautiful. As the song ends, Plant asks the crowd "you remember that one?" joking "you're showin' your age." Hot Dog is introduced as "a song about two fools, three fools, in fact... lots of fools." Page shreds wildly through a blistering guitar solo during Trampled Underfoot. Since I've Been Loving You is excellent. Page's fingers are like razor blades as he blazes through an emotionally charged guitar solo.

The band pummels the crowd with a devastating Achilles Last Stand. Page stops playing momentarily near the beginning of White Summer/Black Mountain Side to calm the rowdy crowd, saying "we came here cause we really loved ya and we really wanted to play to ya... the trouble is, at the moment, I can't even hear myself play." He briefly hints at Chim Chim Cher-ee prior to Stairway to Heaven. The crowd erupts as a high-speed Rock and Roll crashes into motion. The band closes the show with an outstanding Whole Lotta Love. The theremin freakout is a cacophonous explosion of energy. Plant sings "that little boy's reach the age of thirty-one!" during his boogie rap, joking "I mean twenty-four, sorry." Page tears through a frenzied guitar solo during the riotous Boogie Chillen' section. As the band leaves the stage, Plant announces "it's been fantastic." An excellent performance.

The tape is an outstanding soundboard recording, briefly augmented by an audience source.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

One of the best concerts of my life. I still have the ticket !