June 3, 1977
Tampa, FL US
Tampa Stadium
Setlist:
The Song Remains The Same, (The Rover intro) Sick Again, Nobody's Fault But Mine.
Notes:
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Click here to view the US '77 Tour Programme (flipbook) |
Show ends early due to rain.
The promoters then ran a full page ad, apologizing to fans for the turn of events – it read:
“Concerts West Apologizes and is sorry for the humiliation & inconvenience to you and your faithful fans at Tampa Stadium, June 3, 1977.
You did everything that you could and wanted to do so much more. You are the best and deserve the best, not the worst treatment.
-Respectfully, Concerts West.
News Report: At Least 100 Injured At Led Zeppelin Concert
TAMPA Fla. - City officials, reeling from a mini riot which erupted when a thunderstorm washed out a Led Zeppelin concert, canceled a rain check rerun Saturday, leaving fans from as far as Michigan and New York holding "rain or shine" ticket stubs.
"If I were in Buffalo, I'd go home right now," said Bonnie Strickland. The 19-year-old youth and three companions had driven 24hours to get to Florida for the concert. Strickland said they were the first ones in the stadium when the doors opened at 11:30 a.m. Friday for the8:30 p.m. concert. After spending the day in 90-degree weather on the sun baked football field, they settled down for the concert.
The British band played for 20 minutes before the thunderstorm hit. About 45minutes later the concert was called off.
The cry "We want Zeppelin. We want Zeppelin" came from the 70,000 fans as rocks and bottles began flying onto the stage."We had what had to be called a small riot. There were between 3,000 and4,000 people who were unruly and disorderly," Tampa Police spokesman Johnny Barker said.
About 250 police officers, all in riot gear and using billy clubs, broke up the rioting and herded the fans out of the stadium. The scene was followed by 26 reported traffic accidents near the grounds. "The cops didn't give any warning," one teen-aged girl said. "They just waded in. I ended up at the bottom of the crowd and a cop kicked me in the head. My brother got a broken leg and broken ribs."
The melee left an estimated 100 fans with injuries. Eight were arrested. Shift Commander Tom Wilson said "in the neighborhood" a dozen officers were treated for injuries." One had a concussion, there was one with a broken hand, one with a broken ankle, one with cut lips and some teeth knocked out, one with a dislocated shoulder..." There were so many people you just couldn't move," a 32 year-old man from West Palm Beach said: "I was just trying to get away. The ticket said rain or shine."
Persons holding ticket stubs can get refunds, but we are encouraging them to mail in their refund requests," Barker said. (Newswire - June 5, 1977)
Comments
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Three Songs, Lots of Cops
I was really psyched for this show! Zeppelin was and still is my all time favorite rock band. I was there early, with a group of friends. early enough to get great seats in the stands. I had been to many concerts prior and had enough of sitting on the field. The police were there early, in full riot gear, way before the band even came on stage. I had never seen that at any other show. They were an ominous presence early on, lining the top row of Tampa Stadium like sentries, I had the feeling that they were just waiting for something to happen so they could break up the concert. It's important to note that LZ was banned from playing Tampa after the previous concert in '73. Anyway, the band was excellent and the sound was great!! It was really exciting. I could see the storm clouds coming in the distance as they started playing and, being a resident of Florida, I knew that it was going to rain hard for 20 minutes then it would all be over and the rest of the night would be calm. The band kept playing for a long time in the pouring rain, to the point I thought it was dangerous for them to be on stage with all the equipment. When they finally left the stage, I stayed put for a good 45 minutes, clapping and yelling, soaking wet, waiting for their return. From my vantage point I could clearly see the police swinging clubs and causing mayhem in front of the stage. My friend actually went to the stage and was pushed away by police. When we finally left, we were in a car accident on the way through the city and had to take a bus home. All in all, it was a great concert and a great experience for me. Never got another chance to see the Greatest Band, but I still have the memories of Three Songs and Lots of Cops.