The Belfry - March 20, 1971
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includes: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, What Is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love (medley), Communication Breakdown.
includes: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, What Is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, How Many More Times, Whole Lotta Love (medley), Communication Breakdown.
"This was part of a 'thank you' tour with tickets set at 70p. They wanted to play at Mothers in Erdington Birmingham but the club closed in January 197. Therefore a promoter opened stepmothers at the Belfry"
"Mothers was only open from Auguster 1968 to January 1971 but was one of the best with John Peel saying "People are amazed to hear that for a few years the best club in Britain was in Erdington." - Tom Gavin
Review: Electrifying Zeppelin
Well over a thousand people were packed into the dance hall of the Belfry, Sutton, Coldfield for what turned out to be the greatest rock concert ever seen there.
No strangers to the Birmingham area, Led Zeppelin put out the heaviest rock sound for three hours powering through new and old numbers.
To see them perform is quite an experience. With Robert Plant shaking his head and madly hopping around the stage, Jimmy letting loose some fluent licks and John and Bonzo piling on the power, there is a good deal of coordination between Jimmy and John. Each seems to know what the other will do – no mean task and the well known riffs seem to possess an electrifying intensity as they reverberate from the massive stacks.
The material battering the fans from all sides included the old favourites: Since I’ve Been Loving You, Communication Breakdown, and the immortal Whole Lotta Love, with Black Dog, Going to California and the aesthetic Stairway to Heaven from the fourth album.
Their stage show is so exciting that you have to become involved as they go from side to side. Their albums don’t seem to make you realize this, but are a good second-best if you are one of those who couldn’t manage the concert tour. (T. McNally/ NME, March 1971)
"This was part of a 'thank you' tour with tickets set at 70p. They wanted to play at Mothers in Erdington Birmingham but the club closed in January 197. Therefore a promoter opened stepmothers at the Belfry"
"Mothers was only open from Auguster 1968 to January 1971 but was one of the best with John Peel saying "People are amazed to hear that for a few years the best club in Britain was in Erdington." - Tom Gavin
Review: Electrifying Zeppelin
Well over a thousand people were packed into the dance hall of the Belfry, Sutton, Coldfield for what turned out to be the greatest rock concert ever seen there.
No strangers to the Birmingham area, Led Zeppelin put out the heaviest rock sound for three hours powering through new and old numbers.
To see them perform is quite an experience. With Robert Plant shaking his head and madly hopping around the stage, Jimmy letting loose some fluent licks and John and Bonzo piling on the power, there is a good deal of coordination between Jimmy and John. Each seems to know what the other will do – no mean task and the well known riffs seem to possess an electrifying intensity as they reverberate from the massive stacks.
The material battering the fans from all sides included the old favourites: Since I’ve Been Loving You, Communication Breakdown, and the immortal Whole Lotta Love, with Black Dog, Going to California and the aesthetic Stairway to Heaven from the fourth album.
Their stage show is so exciting that you have to become involved as they go from side to side. Their albums don’t seem to make you realize this, but are a good second-best if you are one of those who couldn’t manage the concert tour. (T. McNally/ NME, March 1971)
includes: Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Since I've Been Loving You, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, What Is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Whole Lotta Love (medley), Communication Breakdown.
Comments
Belfry 20th March 71
This was my only live Led Zep concert unfortunately but remember it fondly. Is my memory fading or did Bonzo break a drum skin ( bass drum ) & the others carried on acoustic while it was replaced.
Also it was a very wet night & got stuck in mud getting out of the car park ( field ).
Happy days !!
Colin
The Belfry March 71
Just to correct opening comment " Back to the clubs tour. Venue was originally set for Stepmothers Club and changed to the Belfry." which is incorrect. The paragraph should read as follows.
This was part of a thank you tour with tickets set at 70p. They wanted to play at Mothers in Erdington Birmingham but the club closed in January 197. Therefore a promoter opened stepmothers at the Belfry.
Mothers was only open from Auguster 1968 to January 1971 but was one of the best with John Peel saying "People are amazed to hear that for a few years the best club in Britain was in Erdington."
LZ 710320
Hi Colin,
Just thought I would reassure you that your memory is sound. John Bonham did break a bass drum skin about a third of the way into the set. It was Bonham's (now) famous green sparkle Ludwig kit. The roadies didn't change the head, the roadies plucked it out and put in a new drum; I thought that was very cool. You are also right about the other three carrying on (possibly all four of them). Page and Jones for sure sat cross legged at the front of the stage and played acousticly with Plant. I was a 15 year old impressionable youth at the time, from nearby Tamworth. I was impressed alright.
I remember the weather too. My friend and I had to get a cab home; we missed the end of the set. We didn't expect 3 hours plus!
Regards
H.
Yes I was there. I can't
Yes I was there. I can't believe I didnt take my camera being a very keen photographer from the 60's on
These were special times and only really appreciatied on reflection. £0.70 for such a special experience.... Wow. Coming from Droitwich Worcestershire I have seen Robert in my local pub at Ombersley and also at the Chequers at Cutnall Green when he came to ask my friend and pub manager, the late Kenny Powell, if he had seen John Bonham that morning. This was on one Saturday morning in 1978. Happy days
I was one of the Promoters at
I was one of the Promoters at The Belfry Hotel
My favorite concert of all.
My favorite concert of all. Great band great night.The acoustic part of the set was a lot more than going to california/ They played 2 hours followed by 3 ,20 minute encors. Fantastic .
I was at The Befry show and
I was at The Befry show and it was the longest set I ever saw anybody play at that venue, just a memory on the tickets ,yes 70p but the catch was you had to pay to go into the venue the previous week to buy them and my memory is being charged £5 for admision, which was definitely a scam, but I have never seen anyone else write about this? and I was not alone in the ticket line !!!
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