Led Zeppelin, Sydney Showground, Sydney

February 27th, 1972: Sydney Showground, Sydney

Setlist (from 130 & 45 minute audience recordings):

Out on the Tiles (Intro)/ Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, Going to California, That’s the Way, Tangerine, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Dazed and Confused, What is and What Should Never Be, Moby Dick, Rock and Roll, Whole Lotta Love Medley (incl. Sing a Simple Song, Boogie Chillun’, Hello Mary Lou, The Rover (Instrumental), Let’s Have a Party, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Going Down Slow), Communication Breakdown (incl. It’s Your Thing), Organ Solo, Thank You

Sydney Morning Herald journalist David D. McNicholl in his December 19th, 1971 column titled “It’s a Happening World – Glitter Scene questioned whether Zeppelin would be coming soon to Sydney in late Februrary or early March since that was the “strongest rumour in the music business.” In the following week’s column, McNicholl was more than happy to announce that his “prediction” was right with a headline that read: “I Told You So: Zeppelin Will Soon Be Here.” The article went on to say that Zeppelin’s tour would start on February 16 and play in Sydney on the 27th.

Go-Set magazine (March 11th, 1972) covered the Sydney concert in an article by Stephen Maclean titled “Thanks for the Fantasy, Zeppelin.” Maclean was very impressed with the band’s showmanship and offered up the following:

“At Sydney’s showgrounds, halfway during Led Zeppelin’s final (ed. note: second to last) Australian concert, Robert Plant looked across the massive audience and announced ‘There are twenty-six thousand of us now. Wow… twenty six thousand of us.’ The ‘us’ implied that Zeppelin were at one with the audience, but the satisfying truth is that they were not. They were completely apart from the earth-bound crowd, living out their rock and roll dreams to a point where they, the creators, actually became their image. Imagery and talent permit Robert Plant to become whatever the music makes him. He didn’t perform his songs at Sydney showground – he lived them. When he said there were ‘twenty-six thousand of us’ he was completely wrong. Robert Plant was completely different from anyone in that audience, which is why we at last had a concert genuinely worth the four bucks admission.”

“Led Zeppelin move in an aura that Creedence Clearwater, visitors of some weeks back, just couldn’t hope to touch upon. Whereas Creedence are famous musicians, Zeppelin are real live rock stars. They kept bobbing up all over Sydney during their stay, leaving a trail of excitement and show-biz type gossip in their path.”

One of the surprises of the band’s performance was the inclusion of an instrumental 50-second version of The Rover – this was subsequently recorded in the spring of 1972 but would not be released until it appeared on Physical Graffiti three years later (and other than being used as a short intro to Sick Again in 1977, it was never performed live again).

Thank You was performed as a final encore – the one and only time it was performed on this tour.

On the band’s 2003 official DVD release, disc two starts off with a powerful cine colour film of the band performing in Sydney (synched to the audio of Immigrant Song from Long Beach Arena, June 27th, 1972). This cine film was shot from the side of the stage by members of the Zep road crew. Cine footage from the same source also exists of the empty arena and the fans arriving.

The 2003 DVD release also includes black & white clips of the band performing Rock and Roll in full and a few short interviews. This pro-shot footage had originally been broadcast in 1972 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Sunday Night programme, Get To Know. The very ending of Whole Lotta Love, Let’s Have a Party, and additional interviews were also included as part of the original broadcast but were edited out of the official DVD.

The interviews were filmed at a press reception held in Sydney by the local record company. The complete unedited footage shows a young Germaine Greer mingling with Plant and Jones. Plant talks in a very broad black country accent about the Perth police raid. JPJ discusses George Harrison’s recent Bangla Desh benefit shows and asked if they would consider making a film themselves, he tellingly replies ”Undoubtedly we will get around to it”. John Bonham comes over as very articulate when seen commenting on the changes on their music.

February 27th, 1972: Sydney Showground, Sydney

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