Knebworth Festival 1979
Encyclopedia
The Knebworth Festival 1979 consisted of two concerts performed by the English
rock
band
Led Zeppelin
and other artists at Knebworth House
, Hertfordshire
, England
, in August 1979.
had been a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts
since 1974. In 1979, veteran promoter Freddy Bannister
booked Led Zeppelin to play that year's concerts, which took place on 4 August and 11 August.
The band had not performed live for two years since the death of Robert Plant
's son during the band's 1977 North American tour
, and they had not performed in the United Kingdom
for four years. Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant, decided that the band should perform at Knebworth instead of embarking on a lengthy tour. As is explained by Dave Lewis:
The band's fee for performing was reportedly the largest ever paid to one single act at that time.
In the lead-up to the concerts, Led Zeppelin undertook extensive rehearsals at Bray Film studios
in London, and attended the venue at Knebworth in order to inspect the site, complete a publicity photograph shoot and perform a soundcheck. In addition, they performed two low-key warm-up shows in late July at the Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Also performing at the Knebworth concerts in 1979 were The New Barbarians
(featuring Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards
), Todd Rundgren and Utopia
, Southside Johnny
, Marshall Tucker, Commander Cody
, Chas & Dave and Fairport Convention
.
According to the official website of Knebworth House, the 1979 Knebworth Festival involved
These were amongst the largest crowds Led Zeppelin had ever performed to. Lewis writes:
Similarly, Music journalist Chris Welch
has observed that the audiences "included a whole new generation who had never seen Led Zeppelin in their prime, and a group of teenagers from Sheffield
who would one day achieve success as Def Leppard
.
These were the final shows Led Zeppelin performed in the United Kingdom
until 2007.
and Melody Maker
provided generally positive reports, journalists from other major music publications such as New Musical Express, Sounds
, Rolling Stone
and The Sunday Times
criticized Led Zeppelin's performances as being sluggish and rusty. With such a long layoff since their last performances in Britain, and in the wake of the punk rock
revolution, Led Zeppelin were now considered to be obsolete in some quarters.
The negative reviews prompted the ire of Robert Plant
, who made sarcastic reference to them on-stage during the 11 August show. However, Plant himself later expressed reservations about the concerts:
In an interview he gave in 2005, Plant elaborated:
Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant stated after the event that Led Zeppelin's performance at Knebworth was "a bit rusty". In the opinion of Lewis, the gigs were a "nervous, rather tentative attempt [by Led Zeppelin] to step back into the limelight ... Some of it was breathtaking, some musically woefully inept and sometimes it wavered between the two in the space of a few minutes." Welch, who also attended the concerts, similarly suggests that:
(engineered by George Chkiantz
) and also filmed, with live images beamed directly onto a giant screen behind the stage. The filming was done by the TV International company under the direction of Chris Bodger. There was a plan for the footage to be used on a television special (this is one of the reasons the band members wore the same clothes on both nights) but this idea was never realised. Only short clips of some of the songs were used by Atlantic Records
for promotional purposes.
For many years, bootleg copies of this audio and video material circulated amongst fans. The first audience recorded bootlegs became available in early 1980. However, aside from the promotional snippets, Led Zeppelin never officially released any of the recordings until 2003, when parts of the footage were digitally remastered and included on the Led Zeppelin DVD.
were played for the first time on stage, namely "Hot Dog
" and "In the Evening
". The album was intended to be released prior to the band's concerts, but production delays pushed its release date to shortly after the event. Plant jokingly referred to the delays at times during the performance on August 4.
The band's set list was as follows:
Encore:
* Performed only on 4 August.
** Performed only on 11 August
, in order to establish the extent of the attendance. He claimed that some 218,000 people were at the first concert and 187,000 at the second. However, the license was for only 100,000 and Bannister claimed that only 104,000 had attended in the first week. For the second show, Grant brought in his own staff to man turnstiles and count tickets.
This disagreement eventually forced Bannister's concert promotion company into liquidation, which allegedly left unpaid bills of £50,000 for the police and £2,000 to the local borough council.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and other artists at Knebworth House
Knebworth House
Knebworth House is a country house in the civil parish of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England.-History and description:The home of the Lytton family since 1490, when Thomas Bourchier sold the reversion of the manor to Sir Robert Lytton, Knebworth House was originally a genuine red-brick Late Gothic...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in August 1979.
History
The grounds of Knebworth House near the village of KnebworthKnebworth
Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden and Langley, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the...
had been a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts
Concerts at Knebworth House
The grounds of Knebworth House near the village of Knebworth in Hertfordshire, England has become a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts since 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band attracted 60,000 at the first large concert held at the venue....
since 1974. In 1979, veteran promoter Freddy Bannister
Freddy Bannister
Freddy Bannister was a leading UK concert promoter during the 1960s and 1970s, and was the founder of the Bath Festival of Blues 1969, the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music 1970 and the Knebworth festivals.Bannister started promoting music acts through his father-in-law in 1959,...
booked Led Zeppelin to play that year's concerts, which took place on 4 August and 11 August.
The band had not performed live for two years since the death of Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
's son during the band's 1977 North American tour
Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1977
Led Zeppelin's 1977 North American Tour was the eleventh and final concert tour of North America by the English rock band. The tour was divided into three legs, with performances commencing on 1 April and concluding on 24 July 1977...
, and they had not performed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for four years. Led Zeppelin's manager, Peter Grant, decided that the band should perform at Knebworth instead of embarking on a lengthy tour. As is explained by Dave Lewis:
The band's fee for performing was reportedly the largest ever paid to one single act at that time.
In the lead-up to the concerts, Led Zeppelin undertook extensive rehearsals at Bray Film studios
Bray Studios (UK)
Bray Studios is a film and television facility at Bray, near Windsor, Berkshire, England. The films Alien and The Rocky Horror Picture Show were shot there...
in London, and attended the venue at Knebworth in order to inspect the site, complete a publicity photograph shoot and perform a soundcheck. In addition, they performed two low-key warm-up shows in late July at the Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Also performing at the Knebworth concerts in 1979 were The New Barbarians
The New Barbarians (band)
The New Barbarians were a rock band that played two concerts in Canada and eighteen shows across the United States in April and May 1979; in August 1979, the band also supported Led Zeppelin at the Knebworth Festival 1979....
(featuring Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
), Todd Rundgren and Utopia
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny is an American singer-songwriter, who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.-Early days:...
, Marshall Tucker, Commander Cody
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen is an American country rock band founded in 1967. Core members included founder George Frayne, John Tichy, Billy C. Farlow, Bill Kirchen, Andy Stein, Paul "Buffalo" Bruce Barlow, Lance Dickerson, and Bobby Black....
, Chas & Dave and Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
.
According to the official website of Knebworth House, the 1979 Knebworth Festival involved
These were amongst the largest crowds Led Zeppelin had ever performed to. Lewis writes:
Similarly, Music journalist Chris Welch
Chris Welch
Chris Welch is a music journalist, reviewer and critic with Melody Maker, famous during the 1960s and 1970s for reporting on the rise of such bands as The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Traffic, If, Cream and Jeff Beck. During that time he also reported on the UK jazz scene.- Career...
has observed that the audiences "included a whole new generation who had never seen Led Zeppelin in their prime, and a group of teenagers from Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
who would one day achieve success as Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
.
These were the final shows Led Zeppelin performed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
until 2007.
Critical reaction
The concerts received decidedly mixed reviews. Although the Record MirrorRecord Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
and Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
provided generally positive reports, journalists from other major music publications such as New Musical Express, Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
and The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
criticized Led Zeppelin's performances as being sluggish and rusty. With such a long layoff since their last performances in Britain, and in the wake of the punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
revolution, Led Zeppelin were now considered to be obsolete in some quarters.
The negative reviews prompted the ire of Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, who made sarcastic reference to them on-stage during the 11 August show. However, Plant himself later expressed reservations about the concerts:
In an interview he gave in 2005, Plant elaborated:
Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant stated after the event that Led Zeppelin's performance at Knebworth was "a bit rusty". In the opinion of Lewis, the gigs were a "nervous, rather tentative attempt [by Led Zeppelin] to step back into the limelight ... Some of it was breathtaking, some musically woefully inept and sometimes it wavered between the two in the space of a few minutes." Welch, who also attended the concerts, similarly suggests that:
Audio and video recordings
The two concerts were professionally recorded on the Rolling Stones Mobile StudioRolling Stones Mobile Studio
The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio is a mobile recording studio owned by the musical group the Rolling Stones. Numerous bands and artists have recorded music using it, including Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Lou Reed, Bob Marley, Horslips, Fleetwood Mac, Bad Company, Status Quo, Iron Maiden, Mola Mola...
(engineered by George Chkiantz
George Chkiantz
George Chkiantz is a recording engineer based in London who has been responsible for the engineering on a number of well-known albums, many of which are considered classics, owing in part to the high quality of the recordings....
) and also filmed, with live images beamed directly onto a giant screen behind the stage. The filming was done by the TV International company under the direction of Chris Bodger. There was a plan for the footage to be used on a television special (this is one of the reasons the band members wore the same clothes on both nights) but this idea was never realised. Only short clips of some of the songs were used by Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
for promotional purposes.
For many years, bootleg copies of this audio and video material circulated amongst fans. The first audience recorded bootlegs became available in early 1980. However, aside from the promotional snippets, Led Zeppelin never officially released any of the recordings until 2003, when parts of the footage were digitally remastered and included on the Led Zeppelin DVD.
Set list
Two songs from the band's eighth and most recent studio album, In Through the Out DoorIn Through the Out Door
In Through the Out Door is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded over a three week period in November and December 1978 at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and released by Swan Song Records on 15 August 1979...
were played for the first time on stage, namely "Hot Dog
Hot Dog (song)
"Hot Dog" is a recorded song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1979 album, In Through the Out Door. It is the only song on the album not co-written by bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones. A rollicking tune done in the style of a country hoe-down, it features some Elvis Presley-like vocals from...
" and "In the Evening
In the Evening
"In the Evening" is the first song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's eighth studio album, In Through the Out Door, released in 1979. The track has a synthesizer-driven sound backed by a gargantuan guitar repetition.-Overview:...
". The album was intended to be released prior to the band's concerts, but production delays pushed its release date to shortly after the event. Plant jokingly referred to the delays at times during the performance on August 4.
The band's set list was as follows:
- "The Song Remains the SameThe Song Remains the Same (song)"The Song Remains the Same" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin. It is the opening track from their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy.-Overview:...
" (PageJimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
) - "Celebration DayCelebration Day"Celebration Day" is the third track from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1970 album Led Zeppelin III.The track was almost left off the album, due to a studio oversight in which an engineer accidentally erased the first few bars of John Bonham's drum track...
" (JonesJohn Paul Jones (musician)John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
, Page, Plant) - "Black DogBlack Dog (song)"Black Dog" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, the lead off track of their fourth album, released in 1971. It was also released as a single in the United States and Australia with "Misty Mountain Hop" on the B-side, and reached #15 on Billboard and #11 in Australia.In 2010, the song was...
" (Jones, Page, Plant) - "Nobody's Fault but MineNobody's Fault But Mine"Nobody's Fault but Mine" is a traditional blues song that has been covered by many musicians since the late 1960s. A gospel song under the title "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine" is listed in the 1924 Cleveland Library's Index to Negro Spirituals...
" (Page, Plant) - "Over the Hills and Far AwayOver the Hills and Far Away (Led Zeppelin song)"Over the Hills and Far Away" is the third track from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1973 album Houses of the Holy.-Overview:Jimmy Page and Robert Plant originally constructed the song in 1970 at Bron-Yr-Aur, a small cottage in Wales where they stayed after completing a gruelling North American...
" (Page, Plant) - "Misty Mountain HopMisty Mountain Hop"Misty Mountain Hop" is a song from English rock band Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album, released in 1971. In the United States and Australia it was the B-side of the "Black Dog" single, but still received considerable FM radio airplay...
" (Jones, Page, Plant) - "Since I've Been Loving YouSince I've Been Loving You"Since I've Been Loving You" is a blues-rock song in C minor by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on the 1970 album Led Zeppelin III.-Overview:...
" (Jones, Page, Plant) - "No QuarterNo Quarter (song)"No Quarter" is a song by Led Zeppelin that appears on their album, Houses of the Holy, released in 1973. It was written by bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant.- Overview :...
" (Jones, Page, Plant,) - "Ten Years GoneTen Years Gone"Ten Years Gone" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.-Overview:Originally intended to be an instrumental piece, Jimmy Page used some 14 guitar tracks to overdub the harmony section. Robert Plant later added lyrics, which are dedicated to an old...
" (Page, Plant)* - "Hot DogHot Dog (song)"Hot Dog" is a recorded song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1979 album, In Through the Out Door. It is the only song on the album not co-written by bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones. A rollicking tune done in the style of a country hoe-down, it features some Elvis Presley-like vocals from...
" (Page, Plant) - "The Rain SongThe Rain Song"The Rain Song" is a ballad song from English rock band Led Zeppelin's fifth album Houses of the Holy, released in 1973.-Recording:"The Rain Song" is a love ballad of over 7 minutes in length. Guitarist Jimmy Page originally constructed the melody of this song at his home in Plumpton, England,...
" (Page, Plant) - "White SummerWhite Summer"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page, recorded with both The Yardbirds and, later, with Led Zeppelin.-The Yardbirds version:...
"/"Black Mountain SideBlack Mountain Side"Black Mountain Side" is an instrumental by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on the band's 1969 début album Led Zeppelin. It was recorded at Olympic Studios, London during October 1968.-Song structure:...
" (Page) - "KashmirKashmir (song)"Kashmir" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their sixth album Physical Graffiti, released in 1975. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant over a period of three years, with the lyrics dating back to 1973.-Overview:The song centres around a signature chord progression...
" (BonhamJohn BonhamJohn Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
, Page, Plant) - "Trampled Under FootTrampled Under Foot"Trampled Under Foot" is a song by English rock group Led Zeppelin, featured on their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.-Overview:The song was written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, and evolved out of a jam session in 1972...
" (Jones Page, Plant) - "Sick AgainSick Again"Sick Again" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.This song was written by Robert Plant about teenage groupies, or as he called them, the "L.A. Queens", with whom the band were acquainted on their 1973 US Tour. He took pity upon these girls who would...
" (Page, Plant) - "Achilles Last StandAchilles Last Stand"Achilles Last Stand" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin, featured as the opening track on their 1976 album Presence. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at Page's house in Malibu, California where they stayed for a month while Plant recovered from a serious car accident he...
" (Page, Plant) - "Page Solo" (Page)
- "In the EveningIn the Evening"In the Evening" is the first song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's eighth studio album, In Through the Out Door, released in 1979. The track has a synthesizer-driven sound backed by a gargantuan guitar repetition.-Overview:...
" (Jones, Page, Plant) - "Stairway to HeavenStairway to Heaven"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album . The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which...
" (Page, Plant)
Encore:
- "Rock and RollRock and Roll (Led Zeppelin song)"Rock and Roll" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, which was first released as the second track from the band's fourth album in 1971, with a guest appearance by The Rolling Stones pianist Ian Stewart.-Overview:...
" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) - "Whole Lotta LoveWhole Lotta Love"Whole Lotta Love" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is featured as the opening track on the band's second album, Led Zeppelin II, and was released in the United States and Japan as a single. The US release became their first hit single, it was certified Gold on 13 April 1970, when it...
" (Bonham, DixonWillie DixonWilliam James "Willie" Dixon was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. A Grammy Award winner who was proficient on both the Upright bass and the guitar, as well as his own singing voice, Dixon is arguably best known as one of the most prolific songwriters...
, Jones, Page, Plant) - "HeartbreakerHeartbreaker (Led Zeppelin song)"Heartbreaker" is a song from English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1969 album, Led Zeppelin II. It was credited to all four members of the band, having been recorded at A&R Studios, New York, during the band's second concert tour of the United States, and was engineered by Eddie Kramer."Heartbreaker"...
" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant)* - "Communication BreakdownCommunication Breakdown"Communication Breakdown" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin.- Structure :The pounding guitar riff was played by Page through a small, miked Supro amplifier throughout; and ran his Fender Telecaster through a fully closed Vox wah pedal to...
" (Bonham, Jones, Page)**
Dispute with Freddy Bannister
Following the event, a dispute arose between Grant and Bannister about the attendance figures at the event. A query by Grant over ticket sales for the concerts resulted in him sending aerial pictures of the crowd to a monitoring laboratory in Nassau, New YorkNassau, New York
Nassau, the name of several places in New York State, may refer to:*Nassau , New York*Nassau , New York*Nassau County, New York...
, in order to establish the extent of the attendance. He claimed that some 218,000 people were at the first concert and 187,000 at the second. However, the license was for only 100,000 and Bannister claimed that only 104,000 had attended in the first week. For the second show, Grant brought in his own staff to man turnstiles and count tickets.
This disagreement eventually forced Bannister's concert promotion company into liquidation, which allegedly left unpaid bills of £50,000 for the police and £2,000 to the local borough council.
Sources
- Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4.