I often think about the 20/20 hindsight that pinpoints when a band reached the peak of its career. Sometimes it happens when the band does not realize it. You only appreciate the peak after-the-fact. When did Led Zeppelin peak? I would say it began 47 minutes and 55 minutes into this show at Madison Square Garden in February 1975. That is when the band played Kashmir to 20,000 people who were hearing the song for the first time.
By 1975, Led Zeppelin were the biggest rock band in music. The band was in it eighth year, having released one blockbuster album after another. The fourth album, released in 1971, was their greatest record, wall-to-wall hard rock and folk, climaxing with Stairway to Heaven. The band toured the United States in 1972, 1973 and again in 1975. They toured the U.S. again in 1977. The 1977 tour (their last in the U.S.) was not considered a good one. It got off to a late start because singer Robert Plant had laryngitis. The tour ended early because Plant's young son died from natural causes. From what I have read, the band's performances during the 1977 tour were not stellar. There were drug problems, for starters. One year earlier, Led Zeppelin released Presence, a good album, but few fans place it in their top three Led Zeppelin albums. The band did not break new ground with Presence, and the album was recorded after Robert Plant was seriously injured in a car accident in August 1975. He sang most of the tracks sitting down. And after 1977, the band only released one more album, a good one but not great, and they broke up in 1980 after the drummer died from alcohol poisoning.
Prior to Plant's auto accident, 1975 was their last great year, when Led Zeppelin released their only double album, Physical Graffiti. When a great band issues a two-record set, that album becomes their defining moment. This one included tracks that were rejected from prior albums. No matter. Physical Graffiti was four album sides of stellar music of varying styles. The standout track is Kashmir. If you have listened to the radio over the last 40 years, you know Kashmir, one of the two contenders for LZ's "greatest song of all time," along with Stairway to Heaven.
Here is what interests me. Imagine you're a Led Zeppelin fan. It's 1975. Scoring a ticket to their Madison Square Garden concerts that year made you the king of your high school. You know the band's back catalogue and hope to hear Stairway and other classics. You'll get that at the Garden. But what you don't know is that Led Zeppelin will be playing stuff from their new, yet-unreleased album, including Kashmir. Remember what it felt like to hear Kashmir for the first time? Imagine hearing it for the first time at the Garden.
Now imagine you're Led Zeppelin. You are on top of the world. The band had its own airplane, Physical Graffiti was going to debut at number 3 on the charts, a rare occurrence back then. The Garden was the showcase for the most popular bands in music. Plant was in a good mood. He mentioned during the show that the snowfall in NYC gave the city a nice "vibe." Good observation. The band was about to debut one of its greatest songs. At this precise moment, LZ was on top of the world. They had it all. Things would never be the same. The song starts at 47:55.
Great writing
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