This show at Madison Square Garden on February 12, 1975, was one of the most memorable performances of Led Zeppelin's American tour that year.
This is a remastered version of the Empress Valley Supreme Disc label release.
From Stephen Davies's LZ-'75: The Lost Chronicles of Led Zeppelin's 1975 American Tour book, which I'm currently reading, here's an excerpt regarding this concert:
"Led Zeppelin's third 1975 Madison Square Garden concert (Wednesday, February 12) took place after twelve hours of heavy, wet snow had blanketed Manhattan. The band's limo convoy swerved and sloshed from the Plaza to the venue in a foot of slush amid a serious blizzard.
"Good evening' Robert greeted the sold-out hall after the third song, explaining they had to drive forty blocks in a storm to get there.
"Today people were calling up and asking 'Is it gonna be on?' For a minute, I was wondering about my anatomy. ... Then I realized there was some.. discrepancy about the weather".
Robert went on to say that he appreciated how the deep snow slowed down the vibe of the great city, and how cool that was.
He had also taken to addressing the fans about still-unreleased Physical Graffiti, before introducing the set's fourth song, "In My Time of Dying of Dying".
This was unfamiliar to the kids, and the band was frustrated because the audience seemed distracted while they were playing an important new work they were proud of.
So Robert explained that tonight they were playing songs from their entire career, and please give the new stuff a good listen. As for the new album? "As usual, it's late. But we don't want to do too much [of the new songs]...in case you all get fed up with it."
The concert was one of the best of the 1975 tour. The unfamiliar "Kashmir" almost played the stars out of the sky, and received a huge ovation from an audience hearing it for the first time. The band got loose in the encores, slipping a funky version of Elvis Presley's "That's All Right, Mama" into the "Heartbreaker" encore.
"Thank you! Thank you!... Ladies and gentlemen of...New York! [Massive extended cheering as Led Zeppelin, arms clasped around each other, took their final bow] You're.. .too much!
[Sound of firecrackers and cherry bombs going off.] And if I may say so... ha-ha ... We ain't so bad ourselves!""
Source: Soundboard
Track List:
Disc: 1
01. Rock and Roll
02. Sick Again
03. Over the Hills and Far Away
04. In My Time of Dying
05. The Song Remains the Same
06. The Rain Song
07. Kashmir
Disc: 2
01. No Quarter
02. Trampled Underfoot
03. Moby Dick
Disc: 3
01. Dazed and Confused
02. Stairway to Heaven
03. Whole Lotta Love
04. Black Dog
05. Heartbreaker
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