They would make their fortunes by Grant's insisting on 90/10 splits at the concert gate. He would arrange all aspects of promotion and set-up, and the hall's owner would be assured of a guaranteed ten percent of Zeppelin's earnings. Zeppelin would use these profits to hire their own private plane to tour America, which they would use to fly out to gigs each night from extended stays in a single US city's hotel.
Godzilla Meets King Kong In Oakland
Cooped up inside hotels, Zeppelin's excess - orgies, drugs, booze, violence by their roadies (not to mention drunken, drug-fuelled violent orgies and drug-fuelled, drunken orgies of violence) became legendary, until everything built to a head at the end of their 1977 tour, when the King Kong and Godzilla of rock, Bill Graham and Peter Grant, tangled in an ugly fight outside of Zeppelin's dressing rooms at the Oakland Coliseum in California.
This fight, which began with an altercation involving Grant's pre-teen son and an employee of Graham's, ended with that employee getting violently thrashed by Grant, his roadies, Richard Cole, who was Zeppelin's road manager, and even John Bonham, Zeppelin's drummer, dubbed "La Bete", or "The Beast" by the band themselves.
So crucial to understanding the excesses of Zeppelin on the road is this story, that Welch tells it twice - first from the perspective of the band, with frequent quotes from Richard Cole, and then from Graham's perspective, liberally quoting from Graham's 1992 biography, Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out.
Zeppelin didn't know it at the time, but that would their last concert in America. And to add an insult of the worst kind to injury, as if the Oakland incident wasn't enough, Robert Plant received a phone call a few days later telling him that his five-year old son was dead by a strange viral infection.
Coda
These two back-to-back incidents immediately put Zeppelin on hiatus but they reformed for what would be a brief coda: they released 1979's In Through The Out Door, played two mammoth outdoor concerts in Knebworth, England, in front of several hundred thousand fans and then began plans for a tour of America in 1980 but, as the band was rehearsing at Jimmy Page's home in England, Bonham died after a mammoth (even by Zeppelin standards) vodka-fuelled bender, and the band quickly broke up.
Article comments
1 - Dr. La Rue
Hello,
I happened to be on the medical staff (HAFMC) and have a backstage pass at the 1977 Oakland show where this epic altercation between PG and Bg was supposed to have happened. I also was able to speak to BG about the event a couple years later. As a witness to some of the facts at least, and hearing the things moments after it occurred, I feel compelled to address some parts of the article you wrote.
I do wonder where you got your history. BG and PG never exchanged blows. Before the Saturday show when the "altercation" took place, LZ was late, as usual. But the lateness this time was because Plant had just received the news that Saturday morning that his son was dangerously ill. Emotions and tensions were high in the LZ camp and as we know, they were never the paragon of control anyway. What happened was that a roadie crossed words with a BG security worker and they exchanged blows. And it wasn't a brawl - it was a tit and a tat. Others jumped in and restrained both parties. PG leaped in as an after thought yelling as cussing at the BG people. The band was holed up in the nearby hotel while BG negotiated with PG, calmed him down and made the Saturday show possible. LZ played the next day also. I worked at both. It was a little low engergy at times, but had its high points. I will never forget the gorgeous blonde dancing to "Rock and Roll" behind the speakers. I could see her because I was standing even further behind the speakers. Took photos too.
When I spoke to BG about it a couple years later, he revealed no sign of anger of any kind toward any of the LZ entourage. He just didn't class them with the Grateful Dead where humanistic qualities were concerned.
Also, is it really neccessary to say that "Led" was fashioned for "dullard Americans?" What a transparent shot of ingenuous vindictivity! That kind of thing takes away from your credibility. If that is a quote from Grant, I am disappointed in him, but he was a very sarcastic man. "Led" was a clever forerunner to phonetic cyber speak. (Today, they might be pb.z). I was 17 at the time and thought it was great to mispell intentionally. However, the band could easily have been called Lead Zeppelin, (especially with the first two album covers featuring the Hindenburg and then WW1 photos) the premier bag of wind? After all, the name was based on a Keith Moon joke. In those days, names for bands came from anywhere. Which is better "Electric Mud, " or "Eclectic Mud"? If they had spelled it "Beetles," would anyone really have cared? Or is it that you just hate Americans? Really a useless comment. Do you really want to divide your public?
So this is how history is usurped; those with the platform distort to their hearts desire.
Sincerely,
Old man - once a younger man than you are now.
2 - Dr. La Rue
Ed,
It has been a long time.... I do recall that the altercation occurred after or during the Saturday show. But I still insist that your report of the size of the brawl was much less. In fact, I believe it had two parts. First, was the short confrontation I described, then others gathered and a further altercation occurred. It was Sunday's show that was even later than the Saturday show because BG was negotiating with PG and the band, so that the show could go on. I recall the show was just as long, and about the same quality as Sunday. Actually, I had always recalled that Plant heard of his son's death - (a bacterial infection, celluitis - not a virus) on Saturday and this did set off the tensions that allowed the loss of control. I was never real clear looking back if I really thought that Plant knew is son was dead while he was performing, but someone quoted Page years later saying so. Since he died of cellulitis, Plant had to at least know his son was sick. What I am real sure of is that Bill Graham rather dismissed the whole thing as just some more rock and roll craziness. He took it in stride. He can't be consulted now, but he never let on if Peter Grant had laid a hand on him. No one said that happened and I was physically within yards (but out of sight) of the spot that all this occurred when it happened.
But I have never been clear on what exactly started the thing. I do recall that there was a disagreement over who would run backstage security. BG had his people and PG had his own security people, rare for a band. The negotiation was about who would run security around the band's nearest areas, the trailers that were the "rooms" at these venues. I had heard that the fight was between members of the security teams. BG did have some heavy people. Even I had a run in with one of them years later, but it wasn't violent.
Actually, I think the news of the Plant family tragedy probably sunk in after this altercation and weekend show drama subsided. After the rush of battle, so to speak - bleak news docked the "Elemental Dirigible." It is also possible that the news of the unruliness of LZ got their remaining tour dates cancelled. I think the news of the incident traveled quickly to other promoters. Either way, that was the second time LZ had cancelled their tour in America. The punk scene was rising and LZ had pretty much run their course. I can't imagine what they would have been doing as a band in the '80s, but I worked several Robert Plant shows and thought he did very well. I also worked the "Firm" shows and was happy to see JP at least having a good time, sober. I was close enough to see Page sweating profusely and detoxifying on stage, but he was happy and not delirious.
Anyway, it is sure interesting to hear Plant on NPR, sounding so intelligent, playing down the LZ legend for violence and mayhem, explaining the complexity of his musical journey and then falling back into lots of - oooohhhH, baby, babies - when he plays his new music. I still like him anyway.
I certainly don't want to seem ungainly here. I have always been an Anglophile, so I hate to see English anti-Americanism in any form. Especially when it is gratuitous.
Dr. La Rue
3 - Ed Driscoll
Dr. La Rue,
I was trying to capture the flavor Grant's thinking, based on what Welch and Davis had written about him. I'm an American myself, so I meant no harm to us!I probably should have done a better job of attribution, but when I wrote:
As far as the incident at the Oakland Coliseum, again, the only knowledge I have about the fight in Oakland was what I read in Welch's book about Peter Grant, and other Led Zeppelin bios. So I appreciate hearing a first-hand account of what happened.
I've long been a huge fan of Led Zeppelin--if you search through the list of articles I've written for this site, you'll find numerous posts about them. On the other hand, Grant's reputation in the annals of rock & roll is somewhat controversial. When I was writing my review of his biography, I tried to steer a course between acknowledging that, as well as some of the darker aspects of Zeppelin's history, while still trying express my great admiration for their music.
Regards,
Ed
4 - John M.
I am entertained by all of this. Want a real challenge? Try to post some quality photos of Horselunges Manor. I've been trying to get my hands of some and it is difficult. I have a swan song poster signed by all four band members hanging in my office, by all rights Grant's signature should be there as well. Back to the real deal here, the photos - are there any and if so where should i go online.
thanks to you all
5 - Trucker
I have a back stage passAtlanta, Seattle, and Dallas could someone tell me more about that pass?
6 - Steve A. Jones
John M. - I have vintage and contemporary
photos of Horselunges Manor, to include several with Peter Grant. Please contact me via email - SonicRemaster(at)hotmail.com
All please note Robert Plant did not receive word of his son's passing until the band arrived at their hotel in New Orleans and he took a call from his wife. He, Bonham and Richard Cole immediately departed for England and the rest of the tour was cancelled. The point is his son's tragic death happened AFTER Oakland concerts were complete.
7 - JAM
i HAVE ACQUIRED MANY PHOTOS OF HORSELUNGES MANOR FROM A GENTLEMAN IN SUSSEX. HE EVEN OFFERED TO TAKE MY WIFE AND I ON A PRIVATE TOUR OF THE HOME IF WE JOURNEY OVER THERE. THE MANOR IS NOW PART OF A TRUST AND OWNED BY THE TOWNSHIP.
8 - at
horselunges manor is not owned by the township. its owned by my parents. and i love living there. have done for many years