On This Day in 1972, 𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗭𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁 in Australian History

On This Day in 1972, 𝗟𝗲𝗱 𝗭𝗲𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁 in Australian History.

Led Zeppelin is still one of the biggest rock bands in the world. However, their current acclaim is a shadow of what it was in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The band was a worldwide phenomenon bringing people a combination of lyricism and musicianship they had never witnessed before. They were near the height of their fame when they embarked on their first Australian tour in 1972. Led Zeppelin had already released four iconic albums by the time they went to the Land Down Under. Their first four albums contain timeless songs that would become the blueprint for the future of heavy music and Australian fans couldn’t get enough of it. According to The Brag, the band’s tour kicked off on February 16. Their first show at the Subiaco Oval in Perth resulted in a riot when hundreds of fans brought bolt cutters and ladders to get through or over the venue’s fence and close enough to hear and see the band. Two days later, on February 18, they were set to play Memorial Drive in Adelaide. The band unveiled the largest PA system Australia had ever seen in hopes of bringing the loudest concert in the country’s history. Unfortunately, though, rain caused the band to postpone.

 

According to local media reports, the combination of the rain and the weight of Led Zeppelin’s equipment caused the stage to bow. Additionally, standing water on the stage made playing electric instruments hazardous. As a result, the band rescheduled that show for February 19.

 

Led Zeppelin Delivers a Makeup Show for the Ages

Led Zeppelin fans may have been disappointed to have to wait an extra day to hear what might have been the loudest concert in the country’s history. However, February 19 was an amazing night for rock fans. Creedence Clearwater Revival played their second show in Adelaide at Memorial Drive that night. Then, Zeppelin took the stage.

 

“The Led Zeppelin concert at Memorial Drive on Saturday was a shattering experience of some of the world’s heaviest, wildest rock,” a local reviewer wrote. “The controlled violence with which the UK group produced many of its sounds, hurled through two giant banks of speakers at the 8,000-strong crowd, had never been seen here,” they added.

 

In short, Zeppelin proved that good–or even great–things come to those who wait.