It’s hard to imagine Led Zeppelin as anything besides one of the most influential and popular rock bands in the world. However, they didn’t become that overnight. Rather, like every other band, they busked, were broke, and grasped every opportunity handed to them. Eventually, that led to their first-ever United States tour in 1968, and on this day, December 30, the four fellas from London played at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
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On December 26, 1968, Zeppelin started their first-ever US tour in Denver, Colorado, as an opener for Vanilla Fudge. For context, Vanilla Fudge was a New York rock band originally active from 1967 to 1970. As you might expect, this tour was vital for Led Zeppelin, given that it was the opportunity to integrate themselves into the American market, thus solidifying themselves as major players back home and overseas.
Needless to say, Zeppelin accomplished this integration, but it came with some annoying and minor setbacks. Particularly, when they played at Gonzaga University on this day, December 30, 1968.
Led Zeppelin’s First Bootleg Recording and a Misprinted Concert Bill
In 1968, Led Zeppelin wasn’t a big cheese in either the United States or in their home country, the United Kingdom. That being said, they weren’t treated as the celebrities they eventually became, and during this particular concert, there was one detail that articulated their “amateur” status.
As stated previously, during their inaugural US tour, Led Zeppelin was the opener for Vanilla Fudge. They were second on the bill, and consequently, the lesser-known and less “important” band. Well, due to their unestablished significance, local ads mistakenly called Led Zeppelin “Len Zefflin”. An annoying mistake, surely, but not one that affected their performance whatsoever. As a matter of fact, it was during this show that the first Led Zeppelin bootleg recording was born.
Captured by an unknown student, the first-ever Led Zeppelin live recording is typically titled as “Gonzaga 68” or similar titles. Regardless, following this show, Zeppelin went on to perform for roughly another month, as they concluded their tour on February 16, 1969. During this time, Led Zeppelin released their self-titled debut album. In the US, that album went on to peak at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, and at No. 6 in the UK. Safe to say, nobody likely mispelled their name after that. To an extent, this minor inconvenience was a rite of passage, and everyone, including Led Zeppelin, has to pay their dues.
Photo by Jorgen Angel/Redferns
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