For one fateful night on February 28, 1970, British rock band Led Zeppelin played as the Nobs to avoid landing themselves in a lawsuit with a wealthy aristocrat. Frau Eva von Zeppelin took offense to the rock ‘n’ rollers’ band name, which was inspired by her grandfather Ferdinand von Zeppelin’s aeronautic invention, the Zeppelin rigid airship. In the granddaughter’s opinion, Led Zeppelin was tarnishing her family’s legacy.
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Fortunately for Led Zeppelin, their show on the last day of February went off without a hitch. Unfortunately for Eva, her complaints went over—if we’re to take a page from the band’s book—like a lead zeppelin.
Why Led Zeppelin Felt The Need To Play Under A Different Name
Led Zeppelin’s 1970 European Tour wasn’t the first time Frau Eva von Zeppelin took note of the British rockers boasting her grandfather’s invention’s name. When the band visited Copenhagen the previous year for a television appearance, Zeppelin arrived in protest. “The whole thing is absurd,” guitarist Jimmy Page recounted to Melody Maker (via Billboard). “The first time we played Copenhagen [in October 1969], she turned up and tried to stop a TV show. She couldn’t, of course.”
“We invited her to meet us to show we were nice young lads,” Page continued. “We calmed her down. But on leaving the studio, she saw our LP cover of an airship in flames and exploded. So, it’s shrieking monkeys now! But she is quite a nice person.” Despite Page’s insistence that Zeppelin was “nice,” his “shrieking monkeys” comment was a direct reference to the description Zeppelin used in local papers to denounce the band.
When the aristocrat got word that Led Zeppelin was returning to Denmark, she threatened legal action against the band for using the Zeppelin name. In their earliest, busiest years, the band didn’t have the time or interest to bog themselves down into a tense legal battle. Even if they did, for some reason, feel like pursuing the matter in court, they had an entire European tour ahead of them. The tour kicked off on February 23, meaning the entire Danish debacle happened only six days into a three-week run. Cancelling the Copenhagen show wasn’t a viable option, either. So, the band and their manager, Peter Grant, began brainstorming.
How The Band Became The Nobs For The Night
Whether because of time, money, a desire to uphold their tour dates, or a combination of all three, Led Zeppelin decided to appease Frau Eva von Zeppelin by performing in Copenhagen under a different name. The announcement that Led Zeppelin would be changing their billing for one night prompted a spur of suggestions from the press, including Ned Zeppelin. Eventually, the band settled on the Nobs. It was a tongue-in-cheek, half-self-deprecating name that also paid subtle homage to their European promoter, Claude Nobs.
The name switch proved to be effective, piquing interest around the Copenhagen show and inviting a new wave of fans who enjoyed the band’s way of sticking it to the authoritarian wealthy. In the end, Zeppelin’s protests were a small bump in the road on the band’s way to international success.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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