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The group's original plan to perform in Boston on this night are squashed by the city's mayor, after thousands of fans riot trying to buy tickets.

“The group is extremely disappointed that they will not be able to play Boston this year. Boston has always been a very special city for Zeppelin, and in fact, the first American Led Zeppelin concert was held there. We hope that some of the Boston fans will be able to make the drive down to the Nassau gig,” - Peter Grant. [Feb. 1975, A.B]

News Report: Jan. 7, 1975 - More than 2,000 young people waiting to buy tickets to a rock concert erupted in a beer-drinking, bottle-throwing spree early today that caused an estimated $50,000 to $75,000 damage at Boston Garden, officials reported.

"There was no real motive," said box-office manager Steven Rosenblatt. "We had some pretty messed up kids running around." Members of Boston's Tactical Police Force were summoned and put down the trouble, confiscating a number of knives. No arrests were reported and injuries were confined to cuts and scratches.

Tickets to the Led Zeppelin concert scheduled for Feb. 4 were to go on sale at 10 a.m. today. Rosenblatt said the Garden doors are opened at 11 p.m. the night before tickets go on sale so buyers do not have to wait outside. He said that when the number of young people grew Monday night, the largest estimate being 2,700, he called in ticket sellers at 2:30a.m. By 6:10a.m, a sellout number of 9,000 tickets- ranging in price from $6.50 to $8.50, was purchased. Rosenblatt said the same people who caused the trouble now have tickets to the concert and city officials may demand that the concert be canceled.

Whatever the Reason, Led Zeppelin is Well-Liked

Led Zeppelin’s amazing power of attraction remains mysterious even to fans.

More than 100,000 fans will see Led Zeppelin’s six New York area shows between now and February 14. The group’s second performance piled 16,000 fans into Nassau Coliseum last night, as will two shows next week. In addition, the group has played one sell-out show at Madison Square Garden, with two more upcoming. This is by far the biggest one-group series of shows in history, the Beatles one-night stand at massive Shea Stadium drew only 56,000.

Last night’s show was a re-scheduled date, slotted into the itinerary when a Boston date was canceled after a near riot by prospective ticket buyers. Many of the fans said that they would have been terribly disappointed if they had not been able to attend. But few of them were able to explain why, except that they “like the music.”

Clearly, however, much of the group’s appeal is due to its pronounced sexuality. “It’s amazing,” said a 27 year-old fans who didn’t wish to have his name used. “I look at these kids’ faces and they’re so young. They’re pure American, clean, almost sexless. But they’ve come to see someone who is the archetype of the sexual.”

Few of Zeppelin’s fans are so articulate. Fewer still are so old. Some are as young as 13, but the majority are boys in their middle teens. “I think boys just like hard rock more than girls. Girls tend to like people like Cat Stevens,” 16-year-old Lisa Rothstein of Great Neck said. But the sexuality isn’t what appeals to the boys. In fact, some see the group as a healthy, alternative to the ambiguous sexual stance of such other big name rockers as Mick Jagger, Alice Cooper and David Bowie. Clearly, another part of what gives Zeppelin its zap is that they can be viewed purely musically. Guitarist Jimmy Page was a legend ten years ago, as a British studio musician, as was bassist John Paul Jones. (D. Marsh, Newsday, 2/5/75)