Press Review: Wandering in the Smog – Led Zeppelin

The voice came shrieking, hoarse and piercing above the crashing bedlam of two guitars and a set of drums… “Sweet little baby… I’m lonesome…”
Was he the only one, I wondered, looking about me as 2,000 others squatted intent, row upon row, in the main hall of Leeds University Union.

It was an extraordinary sight, rather like a gathering for some Eastern religion, or possibly a poetry reading in the USSR.
Amplifiers with dials and red lights vibrated and winked like so many computers, mesmerizing the audience. It was supposed to be a dance. Even from the back of the hall, the sound was deafening. The man who was using his mouth as an instrument shook his golden hair, about 18inches long, and leered at the lead guitarist vying with him into the production of electronic sound.

The audience, mainly students, was as I say, intent – almost transfixed. For they were experiencing Led Zeppelin in their latest in “underground” hard-rock or progressive musical sound, the description varying according to your level. I was detached but most were totally involved.
They had queued for hours in the early morning for the tickets, all of which had been sold within a few hours.

The group was clearly on to a good thing. They were being paid £1,000 for their two-hour performance – highest fee ever paid to a group by Leeds University Union. Were they worth it? Few in the audience would even think of the question. “It’s so wild”, said one girl. “So abandoned – you somehow lose your mind through your body”. [1-27-70, - J.Osmond]