Review: Led Zeppelin Hits Peak At Sellout

The culmination of all rock ‘n’ roll of a decade appears to have occurred with Led Zeppelin and the crowning achievement capable of its star instrument, the guitar, seems to be the possession of Jimmy Page, the British group’s leader, if such there be.

Appearing Monday night in the Sports Arena before a sold-out house of 16,000 persons who began to gather outside the entrances at noon, Led Zep attested to all praises that have preceded its performance here, namely sold-out concerts all around the country and gold record sales that continue to mount.

Accompanied by John Bonham, John Paul Jones and Robert Plant in combinations on vocals, guitar, drums and keyboards, Page shone as the supreme master of the heavy fuzz box guitar riff. His evolution from the early days of British rock with the Yardbirds appears complete. Nobody, but nobody plays guitar like Page. His is the final force, the power of a riff. A few solos Monday night were too excessive, but the sheer driving power of most over-shadowed any inadequacies.

Led Zep devoted themselves an on other dates on the tour to the entire concert performance without a second act on the bill, which made for a full evening of immersion into their heavy metal rock.

A drum solo, Moby Dick, interrupted the screaming flow of Page’s guitar once during the show, but that was because the time was needed to find a missing piece of guitar we were told.

Essentially, however the set was as powerful as rock ‘n’ roll ever gets. Raunchy, flashy, and full of fuzzy sheet metal noise that brought a musical form to its culmination – or, perhaps just into another dimension. Whatever, Led Zep has the power. (Carol Olten, S.D. Union, May 1973)

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Zeppelin Alchemy: Transmuting Led Into Gold

The majority of the San Diego crowd, not unlike those in the 29 other tour stops, had spent at least seven hours waiting outside the Sports Arena in anticipation of the evening's performance by British rockers Led Zeppelin. Sold out by mail-order weeks in advance, the event had led many to pitch their sleeping bags outside the doors the night before. Now, with house-lights dimmed and 8 o’clock several moments away, 18,000 hold their lighted matches high while throngs crush toward the stage-front

Just as hysteria reaches a peak, four musicians take the brilliantly lighted stage and the thunderous opening notes of "Rock and Roll'' blast through 33,000 watts of amplification, more wattage than the sound system used at Woodstock. Robert Plant, the group's sexually taunting singer struts euphorically and boldly flaunts his machismo.

Plant is flanked by the legendary guitar virtuoso Jimmy Page. Several yards behind the two focal points, bassist-organist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham provide a taut and driving rhythm section operating with inconspicuous efficiency.

Zeppelin's three-hour set is flawlessly paced with a well-chosen. crowd-satisfying cross-section of the high-powered material that has characterized each of its five albums, all of them million sellers and platinum discs. There is no intermission, no supporting act, and in short, nothing but Led Zeppelin throughout the concert. "Three hours!" ex-.claimed backstage well-wisher George Harrison.  "The Beatles were never on stage more than 40 minutes when we were doing concerts." (Cameron Crowe / LA Times)