By January 18, 1975, Led Zeppelin stood as both the reigning monarchs of rock and its most controversial lightning rods. In six short years, they had shattered attendance records and sold millions of albums. Yet, for all their dominance, critical derision followed them like a storm cloud, casting them as heavy-handed blues thieves with a penchant for chaos. Unsurprisingly, the animosity was mutual, with more than one journalist claiming bruises courtesy of Zeppelin’s entourage.
Seeking to soften this antagonistic image, the band and their management took an unprecedented step: inviting members of the press onto their private jet, The Starship, and granting backstage access. Demand for the tour—spanning nearly 40 arenas and stadiums—was unprecedented, with tickets disappearing in minutes. On paper, this was set to be their crowning glory. Reality, however, would be less kind.
Even before their plane touched down in Chicago on January 16, misfortune loomed. Jimmy Page had crushed his left ring finger in a train door, forcing him to improvise a three-fingered playing style. Meanwhile, Robert Plant arrived battling a brutal cold that would soon evolve into full-blown flu. Despite their ailments, the band launched the tour on January 18 at Bloomington, Minnesota’s Metropolitan Sports Center after two European warm-up gigs.
Plant confessed to the crowd that night, “We’re a bit rusty.” The bootlegs tell the tale: Plant’s signature banshee screams faltered, and Page’s usually nimble solos were marred by his injury. Staples like "Dazed and Confused" and "Since I’ve Been Loving You"—hallmarks of Zeppelin’s live mythology—were cut from the setlist. Yet, all was not lost. Tracks like "When the Levee Breaks" (played live for the first time) and the then-unreleased "Kashmir" hinted at the band’s enduring brilliance.
Minnesota’s Free Press praised their performance, noting, “If Led Zeppelin was operating at only half-speed, I would be hard-pressed to imagine how sensational this band would be on a good night!” Others were less forgiving. Stephen Davis, in LZ-’75, recounted how fans booed at the show’s two-hour-and-15-minute mark, expecting the advertised three-hour spectacle.
Page turned to whiskey—specifically, Jack Daniel’s—to dull his pain, but Plant’s flu only worsened. A St. Louis date in late January had to be scrapped entirely, though it was rescheduled for February 16, closing the tour’s first leg. Spirits dipped, but the band pressed on.
In a candid moment with Rolling Stone’s Cameron Crowe, Page lamented, “I always want to do my very best, and it’s frustrating to have something hold me back. You can bet that ‘Dazed and Confused’ will be back in the set the very second I’m able to play it. We may not be brilliant for a few nights, but we’ll always be good.”
Slowly but surely, Led Zeppelin regained their footing. By the time the tour’s second leg coincided with the February 24 release of Physical Graffiti, the band had hit their stride. The album was met with critical acclaim, topped charts globally, and would ultimately sell 8 million copies in the United States alone.
True to his word, Page reinstated "Dazed and Confused" on February 3 at Madison Square Garden. After that night, Plant triumphantly declared, “The tour has begun.”
The Setlist at Bloomington, Jan. 18, 1975
- "Rock and Roll"
- "Sick Again"
- "Over the Hills and Far Away"
- "When the Levee Breaks"
- "The Song Remains the Same"
- "The Rain Song"
- "Kashmir"
- "The Wanton Song"
- "No Quarter"
- "Trampled Underfoot"
- "Moby Dick"
- "In My Time of Dying"
- "Stairway to Heaven"
- "Whole Lotta Love"
- "Black Dog"
Though beset by challenges, the 1975 tour proved a testament to Led Zeppelin’s resilience and magnetism. From Physical Graffiti’s triumph to the eventual transcendence of their live shows, they once again reasserted their dominance—not just as rock’s biggest band, but its most indomitable force. Even at half-speed, Zeppelin was a marvel. On a good night? They were untouchable.
