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Led Zeppelin Fans Riot At Boston Garden: Wake-Up Video

Posted 1/6/11 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


On Wednesday night (January 5) at the TD Garden in Boston, the Boston Celtics toppled the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 105-103. Rajon Rondo turned in a triple-double, Ray Allen dropped in 31 points and Paul Pierce hit the go-ahead shot with less than a second to go to seal the victory. It was a good night in the arena, but on this day in 1975, the results were less positive. While waiting outside to purchase tickets to a Led Zeppelin concert, approximately 2,000 fans managed to pry open the doors of the old Boston Garden and wreak havoc on the inside.

Some time shortly after midnight, the rowdy group of fans got inside the building and began to run amok, throwing bottles and destroying property inside the essentially empty venue. The fans got so out of control that management decided to open the ticket windows hours before they were supposed to begin selling seats for Led Zeppelin's 1975 tour of America (which ended up being the group's penultimate trip to the United States). Within a few hours, all 9,000 tickets were completely sold and the riot had calmed down, but not before a total of $50,000 worth of damage had been done to the building. (Luckily, neither the Celtics nor the NHL's Boston Bruins were in town that night.)

After learning about the incident, Boston mayor Kevin White was so angry that he banned Led Zeppelin from the city for five years. The concert on February 4 (for which tickets had just been sold) was canceled, and the band was forced to skip the city on what would become its final American tour in 1977. In honor of the band who could inspire a riot without even being in the building, crank up Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir," which comes from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.


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Led Zeppelin Make Their Live Debut: Wake-Up Video

Posted 9/7/10 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


What can be said about Led Zeppelin that hasn't already been repeated ad nauseum? Often the target of a staggering amount of hyperbole and attached to seemingly dozens of rock and roll clichés, Led Zeppelin managed to transcend all of that by generally living up to everything that has ever been said about them. Did they essentially invent the building blocks for the genre that became known as heavy metal? Yes they did. Were they utterly loathed by critics, only to sell millions of albums and be fawned over a generation later? Absolutely. Did they set new precedents for rock and roll debauchery, much of which is captured in the thrilling biography "Hammer of the Gods"? You better believe it. Were they the loudest, toughest, stoutest and most experimental of all the rock gods of the 1970s? Yes, yes, yes and yes.

But even legends have to start somewhere, and on this day all the way back in 1968, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and John Bonham walked onto a stage together for the first time (though they were called the Yardbirds, sprung from Page's previous band). They played a gig at the tiny Teen Club in Gladsaxe, Denmark, rolling out songs that would later become staples (including "Communication Breakdown" and an early version of "Dazed and Confused"). After only a handful of shows (their Scandinavian tour ended on September 17), the group would change their name and sign a gigantic contract with Atlantic Records and record and release their debut album (titled simply Led Zeppelin) by January 1969. It was a much-repeated narrative from there, as they got big in their native U.K., broke into America, became the biggest band in the world for a decade and then burned out instantaneously with the death of Bonham in 1980. Led Zeppelin crammed a lot of life into 12 years, including "Kashmir," one of the weirdest songs ever to be considered a hit.

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Madonna, U2, David Bowie, Bob Dylan: Reliving Live Aid In Photos

Posted 7/13/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


Pop music is often thought of as a trifle, and rightfully so. Much of it feels disposable, and the cycle of fame for most artists continues to move so quickly that it's often difficult to catch his or her name on the way out the door. But since pop and rock has the ear of millions of people at once, it can certainly be used as an agent of change. At least that's what Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof was hoping when he organized Live Aid, which took place 25 years ago today. Billed as a massive worldwide event put together in hopes of raising money to wipe out hunger in Africa, Live Aid featured dozens of the biggest rock acts of all time playing in two separate stadiums on two different continents. The show was then broadcast around the world, and it is estimated that 1.5 billion people tuned in to see the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Queen, a reunited Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, U2 and a host of others fill stages in London and Philadelphia and spread the word about African famine.

The entire thing was an incredible undertaking and featured a number of memorable performances. U2 had already built quite a bit of momentum for themselves, but Live Aid established them internationally not only as an incredible concert presence but also as a passionate group of people who were ready to get involved in worldwide affairs (something they've certainly stuck to). Mick Jagger and Tina Turner partnered for a memorable duet on "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" and a reunited Who tore through a blistering version of "Won't Get Fooled Again."

But in retrospect, the day's most memorable series of events didn't belong to Phil Collins (who played both in London and Philadelphia thanks to a supersonic trans-Atlantic flight) but rather to Madonna. Introduced by Bette Midler as "an up-and-coming singer," she played in the middle of a sweltering afternoon and noted "I'm not taking sh-- off today" (a reference to the recent nude photos of her that surfaced in a number of publications). Her outfit was pure '80s, but her attitude was already ahead of its time.

(Click here for more flashback photos from Live Aid, including Madonna, U2, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and dozens more!)

What's your Live Aid memory? Let us know in the comments!

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Led Zeppelin Take Their Final Bow: Wake-Up Video

Posted 7/7/10 9:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


Some finales are intensely choreographed affairs meant to memorialize and pay tribute to great performers and icons. But sometimes the end sneaks up on you and takes you by surprise, leaving the last show you played as your epitaph (hopefully, you made the most of it). Such was the case for Led Zeppelin, who unexpectedly played their last show together on this day in 1980 in West Berlin.

The group was wrapping up a brief European tour for their 1979 release In Through the Out Door, and the trek was fraught with problems. After having taken some time off to deal with the death of his five-year-old son Karac, singer Robert Plant was reticent to return to the road full time and was constantly contemplating leaving the band altogether. Meanwhile, drummer John Bonham's substance abuse problems continued to deepen, and he even collapsed during a performance in Nuremberg, Germany a mere three songs into the set (the band claimed he had simply overeaten). It seemed like the band was on its last legs.

But for one night, they were absolutely on. The run through Europe in the summer of 1980 was full of experimental jams and noisy, long-winded interludes, but everything was firing on all cylinders in West Berlin. They tore through a huge set that featured a savage version of "Kashmir," a punchy "Black Dog" and a jumpy "Trampled Underfoot."

Though the band had a tour of North America scheduled for the fall of 1980, the run was canceled following the death of Bonham. While various forms of Zeppelin have gotten back together a handful of times over the past three decades, the core of the group played their swan song on this date 30 years ago. The final song they played as a group was, fittingly, "Whole Lotta Love," their biggest single and the song that first put them on the map.

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The Scottish Terrier Takes Westminster: Wake-Up Video

Posted 2/17/10 10:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


On Tuesday night (February 16), a cutthroat competition came to a close and saw a dominant champion crowned once again. No, it had nothing to do with the Winter Olympics (where Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko took home a gold in the Short Program and Canada's Maelle Ricker took the top spot in Women's Snowboardcross) nor did it involve the ongoing saga of "American Idol" or the thrilling overtime win that the University of Kentucky posted over Mississippi State in basketball. The real action took place at Madison Square Garden, where the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show came to a close with Sadie the Scottish terrier taking the prize for Best in Show.

It was a nail-biter of an evening. Following Sadie's victory in the Terrier group, she went up against stiff and eclectic competition in the all-around category. Though the crowd at MSG loved the Doberman pinscher, the toy poodle, the brittany, the puli, the French bulldog and the whippet, the Scottish terrier clearly had the most support. It's been a dominant career for that dog, as Tuesday night's victory represented Sadie's 112th Best in Show Award (a staggering figure), and in winning she also became the first pooch ever to win the dog show version of the Triple Crown (adding to her victories at the National Dog Show in November at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in December).

In honor of Sadie's dominant victory (consider her the Michael Jordan of the dog world) and because every elite athlete needs a badass theme song, here's Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog."

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Pearl Jam Reign Supreme In 'Best Debut' Poll

Posted 2/12/10 11:10 am EST by in Music


On Thursday (February 11), the MTV Newsroom blog asked a question: Is Kanye West's The College Dropout (which came out six years ago this week) the best debut album of all time? It sparked a number of debates both in the newsroom and on the site. Did The College Dropout accomplish more for Kanye than Appetite for Destruction did for Guns N' Roses? Why was Nas' watershed Illmatic left off the list? How could we possibly include Hootie and the Blowfish?

When the poll numbers finally came in, there was one band who dominated above all others. Pearl Jam won hands down with 71 percent of the vote. While there was some obvious ballot stuffing care of the message board denizens at the Ten Club, the victory for Pearl Jam's debut album Ten is not without merit. As we said yesterday, Ten is a remarkable collection of instant classics that bridge the gap between a handful of sub-genres, and it still holds up today. While Kurt Cobain tends to get credit for re-arranging the mindsets of rock fans in the '90s, Pearl Jam's Ten was just as big a part of that revolution as anybody else.

As for the rest of the poll participants, West finished in a distant second place with 13 percent of the vote, followed by Oasis' Definitely Maybe with a somewhat surprising seven percent. Save for Britney Spears (who picked up four percent of the vote), nobody else cleared one percent, which is somewhat surprising. The most shockingly low score? Appetite for Destruction, Guns N' Roses' debut album that is largely thought of not only as a stellar debut but also one of the best rock records ever made. Like Ten, it literally has no low points, from the iconic opening riff of "Welcome to the Jungle" to the closing bass bounces of "Rocket Queen," it delivers power, precision and pop sensibilities in an extremely well-balanced package.

With any poll, there will always be complaints about omissions, and there were a handful of ideas that commenters brought up. The Cars' self-titled 1978 debut could have made a case for inclusion (it bridged the gap between punk and new wave, and of its nine songs, eight became genre staples). Many people also brought up the first album by the Doors, which is a strong debut but fantastically overrated (especially on the second side). And several people complained that Led Zeppelin's I should have been at the top of the list. But that band really didn't find its groove until II (which contained hits like "Whole Lotta Love" and "Moby Dick"), and while I is strong, there's an awful lot of meandering blues jams on that record. Still, it's got a great cover, which should count for something.

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Them Crooked Vultures Offer Free Download Of 'Mind Eraser, No Chaser'

Posted 11/4/09 11:43 am EST by in Music


Dave Grohl's primary band Foo Fighters have a new greatest hits collection out this week, and though it has two new songs on it (including the single "Wheels"), Grohl is focusing his new output on the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures. The band reunites Grohl with Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme (Grohl played drums on QOTSA's Songs for the Deaf) and adds Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones. The result is a throwback power trio whose debut album is full of swampy riffs, doomsday vocals and lots and lots of volume.

The band is currently offering up a free song on iTunes called "Mind Eraser, No Chaser." Built around a psychedelic guitar loop, the tune is the perfect blend of classic rock and modern guitar music tropes. Homme and Grohl share vocal duties, including a call-and-response section where Grohl shouts "All I wanna do is have my mind erased!" It's mostly just refreshing to hear Grohl behind the skins again, as his drum style is uniquely savage and — keeping in step with the rest of the band — extremely loud.

It's a big week for fans of Grohl's rhythmic skills, as this week also marks the release of Nirvana's "Live at Reading," the album and DVD of the legendary band's notorious set at the Reading Festival in 1992. It's the portrait of a band absolutely hitting on all cylinders and unleashing a difficult, anthemic set to a rabid festival crowd. Grohl's work behind the kit is fantastically brutal, especially on the rarity "Been a Son."

In the meantime, Them Crooked Vultures' debut album self-titled debut will hit stores on November 17.

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Them Crooked Vultures Unleash More Music

Posted 8/20/09 3:17 pm EST by in Music


Them Crooked Vultures, the strangely-named supergroup that brings together members of Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, made their live debut two short weeks ago at a Lollapalooza after-party in Chicago. They surfaced for their second show ever last night in Amsterdam and also released a teaser video that shows the trio — drummer Dave Grohl, bassist John Paul Jones and guitarist Josh Homme — messing around in a recording studio while a clip of their song "Nobody Loves Me and Neither Do I" plays over it. Though they have an album done, the band has been mysterious about when those songs might see the light of day, and they've been similarly secretive about their live shows. Rumors are swirling (via the band's official message boards) that they'll be making a few festival stops in Europe over the next couple of days. But most details remain hazy — even their official Web site is little more than a board, a store with one sold-out T-shirt and a creepy illustration of the band's part-man/ part-vulture mascot.

But what does this group mean for each member's respective primary projects? Grohl has drifted away from Foo Fighters before (most notably to curate his metal all-stars album recorded under the name Probot) and for all intents and purposes Homme is the only real permanent member of Queens of the Stone Age. The news of the existence of Them Crooked Vultures will probably most bother hardcore fans of Led Zeppelin. Since the legendary band reunited for a one-off concert in December of 2007, enthusiasts have been clamoring for a full-scale reunion tour, and though several rumors about more shows have surfaced over the last 18 months, it looks less and less likely Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant will do any more shows any time soon.

It might be for the better, as video shot of a live performance of "Dead End Friends proves that the band is the sort of heavy, low-ended monster that will fill in for an absent Zeppelin nicely.

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Led Zeppelin Take Off: Wake-Up Video

Posted 8/12/09 9:00 am EST by in Music, Wake-Up Video


Every day, hundreds (if not thousands) of new bands get together in an attempt to ascend to rock stardom. Some don't make it out of the first rehearsal, more quit after their first few gigs and only a handful ever come within sniffing distance of what could be considered success. But every once in a while, a new band will play together for the first time and eventually ascend to legendary status. That's exactly what happened on this day in 1968 when Jimmy Page, John Bonham, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones got together to rehearse for the first time. The group, known then as the New Yardbirds, got together in a London studio to practice for a series of concerts in Scandanavia that Page's former band the Yardbirds had committed to but couldn't perform because of their break-up a month prior. During the session, the group recorded a cover of "Train Kept A-Rollin'," a rockabilly song that was a Yardbirds staple. Following the Scandanavian tour, the group decided to drop the New Yardbirds schtick and continue on under a new name: Led Zeppelin.

The group played its first concerts as Led Zeppelin in October of 1968, released their first album in 1969 and spent the next 11 years establishing themselves as one of the greatest rock bands in the history of the genre. Their big, bluesy, arena-ready sound informed every major rock movement for the next four decades, from the dark intonations of heavy metal to the pretty theatrics of glam to the epic stomp of prog rock to the workmanlike riffage of grunge. (Page's influence is also all over Jack White's performance in the new documentary "It Might Get Loud.") Though Bonham's untimely death in 1980 essentially ended the group, they've made a few attempts at comebacks (most recently in 2007 at a tribute concert for late Atlantic Records honcho Ahmet Ertegun). But they accomplished enough in their decade of dominance — aided by pulse-pounding joints like "Black Dog" — to write their ticket to eternity.

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Foo Fighters Debut New Song On White House Lawn

Posted 7/6/09 10:00 am EST by in Music


Foo Fighters had a pretty sweet view of the Washington, D.C. fireworks on Independence Day, as they were on stage on the lawn of the White House while they were happening. The band played a private show for the Obama family and White House staff to celebrate the Fourth of July. "It's an honor to be playing here for you people. I'm glad that we're here and I'm glad that we're spending this Fourth of July together," Grohl said as he opened the show, which featured the unveiling of a new song called "Wheels." Grohl described the song as about "the feeling when the wheels touch the ground and you're like 'I'm glad that's over with.'" In the chorus, Grohl sings, "When you feel like it's all over, there's another round for you."

It's a very appropriate sentiment for Foo Fighters, who are currently in a state of flux. The group has been on an official hiatus since the end of their tour last year, and bassist Nate Mendel is hitting the road with his old band Sunny Day Real Estate. Grohl himself has a new project too: He's teaming up with former collaborators Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). The still-unnamed band's existence isn't new (Grohl has been discussing the project since 2005), but they are currently recording an album in Los Angeles.

What would you name the band? We're bummed that Probot has already been taken, but we're sure those guys will come up with something.

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