Back before Coachella decided to expand to two weekends featuring the same bands earlier this year, the Knebworth Festival took place over two Saturdays in August 1979 boasting a lineup with headliners Led Zeppelin backed by five bands that played both nights and one slot which was filled by a different act at the two events (Fairport Convention the first Saturday and The New Barbarians on the second one). According to Led Zeppelin manager Peter Grant over 400,000 music fans attended Knebworth ’79, among the biggest crowds ever for the legendary rockers. It wound up being LZ’s last performances in the U.K. until the “reunion show” in 2007.
There’s no doubt these weren’t the best Led Zeppelin performances of all-time, as the band had only played a pair of warmup shows since a 1977 North American Tour, but the second show certainly had plenty of standout moments. Zep tackled most of the best songs in their repertoire and debuted a pair of tunes the soon-to-be-released In Through The Out Door LP. Both shows were recorded professionally, though it took until the release of the Led Zeppelin DVD in 2003 for any of the footage to be officially released. However the full shows make the rounds in bootleg circles, and we came across the entire second show from August 11, 1979. Kick off your weekend with this…
Led Zeppelin @ Knebworth Festival – August 11, 1979
0:01:08 The Song Remains The Same
0:09:47 Black Dog
0:15:19 Nobody’s Fault But Mine
0:21:22 Over The Hills And Far Away
0:27:37 Misty Mountain Hop
0:32:47 Since I’ve Been Loving You
0:41:30 No Quarter
0:56:46 Hot Dog
1:00:42 The Rain Song
1:08:25 White Summer/Black Mountain Side
1:14:22 Kashmir
1:23:45 Trampled Under Foot
1:30:45 Sick Again
1:35:45 Achilles Last Stand
1:45:35 Solo Guitar
1:52:04 In The Evening
1:59:18 Stairway To Heaven
2:14:08 Rock’n Roll
2:24:05 Whotta Lotta Love
2:34:38 Communication Breakdown
