Led Zeppelin announced their first U.S. tour in years to support their album, "In Through the Out Door". Chicago radio stations announced that tickets for Zeppelin concerts were going on sale... the morning of September 25th, 1980. The only way to buy concert tickets for the show at the Chicago Stadium, was through a special order form that appeared in the Chicago Tribune.
John Bonham's death
signals end of Led Zeppelin Tour... Concerts Canceled!
On the morning of the 25th, Zeppelin fans mobbed newspaper stands across Chicago, to get their chance to buy Zeppelin concert tickets, but later that same day, news about the death of John Bonham, Zeppelin's Drummer broke.
The death of John Bonham led to the cancellation of the four concerts which were scheduled for November 10th, 12th, 13th and 15th. William Wertz, soon issued a written statement enclosed with ticket buyer's refunds.
The letter announcing Bonham's death and the cancellation of the Zepplelin concert began with:
"Dear Friend, It is indeed regrettable that we find it necessary to return your remittance for the Led Zeppelin tickets. As you probably know the untimely death of the drummer, John Bonham, has led to the cancelation of their United States tour at this time." The letter continued, "We are enclosing your check in the amount of ________ and ________ cash found in your envelope". William Wertz continued with a couple of paragraphs reminding fans to still consider the Chicago Stadium for other events, and then closed the letter with: "Thank you for your patience and understanding of the Zeppelin (concert) cancelation".
The Zeppelin Tour of 1980
On September 5th 1980, the band officially announced that "Led Zeppelin, The 1980's Part One Tour" would begin in October of that year. Nineteen shows were scheduled for the Northeast United States, culminating in four nights at the Chicago Stadium on November 10th, 12th, 13th and 15th. The mayhem surrounding the sale of the concert tickets for these Zeppelin shows was so great, that a unique system was devised to eliminate mob riots by Zeppelin Fans and ticket scalping.
The tickets for Zeppelin's Chicago concert were custom printed by Ansell-Simplex Ticket Company. On September 20th, the tickets were messengered by truck to security at the Chicago Stadium.
On the morning of the 24th, Chicago radio stations announced that a limit of four tickets per person could be bought by mail order. A huge ad placed in the Chicago Tribune, gave the details of the Chicago Zeppelin Tour and Zeppelin Fans could only acquire these popular concert tickets by mailing in the application form, which was included in the Tribune ad, along with a certified check or money order. The tickets would then be mailed out to Zeppelin Fans on a first come first served basis.
That evening an unprecedented sequence of events took place. By midnight almost 2,000 people had gathered outside the Chicago Tribune building to get the first issues of the paper with the ad. Mounted police were called to keep order (See photo to right).
By 7 am, on the morning of the 25th, the Post Office had sorted and delivered the initial order to the Chicago Stadium. It appeared, by the first delivery of mail, that the shows would be sold out. The Chicago Stadium box office was to have begun processing the orders and mailing out tickets at noon, but by 10 am the public had been notified of the tragedy that had befallen Zeppelin on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Zeppelin drummer John Bonham had been found dead of alcohol poisoning. Those who knew the band, knew it was over. An era had ended.
The album "In Through The Out Door", was the last studio recording by one of the most famous Rock N Roll bands in the World. Drummer John Bonham died shortly after the release of In Through The Out Door. In Zeppelin's last album, included the songs: Carouselambra, All My Love, In the Evening, Hot Dog and South Bound Suarez. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are in perfect synch with I'm Gonna Crawl and the Fool in the Rain lends itself to top hits from their earlier years.
Swan Song Records was launched by Led Zeppelin in 1974. Led Zeppelin's manager Peter Grant used Swan Song as a means for the band to promote its own albums. The label design was based on Evening, Fall of Day (1869) by painter William Rimmer, while the company logo featured a pair of swans.Led Zeppelin launched the label after it's five year contract with Atlantic Records expired at the end of 1973. Atlantic Records ultimately distributed the Swan Songs products. Atlantic Records is a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
9/24/1980
Zeppelin Drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham dies after choking on his own vomit.
YOU ARE LOCATED ON THE MEZZANINE OF THE LED ZEPPELIN CONCERT TICKET SITE
Led Zeppelin Concert Ticket - Rock Memorabilia and Collectible Rock Concert Tickets
Led Zeppelin is: Robert Plant - Singer, Jimmy Page - Guitarist, John Paul Jones - Bassist, John "Bonzo" Bonham on Drums and Percussion. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The band toured the world throughout the 1970s, becoming in many ways the prototypical hard-partying arena-rock band, until Zeppelin's Drummer John Bonham died on 24 September 1980, choking on his own vomit. The group disbanded shortly thereafter, though Page, Plant and Jones continued to perform separately and in combination. In June of 2003 Led Zeppelin released How the West Was Won, a three-record set of live performances, simultaneously with a double DVD of rare concert footage.
