"New" Gonzaga University Concert

On December 30, 1968 Led Zeppelin played "an unscheduled appearance on an off night at Gonzaga University in Washington," (Reddon, Frank : Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. Vol. 1: Break and Enter. 2008. Enzepplopedia Publishing Inc. p. 431). In his interview with Don Fitzpatrick, the promoter of the Gonzaga gig, Reddon mentions the bootleg recording of the show. Fitzpatrick replies:

I remember there were folks who brought reel-to-reel tape recorders into the Pavilion and asked  if they could plug into the gymnasiums electrical outlets. Back in those days, they didn't have the rules they have today about recording the concert or taking photographs (ibid. pg 165).

Frank cites this interview as being from January 1998, and Don Fitzpatrick passed away in April 2006. The dates are important. Led Zeppelin's performance at the Kennedy Pavilion at Gonzaga University was their 5th US appearance. Opening for Vanilla Fudge, Led Zeppelin was billed at Len Zefflin in the local Spokesman Review.

Recently, it has been reported, originally by the blog The Metal Den (TMD) that some two year old videos on YouTube were "unearthed." In fairness to TMD, they never says the videos are new, just that they unearthed them. However, the ambiguous language resulted in a rash of stories suggesting this was new music. It's one thing for Music for Perfect People to report verbatim what TMD reported, but it seems another thing entirely when a respectable music site like AntiMusic or a magazine such as NME does it. NME's reportage, considering their reputation in music journalism, may be the most egregious:

Rare clips of Led Zeppelin's earliest known live recordings have surfaced online.

Three audio clips have emerged on YouTube featuring live recordings from the band's first tour of America from their fifth US show at Gonzaga Uiversity in Washington on December 30, 1968.

Not just wrong, but completely without credit to TMD.

Put on YouTube on December 30, 2007, the three clips are audio only of three Led Zeppelin songs, How Many More Times, Dazed and Confused and I Can't Quit You Babe.

The band was reportedly in their cups when they arrived at the show, but they sound in fine form in the recording. The sound quality of the clips is not bad, considering some kid plugged in a tape recorder in the back of the room in 1968. Here they are below.