On this day in 1973, Led Zeppelin set out on a concert tour in support of their new album, Houses of the Holy

The band had released their fifth album in March with great commercial success, and a tour was quickly planned. Manager Peter Grant hired a PR consultant to promote the shows and booked the biggest stadium venues he could. 

Also hired for the trip was “The Starship”, a former United Airlines Boeing 720B passenger jet to carry the band and their equipment between cities. A smaller private jet was originally used, but the upgrade was decided upon after experiencing bad turbulence on a flight between San Francisco and LA. This would not be the only new expense for the band, as the shows themselves featured newly purchased  effects such as dry ice, lasers, mirrors and a variety of flamboyant outfits.

Several shows at Madison Square Garden were recorded for the film, The Song Remains the Same which would be delayed until 1976. The film largely covers the infamous theft of around $200,000 of the band’s money from a safety deposit box at their New York hotel, a crime that was never solved. Despite this loss, the band  would continue to smash attendance records for the tour and pull in a total of over $4 million (equivalent to over $24 million today) in the process.