ON THIS DAY IN 1970, LED ZEPPELIN POWERED THROUGH ONE OF THEIR SPECTACULAR SHOWS OF THEIR FOURTH NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

This show however, was located in Montreal, Canada. The concert was momentous as it marked the first occasion that the venue, the Montreal Forum had been sold out by any act in it’s long history. The group had set a new attendance record, with over 17,500 excited fans awaiting the band, and the event grossed a staggering $93,000. The shows attendance smashed the previous record set by The Beatles, despite receiving mixed reviews.

A number of the critics that attended the show reviewed it poorly, though the show took place during the bands infancy when bad reviews were still somewhat common. Ritchie Yorke was able to attend the next stop on their tour in Ottawa and in his review, he states that it was far from their best show, but largely due to their venue choices of a stark concrete arena, designed to be used for hockey games. Ritchie goes on to say, however, that the bands high volume and finesse make them a potent group, and the most exciting since The Beatles. Ritchie’s original review of that show, which includes a quick conversation with Jimmy Page, can be found here.

Unfortunately, not a great deal of media exists for this show. Other than the press reviews available online, there are no bootlegs of the set and few photographs and posters. This show was only the beginning for the band and their concerts in Canada, however, as they enjoyed a long history of sold-out shows in the area, including a set years later that would be recorded and made available.