On this day in 1968, the members of Led Zeppelin play their first show together

In 1966, guitarist Jimmy Page joined popular blues-inspired rock band the Yardbirds, performing alongside them for several years. After a tour in April 1968, several members of the band left the band, but due to contractually obligated shows over the next few months, Page was permitted to continue using the name in order to appear at those shows. 

With the support of manager Peter Grant, Page began his search for new band members. His first choice of vocalist, Terry Reid, declined the offer and instead suggested Robert Plant, who in turn recommended his former band mate John Bonham as drummer. Shortly after, John Paul Jones enquired about the vacant bassist position, and as Page had known him from their days as session musicians, he was welcomed in as the final member.

The group began auditioning together in London in August, and shortly after headed for Scandinavia, where the Yardbirds shows were due to be held. Their first performance together would take place at Gladsaxe Teen Club at the Egegård School in Copenhagen, Denmark under the name the New Yardbirds. The show was attended by roughly 1200 people, many of them teenage attendees of the school. Reviews of the show were extremely positive, with one local publication stating “Their performance and their music were absolutely flawless, and the music continued to ring nicely in the ears for some time after the curtains were drawn after their show.”

Later in September, the band set about recording their first album, based on their popular live set.  The recording was completed and mixed in just nine days, with Page paying for the sessions. After the album was finished, the band would receive a cease and desist from former Yardbirds bassist Chris Dreja, who claimed that the New Yardbirds name had only been authorised for the remaining Scandinavian shows, forcing a last minute name change. 

The popular story for the bands new name says that The Who drummer Keith Moon had said that Page’s previous idea for the band which featured him and Jeff Beck would “go down like a lead balloon”. The ‘a’ in lead being dropped was supposedly an idea from Peter Grant to avoid mispronunciation, and the word balloon being changed to Zeppelin was Page’s idea as it brought a nice combination of heavy and light, according to music journalist Keith Shadwick. 

On the 12th January the band would release their first album, Led Zeppelin I, to mixed critical reviews but was extremely popularity commercially, shooting up the charts around the world  and gaining them a huge new fanbase. The album is now considered a favourite by many, and their first show in Denmark certainly helped give the band the confidence to continue working together, kick-starting their massive career.