This year marks the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's first live show together. After converging from separate bands in 1968, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Jimmy Paige and Robert Plant formed a group many refer to as "the Beatles of the 70s." I am in complete agreeance with this comparison.

It's no secret I'm a mammoth Zeppelin fan. I started really listening to them in high school, in the late 1980s. In my personal opinion, they are the epitome of rock and roll, largely in part because of the combination of Plant's vocals and Paige's guitar play.

As a group, the four released nine albums, which have gone on to sell more than 110 million units, according to the Recording Industry Association of America.

Following drummer John Bonham's death in 1980, the group parted ways. Lead vocalist Robert Plant, and guitarist Jimmy Paige, did reconnect and tour together in the 1990s. I had the great fortune of seeing them perform at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater, in 1995. To this day, I still consider it the greatest live performance I've ever seen.

Today is John Paul Jones' birthday, which was the real inspiration behind this post. The above video clip is from an appearance Paige and Plant made in 1995, in Boise. The song they perform is called "Baby, I'm Gonna Leave You," which happens to be my favorite cut of theirs, from the same tour I saw in 1995.

Enjoy the footage, and here's a big Snake shoutout to Led Zeppelin on a half century of rocking.

 

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