Led Zeppelin’s Kitchener Show Survived a Rough Night

A little more than 2,000 people saw Led Zeppelin at Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on November 4, 1969. The local reviews preserved in the band’s official archive describe a show that did not go smoothly.

Jimmy Page had amplifier trouble. John Bonham was ill, and Robert Plant was having voice problems. The Kitchener Record reported a main set of roughly 45 minutes, including “Heartbreaker,” “Dazed and Confused” and “How Many More Times.”

The crowd still demanded more. Zeppelin returned with Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody,” ending the night with a rock-and-roll encore after a compromised set. That messy account is what makes the Aud date vivid: an ascending band meeting the practical limits of bodies and equipment, with the audience unwilling to let the evening finish there.

Explore the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium venue guide.

Sources: Source