The Led Zeppelin concert film scene Jimmy Page regrets most
At the height of their fame, classic rock band Led Zeppelin filmed a three-night run at the iconic New York City venue Madison Square Garden in 1973. The run formed the concluding shows for their North American tour, which saw the band embark upon 32 shows in 30 cities. The footage would go on to form their concert film titled The Song Remains The Same, which was released three years later. The movie was accompanied by a live album of the same name.
The film edition of The Song Remains The Same was marketed as “the band’s special way of giving their millions of friends what they had been clamouring for – a personal and private tour of Led Zeppelin. For the first time, the world has a front-row seat on Led Zeppelin.”
However, despite best efforts, the live footage was lacking, so replacement director Peter Clinton intertwined it with close-ups and other behind-the-scenes shots of the band, from their private jet arrival to scenes surrounding the theft of $200,000 from Led Zeppelin’s hotel room just before their final show.
One scene even showed Jimmy Page climbing a mountain in Scotland, which he later shared his regrets about. Brad Tolinski, who was collating interviews with Page for his book Light and Shade: Conversations with Jimmy Page, quotes Page as recalling, “We shot it in December, so there was snow on the ground, and these great clouds were going past the full moon”. But the weather was just one of Page’s problems.
He continues: “We created this scaffold for filming the shot, and everything was perfect and ready to go, but I’d forgotten the most obvious thing – that I was going to have to do multiple takes climbing up and down. I kept thinking, ‘What have I done!’ It was bloody cold up there, too.”
Likely adding to Page’s regret, the film received a negative critical reception. Page commented on this during an interview with New Musical Express, the same year of the film’s release. He stated: “The Song Remains The Same is not a great film, but there’s no point in making excuses. It’s just a reasonably honest statement of where we were at that particular time. It’s very difficult for me to watch it now, but I’d like to see it in a year’s time just to see how it stands up.”
Despite his issues, the fans lauded the release. In fact, Led Zep’s legion of supporters were the reason behind the film’s production in the first place. Page further told Tolinski that it was for the fans who couldn’t attend their concerts, “That’s why we did it. It made sense to do it.” The Song Remains The Same was hugely popular amongst this intended audience and made around $10million in its first year.
Since its release, Led Zeppelin re-released both the film and its accompanying album in 2007, amending the audio to align with the video. The re-release gained a better reception for its improved sound. The album has since been remastered again in 2018.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.