Pontiac 1977 Revealed: Inside Led Zeppelin's Historic Silverdome Show - Documentary 

Yea…..I took in the 1977 Pontiac Zeppelin concert, they didn’t come on until almost an hour and a half after 8:00 pm. Everyone was impatiently waiting and the beer was flowing. Half the place was drunk or stoned. Someone was letting off cheery bombs to wake the band up. Eventually they came out on stage from hiding and the rest is history. Most memorable set was the acoustic performance stuff all the other songs where mirrored in what they usually played to get everyone rock in. It seemed to be a long concert but it might have been distorted by the late start. I never experienced so many people in one event in my life, leaving the place into parking lot was a nightmare trying to find my bus to return back across the boarder into Canada 🇨🇦. No regrets.

Holy heck - Robert's in the finest voice here since 72. Hitting those notes in full voice with sustain, power and ease. As a former singer I had no idea he'd found this kind of form again. Wonderful to hear

I was at the Silverdoom show. I had 8 tickets and sold 4. Definitely a bucket list event!

fun fact no one mentions about this show, after the first encore of Rock & Roll the stadium turned the lights on apparently not aware of the second encore, as the crowd was filing out, Robert ran out on stage and said “hey, where’s everybody going?!” they then started Trampled Under Foot and they tried to turn on the lights, I don’t think they got them all lit, we ran on to the floor to get a better view, one of the best nights of my life

Fun fact - future baseball All-Star Kirk Gibson, along with some of his then teammates on the Michigan St Football team, served as a security guard for this concert. There is a picture of him standing in front of Page on stage.

I was at the April 28 show at the Richfield coliseum, it was a fantastic show I will never forget it!!!!!!!!!!!

23:30 there is something about this piece, that would become the intro to “midnight moonlight”, that is so haunting and full of sad sentimentality… like a lifetime of longing and sadness distilled into a melody. It’s one of my favorite of Jimmy Page’s many shades and colors. Another fantastic production Jose👏👏👏👏 you always deliver my friend. Thank you.

JCM , I dont comment on things too much. But I ran across this just now and you've provided some warmth to the end of my evening with your documentary. 5 stars buddy ypuve got a great way about you of delivering ypur message.sang in a zeppelin tribute on and off , and several of them at that for 20 + years. I've stepped away for going on six years now because I decided to open a small business servicing swimming pools. But I wanted to tell you that I have met many many die hard and beyond loyal Led Zeppelin fans, fanatics, devotees,etc.. But you, and I can tell by not just what you say, but in the humble nature that you are saying it. You've been a life-long fan of this unique and iconic band and it shows. And i can tell that you handle it with care, because you do just that , , , you care. I think that it is fantastic how 4÷××you share your outgoing passion for the music with the rest of the world. As I used to say so many times. Led Zeppelin fans made us well know. The music and the legendary status took us there. We were just fortunate enough to have it become this part of our lives in the capacity that it did. Led Zeppelins' legendary status, and their massive catalog of music personally helped me out in so many ways. There were many many times, many ways...and for many reasons. Emotionally, mentally, momo,, there were tight spots sometimes. It helped keep my lights on more than one occasion or groceries on the table. It helped finance few Christmases for a very young daughter that I was raising on my own thru most of it. As she got older she would accompany me to shows and hang with the guitarists daughter who was about the same age,while his girlfriend would be younger than them at one point, in true Jimmy Page my guitarist Craig definitely did live the life and the lifestyle as well. Before it was over ti had become this clique and we'd see the same people every time there was a show. Those were good times and you jogged my memory. Needless to say I could go on gushing about it. It was so much fun just to be able to pulloff playing that music and having it that well received. Got me thru so much.Every emotion a young man ,shit as a middle aged man even. I experienced them all with Led Zeppelin as my background theme music. I could ste p away from our band for a year or more, comeback and do another year's worth of gigs and just step right back into it. No rehearsal required. I could just show up and knew eveythis like it was yesterday. Really cant think of anything else in my life that Ive got committed to hard wired, longterm memory, besides stuff like breathing and driving. But I could just slide right back in without a refresher of the live stuff that we were known for doing. Other bands that I've been in required homework, practice and felt alot like work.zeppelin is more like Hawaii everyday of the year and twice on your mother's birthday! Damn fun ,tons of drama. I still know every lyric, each syllable even, to this day. Its been a staple since since I was eleven. So thanks again. I just wanted to say Great Job on the film!

Their shows at Madison Square Garden and LA Forum should have been filmed.

Excellent account of the show. I did get to see them three times in 1977. The Tuesday night show on June 14th was my personal favorite. But the 10th and the 13th were equally amazing. Being in NYC for the first time at the age of sixteen and being surrounded by Led Zeppelin fans was a gift that I never forgot. The car stereo's blasting their music, fans talking Zeppelin in every fast food place near the Garden, bootleg t-shirts being sold and fans looking for tickets to each night. I am very thankful to my cousins from South Ozone Park for getting my tickets, a place to stay and some of the best Italian food in all of Queens. I appreciated how you pointed out Plant's vocals and Bonzo's thunderous playing. Way to go. You truly know and appreciate the greatest rock band from the seventies. Thanks Jose~ Rob/Boston

The first night on the 27th of April is the superior show of the two nights at the Richfield Coliseum in my opinion. I remember buying the Destroyer bootleg on cassette from a dealer via mail order in the spring of 1983. I was so delighted to hear the uncompressed full dynamic rage of Led Zeppelin’s 1977 live show - and took special care not to blow out my speakers. A stereo mix can be heard whenever Pagey played his theremin, during his solo section and on Bonzo’s phase-effected timpani playing during his drum solo section as well. And that version of ‘Stairway To Heaven’ from the 27th of April is one of my all-time favourite live versions ever! The ‘Star Spangled Banner’ tune is actually an old British & English drinking tune. Pagey’s solo section from the L.A. Forum on 23 June 1977, on the For Badge Holders Only bootleg, is truly out of this world. ‘Trampled Underfoot’ is in G Dorian. And one more thing: Led Zeppelin broke their own 1973 attendance world record - for a single act - with 76,229 fans in attendance at the Pontiac Siverdome on the 30 April 1977 - grossing $790,555 - Cheers! 🍻

I attended this show, just a month and a half shy of graduating high school (finally). Of the 3 Zep shows I've seen, 73, 75 and 77, I would say that this one was my 2nd favorite, with 75 being my favorite (due to the complete sense of the cult of personality being in play because they had become so massively huge by 75 and also because Kashmir, and In My Time Of Dying, both of which had not yet been released on 1.31.75 when i saw them, were stunning).

This just made my whole weekend man!!!!! As a musician (drummer) myself , Your narration of the songs shines new light on them!! You point out things that most people would never catch or hear! Thanks for taking the time and giving the effort to put this together!! Many Blessings to you my friend JCM!!🔥🔥❤️😎

Thanks for the awesome video and channel. You are truly talented. I saw Electric Light Orchestra at the Silverdome as a 10 year old kid, the following summer (1978). Heart was the special guest. Ann Wilson’s voice reverberated in that gigantic concrete canyon like something out of an ancient legend. ELO’s dazzling music and laser lights were a revelation for a youngster like me from nearby Toledo, Ohio (a boring medium-sized industrial city one hour south of Detroit). This was only my second rock concert, and my Mother took me. She never would have taken me to Led Zeppelin, though my Father took me and my brothers back to Pontiac to see KISS and Cheap Trick the following summer. We went inside to the concert, but my Dad, who hated loud music, enjoyed the fresh breeze in the parking lot that night, while listening to a Detroit Tigers game on the radio. Thanks for jogging my memory!

I was at the 3rd night, Chicago, when Page got sick.

Excellent…as always José. Even taking into account his well known return to form, Plant’s voice was really something here; so good it’s almost 1970ish at times. Many thanks.

Greatest band to ever grace the planet!! I LOVE THEM!! Loved the National Anthem!

Thanks.Im just so “buzzed up” about Zeppelin again thanks to you and this channel.Love the detail.Just amazing.So happy 🎉

Wow! That’s impressive. I didn’t realize it sold out in one day. I have a ticket stub from that concert, I did not get to go… But my sister-in-law did. I was so envious. That’s one I missed and I often think about. This doesn’t help! lol

I was there; my brother and I traveled up from Northern Indiana for the show. I clearly remember the smell of weed was everywhere. It was my one and only time to see Led Zep, but man this one was worth the trip. I still owe my brother for the tix.

I saw Led Zeppelin in Oakland California July 1977😊

Thank you great work as always!

Another great video! Thank you. The 1977 guitar solos are always spectacular. Love the theremin effects

Superb analysis Jose! Thanks again for your work!

Great video as usually, José! Would've been great to point my favourite moment of the 8mm video - the moment where Page was doing a gesture - like a plane, with both his hands in Kashmir, just after "where I have beeeeen" part that Plant sings. This is so cool! And then he explodes with the main riff😎

Brilliant job here Jose.

I still can't believe I was there !

Top notch work as always, JCM. Its been a while since i gave Pontiac a listen because of the cavernous sound on the tapes and plus I have my other favorite 77 shows. Too funny how focused Percy is to calm down the rowdy Michigan crowd. Hope you're well hermano and outstanding work on the Santana videos. Thank you as always!

Beautiful! Thanks man

Imagine a soundboard of this show? Or a blu ray of June 21? Unreal

I was in the military at the time and my buddies surprised with tickets for the Pontiac show. The seats we had were terrible behind the stage. By the time the music got to us it seemed like a 3 second delay. Needless to say we headed for the floor which was much better. I bought a single ticket for the LA Forum show where Keith Moon made a surprise appearance. 1977 was a great year for concerts for me.

I saw Zeppelin April 15, 1977 in St Louis Missouri. They are the great rock band in history and it was epic to see they perform. I still have my ticket stub, and it’s incredible that the price was only $7.50. Thanks for the video✌🏻

Just incredible! Seems otherworldly

🌠OH YEAH JCM ! Another Good One...I saw the iron maidenS last nite in Philly ..city winery....I listened to the Santana caravan album on the way

Thankyou very much for the great stories of led Zeppelin very interesting stuff much appreciated 🙏

Jimmys solo is one of the nest part of tour. Also this was the first Zeppelin song that I heard. Thank you for this stuff! and good night

Great documentary!! I was at this show - 15 yrs old and out of my mind on acid, booze, and weed (for some reason...lol). I'm pissed at myself to this day for getting too stoned and being a little too out of it, but I was so excited to see my favorite band, which they still are to this day! Thank you for bringing back some lost memories I thought I'd never experience again. The sound here is much better than I remember, with how bad it allegedly was, according to everyone I was there with at that show. I bought 10 tix for $105.00, which was OUTRAGEOUS at the time!! Lol! I would've paid more.

Fantastic!! Thank you

Thank you once again, Jose, for a great LZ documentary. Man oh man, I would've been incredibly upset about the firecrackers. Especially during the acoustic set. Peace, from Florida, USA.

Hi Jose - Love this. I was at Friday 6/10/77 @ MSG. The tickets for yellow section were $10, but my dad paid $100 for 4 from his ticket guy. I hadn't gone to the '75 shows as I was just 14. While the show was good, your comments seem to pick up exactly what I thought of the show at the time - Plant and Bonham were absolutely great. Page less so - He was SO skinny and seemed to be kind of staggering around and playing really sloppy solos on some of the more extended pieces. He was much better on the structured pieces. Believe it or not , the acoustic stuff was the best - Bronyraur Stomp was the best of the bunch with Battle of Evermore and Goin to California sounding spectacular (except for JPJ's poor imitation of Sandy Denny's vocal on Battle) as well. Something I remember really well was at the end of every song, a Roadie ran up and handed Bonham a full Heineken and started running away - Bonzo drank the entire beer and then threw the bottle at the roadie - it happened over and over. I am pretty sure the roadie was Rick Hobbs or Mick Hinton. I remember having the strong feeling that Bonzo was an insane alcoholic , & not the funny, sweet kind, either. I wish I had seen them earlier, but I will say this - they played 3&1/2 hours, no break, no warmup act & a few moments were jaw dropping. They hit a giant mirror ball with a laser during the descending riff of Kashmir and it created a giant pinwheel of light that covered the garden with a blinding white light from ceiling to floor WOW. Also, Bonzo's Timpani solo was so loud I had to cover my ears - and I LOVED loud music, ha ha. Great channel my friend. Come visit me your next trip to NYC.....Ed

The '77 Pontiac Show was Epic.. The Fireworks/M-80s were a curse ,Saw someone get hit in the head with one.. He was probably never the same. The Concert itself was Completely Incredible!

I love your content man! I would love to see you do a deep dive on Plant’s Strange Sensation album Mighty Rearranger. One of my all time favorite albums. Take care man, and great job on your videos!!

Thanks Jose, amazing documentary as usual. As I've said before, there was selective coverage of this tour in the UK. Zeppelin not having a greatest rapport with our music press. The Star Spangled Banner is Jimmy's nod to where he saw the bands affiliation was in 77, their management saw them as a States based band. The big money was in the USA from touring. I've bought tickets at my local venue to see Robert on his Saving Grace tour 23rd July. The Cliffs Pavilion Westcliff, he's never played in Essex before...the venue boasts less than 2,000 seats a far cry from headlining the Pontiac Silverdome. Your the best Zep archivist on RU-vid JCM!

My first concert. In the nosebleeds. A lot of people timed their buzz expecting 8 pm show. By the time band came on people were coming down, up and apart at the seams. Sound from upper deck awful. Our buddy got too stoned, got carried to OD tent or whatever. They brought him around and he was high again before the show actually started. Wandered onto the floor by the stage. Said it was epic. And us in the upper wondering what the heck happened to him as we squinted and asked "is that Kashmir?" Memorable yes, but getting to HEAR the show from a couple of weeks later out east somewhere made me realize what a great show I missed while being at it.

Jose' Thanks for not passing this one up! After watching your Seattle Kingdome presentation, I assumed that it won out over Pontiac and thus the historic Pontiac concert wouldn't get it's JCM treatment. I'm so happy to be wrong. Early into its abandonment, and when it still looked normal, my gf and I used to rollerblade around the smooth concrete concourse of the Silverdome very fast. Fun times indeed.

THANK YOU for this absolute GEM🙏🎉

Thanks for the memories.

Appreciate all the LZ deep dives!!! Your passionate attention to detail Great vids JCM take Care God Bless.

I was... 17 years old.... CRAZY

In April 1977 I was 13, just shy of my 14th birthday. This show was not even known about to me in rural Michigan. Pontiac might as well have been Shanghai for all I knew. It just wasn't part of my world. A few years later I was 17 and Zeppelin announced they were coming back. This was now in my world, and I was going to go. Events went a different direction. As we all know, Bonham left us far too soon and left some us never having seen him and the band. The Silverdome was a crappy place to see a concert, but I would gladly have suffered through that echo-ey cavern for one night more for the opportunity to see the mighty Zep. Alas it was not to be.

Thank you.

Nice work J

Nice job! Love the deep dives on your channel.

Five years ago I was in hospital for heart surgery, and while I was there I pulled up the Pontiac Michigan show, and I thought it was a great show. I watching your video right now

Another great vid, JCM!

Correction - The band stayed at the, now closed, Troy Hilton at Maple Rd and Stephenson not Hilton Garden Inn on Wilshire as shown on your map. There’s a few pics of the band members hanging out at the hotel.

Thank you Sir

Thanks very much

I was on the floor 20 yards from the stage and I was getting pushed and shoved pretty good. The crowd was restless because they were so late. I was glad when Plant asked people to settle down. I didn't own a Zeppelin album so I didn't know most of the songs but I was impressed that most of what I heard was an improvisational version of their songs. I've been hoping for years that Jimmy has a recording made from the CCTV of the big screen.

I too was there. We had floor passes and sat between the towers a bit past midfield for most of the show. I was able to cut that in half when the second encore started. Unfortunately, I don't remember much of the whole show for some reason. Just snippets. But I know I had a good time. One thing not mentioned. The complaints about how high the ticket prices were. Yes, $10.50 was considered outrageous. Thanks for your work, and the setlist!

Astounding. A 33min video on a stadium concert from a band who were on-the-slide in 1973!

I grew up in Detroit as a young kid. Also, went to a Lion's game at the Silverdome in September 1978. What a beautiful stadium, and a shame it had to be torn down.

there's one of 1977 Houston at the summit

My mom and dad were at this show. I remember dad telling me about Zep stopping the show during the acoustic set to get people to be quiet. I miss the Silverdome. I was in there when it was near full for Lions games and the energy was incredible!

I’m positive that this show and the previous one in Cleveland 4/28 could be mixed together and make one of the best live albums ever (P.S. You should do a deep dive on that second Cleveland show. Truly one of, if not the best show of the tour)

You are the MAN, Jose. On my way to patreon.

WOW! Thanks a million Jose!

Nice!

Maybe Page , plant, and Jones can get together and pick out some great footage from various concerts, and put it out as another movie. "The Song Remains Again" your welcome Jimmy.

Excellent job,Jose. 👍✌️

Wow! Amazing show! Too bad I was only three years old. I’ve been to the Silverdome many times, but missed the mighty Zeppelin!

10:27 You should be working for an Intelligence agency 😅 Thanks for the great work as always, man. God bless you🙏 (this was AWESOME)

i was there . the greatest concert i ever saw. i was able to see many of the major bands. pink floyd and the stones . also in the silver dome. neither compared. music is still my first love. i will leve a great collection .with many rarities .

I remember going to see Zeppelin in June not sure of the date in 1977. I was 15 years old and my sister (RIP) was 18 and a few of her friends .I still have the ticket stub for the concert somewhere, it’s Definitely in a good secure place. That was just one of the few concerts. I saw with my sister when I was young. I remember seeing Jethro Tull twice in the 70s with her and her friends just like Zeppelin and Queen. To say I was a huge zeppelin fan and at 15 it’s unbelievable they were so good one of The best shows in the 70s. I did have tickets for the 1980 in through the outdoor show but of course we know how that went. Also, in the 70s I remember seeing Aerosmith in 1976, 1977and maybe 78 I can’t remember but over the course of the years I’ve seen Aerosmith 16 times all in the 70s and 80s and early 90s. I think I was born at the right time for concerts so many more of these unbelievable concerts. I just wish I could remember. Over the last 10 years I’ve been fighting bones/blood cancer so it’s getting harder and harder to remember. But I still have a lot of tickets to remember some of the dates.

Well done..as per usual..its well documented that Jones wasn't a fan of the huge stadium shows..can't blame him..

I was at this show.

Gracias Amigo Jose !

Saw Monsters of Rock in 91 (GNR & Metallica) and could barely decipher the sound sucked so bad! But Kudos to you for finding the footage! The Pontiac Silverdome sucked for everything! I hated it!

I believe one of my sisters attended this concert...sat far from the stage and complained about barley hearing the music through all the noise and ruckus of the crowd.

since you asked about the geetar solo: I haven't listened to it since I stumbled across the video for the Seattle show a dozen years or so ago, but I heard it a lot as a teenager via the destroyer show and quite enjoyed it. But I think they made an arrangement mistake with it. When coming out of the bow solo, with the D&C build, instead of doing the guitar intro for Achilles, it would have been way more powerful to just go "BAM" and cut to the part where the drums and bass come in. Always think the guitar intro is a bit of a letdown after that big build. Anyway, enjoyed the episode. Really dug the cutaways to the car driving. Good mood-setter scene.

The destruction of historic places always saddens me. I remember feeling miserable when I learned that the first house I ever bought was built on land that used to be Riverside International Speedway. Ascot Speedway is now just a big ol' parking lot for cheap car auctions.

plant gave a 73 feel for stairway to heaven also, plant surprised me when he gave those vocals before the solo

Loved it !! I have to add that the Chicago show where Jimmy wears the Stormtrooper outfit the added controversy was that it was Easter Sunday. Great job Jose as always !!!

I was at this show. An experience like no other. Saw them in 75 as well at the Richfield Coliseum but this 77 show was unhinged basically. Atmosphere over the top.

The venue itself was so big that you could fly an airplane in it. Zeppelin knew this and with the expectations of being absent for two years, they really delivered the goods on that night. Also, I find that Zeppelin were looking forward to a three week respite after this gig and I believe this had something to do with the sparkling performance they turned in that night to the nearly 80,000 plus crowd. The beginning of the audio tape of this concert actually sounds like you’re at a football game. You can sense the enormity of the event for sure. In a few short hours after the gig the band members would be on planes to England for a couple wks so…I imagine they were looking very much forward to the break. Actually, I get the vibe that Bonzo didn’t want to be there at all - as staff members were instructed not to so much as look at him during the ‘77 tour. He wanted to be home and was very moody. I only wish the Seattle gig could’ve been as good as the Birmingham gig was…as both were starter gigs from breaks in the tour itinerary. Thank you Jose for another fine video.

Yeah i was 15 and that was my very first concert i ever saw yeah the silverdome brings back alot of memories as i saw the lions beat the defending champion raiders in 1980 16 to 0 and saw the pistons play the ROCKETS where i live now 2 times and the hawks 1 time

I saw them in the Kingdome that year.

do you have any footage archive of zeps Oakland show saturday july 23, 1977? i was there up front center day on the green. i would like to see what you have for their songlist because they played 4 hours plus 1/2 hour straight encore. i know what the first 3 songs were definitely, and the song after the encore..but all the books and songlists for that day are wrong i gaurantee you. Plant wore a blue tshirt with white letters 'Nurses Do It Better' kinda cheesy and page wore the black dragon outfit, jones and bonham were wearing like blue gym workout sweat jackets.. the songlists you showed here for new york and los angeles i would have to add 4 more songs on there to reflect the oakland songlist, why they played 4 hours.. i know i clocked it but didnt write down the set list...i was too wonderfully mesmerized and loving it

They sounded great that night!!! I would have loved to see them but I wasn’t born yet!🤣

These are chapters of the definitive video guide to Led Zeppelin. You're like the video equivalent of the "deep dive" Live Zep book guys Dave Lewis, Robert Goodwyn, & Luis Rey. Much empowerment to you.

Cool cool

JCM, you should listen to "Frijid Pink". That first album with the pink cover that came out in 1970 is a monster. They did a great version of "House of the Rising Sun". Soaring vocals from the lead singer at that time. My dad had that album, and played it a lot. "End of the Line" and "I Want To Be Your Lover" are standouts, and are worth repeated listens.

here in Michigan we believe the tape exisists...but where ?

I was there, 15 yearsold, 2nd show after Black Sabbath. @JCM, I have a couple of ideas for future features. One, what if the '77 tour got to finish. The next, a documentary on their stage presence evolution. They started as a great jamming band on smaller stages to absolute stage mastery later on.

I was there I was 17

It’s insane to think of now but firecrackers were common at shows back then. When I saw Zep in 77 in San Diego Page had a bandage on his strumming hand and Robert mentioned it was an injury from a firecracker in New York which was their last show before SD. I remember it started coming off as the show went on and then finally fell off. I don’t know why I remember that but I do.

I had never forgot Plant's admonition to the crowd to stop "swooshing about" as it was a distraction to the band. It wasnt much fun to be in the middle of that crowd either! I think I was like 20-30 feet from the stage, and everybody in Michigan wanted to push themselves into the front row.

Imagine if the full footage surfaces....

He says "Kept on standing ....and on and on standing!" not Adelante

Page's take on the star spangle banner ... I like , its different. Never heard before 😮