Led Zeppelin: New Book Looks at the Band's Ill-Fated 1980 Tour

Led Zeppelin specialist Dave Lewis' follow-up to his excellent Then As it Was - Led Zeppelin At Knebworth 1979 details the band's 1980 tour which has understandably been overshadowed in history by the tragic death of John Bonham.


Here's a little info about the book:


"In the summer of 1980, Led Zeppelin undertook what would be their final tour - a low key 14 date trek taking in Germany, Belgium, Holland, Austria and Switzerland. With a radically streamlined stage presentation and set list, the aim was to get back to being a working band after all the lay offs of recent years and grand scale of their 1979 Knebworth appearances.
"This air of rejuvenation would inspire plans for a full scale tour of America in the autumn that would be sadly curtailed with the untimely death of John Bonham.


"Vastly under reported at the time, the Led Zeppelin Over Europe 1980 tour has taken on something of mythical status over the years. It found the band anxious to stamp their authority on a changing musical landscape as their reputation tethered like a feather in the wind.


"Dave Lewis brings a fresh perspective in chronicling this final era, setting the scene with the build up to the tour, combining on the spot reports of the gigs from the time with retrospective views from those that were there both out front and backstage. The book includes an in depth gig by gig analysis of the 14 shows with comprehensive bootleg, memorabilia and statistic appendix sections. Vividly illustrated throughout, the book contains many rarely seen photos and images that perfectly capture the atmosphere of the era.


"The book also offers a unique up close and personal fans eye view of the era as re-told through Dave Lewis' diaries of the time and his experiences of being in close proximity to the action during the tour."


The book contains 250 rare and unseen photos and images of memorabilia from the tour and the limited first editions will all be individually numbered and signed by the author.
You can get more info about the book and how to get your copy HERE