(PONTIAC)-They swung the “Hammer Of The Gods” before a mighty horde.
April 30, 1977, saw Led Zeppelin, at this point at the absolute apex of their power, rumble and pillage their way to Metro-Detroit for a concert promoting their latest album, Presence.
Attendance for the gig was 76,229 in the Pontiac Silverdome.
Tickets sold at face value for $10.50, generating an $850,000 house (not counting merchandise.) In 2024, the gate would be well over four million dollars.
At the time, it was the largest head count for any concert in the history of mankind (so Zeppelin-esque.)
The record would eventually be broken by festival shows at outdoor venues, performed by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Queen, and Paul McCartney.
It is still the most attended concert in Michigan history.
Zeppelin did not disappoint, playing 23 songs over a three-hour set.
It would be the last appearance of Zep in Michigan, as drummer John Bonham passed away in 1980, and the band subsequently broke up. Ironically, tickets were on sale for another show at the Silverdome that year (our own Mary Ellen Murphy was to attend.)
Throughout their brief but brilliant career, Led Zeppelin played eleven times in Michigan from 1969 to 1977.
All the concerts were in and around Detroit, playing the legendary Grande Ballroom, The Olympia, Cobo Hall & The Silverdome.
To commemorate this event, we played Robert Plant’s “Little By Little” from his 1985 album Shaken & Stirred during Lunchtime @ The Laguna today at noon on 92.1 WGHN.
(Photo courtesy WDET.)
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