45 Years Gone

45 years ago today on 11th August 1979, Led Zeppelin played their last concert in the UK with their original core lineup of what are known as “the four master musicians”. Just over a year later drummer John ‘Bonzo’ Bonham died at the age of 32 and the band broke up, saying they could not continue because each of the four musicians was an equal part of the whole and that without Bonzo there was no Led Zeppelin.

The concert was at Knebworth Park, and I was there. They had also played the previous weekend, on 4th August, and I was at that one too. It was L-O-U-D, and on both occasions I was near the front right by the most enormous P.A. stack I’ve ever seen in all my days - my hearing had hardly recovered from the previous weekend! What an amazing and legendary event to have been a part of - definitely one of the highlights of my life, as was meeting vocalist Robert Plant in 1982 and again many years later in 2007. My blip shows three photos taken on the second weekend on 11th August. The concert photo isn’t brilliant, but it was the best I could manage with ASA400 film in a Kodak Instamatic in the 70’s. It is at least recognisably Led Zeppelin. There’s some more 1970’s “technology” in Extras - my Dymo label-maker labels which are still stuck inside the front cover of the photo album I keep as a memento. 45 years gone! Here’s a link to one of my favourite LZ tracks, ‘Ten Years Gone’ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DBzuYNK95sM

Also in Extras is a picture of a bracelet I made at Café Church this morning. It’s a very informal service where we serve coffee, tea, pastries and fruit to anyone who comes along. We don’t have Communion, but alongside readings, talks, prayer and songs there are discussions at each table and the chance to make things while chatting. My bracelet incorporates the initials of my nuclear family of Mum and Dad plus we three sisters. Out of our original five, there’s just me and my sister Susan left.