Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Lee Brenkman]

These recently came to my attention.  They were taken  May 11th 1969 at the  Greenlake Aqua Theatre in Seattle.   This venue was only used for a few rock shows at the very end of the 1960s.   The stage, originally part of an Aquacade show with divers, synchronized swimmers etc. sat between the sound and the pool.  The audience of about 5,000 sat in concrete bleachers on the other side of the pool.   Probably good for security but not great for the acoustics.

Note the usual for the era minimal miking of the drums and backline.  The Marshall head on the stage left "Jimmy Page" side of the drums is not sitting on top of the box with the two re-entrant horns, it just looks like it from this angle.

The only thing that vaguely resembles a monitor anywhere is the single cabinet stage left facing towards center stage.

[Ivan Beaver]

These recently came to my attention.  They were taken  May 11th 1969 at the  Greenlake Aqua Theatre in Seattle.   This venue was only used for a few rock shows at the very end of the 1960s.   The stage, originally part of an Aquacade show with divers, synchronized swimmers etc. sat between the sound and the pool.  The audience of about 5,000 sat in concrete bleachers on the other side of the pool.   Probably good for security but not great for the acoustics.

Note the usual for the era minimal miking of the drums and backline.  The Marshall head on the stage left "Jimmy Page" side of the drums is not sitting on top of the box with the two re-entrant horns, it just looks like it from this angle.

The only thing that vaguely resembles a monitor anywhere is the single cabinet stage left facing towards center stage.

Why is it that we are so fasinated by photos of old PA gear?

Because they are not a "regular" product?  Or bring back memories of when we used to use "whatever" to get the job done?  Or bring back memories of how hard it was back then?  Or trying to figure out what the gear actually was.

I don't really care about seeing the band per say-but it is interesting to see what some of the "superstars" actually used in the early days.

Whatever it is-I still enjoy seeing old photos like this.

Thanks for sharing

[Lee Brenkman]

Because they are not a "regular" product?  Or bring back memories of when we used to use "whatever" to get the job done?  Or bring back memories of how hard it was back then?  Or trying to figure out what the gear actually was.

All of the above ;-)

Here's the other photo I meant to attach in the original post.  No PA gear in this shot but I do note that the Rickenbacker Transonic cabinet in this the "John Paul Jones" side of the drums is probably the sole survivor of the entire stage full of them that  Zeppelin used in January of that same year at the Fillmore West.   

The band "graciously" took the amps for free but thought so little of them that they just left them behind upon their return to England at the end of the tour.  The bass player in Cheap Trick eventually acquired the bass ones and used them on stage when that band did a three night stand at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall in September 1998.

[Patrick Tracy]

Probably good for security...

Just pictured Lloyd Bridges "stage diving".

[Jeff Bankston]

Just pictured Lloyd Bridges "stage diving".

wow dude ! sea hunt comes on at 2:30 a.m. on antenna tv ch 5-3 right after the 1950's highway patrol with Broderick Crawford ! tripped out like a circut breaker !

[Bob Leonard]

Lee,
I don't think those are the Transonics they used. Transonics had a wierd looking logo across the cabinet and an even stranger shaped head. I think, and I could be wrong, that you're looking at Sunn cabinets about that time.

[Lee Brenkman]

Lee,
I don't think those are the Transonics they used. Transonics had a wierd looking logo across the cabinet and an even stranger shaped head. I think, and I could be wrong, that you're looking at Sunn cabinets about that time.

Bob,  there is ONE Transonic bass cabinet in between the Sunns in the bass backline array.  In the five months between when I saw the entire stage full of them in January 1969 and this concert in May, the band had either blown up the heads and Jimmy Page has  given up on the guitar cabinets.

As this concert was in Seattle I'm guessing the Sunn was only too happy to showcase their wares at a big concert event.  I don't remember any other pictures from this tour with Zeppelin using them.

Two of the complete bass stacks of Transonics that Zep abandoned at the end of the tour are still owned by Cheap Trick bassist Tom Peterson.

[Bob Leonard]

Correctamundo Lee, you can just barely see the logo. I agree with Sunn probably looking for some publicity, I have never seen another picture of Sunns being used either, but I remember hearing how badly they wanted into the backline. I remember the Transonics, Fenders, and Orange, but in the end HIWATT won the battle. Big scary amps back then.

[Stu McDoniel]

These recently came to my attention.  They were taken  May 11th 1969 at the  Greenlake Aqua Theatre in Seattle.   This venue was only used for a few rock shows at the very end of the 1960s.   The stage, originally part of an Aquacade show with divers, synchronized swimmers etc. sat between the sound and the pool.  The audience of about 5,000 sat in concrete bleachers on the other side of the pool.   Probably good for security but not great for the acoustics.

Note the usual for the era minimal miking of the drums and backline.  The Marshall head on the stage left "Jimmy Page" side of the drums is not sitting on top of the box with the two re-entrant horns, it just looks like it from this angle.

The only thing that vaguely resembles a monitor anywhere is the single cabinet stage left facing towards center stage.

The old multi cells were so dam cool.  The old Sunn tube bass heads really sounded great.
That band could go with just vocals for Robert and would move people with their raw talent.
Great stuff!  Thanks for sharing!

[Woody Nuss]

Check out the site Retronaut.com for some really great old images. Hendrix with Wilson Pickett, Bowie tour candids, Sinatra goofing off, Iggy and The Stooges playing at a high school in 1970 and getting pulled after a few songs, etc.

[ProSoundWeb Community]