On this night in 1969, the Who and Led Zeppelin did the first and only concert the two groups did together. The concert was staged at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The Who, benefitting from the buzz created by performing songs from Tommy live even before that double album's recent release, got headliner status. Led Zeppelin's debut album had been released the first month of the year, but the band was so comparatively unestablished that its name was misspelled on the tickets.  

 

 Zep's eight song set went so long that the stage power got cut in to get them off so the Who wouldn't suffer the same fate due to the curfew the venue had to operate under.  A reviewer of the concert was impressed with Jimmy Page's playing, but had little else good to say about the opener, writing,  "...although guitarist Jimmy Page once again proved himself a fine musician, there wasn’t much more to be said about the act as a whole. He and singer Robert Plant launched into innumerable transgressions of tonal question-answer games, more conducive to boredom than musically induced languor.”

 

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on May 25 include...

 

1948 Scorpions front man Klaus Meine born.

 

1950 Kansas co-lead vocalsit and violinist Robby Steinhart born.

 

1955 Argent's John Grimaldi born.

 

1958 The Jam's Paul Weller born.

 

1965 Dave Davies knocked out after falling onto drum kit during Kinks London concert.

 

1973 Carole King does a free concert in New York City's Central Park.

 

1978 Keith Moon does his last concert with the Who.

 

1982 Queen releases Hot Space.   

 

1990 Fleetwood Mac opens its Behind The Mask tour in Vancouver.

 

1990 Lou Gramm of Foreigner goes solo (rejoins in 1992).

 

1993 Jimmy Buffett releases Before The Beach.

 

1996 Eric Clapton rescues guitars from burning London home.

 

1999 Paul Stanley of KISS premiers as Phantom in Toronto Phantom Of The Opera production.