Jason Bonham

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Monday, July 7, 2003

Sad news from Russia: my reaction

This news originally appeared in an edition of the newsletter "On This Day In Led Zeppelin History."

While taking a holiday weekend off from writing the newsletter and checking my e-mail, I was saddened to learn that suicide bombers took the lives of at least 16 people and injured dozens of others at a rock music festival near Moscow. My heart goes out to the people affected by this unfortunate act.

In another twist of sad coincidence, I realized that the event took place on July 5, on the 32nd anniversary of the most tragic incident at a Led Zeppelin concert. In the 1971 incident, 12,000 people attending a music festival at the Vigorelli bicycle stadium in Milan, Italy, were tear gassed by thousands of police on hand at the government-sponsored festival.

After dozens of canisters of tear gas were fired into the audience, Led Zeppelin finished its set with stinging eyes and then ended up deserting the stage for a tunnel filled with tear gas. As John Paul Jones told the story, roadies were trying to retrieve the band's equipment from the stage when the entire audience was forced to move forward through the stage area. The event resulted in arrests and injuries, and the newspapers sided with the police, calling the festival attendees "ruffians."

On a much more positive note, July 6 marked the beginning of the last leg of the 1973 tour. After a well-deserved month of rest since its last concert in America when the band members had pushed themselves to their physical limits, the group catapulted from a Hawaiian vacation onto the stage of the Chicago Stadium. At the time, Led Zeppelin was refreshed and rejuvenated, having spent a full month away from the touring circuit. And so, the group's ninth tour of North America blasted back on the track.

About the author

Steve "The Lemon" Sauer is a writer and musician based in Boca Raton, Fla., who has dedicated a portion of his life researching the history of rock group Led Zeppelin and monitoring the ongoing careers of the band's surviving members. Although he was barely a year old when Led Zeppelin broke up and it took him until his teen years to appreciate the music, it didn't take long to make up for it.

Steve is currently a contributing writer and consultant for Get the Led Out, a weekly syndicated radio program hosted by Carol Miller and syndicated in 100 U.S. markets including New York and Los Angeles. He also provides content for a Web site associated with the radio show, www.LedZepOnline.com.

In 2007, Steve launched Lemon Squeezings: Led Zeppelin News to cover the lead-up to the band's reunion concert at the end of that year. Since then, he has closely examined every rumor of a followup tour since then, often dispelling or clarifying misinformation perpetrated by the mainstream media. Using his journalistic training, Steve has also uncovered some facts and accounts previously unreported elsewhere.

At age 18, he began publishing On This Day In Led Zeppelin History, a daily newsletter detailing the interactions of members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, and their manager, Peter Grant. The newsletter is located at www.OnThisDayInLedZeppelinHistory.com.

He enjoys uncovering stories and has employed various methods to communicate those stories to Led Zeppelin's vast fan base, utilizing terrestrial radio and the many facets of the Internet: from Usenet newsgroups to plain e-mail and now Facebook and Twitter. Steve also connects with live audiences when performing as a backup vocalist and keyboard player with various bands, including past onstage appearances with three cover or tribute acts performing the music of Led Zeppelin.

Do you have a news tip to share with Steve? Do you have something you would like him to write about? Would you like to book him for a speaking engagement? He can be contacted by e-mail at Steve at LedZeppelinNews.com.

Other Led Zeppelin information from Lemon Squeezings

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