Turn My Page | Led Zeppelin

In the Evening

Actual picture of Jimmy at the Baltimore Civic Center concert from Sunday, June 11, 1972 on the right.

   So there Vicky stood in the aisle, in the way of every passerby who all grumbled as she studied Jimmy staring at her from behind the curtain. She had no recollection of stopping, but had apparently due to the size and severity of her imaginative mind. It was quite amazing, actually, the thoughts that ran through her head so swiftly with so much detail, as if she were living them out. His face disappeared and she glanced behind her to validate that it was her he was staring at. There was a group of beautiful young girls behind her and her heart-rate slowed several beats.

   Disappointed that he was probably staring at them and a little crest fallen that she wasn't beautiful enough to capture his attention over the group of teenage girls, Vicky looked down at her feet with an air of embarrassment. Sighing, she walked down the Civic Center latter and found her place beside Robert and Jackie on the court near the stage, her thoughts running a mile a minute. Vicky almost wanted to ask Jackie if she had seen Jimmy peeping from behind the curtain, but part of her said that if she did, it would parallel her day-dream from seconds ago, and she would have to move away from Maryland and live unhappily in San Diego in a spacious beach house with only Jackie and Robert as companions, she would become love-lorn with a man she fantasized about regularly, and she would become depressed along the way. A typical love-tragedy worth of Shakespeare's quill.

   The concert carried on as most concerts would, but the set list and the performance delivery was a lot different than she had previously dreamed. In fact, it was more surreal, watching Robert curl the microphone cord around his fingers while he sang with his eyes closed as if he was preaching Going to California before a bunch of Holy Zeppelinites on this Sunday evening mass. In fact, that was exactly what he was doing and Vicky enjoyed every moment of it. Jimmy, on the other hand, was not flashing her glances like he had in her thoughts, but was instead eyeing the entire room, undressing every woman with his eyes and should they not seem satisfactory, he'd move on to the next girl without so much as an accidental move on the guitar. His playing was magnificent and skilled, so much in fact that he hardly even looked like he was doing something difficult. He was peaceful, graceful, and very, very sexy.

   As the men on stage finished Whole Lotta Love, Robert went back into telling stories before every song. This time the audience knew something big was going to happen. Robert began seriously, announcing that they would be cutting to an acoustic version. Once everything was settled, he started his tale. "We went to see Elvis Presley," Robert explained, fixing the flowing white garments he wore around him more comfortably. "That guy did so much for music- long time ago, mind you! His voice has gone down about two or three tones and seemed to have changed a bit and his waist is a bit bigger... He's a big inspiration for all of us. This is a little tribute." From there, they cut into a medly of Let That Boy Boogie, I Need Your Love Tonight, Hello Mary Lou, Heartbreak Hotel, I'm Going Down, Going Down Slow, and any Elvis Twang Jimmy could muster.

   John Paul Jones, the quiet secret-weapon, was fabulous throughout the night. There was an unprecedented interlude between Plant, Page, and Jones that night, where John Paul was playing mandolin and it was as if guitar and mandolin were fighting for reign. Jimmy over-drew one of his famous guitar solos, as well. Dazed an Confused was probably five minutes longer than its normal running time live, but Vicky didn't mind one bit. Poor Bon got no recognition throughout the night except for Moby Dick, but was otherwise playing or off stage for the mandolin-guitar interlude.

   Jackie and Robert had worked themselves into a fit and had ditched Vicky for some private time in the back of Robert's Grand Am. Vicky, feeling terribly awkward all along next to a row of people she didn't know, shuffled through the sea of people and maneuvered closer to the stage, hopping along to Going to California like the rest of the fans but with clouded thoughts.

   She was upset that her thoughts had a one-in-a-million chance of being more than thoughts, and the prospect of possibly being Led Zeppelin's Road Manager/Supervisor was enough to turn even the most optimistic person sour. A wave of sadness swept over her as she realized that even at the expense of losing the one man she fantasized about the most, it would be worth holding him in her heart for even she shortest of moments, to actually comply to his randy requests rather than run away from him. She didn't know why she had refused him in her thoughts, but then again she was a weird thinker. As she thought harder about this all, it became harder and harder to dance and she became more and more weary.

   The sweet smell of Marijuana wafted thought the air even before the concert came to an inevitable and depressing end, the four men giving deep bows to their fans with their long hair-- curly and straight-- knee-length as they bent over gallantly. Vicky clapped along with the rest, but a sad yearning had already poisoned her heart. She was angry that she could do this to herself, just by her thoughts and day-dreams. As she made her way back up the latter trudging, a hand stopped her and pulled her aside.

   "What is your name?" asked a pot-bellied man with a walkie-talkie on his belt that was constantly sending feedback obnoxiously and a black and purple Black Sabbath shirt on.

   Vicky, shocked and a little worried, replied, "Vicky Sorentino, why?"

   "It made no difference, but I was sent to get you. I meant to get you earlier." Vicky began to worry that she had done something wrong and she quickly recalled her day's events but couldn't find anything remotely illegal or frowned upon. Oh! she thought, a cold sweat starting. I was standing the in the middle of the aisle when I was day dreaming! Could that be it? "I sent per request by one of the band members. Here, take this."

   He handed Vicky a laminated and lanyarded piece of paper. On it read:

   V.I.P

   BACKSTAGE PASS [ADMIT ONE]

   LED ZEPPELIN

   1972-1973

   Vicky's heart nearly gave out. She attempted saying something twice before studying the card back to front a licking her parched lips. She looked up at the portly man finally and said, "Oh my God, thank you so much, man! This is freaking awesome! Who requested you give it to me?"

   "The guitarist... Jimmy. You know him?"

   So he had been looking at me! she thought with her heart swelling pleasantly. At this point, what with her previous imagination of what could have actually happened, she decided to live it up this time, even if it meant she discovered how alcoholic Jimmy was, how he was on Cocaine, and how angry he could actually get, even though she knew from the studying of him she did that he was a heart-felt and all-around wonderful person to be around. With little to no thought, Vicky had her answer for the Roadie.

   "No," she smirked, "but I'm thinking within the next hour or so, we'll know each other pretty well."