Bootleg Daze (Tarantura TCDPP-5-1, 2)
Nippon Budokan, Tokyo, Japan – Thursday, February 8th, 1996
Disc 0 (74:38): Subway Tozai Line, Kudan-Shita Station, Ticket Dealer, Camera Check, Announcement, Opening Announcement / Attention, Blackout
Disc 1 (76:02): Announcement / SE, Monitor Check, Egyptian Tape Intro., Celebration Day, Bring It On Home, Heartbreaker, What Is And What Should Never Be, The Rain Song – false start, The Rain Song, Hurdy-Gurdy Solo, When The Levee Breaks, Gallows Pole, Tea For One – false start, Tea For One, Band Introduction, The Song Remains The Same, Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
Disc 2 (75:51): Whole Lotta Love, Down By The Riverside, Break On Through To The Other Side, Dazed And Confused, Whole Lotta Love, The Truth Explodes (Yallah), Four Sticks, In The Evening, Kashmir, Black Dog, Rock And Roll, SE / Announcement, Budokan lobby lounge
The third Page & Plant Budokan show on February 8th, 1996 has been prior release in the 10 Days Final Edition (Hoochie Coochie) box set, on Welcome To The Rehearsals (Pour The Soul PTS 020/1) and Celebrating Third And Fourth Days (The Symbols). Bootleg Daze, the new release on Tarantura, contains a new never before released tape source from the taper known as Crypton.
Known for his excellent quality Eric Clapton tapes, this is another excellent stereo DAT audience tape of the entire show. In fact, like the others, it’s an excellent DAT stereo audience recording of the taper’s entire evening, from his travels on the Tokyo subway to leaving the venue after the final notes were played. It’s fun to listen to at least once, but the music is what counts and it is a spectacular recording.
The third Budokan show starts off standard with the middle eastern tape before the first tune ”Celebration Day” and the first medley of “Bring It On Home,” “Heartbreaker” and “What Is And What Should Never Be.”
Afterwards it the first big surprise of the night. “The Rain Song” is played acoustically with orchestra as it was on “Unledded,” but nowhere else on the tour. Page hits bum note at the very beginning and continues to make minor mistakes, but it sounds gorgeous.
The Nigel Eaton hurdy gurdy solo leads into “When The Levee Breaks,” not “Gallows Pole” as is most common on the tour. Afterwards is the second big surprise when they play “Tea For One” for the first time ever. It breaks down at the beginning prompting Plant to say, “This is the rehearsal for the bootleg.”
Page & Plant play a slow, dreamy version of “Down By The Seaside” from Physical Graffiti in the “Whole Lotta Love” medley, and ”Break On Through” sees Page fiddling with the wah-wah pedal and Plant shouting “FREAK OUT.”
Plant introduces the orchestra before they attempt “Yallah.” But there is a major foul up in the equipment and they have to abort the song. “Thank you, another new song” Plant says sarcastically when they stop. “this is a remarkable evening. It’s fantastic. This is like the best rehearsal….we have been on tour now for one hundred and three, one-zero-three concerts, and there’s still major fuck-ups.”
“Four Sticks” is introduced as another new song and the rest of the show precedes to “Kashmir” without any more incidents. But the first encore is quite confusing. It sounds as if Page wants to play “Custard Pie” and plays a riff resembling the song. Plant stops and addresses Tokyo before Page starts “Black Dog.” At the end of the song Page plays riffs from “Out On The Tiles” and “Misty Mountain Hop.”
Overall it’s a strange but ultimately rewarding show for the Page and Plant collector.
Bootleg Daze is packaged in a deluxe box with miniature poster and is limited to 150 numbered copies. The first disc, containing more than an hour of pre-concert activities, is a free bonus and is not included in the final price. The front photograph of Page is printed with permission of the official photographer and, as the label points out, was unofficially approved by Jimmy Page himself who visited Japan recently to promote Celebration Day.
