51-minute footage of Led Zeppelin performing at the Montreal Forum in Canada recently resurfaced online after many decades. The clip was shot in 1975 by the late photographer Jim Kelly during the group’s North American tour prior to the release of Physical Graffiti.
Much of Kelly’s work which was shot on 8mm film was compiled on the YouTube channel “Speedy’s Films” by his friend, Rob Gronfors. Kelly, a.k.a Speedy, was also behind the 20-minute footage from 1977 of a Led Zeppelin performance in Pontiac Dome.
Led Zeppelin’s 1975 unseen footage
As with the previous film, Genesis Museum converted the Montreal footage to digital, and some members of the Led Zeppelin collector’s community did some more work on it. Ikhnaton handled production, film restoration was by Etienne, and YouTuber LedZepFilm synced to audio.
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LedZepFilm wrote, “As I did with Pontiac, here is the raw, unadulterated version of Speedy’s excellent lengthy film from Led Zeppelin’s final show in Montreal, 1975,” after which he expressed gratitude to “all involved to let me pay for the transfer and sync for Speedy’s Zep films, and to the late Jim Kelly for capturing these treasures all those years ago.”
More clips to come
LedZep Films also mentioned the possibility of more films getting released soon, likely the 36-minute one that was on sale in 2022. “I hope this inspires a certain someone to release the other lengthy 8mm film from this,” the comment reads. Fans agreed and called for more Led Zeppelin content from the creators while appreciating their efforts.
Although the group disbanded in 1980, it remained relevant as one of the best-selling music artists, with total record sales of 200 to 300 million units worldwide. Described as “the heaviest band of all time,” they created eight UK number-one albums and six on the U.S. Billboard 200, with five of them albums certified Diamond in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).