Lo Giudice spent months sourcing photographs for the book, which focuses solely on this performance and Led Zeppelin\u2019s travel to Milan\u2019s Vigorelli Velodrome.<\/p>\n
This narrow scope results in a forensic look at the show, detailing how Led Zeppelin was forced to abandon its performance as fans stormed the stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lo Giudice\u2019s decision to keep the book focused on black and white photos of a single show means it\u2019s a rare Led Zeppelin book that\u2019s possible to fully endorse, remaining exhaustive in terms of photographs and with careful source notes on the photographers who contributed.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s vanishingly rare that Led Zeppelin books surface that are clear labours of love filled with fresh content. \u201cLed Zeppelin Milano 1971\u201d is one of these special titles, deserving a place on fan\u2019s bookshelves next to the 2018 book \u201cEvenings With Led Zeppelin\u201d by Dave Lewis and Mike Tremaglio along with Mark Blake\u2019s 2018 biography of Peter Grant \u201cBring It On Home\u201d.<\/p>\n
As LedZepNews wrote last year<\/a>, \u201cthe most interesting Led Zeppelin activity in 2025 comes not from the band itself, but by outsiders intent on carrying the torch\u201d. This book provides ample evidence of this.<\/p>\n In its opening pages, Lo Giudice documents Led Zeppelin arriving in Milan. John Bonham, possibly drunk, jokingly sits on the luggage carousel for the assembled photographs. Robert Plant appears more concerned with holding on to his plane reading, a copy of the 1968 book \u201cThe Quest for Arthur\u2019s Britain\u201d by Geoffrey Ashe.<\/p>\n The photographs selected by Lo Giudice show eager fans awaiting Led Zeppelin\u2019s performance inside the velodrome, unaware of the riot that would take place within hours.<\/p>\n Once Led Zeppelin began performing what would become their sole Italian show, there is an impressive amount of photographs taken of the performance. Shots taken by photographers behind the stage give us a rare view looking down on Led Zeppelin\u2019s performance and the eager crowd.<\/p>\n These shots make it possible to spot details such as John Paul Jones\u2019 spare bass guitar sitting on a pair of white wooden chairs at the side of the stage and a luggage tag tied to the handle on top of a speaker cabinet next to John Bonham.<\/p>\n The sudden outbreak of violence is documented in a series of photographs showing fans rushing the stage. Some have their shirts tied around their faces, working as makeshift bandanas to stop them breathing in the police\u2019s tear gas.<\/p>\n Amid the chaos, the photographs show Jones fleeing the riot accompanied by a crew member holding his bass guitar. Richard Cole, Led Zeppelin\u2019s tour manager, can be glimpsed wading through the crowd to rescue Jimmy Page\u2019s Gibson Les Paul guitar and Jones\u2019 Framus mandolin.<\/p>\n It\u2019s here where an accompanying essay would have been welcome, perhaps quoting the band members regarding the chaos and providing recollections from concert attendees. Instead, Lo Giudice has chosen to let the photographs do the talking, interspersed with occasional newspaper clippings.<\/p>\n For those readers who can\u2019t read the Italian newspaper clippings, their headlines alone reveal enough of the media reaction to the riot. One newspaper branded it a \u201ctifone di violenza\u201d, a \u201ctyphoon of violence\u201d. Another branded the show a \u201cdesastre en Milan\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe police let loose with a salvo of teargas that flooded the audience and band,\u201d Page has said of the show in an On This Day post on his website. \u201cIt was clearly a premeditated operation; we lost some equipment that night and also the enthusiasm to play in Italy again.\u201d<\/p>\n Led Zeppelin never returned to perform in Italy, leaving Italian fans of the band short changed. Lo Giudice\u2019s book, however, goes a long way in thoroughly documenting both the show and the typhoon of violence that followed.<\/p>\n Follow Led Zeppelin News on Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> to stay up to date on news as it happens. You can also sign up to our email<\/a> for a digest of the latest news sent to your inbox. LedZepNews uses paid Amazon referral links to earn commissions to cover its costs.\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/289c7082-51a8-4c9d-a4c0-ee0be386907c-1024x609.jpeg\")
An inside spread from the new book \u2018Led Zeppelin Milano 1971\u2019<\/p>\n