The Nobs
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The Nobs was a temporary name used by the rock band Led Zeppelin for a single concert in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the band's 1970 European concert tour.
Controversy over using the 'Zeppelin' name originated from Frau Eva von Zeppelin, a descendent of Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, creator of the Zeppelin aircraft. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page commented to the music newspaper Melody Maker that Frau Eva von Zeppelin initially took issue during an early Led Zeppelin concert performance in Copenhagen in October of 1969, when she tried (unsuccessfully) to stop a television appearance.
As a gesture of good will, the band invited her to meet with them. The meeting was apparently a cordial one. However, upon leaving the studio, her anger reignited when she saw the cover of the group's first album - the exploding Hindenburg aircraft. Frau von Zeppelin felt the band's use of Zeppelin was insulting and dishonoured her family name. As a result, hostility toward the rock group continued on their next tour of the country in early 1970 by threat of a lawsuit, unless they agreed to change their name while working there. While Peter Grant (the band's manager) was not normally passive when faced with a confrontation, it was decided to appease the aristocrat by temporarily changing the group's name.
One name speculated in the national press was "Ned Zeppelin", which Jimmy Page found humorous. After some discussion, Grant and Page settled on the tongue-in-cheek name The Nobs, the British slang for male genitalia. It was also a playful pun on the name of their European promoter, Claude Nobs.[1]
The band was billed as such for their concert at K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen on 28 February, 1970.[2]
The controversy in Copenhagen was considered advantageous to Led Zeppelin early in their career, as the incident gained them worldwide publicity. The band's choice of names was widely seen as an expression of the band's likability and wit.
[edit] References
- ^ Lewis, Dave and Pallett, Simon (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 43-44.
- ^ Led Zeppelin official website: concert summary
