During a recent appearance on Classic Rock, Saxon lead singer Biff Byford listed his top ten festival moments. The singer revealed that Jimmy Page’s guitar performance at Bath Festival in 1970 was unforgettable for him.
Led Zeppelin’s performance at Bath Festival is considered among one of the turning points in the band’s career. The show increased the band’s popularity in Great Britain, and it was also one of the most crowded performances with over 200,000 people. The whole band gave an excellent performance, but Jimmy Page has been stuck in many people’s minds with his terrific guitar performance.
As you probably know, Jimmy Page has a distinctive guitar-playing technique, which makes him one of the most influential guitarists of all time. Page once realized that playing the guitar with a bow had massive potential, and then, he started to play like this during the shows and developed this unique technique over the years. He wasn’t the first or only one to use a bow while playing guitar, but he definitely became one of the most famous bowed guitar players.
During his interview with Classic Rock, Biff Byford listed Jimmy Page’s guitar performance at Bath Festival among his favorite festival moments. Byford said that although he was a little far from the stage, he still can’t forget Page playing guitar with a bow. Apparently, the singer was so impressed with Page’s unique technique that he hasn’t forgotten it even after years.
Biff Byford’s words on Jimmy Page’s guitar performance:
“I’m lumping these two together as, from memory, they were back-to-back. Led Zeppelin was on at Bath, and although we were about eight miles away from the stage I’ll never forget Jimmy Page playing guitar with a bow. Lincoln had the Beach Boys, The Faces, and Slade. My friend and I made a house with straw bales and filled it with Mars Bars… and as many girls as we could find. Which wasn’t that many, but there were a few. I returned cold, wet, hungry, and smelling of straw.”
You can listen to Led Zeppelin’s impressive performance at Bath Festival below.
