55 Years Ago Today: 'Best Rock Band of All Time' Kicked Off Record-Breaking Tour

A British rock band kicked off its seventh North American tour 55 years ago today with a sold-out concert in western Canada. Led Zeppelin performed at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Aug. 19, 1971.

The concert marked the start of a monthlong tour that included stops in major cities across Canada and the United States. Running from Aug. 19 to Sept. 17, 1971, the tour featured 20 shows, including performances in Los Angeles, Fort Worth, New York and Toronto.

The band quickly demonstrated its enormous drawing power. An estimated 18,000 fans attended the Vancouver concert to see vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham perform.

‘Greatest Rock Band of All Time’ Led Zeppelin Conquered North America With Record-Breaking Tour

The huge crowd created a chaotic scene. About 18,000 fans packed inside the venue, while 3,000 ticketless fans clashed with police outside. Promoters eventually opened the doors to prevent a riot.

Pressure from the crowd near the stage became so intense that the band stopped the concert twice to prevent damaging the stage. The concert was reportedly the largest rock audience in Vancouver’s history at the time.

Led Zeppelin reached another milestone on Aug. 23, 1971, during a performance in Fort Worth, Texas. Nearly 14,000 people attended the show at the Tarrant County Convention Center. The concert also set an attendance record for a rock concert in the city.

The crowd was so large that many young people who could not enter the auditorium gathered outside the building. Among them were fans who had been sold counterfeit tickets for $10 each.

The tour introduced audiences to several songs from Led Zeppelin’s upcoming fourth studio album. The Aug. 23 setlist included “Black Dog,” “Stairway to Heaven” and “Going to California.”

Those songs also appeared during the band’s Sept. 4 performance at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens. More than 17,000 fans attended the concert, according to the band’s online archive.

The archive also reported that Led Zeppelin had sold out Madison Square Garden. It added that the band had “smashed box-office records across the continent.”

The tour continued through Sept. 17, with additional stops in Chicago, Boston, Syracuse, Rochester, Berkeley and Honolulu.

The 1971 tour was an important chapter in Led Zeppelin’s rise to the top of rock music. The massive audiences and record-setting performances established the group as one of the leading rock bands not only in Britain but also in North America.

More than five decades later, Led Zeppelin remains highly regarded in the world of rock music. Louder ranked the iconic group No. 1 on its list of the 50 best rock bands of all time. The music website called Led Zeppelin “the greatest rock band in history.”

The band had already received one of rock music’s highest honors in 1995. Led Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that year.

Related: 40 Years Ago Today: Legendary Rock Band Released Their Greatest Album of All Time