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The time the Teamsters tangled with Led Zeppelin

The indictment last week of five members of Teamsters Local 25 on federal extortion charges got us thinking about, of all things, Led Zeppelin. Why? Because the allegations against the Teamsters, who are accused of harassing and intimidating the “Top Chef” staff, including the TV show’s host, Padma Lakshmi, are reminiscent of a story Stephen Davis tells in “Hammer of the Gods,” his best-selling book about the British rock band. Davis, who lives in Milton, was music editor at The Real Paper in 1973 when he found himself backstage at Led Zeppelin’s concert at the Boston Garden. He recalls: “In Boston, the Zeppelin roadies went into action against a Teamster union goon squad that had appeared backstage in an attempt to shake down Led Zeppelin. Peter Grant [the band’s manager] and his private army bloodied the Teamsters faces, knocked out a few teeth, and sent them packing.” When we called Davis Wednesday to talk about the incident, he chuckled. “A bunch of young guys, South Boston and Dorchester types, got backstage and started asking for money. Grant, who was enormous, a former professional wrestler, turned to Richard Cole, who was Zeppelin’s tour manager, and said, ‘Get the lads together and meet me in the loading dock.’ Zeppelin’s roadies were notoriously violent, but only when provoked. They were provoked. And they beat the crap out of the Teamsters.” Davis, who’s also written books about the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Bob Marley, and Levon Helm, is currently working on a book about Stevie Nicks.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had the incorrect amount of arrests in the Teamsters case.

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