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Watch Pavement play hilariously mangled ‘Stairway To Heaven’ cover in Oakland
Pavement kicked off their 2026 US tour with a loose, improvised cover of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway To Heaven' during a set in Oakland, California. The performance took place on 17 July at the official pre-party for the Mosswood Meltdown festival, marking the band's first live appearance since a show in Mexico City the previous November.
The three-minute rendition came midway through the set, following a performance of 'Harness Your Hopes', with frontman Stephen Malkmus largely abandoning the original lyrics in favour of improvised words as he and Scott Kannberg loosely worked through the track. The Oakland show, hosted by filmmaker John Waters and also featuring Wednesday and Vivian Girls, opened a run of US tour dates that continues through late July, taking in cities including Portland, Seattle, Chicago and Nashville, ahead of the main Mosswood Meltdown festival headlined by Iggy Pop and Bikini Kill.
In short
- Pavement covered Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway To Heaven' in loose, improvised fashion
- Show was at Oakland's Mosswood Meltdown pre-party, hosted by John Waters
- It opened a US tour running through late July, ending in Nashville
Explained simply
Pavement is an influential American alternative rock band that emerged in the 1990s as central to the indie rock scene. After disbanding in 2010, the band reunited in recent years to return to touring and live performances.
"Stairway to Heaven" is one of the most famous and influential rock songs ever recorded, released by Led Zeppelin in 1971. The song's iconic status means it is rarely covered by other artists, which can make such performances carry particular weight and interest.
Pavement's live shows have historically been characterised by spontaneity and improvisation rather than strict adherence to recorded versions. This approach has earned the band a devoted following among fans who appreciate the unpredictability of their live performances.
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