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Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience (Tour)


SteveAJones

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On 11/25/2017 at 1:39 AM, ForEvermore said:

I just got back from seeing their tour opening show at the Sands in Bethlehem, PA - they opened their last tour there almost a year ago to the day, and Jason has already promised to be back again next year (both last year and this year were sold out and very raucous). Apparently, his sister lives close to Bethlehem, PA, or so he said at both shows. :)

Well, last year's show was very, very good - it was so good that, if we had gotten basically the same show with the same players, I would have been completely satisfied. However, this year, the guitarist didn't look quite like how I remembered him - they were close in appearance, but also clearly not the same person.

To my great joy and surprise, the "Jimmy Page" of JBLZE on this tour is...Jimmy Sakurai, best known from Led Zepagain and Mr. Jimmy. Well, let me say right here that Mr. Sakurai is Mr. Page's virtual doppelganger, both in appearance and in playing. When I first saw the sample videos for Led Zepagain and Mr. Jimmy, I was really hoping they would come to the East Coast so that I could hear him play - having him with JBLZE was more than I could have hoped for.

Well, the show was simply stellar. The songs played were (not in order - all apologies):

 

Good Times, Bad Times

Black Mountain Side (with a snippet of "White Summer" as an intro), going straight into Kashmir (an awesome version of it)

Whole Lotta Love (first encore)

What Is And What Should Never Be

Thank You

Immigrant Song (show opener)

Since I've Been Loving You (the song that convinced Jason that Jimmy (Sakurai) would fit with the band - this version was awe-inspiring as well)

Rock And Roll (second encore/show closer)

Stairway To Heaven (stellar)

Misty Mountain Hop (this absolutely smoked as well)

The Song Remains The Same (awesome)

Over The Hills And Far Away

No Quarter (spellbinding)

The Ocean

Trampled Underfoot (smokin')

the aforementioned Kashmir

Down By The Seaside (yes, really - Jason said that this song is one of his personal favorites, and this was the first time they had played it live, despite his playing it privately and in soundchecks all the time)

Ten Years Gone (not kidding)

The Wanton Song (also not kidding)

 

If you would like to take in a tribute show of our band, I heartily recommend this one. I will see them every time they come around. :)

 

You nailed it!  I was there on Friday night too - and it was EPIC! 

Second time seeing JBLZE and Sakurai is a very welcomed addition (not that the former guitarist was bad, but Sakurai plays and moves like JP)!

I couldn't remember what song they played between The Wanton Song and The Ocean, but I think it was What Is And What Should Never Be.  I set up a set list at https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/jason-bonham/2017/sands-bethlehem-event-center-bethlehem-pa-33e0c4ed.html  Fee free to add to it. 

Thinking of going again tomorrow night in Boston.  Yes - taking the train up and getting a hotel just to see a cover band - well, actually, THE cover band!

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9 hours ago, LZLVR said:

You nailed it!  I was there on Friday night too - and it was EPIC! 

Second time seeing JBLZE and Sakurai is a very welcomed addition (not that the former guitarist was bad, but Sakurai plays and moves like JP)!

I couldn't remember what song they played between The Wanton Song and The Ocean, but I think it was What Is And What Should Never Be.  I set up a set list at https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/jason-bonham/2017/sands-bethlehem-event-center-bethlehem-pa-33e0c4ed.html  Feel free to add to it. 

Thinking of going again tomorrow night in Boston.  Yes - taking the train up and getting a hotel just to see a cover band - well, actually, THE cover band!

I think that would be money well spent! :D I did an unprecedented thing inspired by this show as well - I now have my very first concert t-shirt for a tribute band. I thought it looked rather sharp and I wanted a memento of an amazing show. (The only other tribute act I would ever consider getting a shirt for is The Musical Box, a Genesis tribute band from Montreal - they are phenomenal if you are a fan of Gabriel-era Genesis. Even the former members like them.)

If I had known how outstanding they were going to be (and that Jimmy Sakurai was now in the band), I would have seen them again in Hershey the following night in a heartbeat. So, I think your trip to Boston would be a good investment. :)

I will never miss them on any future tours, with either JP.

 

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I’ve seen them 4 times since their very first tour in 2010 honoring John Bonham (once in Florida and three times in Atlanta with Tony Catania, who did a great job). I’m so looking forward to seeing them in two weeks in Nashville w/ Jimmy Sakurai. Thanks for sharing Youtube video clips. 

R😎

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39 minutes ago, sam_webmaster said:

Toronto show:

jblze-toronto6.jpg

Looks and sounds like it was one hell of a night in Toronto. I believe there's really only a handful of guitarists in the world who could replace Tony Catania in his JBLZE role in a convincing manner--Jimmy Sakurai is THE one among them. World class lead guitarist.

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I feel a little sad about Tony Catania not being with them anymore.  I hope his departure was done tactfully, he’s such a nice guy and hell of a player. 

We grew up in same town and he was my guitar teacher it’s been amazing to see him achieve so much with Jason.  Hope he continues being successful.

 

 

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On 11/25/2017 at 1:39 AM, ForEvermore said:

I just got back from seeing their tour opening show at the Sands in Bethlehem, PA - they opened their last tour there almost a year ago to the day, and Jason has already promised to be back again next year (both last year and this year were sold out and very raucous). Apparently, his sister lives close to Bethlehem, PA, or so he said at both shows. :)

Well, last year's show was very, very good - it was so good that, if we had gotten basically the same show with the same players, I would have been completely satisfied. However, this year, the guitarist didn't look quite like how I remembered him - they were close in appearance, but also clearly not the same person.

To my great joy and surprise, the "Jimmy Page" of JBLZE on this tour is...Jimmy Sakurai, best known from Led Zepagain and Mr. Jimmy. Well, let me say right here that Mr. Sakurai is Mr. Page's virtual doppelganger, both in appearance and in playing. When I first saw the sample videos for Led Zepagain and Mr. Jimmy, I was really hoping they would come to the East Coast so that I could hear him play - having him with JBLZE was more than I could have hoped for.

Well, the show was simply stellar. The songs played were (not in order - all apologies):

 

Good Times, Bad Times

Black Mountain Side (with a snippet of "White Summer" as an intro), going straight into Kashmir (an awesome version of it)

Whole Lotta Love (first encore)

What Is And What Should Never Be

Thank You

Immigrant Song (show opener)

Since I've Been Loving You (the song that convinced Jason that Jimmy (Sakurai) would fit with the band - this version was awe-inspiring as well)

Rock And Roll (second encore/show closer)

Stairway To Heaven (stellar)

Misty Mountain Hop (this absolutely smoked as well)

The Song Remains The Same (awesome)

Over The Hills And Far Away

No Quarter (spellbinding)

The Ocean

Trampled Underfoot (smokin')

the aforementioned Kashmir

Down By The Seaside (yes, really - Jason said that this song is one of his personal favorites, and this was the first time they had played it live, despite his playing it privately and in soundchecks all the time)

Ten Years Gone (not kidding)

The Wanton Song (also not kidding)

 

If you would like to take in a tribute show of our band, I heartily recommend this one. I will see them every time they come around. :)

 

Wow, what a set list. I LOVE Down by the Seaside and TYG is my all-time favorite. I saw the JBLZE in 2016 in his backyard here in South Florida with Tony Catania. Tony was fantastic; I can only imagine how Mr. Jimmy is going to take the show to the next level. I hope he brings the tour here to South Florida again!

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14 hours ago, EaglesOfOneNest said:

Wow, what a set list. I LOVE Down by the Seaside and TYG is my all-time favorite. I saw the JBLZE in 2016 in his backyard here in South Florida with Tony Catania. Tony was fantastic; I can only imagine how Mr. Jimmy is going to take the show to the next level. I hope he brings the tour here to South Florida again!

Tony indeed was great, and, if he had been on this tour, I would have been completely satisfied. But, having Mr. Jimmy was an extra-special treat! B)

I hope they make it to South Florida for you too!

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Talk about the turning of the worm. To see the real Zeppelin at the O2 gig was roughly $200 per ticket now 10 years later the cost is $130 to see a tribute band with a much smaller stage setup.

Not saying JBLZE are not fantastic, amazing even, but $130 for a tribute band is rather excessive. Shit, I balked at the $90 price for Robert Plant's 2018 show. Then again I am a cheap ass bastard.

Goddamned Eagles & Madonna!!! Those two money whores started this whole mess back in the early 90's. Up until then you could see The Stones, The Who, pretty much any top billed act for around $25 then came Madonna with her Vogue Tour and the Eagles with Hell Freezes Over and next thing you know $100 tickets became the norm. And don't even get me started on the $200 starting price for Heart to play their greatest hits. Give me a break.

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On 12/7/2017 at 11:13 AM, IpMan said:

Goddamned Eagles & Madonna!!! Those two money whores started this whole mess back in the early 90's. Up until then you could see The Stones, The Who, pretty much any top billed act for around $25 then came Madonna with her Vogue Tour and the Eagles with Hell Freezes Over and next thing you know $100 tickets became the norm. And don't even get me started on the $200 starting price for Heart to play their greatest hits. Give me a break.

Seconded, esp. about the Eagles. I was living in San Antonio at the time of that tour, and for the worst seats in the Alamodome (yes, that's a large stadium, not an arena) all the way in the back, all the way at the top were $40 (before "convenience fees", etc.). Nowadays, that would be somewhat of a bargain; back then, for those seats, that was a complete rip-off. I wanted to go, but I simply refused to pay that much for a terrible seat.

I saw the Stones there right around the same time on the "Voodoo Lounge" tour - as you said, the tickets for that show were in the $25 range for the same seats. I went to that one - a great show which surpassed my expectations.

Anyway, spot on for the pricing criminals...

Still, I wouldn't think twice about getting tickets for JBLZE, even at almost headlining prices. The show is just that good, IMHO.

 

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I agree that the JBLZE show is really fantastic and totally worthwhile even though it's a "cover band". FWIW, I paid about ~$50 for floor seats at the Hard Rock arena in Hollywood, FL. We were very close to the stage and it was awesome. I have no idea what the non-floor tickets were going for (less, obviously), but I had seen a comedian (Russell Peters, worth it if he brings his show to a city near you!) at the venue a few months earlier and the stadium seating was really terrible regarding the view of the stage, etc. 

I am OK with paying more for a smaller venue versus than a large arena... in the days of my youth (hehe), I saw plenty a show a Madison Square Garden and the Meadowlands in NYC / NJ and sure, you could see a big name band for $18 or something, but the seats were so far away and the acoustics were meh. It's worth the extra money if you have it to get closer seats (or even farther away seats) in a smaller venue, and since there are fewer tickets sold, of course, they have to charge more. I saw Phil and Friends at a theater in Montclair, NJ a few years ago and we were all the way in the back but still much closer to the stage that I ever got when I went to Grateful Dead arena shows back in the '80s and early '90s. 

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On 08/12/2017 at 12:13 AM, IpMan said:

Talk about the turning of the worm. To see the real Zeppelin at the O2 gig was roughly $200 per ticket now 10 years later the cost is $130 to see a tribute band with a much smaller stage setup.

Not saying JBLZE are not fantastic, amazing even, but $130 for a tribute band is rather excessive. Shit, I balked at the $90 price for Robert Plant's 2018 show. Then again I am a cheap ass bastard.

Goddamned Eagles & Madonna!!! Those two money whores started this whole mess back in the early 90's. Up until then you could see The Stones, The Who, pretty much any top billed act for around $25 then came Madonna with her Vogue Tour and the Eagles with Hell Freezes Over and next thing you know $100 tickets became the norm. And don't even get me started on the $200 starting price for Heart to play their greatest hits. Give me a break.

Totally agree. They are coming to Perth, and I am fucked if I am paying $150 AUD for a tribute band. On principle

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Great to see that his tour dates DON'T include a visit to his homeland. Do you know where that it is pal? 

Not that I would waste my time and money. Living on the back of someone else's music is a bit sad. I reckon if he could be arsed to grace the UK with his presence no one would go anyway. We have moved on mate. $150 AUD for a tribute act ??? :hysterical: That is the reason why he won't come to the UK. 

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On 12/8/2017 at 1:13 AM, IpMan said:

Talk about the turning of the worm. To see the real Zeppelin at the O2 gig was roughly $200 per ticket now 10 years later the cost is $130 to see a tribute band with a much smaller stage setup.

Not saying JBLZE are not fantastic, amazing even, but $130 for a tribute band is rather excessive. Shit, I balked at the $90 price for Robert Plant's 2018 show. Then again I am a cheap ass bastard.

Goddamned Eagles & Madonna!!! Those two money whores started this whole mess back in the early 90's. Up until then you could see The Stones, The Who, pretty much any top billed act for around $25 then came Madonna with her Vogue Tour and the Eagles with Hell Freezes Over and next thing you know $100 tickets became the norm. And don't even get me started on the $200 starting price for Heart to play their greatest hits. Give me a break.

Higher ticket prices now are the result of two factors. Conglomerates like Clear Channel have taken over the industry. Additionally, established artists now make a larger portion of their earnings from touring -- over 60% -- than the sales of recordings. The Eagles and Madonna were among the first to realize their aging demographic was affluent and loyal and set price points accordingly. That said, if you're blinking at paying under $100 to see an established act you won't be seeing many of their concerts next year either.

On 12/16/2017 at 9:27 AM, Xolo1974 said:

Totally agree. They are coming to Perth, and I am fucked if I am paying $150 AUD for a tribute band. On principle

It's a Led Zeppelin tribute show/band. It's Australia. Supply and demand.

10 hours ago, chillumpuffer said:

Great to see that his tour dates DON'T include a visit to his homeland. Do you know where that it is pal? 

Not that I would waste my time and money. Living on the back of someone else's music is a bit sad. I reckon if he could be arsed to grace the UK with his presence no one would go anyway. We have moved on mate. $150 AUD for a tribute act ??? :hysterical: That is the reason why he won't come to the UK. 

I think he's worked out a new production deal with regard to Australia.  Normally, his production company doesn't stage anything outside of North America. Granted, there are many Led Zeppelin tribute bands in the US & Canada, but you can't swing a dead cat without hitting one in the UK. Market saturation, aside from the original production contract constraints, would be my guess as to why he has yet to bring this to the UK.

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On ‎18‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 7:13 PM, chillumpuffer said:

Great to see that his tour dates DON'T include a visit to his homeland. Do you know where that it is pal? 

Not that I would waste my time and money. Living on the back of someone else's music is a bit sad. I reckon if he could be arsed to grace the UK with his presence no one would go anyway. We have moved on mate. $150 AUD for a tribute act ??? :hysterical: That is the reason why he won't come to the UK. 

As you also said on the Australian fans page...

On ‎22‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 7:52 PM, chillumpuffer said:

:hysterical:. What a rip off. Playing his Dad's classics. Keep to playing Vegas Jason?

If he's getting this sort of message from his homeland, why would he bother?

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On ‎16‎/‎12‎/‎2017 at 11:27 AM, Xolo1974 said:

Totally agree. They are coming to Perth, and I am fucked if I am paying $150 AUD for a tribute band. On principle

Kind of sad. Really what anybody would pay indicates the value of that experience to them. You previously thought this was "value".

On ‎21‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 10:17 PM, Xolo1974 said:

Thanks mate, but I’m gonna pass. I’m going to see the Led Zeppelin experience in the Charles Hotel on 18th Nov for $45. A pub. My kind of venue - as opposed to where the JBLZE is playing - a theatre. Not interested in seeing Jason really, especially not for $130 plus booking fees...I reckon that’s taking the piss! 

That's a pub tribute band with no "connection"! There is an Australian set-up, CCEntertainment, which does an annual 'Led Zeppelin Celebration' called 'Whole Lotta Love' - 4 alternating vocalists, 9 piece band, generally filling smaller theatres. Don't try to act as Led Zeppelin. Musically superb. I think last time I saw them it was about $70AUD. Easily worth double that.

I'm not anti pubs. Amongst the best shows I saw this year were free in pubs or $15-20AUD in small rooms.

I also paid the most I ever have for a concert ticket (last week in a 12000 seat arena). $406AUD for a pommy bass player playing tunes from his earlier bands - and well and truly got my money's worth. I'd have to dig back to Queen in 1976 or the O2 Arena 10/12/2007 show (which to attend, cost me nearly 10x the amount last week) for a show which I'd say might have been"better".

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to JBLZE in Sydney, am OK with the price and don't care whose not there!

 

 

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