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Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience (Tour)

SteveAJones

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SuperDave

SuperDave

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Great read Deborah! Absolutely loved everything, especially the photos! So, well done! It was a great show and the set list seemed the same as NYC. So glad you had such a great time, even though it was a bit emotional for you. Such a great experience I had from the third row and also right up against the stage. Something I'll never forget and I'm sure you won't either. Keep it up! Would love to see this again...and soon!

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SteveAJones

SteveAJones

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Son's tribute experience shares 'whole lotta love'

Wednesday night's blowout "Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience" show isn't just any ol' Zep tribute.

By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR Tulsa World Scene Writer

Published: 11/14/2010

It's fully backed and directed by Bonham, touted by Zep frontman Robert Plant and promoted and produced by Annerin, who brought music fans "The Pink Floyd Experience" and "Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles."

Bonham's tour is a tribute to his father, John Bonham, who died in 1980 at age 32.

Interactive concept shows are not new. In 1991, Natalie Cole released "Unforgettable," a well-received posthumous "duet" hit with her father Nat King Cole, who died in 1965. Today, Dweezil Zappa tours the globe performing faithful renditions of dad Frank Zappa's quirkiest and most memorable hits, knocking out guitar duets live with archival footage of his dad.

Bonham's "Led Zeppelin Experience" brings in elements of all of the above, plus some - drum duos with his father via candid video footage from family archives and rare interviews, commentary, lighting, sound - and the band's canon of hits, including percussion tracks from John Bonham, who many believe to be the best rock drummer in the history of the genre.

In fact, a clichéd "tribute show" was exactly what Bonham didn't want. Some three years ago, Bonham was more hopeful for a reunion of sorts when Zeppelin reunited for a one-off show in London.

"I felt complete with them," he said. And, "them," of course, would be seminal bandmates John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Six weeks of rehearsals, a year of

pounding out riffs and, Bonham said, "getting to know these people that I'd known my whole life, but getting to know them as adults and musicians."

"I adored absolutely every moment of it. There was a huge void after we finished." He pounded the Led out, minus the primal off-stage antics that also helped propel his father into the annals of rock 'n' roll infamy.

"I didn't throw TVs through windows or anything like that, even though, you know, my father pretty much invented that one," Bonham said. "I've tried, before, though. ... Windows are a lot stronger now than they were back then."

A posthumous bonding

This tour commemorates the 30th year without his father, and kicked off in the same venue that father John Bonham was scheduled to perform in on the day he died, junior Bonham explained with an emotion-strained voice. "From the moment that hit me, it all became overwhelming and unbelievable."

He's reduced the tissue box count from two to one as his tour has progressed, he joked, half-seriously. "That first night, I was handing them out to the audience, too. ... In every sense, this is an interactive journey."

He laughs about the first time Annerin reps called and presented him with the idea to tour.

"'Oh my God, a tribute show?' I said, 'No, absolutely no.' Then I saw what they did with 'Rain' and I realized I can tell a story. Led Zeppelin has been a part of my life for my entire life. ... And that's when the hard work started."

Bonham controls everything - down to the lighting, video footage, images and even the fog machines, he said. His mother and family delved into the project, too. "An hour before the first show, we were still putting the video together," Bonham said.

"The weirdest thing is, about three shows into this tour we got a news clipping of Dad in 1970, where he said 'My 4-year-old son plays drums. My dream is to play side-by-side.' "

John Bonham's son is now 44.

A sentiment without a stage

Without giving anything away, he says he performs that tune with his father on this tour, "and that became an even heavier emotional piece. Oh, it's just ..." Bonham said, and drifted off, speechless.

"It's hard do describe it, darling," he finally finished. "It is a true honor to represent John Paul Jones and Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and my family. ... The room just fills with love. There are standing ovations, chanting, cheering. ... Fans tell me from e-mail and the website and phone calls that they never expected so much intensity - they never expected such a full experience."

The set list includes "Whole Lotta Love," "When the Levee Breaks," "Black Dog," "Dazed and Confused," "Moby Dick," "Lemon Song," "Stairway to Heaven," "Rock and Roll," "Kashmir" and more.

Bonham won't name his bandmates - some of them are well-known - he doesn't want anybody's "preconceived notions" getting in the way of the live experience, he explained.

Next year, Bonham also plans to tour with his new solo project, Black Country Communion, including guitarist Joe Bonamassa and former Deep Purple bass player Glen Hughes.

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: SpiritBank Event Center, 10441 S. Regal Boulevard

Tickets: All ages. Tickets start at $35, plus fees, available at the SpiritBank Event Center box office, tulsaworld.com/spiritbankeventcenter, and via phone at 369-9360.

Online: tulsaworld.com/jasonbonham

http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=269&articleid=20101114_269_D5_CUTLIN31763&rss_lnk=4

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bigzepfan

bigzepfan

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Deb, glad you had such a great time. that is such a great pic of you and Tony. It must be rough

being a rock and roll star :)

That is so cool about Jaeger. I'm sure he was at the three shows I saw, but didn't notice.

When I went to NJ there was this short guy hanging around outside the venue. Just hanging

around not doing much. I asked him if he needed any tickets because I had an extra. He smiled and

said no thanks. of course i had no idea who he was because I didn't watch any youtube vids so it would

all be "new". It wound up being Stephen Leblanc. Had I only known!

It is so awesome that so many of us were able to enjoy it firsthand. If Jason doesn't do an official video there

will be some great boots out there.

Too cool about the hello deboarah. a true unforgettable zeppelin moment for sure.

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reids

reids

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All I can say is .... Wow!!!

I'm overwhelmed. It was the best concert I've ever been too (and I've seen a lot of shows over the years).

The band was incredible. They performed some of the very best material (mostly from the first few albums, while drawing from some portions of the latter).

What Deborah J said above is true. Jason looked directly at her and said hello, Deborah". I couldn't believe it at first and asked her, "Did he just say what I think he said?" and Deborah said, yes. :)

Very cool, indeed.

So many highlights in this one. I don't want to ruin it for anyone else (and will post more later).

I have a ton of photos as well (and will post them soon).

In the meantime, here's one of me and Tony.

TonyReid.jpg

He is probably the best rounded guitarist to play Led Zeppelin (outside of JP himself).

It was great to see him again after many years. :)

If you live anywhere in the US and haven't seen this show yet, go buy and plane ticket and go see this one!!! This tour cannot be missed!!!

R B)

Edited by reids
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justawoman

justawoman

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Going tonight to the Houston show - Woo-Hoo!!!!!!! :banana: I'm ready to rock out!!!!!!

Hubby and I are going to meet up with Gigi and her husband before the show at Hard Rock. So looking forward to meeting Gigi and talking all things Zep! Can't wait!

Will report back manana.

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Gigi

Gigi

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Going tonight to the Houston show - Woo-Hoo!!!!!!! :banana: I'm ready to rock out!!!!!!Hubby and I are going to meet up with Gigi and her husband before the show at Hard Rock. So looking forward to meeting Gigi and talking all things Zep! Can't wait!Will report back manana.

I'm excited too!! We're heading out in a few so we should hit the Hard Rock right on time. Yay!! :P

And, Deborah, if you're reading this, will you check your inbox? It appears to be full and I NEED to chat with you. B)

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Deborah J

Deborah J

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I'm excited too!! We're heading out in a few so we should hit the Hard Rock right on time. Yay!! :P

And, Deborah, if you're reading this, will you check your inbox? It appears to be full and I NEED to chat with you. B)

You and justawoman together, I can't even imagine how much fun all of you are going to have :lol: Just sent you a PM!!

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Gigi

Gigi

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The show last night in Houston was freakin’ awesome! The highlight for me was definitely Moby Dick. I just love how down to earth and sincere Jason comes across. You can just hear the love that he has for his father in his voice and in his words. It sounds corny, but it’s true! I also loved the photos and video clips. I’m just going to adopt Deborah’s review because she was spot on. Of course, I kept waiting for Jason to say “Hi Gigi” but he never did. :DB)

Meeting up with Kat (justawoman) and her husband before the show was so much fun. Seriously, Kat and I had a few drinks and talked about all things Zeppelin for over an hour. It was fantastic! So, thanks Kat for making last night so enjoyable. You and Jaime are our kind of people and we can’t wait to hang out with y'all again. Fun times!

For anyone here who is on the fence about seeing JBLZE, buy your tickets now and GO. You will NOT regret the decision. It was truly one of the best shows I have ever seen!

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The Rover

The Rover

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DALLAS SHOW NOV. 18TH INFO:

I talked with the Operator at the Fair Park Music Hall today, over the phone.

She said that The Bistro on the second floor would be open to serve food and beverage at about 6:00pm. The Bistro offers lighter fare before the performance. Sandwiches, salads, desserts, and snacks are sold ranging from about $3 to $10.

The Dining Room on the first floor will not be open.

According to her, the doors to go into the seating will be opened about 7:30pm. But, this being a rock show, I don't know what exact policy will be.

Here's the Dallas weather forecast for anyone coming in from out of town:

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 58. North northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38. North northwest wind around 5 mph.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 68. South wind between 5 and 10 mph.

(Please drive defensively, as we've had several bad DWI related wrong way crashes on the Dallas highways in as many days.)

Edited by The Rover
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justawoman

justawoman

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Hi Gigi, Hi Deb :wave:

Just made it in from Houston and couldn't wait to post! Had so much fun last night. It was great meeting up with Gigi and Bobby. I think we could have talked all night. In fact, I think my husband wanted to stay and have more drinks after the show, but as usual, common sense and the fact that it was a Tuesday night with work the next day won out.

Now onto my thoughts on the show - OMG!!!!!! It was PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!! Ditto Gigi's and Deb's reviews. The show went above and beyond my expectations. I didn't sleep well last night b/c I kept reliving the show over and over again in my head! Some of the highlights for me were definitely when they played "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", "How Many More Times", "When the Levee Breaks", "Moby Dick", "The Lemon Song" then immediately following with "Thank You". And then "The Ocean" was amazing. Oh and, "Since I've Been Loving You" and "I'm Gonna Crawl". It will be days before you can wipe the smile off my face.

Jason was a true showman and so humble, a truly likable person. He stated in the beginning that like the rest of all of us there, he is a true fan who just happened to be the son of the drummer. One of the highlights for me was when he showed a home movie of him, probably about age 6 performing this little marching jazz hands type dance for his parents. His mom and dad were off to the side watching him and trying not to laugh out loud at his performance because he was so serious about it. It was truly precious. Anyone out there who ever has had small children can relate. It was really cute, I got a big kick out of it.

I also have to state how good the other members of the band were. Tony Cantania was 'the bomb', his guitar playing blew me away, he's amazing and was the next best thing IMO to seeing the real thing. And the lead singer, James Dylan sounds so Plant-like, he has really studied Plant's singing style and vocal inflections. He too was truly amazing. And the bass quitarist, like JPJ was the low key one but also did a phenomenal job and played the harmonica when it was called for. You could tell they all were enjoying themselves immensely. While at the show, if you closed your eyes, you'd swear you were listening to Zeppelin live.

I can't say enough about this concert and these musicans. I so hope they do a second leg of this tour in 2011. I so want to see it again. I'm going to do a one-woman campaign to try to bring them to New Orleans or even better Lafayette. I know in Lafayette we could get as big (if not bigger) than the crowd in Houston. I'm on a mission now!!!!!

If you are thinking about going to this show and are unsure - GO! You will not regret it!

Gigi, Thanks for posting the review - great review.

Edited by justawoman
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SuperDave

SuperDave

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Hi Gigi, Hi Deb :wave:

Just made it in from Houston and couldn't wait to post! Had so much fun last night. It was great meeting up with Gigi and Bobby. I think we could have talked all night. In fact, I think my husband wanted to stay and have more drinks after the show, but as usual, common sense and the fact that it was a Tuesday night with work the next day won out.

Now onto my thoughts on the show - OMG!!!!!! It was PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!! Ditto Gigi's and Deb's reviews. The show went above and beyond my expectations. I didn't sleep well last night b/c I kept reliving the show over and over again in my head! Some of the highlights for me were definitely when they played "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", "How Many More Times", "When the Levee Breaks", "Moby Dick", "The Lemon Song" then immediately following with "Thank You". And then "The Ocean" was amazing. Oh and, "Since I've Been Loving You" and "I'm Gonna Crawl". It will be days before you can wipe the smile off my face.

Jason was a true showman and so humble, a truly likable person. He stated in the beginning that like the rest of all of us there, he is a true fan who just happened to be the son of the drummer. One of the highlights for me was when he showed a home movie of him, probably about age 6 performing this little marching jazz hands type dance for his parents. His mom and dad were off to the side watching him and trying not to laugh out loud at his performance because he was so serious about it. It was truly precious. Anyone out there who ever has had small children can relate. It was really cute, I got a big kick out of it.

I also have to state how good the other members of the band were. Tony Cantania was 'the bomb', his guitar playing blew me away, he's amazing and was the next best thing IMO to seeing the real thing. And the lead singer, James Dylan sounds so Plant-like, he has really studied Plant's singing style and vocal inflections. He too was truly amazing. And the bass quitarist, like JPJ was the low key one but also did a phenomenal job and played the harmonica when it was called for. You could tell they all were enjoying themselves immensely. While at the show, if you closed your eyes, you'd swear you were listening to Zeppelin live.

I can't say enough about this concert and these musicans. I so hope they do a second leg of this tour in 2011. I so want to see it again. I'm going to do a one-woman campaign to try to bring them to New Orleans or even better Lafayette. I know in Lafayette we could get as big (if not bigger) than the crowd in Houston. I'm on a mission now!!!!!

If you are thinking about going to this show and are unsure - GO! You will not regret it!

Gigi, Thanks for posting the review - great review.

Thanks for sharing justawoman. Must of been an incredible show as NYC was last week. Surprised they won't be playing in N'awlins.

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justawoman

justawoman

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Thanks for sharing justawoman. Must of been an incredible show as NYC was last week. Surprised they won't be playing in N'awlins.

Hi SuperDave, the show was absolutely incredible! And, ya' think they'd play N'awlins - come on guys, we pass a good time, m'yeah. If there is going to be a second leg to this tour, I've got to do everything in my power to get them to Louisiana. How? I'm not sure, but I'll contact every local classic rock station, concert venue and even the concert promoters if possible. Like I said, I'm on a mission.

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justawoman

justawoman

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Hi Kat!!!

Thanks to you and Gigi for sharing your evening with us. It is now at the top of my list for most memorable concerts. Keep us updated on your mission:-) I hope he does this again so more people can see this. I am ready to go again ;)

Hey Deb!!! I have to agree with you, it has to be top on my list of one of the most memorable concerts I've seen. He has to do a second leg. I want everyone I know that enjoys Led Zeppelin (friends, family) to see this show - thus my mission. I'll keep you posted.

I know when "The Music of Led Zeppelin" came to Lafayette with Randy Jackson (and I'm almost positive, I'd put money on it, the guitarist for those shows was Tony Cantania, if not, he has a twin) they sold out twice, two years in a row!!!! The venue they played in Lafayette is bigger then the Verizon Theater in Houston (which didn't have a sell out crowd)!!!! So, I know if this show would come to Lafayette, it would surely sell out. I'd be a one-woman promotion machine. :D There are so many closet Led Heads in Lafayette (old and young), and I'm slowing smoking them out. Making them own their Love of Led. :P

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justawoman

justawoman

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Thanks Deb so much for posting all the Youtube clips. They make me want to see the concert again all the more. Enjoying watching the videos, but there is nothing like being there in the audience and having that powerful music envelope you, surround you and move through you. It's a wonderful high and I'm addicted. :P

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