Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience (Tour)

[ledzepfvr]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to the board, just wanted to make a comment about Jason's production.

I very much appreciated having the opportunity to see this in Los Angeles last week at the Pantages Theater.

We bought our tickets the day they went on sale with a healthy dose of speculation. Having never had the opportunity to see

Zeppelin live I was just hoping for it to not be a bust.

After seeing the show it just left me wanting more. I hope we will have the chance to see this at least once more in Los Angeles.

Many thanks to Jason and all that were involved in putting together this amazing show. A very heartfelt tribute to his father and the

entire band. In my opinion he did Bonzo proud.

Thanks for the opportunity to post.

Foz

Hello Foz.....It was a great show wasn't it. I saw it in Riverside and had a great time.

BTW....Welcome to the forum

[justawoman]

'This for me is as close to them as I'm ever going to get, and thank you for bringing the music,'"

The above statement from the Tacoma, WA article says it all, IMO.

I've seen Zeppelin twice in their heyday some 35 and 37 years ago, the experience and memories have faded with time. Thank you Jason for bringing the music back to the fans live and giving fans who never had the experience of hearing this music live the opportunity. Indeed, you do your father proud. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And, welcome to the forum Foz, great post!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited November 28, 2010 by justawoman

[SteveAJones]

Zeppelin classics

Bonham legacy: Band brings music, stunning visuals, home movies and photos of famous drummer to stage

ERNEST A. JASMIN; Staff writer

The Olympian (Olympia, WA)

Published November 26, 2010

With Led Zeppelin, "Bonzo" John Bonham provided the techtonic beats behind some of rock's most epic recordings. Then his untimely death brought the band's legendary run to a sudden, shocking halt on Sept. 25, 1980. But now, 30 years later, his legacy lives on with his son. It has been three years since Jason Bonham sat in with Zeppelin's surviving members during a one-off reunion gig at London's O2 Arena. And now Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience is ready to rattle Seattle's WaMu Theater with "Kashmir," "Stairway to Heaven" and other Zep classics Saturday night.

The tour kicked off early last month in Dawson Creek, B.C. And checking in from a recent tour stop in Phoenix, Bonham talked about some of the emotions the trek and its planning have stirred up so far.

"This has been the hardest year, I think, in ... missing him because (of) the speculation of them touring again with me, and a little bit of disappointment that it didn't go on," he said.

He also admitted to being a little uneasy about taking Zeppelin songs on the road without Zeppelin.

"I didn't want to tarnish the things I accomplished with them by performing at the O2," he said. "But once it started, (I realized) I was so wrong to think it might be strange for me to do because the turnout and the support has been overwhelming and breathtaking."

The Zeppelin Experience band features Bonham on drums, Whitesnake's Michael Devin on bass, Tony Catania on guitar, Stephen LeBlanc on keys and lap steel, and vocalist James Dylan of tribute band Virtual Zeppelin.

Recent set lists have included "Immigrant Song," "Moby Dick," "Kashmir" and most of the expected hits. Bonham also promised eye-popping visuals, home movies and photographs that tell the Bonham family's story.

"The show actually starts off with images of the area where I grew up, which is the West Midlands, in Dudley (England)," Bonham said.

Fans first see the elder Bonham as an 8-year-old kid with his own dad. "Suddenly, people start to recognize that it's John Bonham. And at that point, the place usually goes crazy," Bonham said.

"He was the same as anyone else's dad. He would do things to embarrass you. He would cut you off if you'd talked back. He would ground you if you didn't do your homework. He was just a regular guy. He just happened to play in Led Zeppelin."

For some, seeing the Led Zeppelin Experience is an especially emotional experience.

Bonham recalls meeting a fan who described going to the Montreal Forum to buy Zeppelin tickets 30 years ago only to learn one of his idols had died.

"(He) comes to me in tears with his own son now, 30 years later, and is saying, 'This for me is as close to them as I'm ever going to get, and thank you for bringing the music,'" Bonham said. "It's very emotional."

Soon after he gets off the road with the Zeppelin Experience, Bonham will play a few shows in England with his main project, Black Country Communion. He said the super-group which also includes Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X) and Joe Bonamassa will head into the studio in January.

Bonham didn't rule out the possibility that he might eventually go on the road with members of Led Zeppelin not that fans should start marking their calendars.

Bonham continued to jam with guitarist Jimmy Page and bass player John Paul Jones after the O2 show, and the trio had begun to write songs, Bonham said.

Negative reaction to rumors that Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy had been brought in to fill in for singer Robert Plant led Page to issue a statement saying the band was not a new incarnation of Led Zeppelin.

Bonham elaborated that the project was meant to be an entirely new band and "it's on hold for now," he said.

"But who knows? It was a fantastic time being in a writing situation with those guys - just having ideas out and doing things - is very cool."

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience

When: 8 p.m. Saturday

Where: WaMu Theater at Qwest Field, 800 Occidental Ave S., Seattle

Tickets: $33-$43

Information: www.ticketmaster.com

http://www.theolympi...n-classics.html

Edited November 29, 2010 by SteveAJones

[reids]

The last show of the tour (so far) is tonight.

Whoever goes, have a good time. It's currently the best tour out there.

R

[Deborah J]

^^ Yes the last show, hopefully Jason will do another tour!! Found this one from Seattle, short version, but enjoy:-)

Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience 11/27/2010 - Over the Hills and Far Away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm6CTtWLhSA

And Moby Dick

Ally, can't wait for your take on the Seattle event:-)

Edited November 29, 2010 by Deborah J

[ally]

First off, I must say that I went to the Seattle show with an open mind. Wasn't expecting a reincarnation of Zeppelin and was more than willing to take it for what it was. Having said that, the WaMu Theatre really wasn't the venue for this. Far too big and far too many empty seats to give the show a feeling of warmth. It felt like I was sitting in MSG with a half full house. Because of that, it took the band quite awhile to get the crowd going and for me personally, it kinda set the tone for the evening. All credit to the band member though. They played well, and fought off the bad acoustics as well as could be expected . My hope is that the venue in Vancouver will prove to be much better suited . Unfortunately, that was tonight and my boss jammed out on letting me have the night off. So what does a poor boy do ? He sends his youngest son to the show ! Little bugger had 2 front row seats and a meet and greet with Jason. Talk about impressing the girlfriend ! I'll have to report on that...tomorrow...the show that is

[reids]

Thanks Deborah and Ally for your video links and review.

R

[A Traveler]

Went to the Seattle show. The earlier comment about WAMU is right. It's a big venue--basically a big concrete box with acoustic curtains hung around the place, not ideal for music. Fortunately, I sat close enough that acoustics didn't bother us. I went with my 13 year old son, who has been listening to Zep since he could sit up in a car seat. Jason mentioned that he has seen a lot of father-son combos at these shows, and there were no shortage of them that night, either. It was very cool to air guitar and lip sync and basically rock out with my boy to a band that meant a whole lot to me when I was a kid. And he got started way before I did--my folks didn't exactly flood our house or car with Led Zeppelin tunes back in the day.

The show started pretty slow, not because the band wasn't on but because the venue was big and not filled to capacity, and people did not really know how to react to the experience. As the gig went on, though, we all warmed up. By the second set, we were up and jamming. My sense was that the show is pretty heavily weighted toward the first two albums--which is nothing to complain about. Highlights for me included Killing Floor/The Lemon Song, How Many More Times (although I was surprised and a little bummed that Jason did not play that sexy, swinging bridge his father used to play going into The Hunter--Oh Rosie, Oh Girl, O Rosie, O Girl...Steal away now, Steal away, little Robert Anthony wants to..come and play...." Bonzo could bang the skins like nobody else, but he also could swing like a mother....), Dazed, Your Time is Gonna Come, Over the Hills. Actually, there wasn't one song I thought they didn't do at least well.

In the second set, they did a superb Levee--that song kicks ass, and they did it justice. The Moby Dick thing Jason does with his dad is enough to make anybody with a heart and a memory get emotional. I thought I'm Gonna Crawl was really well done. Underrated song. A little disappointed, but not surprised, that they didn't try Achillles--that tune is not for the faint of heart.

As for the band, the guitarist grew on me as the show progressed--he even started looking like Page if I squinted, and he knows the riffs. Devlin was definitely good. He doesn't have the range or power of Plant circa 69-71, but who does? That's one thing I notice at every Zep cover band show I've ever been to--Robert Plant had the huge voice, and pure balls, that the band needed to really take off. Nobody else I've seen comes close. And that doesn't even count the Golden God swagger, the Plantations, etc. Bass player was also good (although he missed at least one run during Good Times Bad Times). And Jason was rock steady. He mentioned he's had a lot of therapy, and it shows--the dude wears his heart on his sleeve. But he was safe with us.

The mix was classic Zeppelin--drums and bass way up, for a bottom end that defined the sound. Sound system was excellent, as was the video--they definitely did not go cheap on the equipment.

What was missing, of course, was the intense vibe of a real Zep concert--the sheer, thrilling anticipation of it all, and then the true hammer of the gods when they took the stage. But that was for a time now gone. This show was sort of Led Zep Lite, in that way. But Lite, done well like these guys do it, is still great.

If they come around again, I'd go again, in a heartbeat.

[justawoman]

Thanks for the review A Traveler. It's great that LZ can bring fathers and sons together.

[The Rover]

There was father and -two- sons sitting beside me at the Dallas show. The dad sorta looked like Eddie Van Halen did on their most recent tour (but it wasn't Eddie..)

For anyone that purchased the Ludwig Fundraiser laminate at any of the shows, the winning code number for the Ludwig Vistalite kit has not yet been posted on the JBLZE site, as of an hour ago.

Please, if you see the winning number posted, please post it here !

Thanks ! !

[Deborah J]

A Traveler^^

Great review, thanks for sharing. I was amazed at the diversity in age of the audience in Jacksonville as well. Like you I would go again in a heartbeat:-)

[Aquamarine]

For anyone that purchased the Ludwig Fundraiser laminate at any of the shows, the winning code number for the Ludwig Vistalite kit has not yet been posted on the JBLZE site, as of an hour ago.

Please, if you see the winning number posted, please post it here !

Thanks ! !

Good luck, Rover!

[ally]

My youngest son and his girlfriend took in the Vancouver show and thought it was excellent ! By the sounds of it, pretty much the same set list and in the smaller venue, great sound ! Their 3rd row centre seats put them in the perfect spot to take in the visuals and effects and both of them thought the Moby Dick segment was amazing. The thing is , my son has never been a big Zeppelin fan. Being a drummer himself, he's alway's been a big Bonzo fan but now after having had the chance to hear Zeppelin music live, I noticed yesterday that he was digging into my bootleg collection .

If nothing else, it just proves how good live Zeppelin really is and that his old man is not the dinosaur he thought he was

Edited December 2, 2010 by ally

[Deborah J]

Ally, my son still has some of my music!!!

Final night Jason Bonhams Led Zeppelin Experience Vancouver 2010 How Many More Times

[Roger]

jblze.com just updated. And the winner is....

umvq4339

Sadly, it was not me. It would be interesting to learn what becomes of that drumset!

[ally]

jblze.com just updated. And the winner is....

umvq4339

Sadly, it was not me. It would be interesting to learn what becomes of that drumset!

Not me either...$18 grand worth of drum kit is one hell of a prize. Congrats to the winner

[The Rover]

Not me either...$18 grand worth of drum kit is one hell of a prize. Congrats to the winner

Well, there's hope for a second drawing if no one claims the prize...

If the holder of the laminate umvq4339 does not come forward within 30 days after December 1, 2010, a new winner will be drawn.

[reids]

umvq4339

I'll have to check my laminate when I get home.

Hope it matches.

That'd make some Christmas present, eh?

R

[ally]

Well, there's hope for a second drawing if no one claims the prize...

If the holder of the laminate umvq4339 does not come forward within 30 days after December 1, 2010, a new winner will be drawn.

Yep, don't lose that laminate

[f2walsh]

I just caught some video footage of the tour and was impressed and at the same time depressed because I could not catch it live!

[SteveAJones]

Jason Bonham On Led-Zeppelin Experience: 'It Was A Dream Come True'

Ultimate Guitar.com

December 13, 2010

Jason Bonham was 14 years old when John Henry Bonham, his father, died on September 25, 1980. The young Bonham struggled for years to understand and cope with the passing of his famous dad and it wasn't until the Led Zeppelin drummer's death that Jason actually began playing the drums. He turned from a life of riding motorcycles to a career sitting behind a drum kit with his own bands, Foreigner, Damnocracy, and others. He'd play on Jimmy Page's Outrider solo album and do the tour and even performed with Zeppelin several times including 1988's Atlantic Records' 40th Anniversary and Zep's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

In 2007, Led Zeppelin reunited for a one-off show at the O2 Arena in London, England, an historic performance that featured Jason on drums and really set the wheels in motion for his latest project. When no follow up concerts were planned, he went through a bit of cold turkey and there the seeds were planted. "Jason Bonham's Led-Zeppelin Experience" is a multi-media concert that will include video, lights, pre-recorded tapes, and the drummer himself talking about his father's life and legacy. There are 30 dates planned so far to roughly coincide with the 30th anniversary of the elder Bonham's passing. Young Bonham has assembled a stellar band for the tour though he's keeping the details close to his vest. But he was more than willing to talk about everything else and here is what he had to say.

UG: You performed with Zeppelin for their one-off reunion show on December 10, 2007. Did your desire to put together the Led-Zeppelin Experience grow from that one show? Can you describe what that moment felt like?

Jason Bonham: It's hard to describe in words. It's one of those things when you've been a part of it for such a long time in some form whether it be [on the] sidelines watching your dad be with them. For me it was just a dream come true to sit in that seat as an adult and be kind of treated as an adult with them. I didn't feel like a kid anymore. It was monumental. I mean the reviews say it was good. Obviously there had been things in the past where things hadn't gone as well but this time everyone was prepared; we were all very, very prepared. And really, really hungry to do it and wanted to play and I think everybody, not only myself, wanted to prove something. I think everybody wanted to prove something.

You bring up an important point, which is the reviews of the show, were glowing and the audience loved it.

Everyone was on top form and on top of their game. For me, I'm looking forward to I hope one day they release the DVD of that or the CD. That would be a wonderful thing for me to have officially something with my name on it that had Led Zeppelin above it would be any drummer's dream. Whether I'm related or not, I've had this conversation with quite a few different drummers in the world and I say to them, "You know first and foremost I'm a fan." I became a fan of their music after dad died which was a shame. It was OK when I was a kid; it was a band that dad was in. It wasn't until he passed away that I really wanted to listen to his work and go, "What have I missed out on here?"

So you really weren't that aware of what your dad did until after his passing?

For years I kind of listened to it with blinkers. I always said I listened to it with beer goggles if you know what I mean? And it was in my sobriety that I really felt that I listened to it in a whole different way. I could hear things that I'd never heard before and made notes and didn't take anything for granted. And did my work and did the show to the best of my ability.

You've talked about how your mom had said that one show wouldn't be enough for you and that you'd have to do more. Was she right?

For me when it suddenly stopped, as my mom says, "Can you walk away after one show?" and I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine." Yeah, it was tough when it wasn't gonna go any further. I felt like I'd pulled the sword from the stone and then it was like, "Oh, sorry, you've got to put it back." It was like, "But I pulled it out." And it was, "Yeah, put it back." But I'll take that one; if it is just the one, I'll take it.

You weren't very old when your dad passed away.

Well, one of the differences that I have and one of the main things that makes it OK to be talking about him in a current situation is I lost him at 14. I hadn't gone through the adolescence of me kinda having the arguments and kind of being the teenager that rebelled against his parents. I lost him and he still is on that pedestal; I wanted that reassurance; I wanted his knowledge. I wanted him to go, "That's fine; you're doing good." So I think my entire life has been that search for that. To get it from them [Zeppelin], if I can't get it from him then the closest thing to him was his band; they knew him inside and out really. If anyone knew him, I think they probably knew him or knew one part of him maybe that we didn't know. So I was thirsty for knowledge. For me that goal, was not only to play drums with 'em but to get to know my dad.

Zeppelin have always seemed to be so supportive of you. Jimmy Page is incredibly protective of what he does and yet he's embraced you from the beginning in a number of projects that were sort of Zep-related. And then to bring you in as the drummer for the reunion show was huge.

There's a huge belief that I had that I knew without being too confident, that I'm the only guy for the job. I was strongly committed in my head. I really didn't believe anybody else could do it; I didn't care who it was. Because it's not enough knowing the song: you've got to know them. Anybody can learn the song; you've got to learn the people. You've got to know where it's gonna go; you've got to know how they tick and what they think. But it took me a long time; it took me way longer than dad to figure it out. I read an article, an interview with my dad that I found in my scrapbook that I kept as a child while I was putting together stuff for this Experience. I found my childhood scrapbook and there's an interview in there with dad from 1970. He talks about how long he's been playing the drums and he'd only been playing drums six years in 1970. You know? So in the weirdest way, he'd only been playing drums for four years when he did Led Zeppelin I. Unbelievable.

That is extraordinary when you put it in that context. Do you remember the first time you heard Led Zeppelin?

One of the weirdest things as I talk about it in the Experience, without really knowing what it was at the time [because] it was something I kinda figured out afterwards, but my first memory of Zeppelin was "Your Time Is Gonna Come." I heard the intro and I was awakened in the middle of the night as a two-year old by this church organ blastin' in the living room. And dad was playing side two of Led Zeppelin I. He got the test pressin' and I don't know why it does it but every time I hear it it reminds me of an image walkin' into a hallway [and] cryin' and going [in mock baby voice] "Dada, what's up?" It just freaked me out without really knowing what it was. That was my first sort of memory.

Any other early memories?

When I was 13, I actually jammed with them when they were recording Presence; I jammed at Musicland with them in the studio. I was just there hanging out and I think it was John Paul that said, "Do you want to have a play?" And I'm like, "Yeah, man, cool" and then Jimmy came out and jammed with me and Jonesy. So they've been really supportive throughout. They were never like, "Oh, please keep the kid off the stage." Jimmy said, "Not only should Jason be here because of his ability, but he is part of the family. He's been somewhat attached with Led Zeppelin since the beginning and has played with us on numerous occasions." So it's kinda cool. And Jimmy was always very, very supportive of me.

You actually played on Outrider, Jimmy's first solo album back in 1988, and even did he tour with him.

On the Outrider tour, I was only 22 years old and I remember being kind of cocky and confident because we played he Philadelphia Spectrum. And I said, "Check it out: dad didn't play here until he was 23. I'm 22 [laughs.]" Yeah, boy, that one bit me in the ass.

Was that the first time you'd done any kind of work with one of the Zep guys?

Well, I think it was the first time that I'd been on an album. From a very young age, when Robert was doing his first two solo albums, I used to go and play when he was in between drummers. On the first album [Pictures at Eleven] he used Cozy Powell originally and then I came in and did the demos and then Phil Collins came and played the ones that I played on. And I did that again on the second one, The Principle of Moments. I went in there after Barriemore Barlow. So there was a certain level of confidence that they had in me right at the beginning and was giving me the encouragement to play.

Weren't you also a serious motorcycle rider at the time?

To be honest, it wasn't really [my first choice.] I was a motocross rider; I was gonna be a motocross rider. I was good at that; I was British Championship material and could have done the world circuit racing. That was my goal and it was about two years after my dad died that I suddenly put the bikes back, put them away, and suddenly went, "I want to play drums. I want to really concentrate on the drumming again." Because I'd switched off really; drumming was just something I could do. I never remember being taught I was so young so the motocross to me was a challenge. Nobody in my family did it and I got good pretty quick; there was something there. And it's something that I still adore and follow and I've got some fantastically talented friends who I've got to know over the years through my musical ability. I've got to actually hang out with some of the people that I treated like heroes who are probably now 25 or 30 years younger than me. Some of these kids are definitely 25 years younger than me who I look up to as these great athletes on motorcycles who do these fantastic races and I go to the Supercross with them.

So you didn't just walk through the drummer's door that was opened by your dad?

There was definitely something else. I made a definite decision after a couple of years and I said, "You know what?" Because dad said something to me and many times I've gone over this. It was a sixth sense and it's a strange thing to say and I don't really talk about it but the day before he left, he said to me, "Promise me you'll start playing the drums again." And that was, you know, that was that weird moment that was like, "Yeah, yeah, right." And I never saw him again. I think that kept biting me, that talk we had before he left. I kept repeating it 'cause there was a stage where I kept thinking I imagined it. I was like, "No, I didn't imagine it." So, yeah, it was a burning desire to prove something and almost threw it away many times by trying to emulate the wrong John.

You were aware of your dad's battle with alcohol?

Somebody said, "You're just like your dad." When I drank, I took it as a compliment. I took every kind of [drug] and I wanted to be him; I wanted to do everything he did and be the bombastic and boisterous. If you could be compared to him in anyway, to me that was a compliment no matter what.

In a strange way, if your dad hadn't passed away do you think you'd still be riding motorcycles and not playing drums?

Well, I'd a been retired by now. As I was saying, there aren't many 44-year old motocross riders. It's one of those things where there's a lot of ifs, and buts, and coulda, shoulda, woulda, couldas; I don't think I'd trade anything now. I've been very lucky: I have a fantastically supportive family. My wife's seen me through thick and thin, through the hardest of drinking and partying times to almost 10 years of sobriety now. My kids, more than half of their lives, I've been sober and to me that's a really good achievement. They didn't get to really see the old person; they don't remember the old daddy. They really didn't pay much attention. I was only thinking the other day when I pick my son up from camp and he's 13 now, coming 14 very shortly, I was his age when I lost my dad and I just kept thinking, "What would it do to him?"

The Led-Zeppelin Experience is obviously about commemorating your father's legacy but it must also bring up a lot of deep memories for you.

When I kind of thought about it at first, I never imagined myself doing it. So when I committed to do it and do it this way where it's a very personal storyline – part storyteller/concert with how Led Zeppelin's affected me – I ended up delving into the past and mind you it's been very, very emotional. Stories of certain songs I play and give a reason of why I'm doing them and what I remember about it or what was so special about it or some anecdote. So it's not just, "I'm gonna go and play Led Zeppelin music." I ended up delving into the past and it's been way too emotional really for a 44-year old guy to sit there and go through stuff and go, "I can't keep doing this."

So it's been like therapy for you.

My mom said, "Jase, for five or six years, you never cried once. You didn't cry at the rehearsal." So it's been hard going through it all but fantastic going through and finding stuff again. One of the things in the interview I found of dad's was I wouldn't have gone searching for stuff like that if I wasn't doing the show. So to read things about me when I'm three or four in dad's interviews when he's going, "Oh, my son plays drums" or "He's gonna be good," is encouraging.

As you were putting the Led-Zeppelin Experience together, how did you choose the songs? Were they your favorites? Your dad's favorites?

I basically had a list that I kinda like would have liked to have done and I was hoping that when I found the right singer he'd be able to do all of them. I was even thinking about getting three different singers. One of the greatest things about Led Zeppelin was Robert did change and not in any detrimental way; I think he was one of the successes of the band as well. The fact that he was different at all different periods. If you listen to him on I or II and listen to Physical Graffiti or Presence, he's still fantastic in a slightly different way. When you think about "Nobody's Fault But Mine" and then you go back to "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" it's just phenomenal. The list of songs that I had that represented each album as I went through each album because there was so many I'd want to do more. I mean we've even rehearsed more than we need and we change at different times; some nights we'll do other ones from other ones. So I mean I just chose ones that really meant something to me where I still put on now and go, "Wow! It really just still takes my breath away."

I still watch that Danish TV special which is phenomenal to watch. When you watch "Dazed and Confused" on that and there's these young guys just out there groovin' and dad is just on fire.

Your dad was amazing on that.

Yeah, he really did stand out. So picking among others, I hope as the fans go through them when you put on a show like this, you try to make everyone happy as well as yourself. I told the singer, "Whatever happens I'll only do the songs that I believe you sing. I've got to believe it when you sing it."

Can you run down some of the songs that you will be playing in the show?

Umm, yeah, I'd like to keep some surprises but as I said a few times, "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is definitely one in the show. "Kashmir" has to be in there. I was so grateful that when I found the gentleman who will be singin' in the band that was kind of his audition. I sent him an mp3 or "Kashmir" and said, "If you can sing this, I'll hope you can sing the rest." And it was just fantastic and that's the clip I put on the website. I didn't want to tell anybody who was in the band; people were asking all these questions. So I said, "Well, listen to it first and then at a later date I'll tell you who he is." So that's one of the only reasons why I put the music up there. I didn't intend to record a Zeppelin song and try and do something with it. It was just purely to say, "Listen, if you're gonna come and see me, this is us doing 'Kashmir' and this is what you're gonna kind of expect." There will be definite things like "Whole Lotta Love" and we've done something very interesting to "Friends." It's not just without drums anymore; it actually has drums now which was something I never intended to do. But I started fooling around with it with the guys – Jimmy and John and Robert – and I remember Robert saying at one point, "Oh, if we ever did that, we should do it that way." So it inspired me to go, "You know what? I'm gonna pursue those kinds of grooves."

What has the reaction to Led-Zeppelin Experience been like so far?

The response has been wonderful; I couldn't ask for anymore. The ticket sales have been phenomenal; it's kind of overwhelming. There's the haters in the world, there's a few, but there are a lot more embracers than that. There are a lot more people that want it than not.

You don't want to divulge the details of the band but can you talk about it in general? Two guitars? Guitar and keyboard?

It's a five-piece and we have a great guy who plays a multitude of instruments from pedal steel to keyboards to guitar; you name it. A handy man.

So he handles all of John Paul Jones's parts?

Yeah. I always say to everybody, "We don't do anybody; we attempt to play at the best of our ability and represent the people the best way we can." I said, "Listen, it's not gonna be fun if you feel you're just playin' by numbers. I want you to feel it." One of the key things Zeppelin had was emotion; they never virtually played the same way twice. There's that type of loose thing; the jam element. It can go left; it can go right; it can go up; it can go down. Dynamics and everything. I always say, "I didn't wanna play the numbers game." I've looked through different versions and in my head when we do certain songs, I'm thinkin' of the other versions and not always the album version. I have huge resources from my friend who runs the Zeppelin website of some the greatest bootlegs there ever was and he's been through them all and listened to every show ever. So he did a lot of the hard work for me. He would send me stuff and go, "Check this night out. Check this one from '72. Check this one. Even from '80 their version of "Kashmir" from the last ever tour in Europe was phenomenal and much slower than they ever did it.

That must have been pretty cool to hear all of the bootlegs.

It was inspiring. For the O2 [Arena show] it was like that; I did a lot of research and was reminding them of different versions which I got credit for but it really was a lot of help from my friends at the website.

As you were learning the songs, did any one of them stick out as being particularly difficult to get a handle on?

I was very tempted to do "Four Sticks" but it's a lot harder than it looks; the feel of it. It's not just picking up four sticks and banging on a drum. It's a whole different feel. In the end, I wanted to do "When the Levee Breaks" so much but it just never sounded right. I just said, "Well, I'm afraid dad's gonna have to do it with us." All of a sudden it kind of felt right when that thunderous beat was there as the main groove and I'm kind of playing along with him and I'm doing the fills and he's just the main groove.

So there will be some tapes and pre-recorded music used as part of the show?

Yeah. Suddenly I'm going, "You know what? I get to play with him." I've done this thing now where I've started out with a concert on guitars at the Guitar Center where I did a drum solo with dad and that was put together pretty quickly. So I've been thinking of that over and over again as to how we're gonna do it and what we're gonna do when we've got the interaction thing with the "Moby Dick" solo and that's pretty cool. Because there aren't that many pro videos of that solo and so I chose to use stuff from the Albert Hall and then The Song Remains the Same. And it was cool doing that one and playing together.

Did it make any sense to pull out any of your dad's actual drums and used them for a song or two?

No, there's no need. Most of the stuff I use now is just the newer version of it. Ludwig has actually reissued the old way of making the drums again which I'm using on the tour. There will be a few surprises and I should say this: there's more than one drum kit. So there are a few surprises and there are the key songs but then a few from left field that they never did live; they never did "Levee" live and they never did, like I said, I'm gonna keep a few surprises. There are a few stories in the show too.

On a different subject, can you talk a little bit about the Black Country Communion project with Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, and Derek Sherinian?

I'm having dinner tonight with Joe and Glenn and we will be discussing what we have planned for the rest of the year. It came together very, very quickly and I didn't really take it at first that seriously because it was just kind of a session. I was gonna be in LA and the next thing you know two days later we've got half an album finished. And kind of then we were planning the next visit, which was a month later after Kevin Shirley [producer] had finished Iron Maiden. So we just went back in again and two days later the album was done. And we did another week [and it was] mixed. It's kind of been fast and furious. When I got sent the final stuff about six months after I did it and I hadn't heard it since we did it, it was a very pleasant surprise. 'Cause there was no learning of the songs; there was no demo. That is the demo; we never did it and then recorded it. We recorded the first time we were going through ideas. And when I look at it that way, it's an incredible album. Even without that it's a great album because these are just first takes.

Just to close here, I was with Zeppelin in '77 and spent about 11 days with them on the road and on their plane and everything. I never met your dad but I did see him play a lot.

I was with them in '77 in Florida and New York. I got to go on that plane back then. Yeah, I experienced that for a little bit. Not many family members were allowed to experience the plane [laughs.]

Your dad would be proud of what you've done and what you're doing with the show.

The one thing I never meant to do was ride on the coattails. But what I will say to everybody is as I'm learning all about this, I'm filling in the gaps. Now it's kind of a medicine in a way. It's been closure and moving on.

Interview by Steven Rosen

Ultimate-Guitar.Com © 2010

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/jason_bonham_on_led-zeppelin_experience_it_was_a_dream_come_true.html

Edited December 15, 2010 by SteveAJones

[jabe]

Steve, much thanks for the above post.

[FireOpal]

Jason was in town last week for a radio appearance (is that an oxymoron?). Anyway, there are some video clips available on the station's web site:

http://pnyr.big1059.com/pages/VOD.html?article=7930280

Trivia sidenote: the DJ's commented that jason drove up to the station in his Lamborghini.

I miss Miss Honeydripper. Whatever happened to her? She was the biggest Jason fan.

[reids]

http://the-luum.com/?p=2597

JBLZE to perform this Sunday at Tailgate Party (4 song abbreviated set) for Dolphins-Bills NFL game.

The article misnames Glen Danzig as member of BCC instead of Glen Hughes.

R

Edited December 16, 2010 by reids

[SteveAJones]

Get the 'Led' out before Bills-Dolphins game

By NFL.com Staff

Published: December 15th, 2010

Live music at the Land Shark Tailgate Stage on the AT&T Grand Plaza at Sun Life Stadium has become a much anticipated part of the Miami Dolphins' home-game experience. This Sunday, Jason Bonham's Led-Zeppelin Experience will become a major part of that tradition.

Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, and his group will play a tribute special, abbreviated four-song performance prior to Sunday's Dolphins-Bills game. The exclusive pre-game tailgate concert will begin at Noon ET.

For you Zep-heads who can't get enough, check out the Led-Zeppelin Experience doing "Kashmir" above.

"We're looking forward to performing our tribute on the Land Shark Tailgate Stage at Sun Life Stadium," said Bonham. "This South Florida appearance is a culmination of our successful 2010 tour across the U.S and Canada and will give fans a glimpse of what the full show is all about, which has truly been a labor of love for me."

The home game entertainment at Sun Life Stadium is produced by Game Day Entertainment LLC, by executive producer David Saltz. Fans can visit MiamiDolphins.com or call 1-888-FINS-TIX (1-888-346-7849) to purchase tickets.

http://blogs.nfl.com/2010/12/15/67098/

Edited December 17, 2010 by SteveAJones