Review: Led Zeppelin Experience

Led Zeppelin cover bands are a dime a dozen.  Zoso leads the pack, but the long list of mildly disreputable imitators includes Black Dog, Swan Song and all-women acts Lez Zeppelin and Fem Zeppelin.  The death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham in 1980 may have ended the influential band's 12-year run, yet the public's desire to hear Led Zeppelin's music performed live remains insatiable.

An audience of about 400 purchased tickets ranging in price from $28 to $100 to hear something more substantial than just another cover band Thursday at the VooDoo Lounge at Harrah's Casino.  They received their moneys' worth.  Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience offered a completely captivating multimedia experience.  

"This is my story," Bonham intoned in a sentimental introductory video. "Of what my dad and Led Zeppelin meant to me."

Bonham assumed his father's place on drums as he led a five-piece band in an immaculately rendered two-hour-and-ten-minute tribute to Led Zeppelin.  Although he's well into his '40s, Bonham is still in awe of his father's accomplishments.

"We're all fans of the greatest rock and roll band in history," Bonham said.  "It just so happens that the drummer was my father."

Images of both Bonhams frequently appeared on the large video screen behind the band  Charming home movies of the Bonham family were interspersed with multiple live shots of the action on stage and from within Bonham's drum kit.  Blacklight-style backdrops heightened the drama during atmospheric songs like "Stairway to Heaven" and "Kashmir."  Coupled with the VooDoo's superior sound system and sight lines, the effect was occasionally spine-tingling.  

While the band makes no effort to physically resemble the members of Led Zeppelin, they have its proto-metal sound down cold.  The pinched shriek and lewd moans of James Dylan were dead ringers for Robert Plant's original vocal work.  Fans who closed their eyes and allowed their imaginations to run wild could momentarily trick themselves into believing that they'd been transported to a mid-'70s Led Zeppelin concert.  If there's a criticism to be leveled at the band, it's that they sometimes sounded a bit too precise.  Only during the raucous blues of "The Lemon Song" did the band sound slightly unhinged Thursday.

Even the theremin solo on "Whole Lotta Love" was a nearly exact replica of the familiar original version.  Recreating each inflection was precisely the point.   As the title of Led Zeppelin's concert film suggests, the song remains the same.


Setlist: Rock and Roll; Celebration Day; Your Time is Gonna Come; Babe I'm Gonna Leave You; What Is and What Should Never Be; The Lemon Song; Thank You; Dazed and Confused; Moby Dick; The Ocean; Over the Hills and Far Away; Since I've Been Loving You; In the Light; When the Levee Breaks; Kashmir; Stairway to Heaven; Whole Lotta Love.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[Steve]

I agree Bill, this show was worth every penny and more. Just killer. It is too bad Robert Plant can't put aside his differences with Page and Jones and do a full blown reunion tour with Jason Bonham. I'm not positive Plant could pull it off vocally, but James Dylan certainly had no problem doing it.

[joeboo]

I was blown away at how good James Dylan did imitating Robert Plant, Jason Bonham found himself a keeper there for as long as they keep touring doing Zeppelin songs.

I was impressed by the guitar player as well, that guy has definitely perfected the art of playing the Jimmy Page role, right down to the matching haircut. Very good job on lead guitar all night, especially managing that 2-headed monstrosity on Stairway.

[Bubba]

Sounds like this Voodoo Lounge gig was actually good. I saw BONHAM as opener for a couple of shows awhile back and they sinply didn't do that much for me. This LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE might be worth $pending the cash to check out. WHAT sort of seats cost a whopping $100? Setlist shows they played all ZEPPELIN songs - but then again they REALLY more or less need to.

[joeboo]

I think the Voodoo lounge sells it's upper level balcony as "VIP" seats for $100+. Everything else on the main level was only $30(+ fees), well worth that price.

The place couldn't have been more than 1/3 full, I couldn't believe how light the turnout was. A person could have walked right up to the stage and stood in front of it until about 5 minutes before showtime.

[gary dean]

Bonham was really good his short time with Foreigner

[Bubba]

Gary Dean - I do hear you on JASON BONHAM. As I saw him with FOREIGNER at Verizon a few years back opening for DEF LEPPARD and STYX. BONHAM was good - but FOREIGNER without LOU GRAMM isn't much to brag about. A older friend of mine caught her VERY first-ever concert - it was in the last year or two - FOREIGNER at the Missouri State Fair. She said she was bored out of HER mind - that that simply WAS NOT the FOREIGNER that she remembers. Bubba said it.

[Just sayin]

Wouldnt it be nice to hear as much love for the venue when it is great..... as we do when the venue sucks?

I did not attend this show, but VooDoo Lounge is one of my favs. It can hold a lot of people and still have great sight lines. The multiple bars usually have short line and the same with the bathrooms.

My only issue with VL is the gestapo typo of securitydouches, their cute lil ear bugs and their nazi getups... they need to lighten the fk up......

But as far as seeing a show, it works great 24/7264. It is cool in the summer, warm in the winter, you never get rained on and the bathrooms never stink. I wish more bands would book in there, the parking is easy and the nieghborhood safe.

GEWT WITH IT VL, BOOK ME SOME BANDS!!

Yin Yang,
if one is going to complain then one should also make an effort to compliment, when compliments are due.

ps
pleasure to read a thread where 2 of the best dudes who post on this board, Gary and Bubba, rock on men.

[Bubba]

Just Sayin - I've been to the Voodoo Lounge twice now and it's okay - I guess. Actually, the Ameristar has sort of grown on me (a bit). As I used to slam the place sometimes. Just got back from VANILLA ICE (got a free ticket) at Grinders [my first time at that place]. That venue is borderline tolerable - decent ONLY if the weather is under 80 degrees.

[Just sayin]

"it's ok, you guess"?
wtf?
come on man, you gotta say more than that, what more do you want in a venue? and why exactly do you like better about ameristar.

I have not been to ameristar in a while, so maybe it had changed but last time, it was not great at all. The drink bar is outside, (missing out on music) the bathroom are outside, the inside is just a square hall, with risers, no personbality.

VL is more like a Hard Rock, with multiple level and sightlines etc... while the Ameristar is like a mini SC, just chairs set up, what is cool about that?

[Steve]

Joeboo, you just described our night. We bought tix and walked in about 7:45 got a beer and headed to the front of the stage and stood 3 people back all night. I wish a bigger crowd would have showed, but it worked out pretty well for us. The only thing that turned out bad was the sound on the video on my phone.

[joeboo]

I love the Voodoo Lounge, it's probably my favorite venue in KC. Always easy to get a drink(although I was surprised at only 1 of the 2 main bars being open for this show) and no matter where you are in the place, you feel like you're right on top of the stage. Just a great view from anywhere.

I wish they would focus a little more on new and upcoming artists like they did several years ago. Seeing Wolfmother and Kings of Leon there was amazing

[Yup]

Right on joeboo, it is great.

My only problem with the VL is its toooo corporate association with Harrahs, I just hate the big biz thing.... but I can over look that for all the pluses.... and I also agree with the book more better younger bands....

Starting now, flowing through to next summer they really need to step it up, and get busy booking and putting that stinky dump out of business.

[pellboy]

joeboo, Voodoo is my favorite (larger than Knucklehads)KC venue as well, but they've seemed to have really dropped off as a major player in this market over the last year or so. Maybe Crossroads has affected their summer bookings, but it just seems to me that there was a point where they were bringing in a much larger volume of desirable shows than they are currently. Too bad. And too bad I missed this show (was out of town). Maybe I should have done more research, but I was under the impression that they had some lame Idol-type female fronting the Experience, at least as far as a recent NBA ad I saw with her singing Black Dog as what I thought was being billed as the Led Zeppelin (could have been Jason Bonham Exp.?) Experience. Oh well.

[Software]

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