Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening BY MARK DOLEJS When Jason Bonham takes the stage, he does so out of love for his father, John Bo...
When Jason Bonham takes the stage, he does so out of love for his father, John Bonham. His dad was the drummer for Led Zeppelin from 1968 until his untimely death in 1980.
On Saturday night, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening invaded The Pantheon at Caesars Virginia, in Danville. This tour is all about celebrating the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s album Physical Graffiti.
Before playing “Boogie With Stu,” Bonham exclaimed, “This is very important to me. This is not my music, it’s my father’s music. We are fans too!”
While Bonham and his drum kit are center stage, he is surrounded by talent. Jimmy Sakurai is phenomenal on lead guitar and James Dylan belts out the lyrics on vocals. Including Bonham, these three guys are what really make this band have the original Zeppelin sound. They are joined by Dorian Heartsong on bass and mandolin, and Alex Howland on keyboards and guitar.
After the first two songs, “Custard Pie” and “The Rover,” Bonham explained that they would be playing all 15 songs off the double album, but not necessarily in the same order. When he introduced the song “Houses of the Holy,” he said, “Sixty-four times we’ve played this song. By now people have lost their inhibitions and start dancing. Fuck it... have a great time!”
Sort of midway in the set, they played a couple of acoustic songs, including “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” and “Black Country Woman.” It was cool to see them sit down for a couple of songs, yet with the same energy.
During the song “Ten Years Gone,” Bonham asked the audience to pull out their phones and let their lights shine in tribute to his dad. He talked about remembering seeing his dad play this song in 1979 in front of 200,000 people.
The crowd was fantastic, singing along, playing air guitar and air drums, all throughout the night. Most were older than me, many with older adult children rocking by their side.
The highlight of the night came towards the end. As the set list purposely built up from the acoustic songs, the rock-n-roll increased from song to song. “Trampled Under Foot” was freakin’ insane and so on point that as I closed my eyes, I was transported back in time forty years.
“Kashmir,” is one of Zeppelin’s most iconic songs, and man did it deliver. This song brings you to your feet immediately, and if it doesn’t, you must not have blood flowing through your veins. It really shows off Bonham’s skills and allows him to shine a little more than he already does.
You might say, this is just a Led Zeppelin tribute band, but I believe they have a vibrant connection to the original group, more so than the other groups out there. Bonham’s early years were spent with the band when his dad was still alive. And, in 1988, 1995 and 2007, Bonham joined in on drums with the other original members for reunion concerts of Led Zeppelin.
It was a great night, ending with “Whole Lotta Love” and “Rock and Roll,” the only two songs played that are not on the album. I think this is the first show that I’ve been to in a while, that no one left the room before the last note was played.
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- MARK DOLEJS
Photography is an avenue that
Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.
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