thePULSEBy Bruce Elliot
11-2-10 Orpheum Theatre, Boston.
The lights dim and three enormous video screens with larger than life voice-over begin to tell the story. “On July 13th,1966, I, Jason Bonham, was born to loving father and mother, John and Patricia Bonham.” A montage of still images and rare home movie footage of a young John Bonham fills the screens as the crowd roars with approval. “John Bonham is a man who would change the drumming world forever, but he was my Dad. This is my story… what my Dad and Led Zeppelin meant to me.” Stage lights flash. Jason, dressed in black and wearing a black bolo, kicks into the familiar beat of Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” an appropriate beginning for Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, a multi-media musical tribute to father John on the 30th anniversary of his death.
A mixture of musically aware college kids and middle aged Zeppelin fans has met here to celebrate the life and music of John Bonham. Many look like the cast of The Office on casual Friday. An extra large, forty-something businessman in a medium Page-Plant Tour ’95 T-shirt cheers alongside two Berklee geeks. But everyone is elated.
As the band rips through lively versions of “Celebration Day” and “Black Dog,” the sea of aging rockers slowly finds its groove. The music of their youth, along with a healthy supply of $7 beers, begins to roll back the clock. Once upon a time, these fans shared the music of Led Zeppelin with friends, passing the latest albums the way they once passed a good joint. Tonight, many bring their sons and daughters, hoping to pass on a musical legacy.
Musically, the band is tight and powerful, but it is when Jason addresses the crowd between songs, leaving his drum riser and sharing stories of his youth and memories of his father, that this tribute show becomes something much more powerful, moving, and emotional. While Jason speaks, the large screens flash intimate family moments of Jason’s youth. “I was destined to lose that hair, wasn’t I? …Some of you met wives, because of Led Zeppelin; some of you had your children because of Led Zeppelin. Tonight is your time; enjoy the show.” Stained glass images of John combine with the opening organ notes of “Your Time is Gonna Come” to raise the experience to almost religious levels for this crowd of converts.
Guitarist Tony Catania, wielding a familiar Les Paul Sunburst Standard, shines on the bluesy “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” easily reproducing Page’s signature licks while vocalist James Dylan reminds everyone that most of the band members are younger than the songs they’re playing. Dylan introduces “What is and What Should Never Be” as originating from Led Zeppelin 4, until a chuckling Bonham corrects the talented front-man. “I stand corrected, Led Zeppelin 2,” blushes Dylan. The famous left – right channel guitar shift at the song’s climax is accomplished by keyboardist Stephen LeBlanc doubling on guitar.
The biggest ovation for any of Bonham’s band mates is saved for Leominster’s own hometown hero and bass player Michael Devin, who seems to have brought his entire family and possibly the entire Leominster High class of 1992. Devin stands out on the erotic “Lemon Song,” which has many moms in low-cut blouses dusting off their finest stripper moves, as their college age daughters snicker and blush.
The highlight of the first half comes just before intermission. Bonham, speaking of his father, recalls, “His dream was to one day have me playing side by side…Dad, we never got that chance.” Suddenly, John Bonham in his Zeppelin heyday comes to life on screen and begins his signature “Moby Dick.” Jason jumps in and the two are shown on split screen, with Jason live trading beats with his father from the film “The Song Remains the Same.” The moment is both poignant and remarkable, and it ends with a standing ovation.
Second half highlights include an inspired Catania performance on “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” Devin shines on both blues harp and bass on “When the Levee Breaks.” The night ends with the triple shot of “Stairway,” “Kashmir,” and an encore of “Whole Lotta Love,” which leaves the Orpheum crowd feeling euphoric and exhilarated.
Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience may not have been able to resurrect the original band, but the show was a perfect tribute from a son to his father. And for much of the crowd, it provided the ideal time machine. No ‘82 Delorean traveling 88 miles per hour could have done a better job of transporting this crowd back to the days of its youth.
