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JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCEJASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE Biography
JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE will celebrate the life and music of his father, the legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, when it hits the road for a limited engagement of 30 North American concert dates this fall. But for Jason–a renowned kitman in his own right who performed as part of Led Zeppelin during the iconic band's historic, heralded December 2007 reunion show in London--JBLZE means much more to him than just an opportunity to pay tribute to the pioneering hard rock foursome he grew up with.
JBLZE will be a unique and deeply personal reflection of Jason’s life with the music of Led Zeppelin and how it influenced him. “Since the O2 Arena show in ’07 with Jimmy, John Paul and Robert, I’ve been thinking about doing something like this,” Bonham explains. “I knew if I did decide to go forward with it, I wanted to make it count. I went and saw the Beatles tribute ‘Rain’ and it opened up a new avenue for me of using home movies and now, there’s even a part where I’m playing with dad in our show, where we play off of each other. I wanted to make it a bit more than just a rock concert. So I have a section where there’s some storytelling and some insightful history to accompany the music.”
Timed to take place just after the 30th anniversary of his dad’s passing on September 25th, 1980, Bonham--who has teamed with Annerin Productions, the heralded company behind “The Pink Floyd Experience" and the aforementioned "Rain, A Tribute to the Beatles”–is anxiously anticipating the show’s opening night. “I can’t wait,” Jason enthuses. “I’m sure it will be an emotional night, especially the first time we do it in front of an audience, but it’s a commemoration of dad’s life and my life with the music and the company of Led Zeppelin. And I’m really looking forward to doing it.”
Jason says he was still working with Led Zeppelin’s own Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones on a band that, as he puts it, “sadly sort of faded away.” When he realized that nothing was going to happen, the drummer--who had previously been playing 200 shows a year with Foreigner in the previous four years--says the idea to put on such a spectacle made sense. At the same time, emotions and thoughts came flooding back to him, which made him realize that he would need to narrate the storytelling part of the show separately.
“Just telling a couple of the stories, I got choked,” he says. “I don’t want to do that every night and be an emotional wreck each night. So I’m going to record the storytelling part of the show so that I can focus on what I want to do. Because it is so personal in so many parts.”
For instance, there’s a memorable bit in The Song Remains the Same where Jason and his father appear together that has been incorporated into the show. “I actually just got sent a clip of that, with sound, which is hilarious, because it’s me, at six years old, selecting Dr. John on the jukebox. “The Right Place At The Wrong Time,” with my six year old voice going “yeah, play Dr. John,” Bonham laughs. “I just thought it would be a great interlude to give people a laugh. And what comes after the drumming sequence, is me dancing. When my own children saw it they just roared about it. They were on the floor, laughing. When I look back at it, I just see my Dad laughing. It’s a great moment.”
Meanwhile, those chomping at the bit to know who else might be playing alongside him when JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE hits theatres this fall will just have to wait. “We’re actually not going to announce it until the opening night,” Jason says. “I’m holding off. I just want the whole experience to be judged on what it is on that opening night. We have some great folks in this band with varying degrees of notoriety, but I’m mostly interested in paying tribute to the music and the memories of Led Zeppelin.”
Jason has been hands on with everything from set design to repertoire. “I haven’t delegated anything, because the show really is that special to me. I don’t want anyone else to blame. If something goes wrong, I want it to be my fault.” As for the particular songs, some were chosen because they have stories behind them while others might recall a specific moment--which means songs from 1976’s Presence that were never played live have been rehearsed. Of course, many favorites from Led Zeppelin’s phenomenal catalog will be played because of the sheer joy and exhilaration they elicit.
“’When the Levee Breaks,’” for instance, was one I never planned to use until I started playing along, using a loop of dad. I just thought it would be so cool to have us playing that together,” Jason says. But he admits picking the set has been challenging. “It’s like, what do you not do? That’s tough, but we’re having a great time as a band playing these songs. There were great tracks on nearly every album so it’s important for us to keep things changing from show to show. We will rehearse the three or four songs from every album and switch it around night by night.”
Which might lead fans to wonder about the possibility that one or some of the surviving members of Led Zeppelin might drop by and join in the set. While Jason can’t promise it, he says the very notion pushed him to make JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE as perfect as possible. “The main reason I want these shows to be as seamless as they can be is so that if, at any point, any of them–Jimmy, John Paul, Robert Plant–wants to come and jam, I’d be honored, absolutely, to have them come up and play. We’ll work hard at it and see.”
Speaking of Led Zeppelin’s frontman, Robert Plant recently gave Bonham his blessing when the two joined forces for a Florida radio interview. “The DJ said, ‘Robert, what do you think about Jason going on the road doing this Zeppelin tour without any of you guys?’” Jason explained. “So I thought, this guy just threw me under the bus! [laughs] And Robert said, ‘Jason’s a bit of a rascal but I’ll tell you this–nobody else plays drums like him. There was, once, but his father is no longer with us. As long as Jason does it with a smile on his face, he has my blessing. He said, ‘Do it and do it well and enjoy it.’” And since that time I’ve been committed to doing it full steam ahead. I’m really excited.”
As for his father John’s legacy, Jason--like countless Led Zeppelin enthusiasts-- says, “He’ll be probably remembered as one of the greatest drummers ever. And to know that more people have picked up sticks and more kids have tried to throw televisions out of windows makes him unforgettable. Nowadays, all hotel rooms have reinforced glass, you can’t throw a TV out a window, trust me, I’ve tried. He was indeed one of a kind and this show is my way of honoring him.”
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For JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE publicity, contact: Libby Coffey/MSO All Content ©2006 Mitch Schneider Organization  |
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