JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE
Critical Soundbites
Live
It was literally a drum solo with four sticks: Jason Bonham thundering through ‘Moby Dick,’ from Led Zeppelin II, with his late father, John ‘Bonzo’ Bonham, during the first set of Jason Bonham: The Led Zeppelin Experience at New York’s Best Buy Theater on November 8th. The elder Bonham appeared via audio and film clips of the drummer playing the song live with Led Zeppelin, while his son doubled and elaborated on the snare gunshots and kick-drum-and-tom bombs in synchronized real time. It was a tour de force illusion. It was also sincere theater. Jason introduced ‘Moby Dick’ by telling his audience about an interview John gave in 1970 in which he said he hoped to play drums side by side with his son one day at London’s Royal Albert Hall. For Jason, who was 14 when his father died in September, 1980, a virtual duet will always be as good as it gets. …The Led-Zeppelin Experience is comprised entirely of Zeppelin music, played by Jason with an able, spirited band: guitarist Tony Catania, bassist Michael Devin, keyboard and guitar player Stephen LeBlanc and singer James Dylan. But the night–which went the distance from "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You’ and ‘The Lemon Song’ to ‘The Ocean’ and ‘Kashmir’—is mostly about his dad's titanic presence in that music and the giant absence created by his death. ‘Thank You’ came with more home movies, while Jason, a keen student of Zeppelin concert bootlegs, revived and built on his father's live improvisations in ‘How Many More Times’ and the extended closing turbulence of ‘Dazed and Confused.’…In this show, he [Jason] gets to have Bonzo in the house every night–a reunion, at last, of father and son.”
–Brett Milano, BOSTON HERALD (Live review, November 4, 2010)
–Ben Wener, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER (Live review, November 22, 2010)
–Jon Bream MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE (Live review, October 21, 2010)
–Ritchie Yorke, ROLLING STONE.com (Live review, October 20, 2010)
–Darryl Smyers, DALLAS OBSERVER (Live review, November 19, 2010)
–Jennifer Chancellor, TULSA WORLD (Live review, November, 18, 2010)
“There was a whole lot of love shown for Jason Bonham and Led Zeppelin on Friday night in Toronto, but the connection the son of the late drummer John Bonham felt to his father was quite evident. …What the younger Bonham managed to accomplish were a string of impressive drum fills and solos highlighted by the ridiculously intricate ‘Moby Dick,’ a staple of Zeppelin’s live shows. With video of Jason performing live with synchronized footage of his father playing the same song, the skill and talent was clearly passed on. A loud standing ovation marked the first of a handful of highlights. It’s a night fans and father would have been proud of.”
“…a fun celebration of Led Zeppelin’s music, at its best when it tapped into the bluesy roots of the band’s sound. Yes the big anthemic show stoppers were present-‘Stairway To Heaven,’ ‘Kashmir,’-but the most exhilarating moments came when the blues were served relatively straight up, as on ‘The Lemon Song’ and ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You.’ "
–Darryl Sterdan, WINNIPEG SUN (Live review, October 18, 2010)
–Elliot Levin, EXAMINER-NYC (Live review, November 9, 2010)
–Laura Goldman, METRO-PHILADELPHIA (Live review, November 16, 2010)
–Laurie Lionsdale, LITHIUM MAGAZINE (Live review, Toronto, ON, October 29, 2010)
–Kevin McSheffrey, BOSTON MUSIC SPOTLIGHT (Live review, November 5, 2010)
–Andy Laudano, JAM MAGAZINE (Live review, November 18, 2010)
–Ted Clarke, PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN (Live review, October 13, 2010)
–Angie Pile, TULSA TODAY (Live review, November 18, 2010)
–Jeb Wright, CLASSIC ROCK REVISITED, (Live review, November 2010)
–Gilles LeBlanc, ROCKTHUSIAST (Live review, Nov 1, 2010)
For JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE publicity, contact:
Libby Coffey/MSO 818-380-0400 x224
LCoffey@msopr.com
Bari Lieberman/MSO 818-380-0400 x222
BLeiberman@msopr.com
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JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE: CRITICAL SOUNDBITES LIVE