50th Anniversary Of Physical Graffiti Celebrated On Special Tour Stop At Bayou Music Center May 20th

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All Photos By Larry Petro/Petrofyed Photography

At 60 Years old (in a couple of weeks) I never had the opportunity to catch the legendary LED ZEPPELIN in concert as my first experience at seeing a live show in person didn't occur until 1981. Still, the iconic status and mystique of the band has intrigued me over the years. I have had the pleasure of seeing Jason Bonham on a couple of occasions as the JASON BONHAM LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE, but never has that band, or ZEPPELIN for that matter, ever dedicated a show to just one album performing it in its entirety. That is until now.

Rebranded, whether permanently or just for this tour, JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING is out on the road celebrating the 50th anniversary of the classic album, Physical Graffiti which, outside of the can't-be-topped Led Zeppelin IV, is probably the band's most storied release. So getting to see it performed in full by a band that features the late drummer's son, a lead guitarist who is Jimmy Page's Japanese doppelganger, a bassist who actually resembles vocalist Robert Plant and a 'Chris Daughtry looking motherfucker' on vocals as Jason would describe him later, it was really a no-brainer decision.

The band rolled into Houston on a Tuesday night for an 'old folks concert' as my wife called it after I had texted her to say that it would be an early night. There is no opening support act for this tour (at least for the Houston stop anyway) and the show was advertised to start at 7 so unless the band planned on playing for 3-4 hours this would indeed be an early night. Having no opener was certainly satisfactory to me because it meant that not only would we get right down to business without having to sit through an act that may or not be interesting, but also meant that there would less photos to have to go through and edit for this review :).

The stated 7pm start time was slightly inaccurate with the band actually taking the stage around 7:20, but as the initial notes of album opener "Custard Pie" filled the air, the crowd was more than ready. With the backdrop of the Physical Graffiti building and zeppelins flying around it JBLZE set out on a mission to do the opus justice, and a fine performance it was. After playing the first two tracks from the album in order Jason addressed the crowd, the first of several times that he would do so as he related personal stories of his family and the band and how much it meant to him to be able to celebrate the band's legacy in this manner. It definitely added an intimate feel to the show but on this first occasion Jason stated that in order to keep the crowd engaged as much as possible throughout the show they would not be playing the record in the exact song order lest people plan their bathroom and drink purchase trips based on that. And that plan seemed to work as you never had droves of people leaving their seats (yes, this was a show with actual seats in place) to miss any of the concert.

I've never had a copy of Physical Graffiti in possession but I was amazed at the number of songs I recognized not by title, but by the music itself. Of course you had the more well-known tracks like "Kashmir" (who can forget the memorable scene from Fast Times At Ridgemont High where this song is playing?), "House Of The Holy" and "The Wanton Song", but others that were recognizable even though the title escaped me, like "Trampled Under Foot", "Black Country Woman" and "Ten Years Gone".

As for the band itself, well guitarist Akio "Mr. Jimmy" Sakurai had the complete Jimmy Page vibe down, from the dark, permed hair to his lanky stature to his mannerisms and even the velvet bellbottom slacks he wore. The man has dedicated his life to honoring the great axeman so much so that there is even a movie about it, Mr. Jimmy. He played his parts with the same precision and finesse as Page and definitely honored his idol. Bassist Dorian Heartsong, as mentioned earlier with his blonde, curly locks and facial features actually resembles Plant and kept a solid low end. Keyboardist/Rhythm Guitarist Alex Howland did his part to keep the magic and authenticity of Physical Graffiti on point. OF course you have the thundering sound of Jason Bonham behind the kit with a bass drum sporting his father's face and the voice of the band, James Dylan, who despite his resemblance to Daughtry was more than capable of pulling off his inner Robert Plant, surprisingly so at times throughout the evening.

Following the conclusion of Physical Graffiti we were treated to a 3 song encore of songs which celebrated other time periods of the band, that being tunes from Led Zeppelin I ("Good Times Bad Times"), Led Zeppelin II ("Whole Lotta Love") and Led Zeppelin IV ("Rock And Roll"). The only disappointment on the evening and something that I noticed on a few other shows' setlists, was the exclusion of "Stairway To Heaven". The song was on the band's setlist for the night but for whatever reason was not performed. I can't even venture a guess as to why, seeing as how the show ended at 9:30, a time crunch could not have been the reason. I guess the most confusing thing about its omission is that looking at past (and even future shows) it has been very inconsistent, sometimes it's played and sometimes it isn't. But to leave out the most 'holy' of ZEPPELIN songs in a show honoring the band almost seems sacrilegious.

That minor blip aside, this show is definitely one for not only LED ZEPPELIN diehards but also for those people like me that were always curious about the band but never got to see them in their heyday.

The tour continues for another week before wrapping up in Los Angeles at The Greek Theatre.

Remaining dates:

• Sun, May 25 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
• Wed, May 28 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay
• Thu, May 29 - Paso Robles, CA - Vina Robles Amphitheatre
• Fri, May 30 - Henderson, NV - Green Valley Ranch Resort Spa & Casino - Backyard Amphitheater
• Sat, May 31 - Los Angeles, CA - The Greek Theatre

Setlist:

• "Custard Pie"
• "The Rover"
• "The Wanton Song"
• "In My Time of Dying"
• "Houses of the Holy"
• "In the Light"
• "Sick Again"
• "Bron-Yr-Aur"
• "Boogie With Stu"
• "Black Country Woman"
• "Down By The Seaside"
• "Night Flight"
• "Ten Years Gone"
• "Trampled Under Foot"
• "Kashmir"

Encore:

• "Good Times Bad Times"
• "Whole Lotta Love"
• "Rock and Roll"

Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos By Larry Petro/Petrofyed Photography