JASON BONHAM BY THE EXAMINER N.Y.

For a few tantalizing hours, the music and energy of Led Zeppelin was resurrected last night in Westbury, Long Island, as drummer Jason Bonham, son of Zeppelin skinsman Bonham, led a rousing tribute to both his father and one of the most classic hard rock bands of all time with his Led Zeppelin Experience.

Mr. Bonham has taken this tour around once already, playing Manhattan’s Best Buy Theater last November (read my review of that show here), and clearly the response was resounding enough to warrant a second tour. The NYCB Theatre is in Westbury, Long Island, straddling the demographic border of traditional five borough New Yorkers and Long Island’s more laid back suburban families, and both were well represented at last night’s show, with multiple generations of fans and entire families sitting and singing together.

Drummers rarely make good frontmen, if only because of the drum kit blocking the view from the audience, but like the previous tour, Jason did a great job of introducing and leading the show, sharing stories about his late father and his own experiences with the rest of Led Zeppelin, without ever stepping on the toes of his very able singer, James Dylan. The band opened up with Rock and Roll, and the roundhouse theater was instantly taken back to the heydays of the 70s.

Bonham, Dylan, and the rest of the band are tight and ferocious on Zeppelin’s complex music, and even more importantly, have a clear love for what they’re doing. Bonham is a fantastic drummer in his own right, and played his dad’s classic songs like his DNA came to life, exquisite in its brawn and ear-splitting volume. The raw, swaggering tones of Led Zeppelin are hard-wired into the brains of those who grew up on their records, and the Led Zeppelin Experience touched off on an itch that has been aching to be scratched for a long time.

In a nod to fans who may have caught the show the first time around, the night’s setlist swapped things around a bit, dropping Black Dog and adding the Achilles’ Last Stand, while still nailing classics like Dazed and Confused and a slow, heartbreaking rendition of Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You. The night’s first set wrapped with a stunning Moby Dick, which saw Bonham drumming alongside a video of his father on the landmark drum solo.

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The second set of the show was equally enjoyable, with a thumping When The Levee Breaks, and a slow Since I’ve Been Loving You that practically tore apart the theater with screaming vocals and overdriven guitars. But nothing could compare to the one-two-three punch as the band laid out Stairway to Heaven, Kashmir, and Whole Lotta Love in a row to bring virtually the entire audience to their feet. Stairway by itself is always a stunning and moving experience in a live setting, as is the psychedelic Kashmir, supplemented by spacey computer visualizations on a screen behind Bonham’s drum kit. And even after a solid two hours of Zeppelin’s best hits, Whole Lotta Love still struck with enough raw energy to ramp up the crowd, with fans of all ages singing, dancing, and even headbanging to the timeless anthem.

As the three surviving musicians from Led Zeppelin fade into their golden retirement years, it’s truly heartwarming to see not only the dozens of tribute acts around the world, but genuine Zeppelin flesh and blood take up the call of rock n’ roll. Speaking to the audience between songs, Jason Bonham demonstrated a humble and grateful attitude even while discussing growing up and playing with the world’s greatest rock stars, providing fans with an inside look at the music they know and love. The Led Zeppelin Experience has proven itself to be the definitive tribute to the music that jump-started hard rock, and while its longevity remains to be seen, this is a show definitely worth catching while you can.

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