The rock drummer celebrates the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti
There’s nothing quite like a quaint and cozy theater with live music on an extremely warm evening, especially if the music is from a drumming icon. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening is on tour. The show is dubbed An Evening With JBLZE Celebrating 50 Years Of Physical Graffiti and honors the legendary band’s legacy. Spread across three legs, the five-piece group plays the 15-song album before closing with two Zeppelin classics.
Even though the album didn’t produce any radio hits, it’s a fan favorite that kept the crowd engaged. The night kicked off at 8 pm sharp with the album opener “Custard Pie” before going into “The Rover” and “The Wanton Song.” Bonham amused the audience by telling them they couldn’t plan their drink and bathroom breaks around the less popular songs since the band wasn’t performing the album in its original sequence.
Bonham launched the group 15 years ago under Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience. Now called Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, the band changed its name at the request of Led Zeppelin. It continues to honor the group’s legacy and Jason’s father, the late John Bonham, who passed away 45 years ago.
The 59-year-old Bonham joked that his one-tour commitment had turned into a “15-year-long tour.” He also confirmed that the Physical Graffiti performance would conclude after the newly added fall run wraps in late November.
The drummer once again recreated his father’s drum kit. The gorgeous amber acrylic drum set features one rack tom, two floor toms, a snare, and a single kick drum, complete with a timpani on the left and a gong in the back right. John’s face is front and center on the kick drum, a drawing I was told singer James Dylan designed (along with the tour poster and backdrop).
The group is rounded out by guitarist Jimmy Sakurai (known as Mr. Jimmy and a Jimmy Page doppleganger), bassist and mandolinist Dorian Heartsong, and keyboardist and guitarist Alex Howland. It’s fascinating to watch these guys perform. It felt like I was transported back to the 70s, and it appears it’ll be the closest thing to seeing Led Zeppelin live since Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones don’t plan on performing together since the group’s one-off reunion with Jason on the drums in 2007.
Based on Jason’s comments, Led Zeppelin’s music was the result of a “no rules” approach to songwriting. The band took inspiration from everything around them—like the English countryside—and effortlessly blended genres, including blues, rock, and folk. This fluid creative process allowed them to produce a sound that was uniquely their own and is ever-present on Physical Graffiti.
To avoid disrupting the flow of the concert, the band grouped the folk-infused acoustic songs like “Bron-Yr-Aur,” “Boogie With Stu,” and “Black Country Woman” together in the middle of the set. For “Boogie With Stu,” Jason came out from behind his drum kit and joined his bandmates at the front of the stage, where he played an electric drum pad while sitting on the drum riser.
Songs like “In My Time of Dying” and “House of the Holy” were played early, while “Trampled Under Foot” and “Kashmir” closed the Physical Graffiti portion of the set.
The question remains: Why is “Houses of the Holy” on the album Physical Graffiti and not on Houses of the Holy? When a young Jason asked his father, John simply told him, “Ask Jimmy.”
Jason asked Page how his dad earned a rare writing credit for “Kashmir.” Page’s response was simple: “He used to sing his ideas to me.”
Of the songs from Physical Graffiti, “Kashmir” got the biggest reaction from the crowd. Instead of leaving the stage, Jason encouraged the audience to cheer for more. The band then launched into Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” which was dedicated to Ozzy Osbourne, before seamlessly transitioning into “Whole Lotta Love.” The latter featured a drum solo during the breakdown. The night concluded with “Rock and Roll,” and Jason bid the crowd goodnight as the other members handed out picks to the front rows.
Leg two continues on Monday (Aug 25th) in Oregon before it wraps on August 31st in Vancouver. The third leg will launch on October 22nd in Louisville, Kentucky, and tour the Midwest and East Coast before wrapping on November 26th in Hollywood, Florida.
