Jason Bonham brought his Led Zeppelin Experience to the Warfield Theater late last month, and proved that although it's been thirty years since the passing of John Bonham, his music still runs deep in his sons blood, and that this may be the closest those too young to have seen the mighty Zeppelin live will ever get. While the show was a touching tribute from son to father, but it was also a tribute to the generations of Led Zeppelin fans in attendance.
Although the full-on lighting and video montage featuring both Jason and John was a really nice touch to the show, it was the music that really did the talking on this evening. Obviously singer James Dylan and guitarist Tony Catania had impossible shoes to fill, but they did a pretty amazing job and, with Jason hammering out his father's beats, the band cranked out classic after classic. "Dazed And Confused" "Rock And Roll" and "Celebration Day" all sounded remarkably good, and it was obvious the entire band were having a blast up on stage. Catania pulled out all the stops, and his amazing fretwork really shone during "The Lemon Song." Of course the evening would not be complete with "Black Dog," "Kashmir" and "Whole Lotta Love," and Jason and his band delivered the goods.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening for me was when Jason got up from behind his kit to address to nearly sold out crowd though. In that moment, his heartfelt words really proved how proud he was up to be up there carrying the torch that his father lit so many years ago.
Artist:
www.jblze.com/
www.myspace.com/jasonbonhamband
Photos:
Raymond Ahner's Photo Essay of Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience at The Warfield Theater, San Francisco, CA, 11/24/10
