Jason Bonham Plans to Take Led Zeppelin Tribute Act on the Road
Led Zeppelin haven’t answered fans’ passionate calls for more shows after their one-night-only 2007 reunion concert in London. But Jason Bonham, who stepped in and played drums for his deceased father at the show, is offering the next best thing: a summer tour with his new project the Led Zeppelin Experience. Bonham is hitting the road to honor the 30th anniversary of his father’s death with a 30-date tour featuring Bonham playing the band’s greatest hits. Dates along with the lineup of musicians backing Bonham will be announced soon; more info is available at Bonham’s official website. “When I was offered to put this together over a year ago, it wasn’t right,” Bonham said in a statement. “This September 25th is the 30th anniversary of my father’s passing — I thought, what better way to celebrate his life than to do 30 shows for the 30 years he’s been gone?”
The shows will be more than just a standard set of Zep covers. Bonham is planning to ratchet up the gigs with plenty of multimedia features, including a light show and giant screens displaying home movies and photos of Bonham and his family. Inspired after seeing the longtime touring show “Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles,” Bonham partnered with the team behind the Pink Floyd Experience production. “I loved ‘Rain’ and its take on the Beatles,” Bonham said. “The way they used a timeline and news reel to create a mood, and crafted set changes throughout, it was stunning.”
As Rolling Stone previously reported, a true Led Zep reunion seems unlikely this year. Robert Plant will be touring and releasing a new album with his pre-Zep act Band of Joy, which also featured John Bonham. The singer is currently recording the disc with Alison Krauss (who collaborated with Plant on the 2007 Grammy-winning smash Raising Sand) and will be joined on tour by singer-songwriter Patti Griffin.