Before he died in 1980, John Bonham taught his son Jason not to be afraid to take chances.
That approach to life worked out well for John, who put his faith a pair of drumsticks and went on to become a rock legend with Led Zeppelin.
Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience floated down into CN Centre Saturday. While critics might say Jason is taking a risk trying to re-create the songs his dad made famous, he had no trouble convincing a small but enthusiastic crowd of about 1,000 that bringing Zeppelin back to life for a 30-date tour of North America was a great idea.
Zeppelin fans, young and old, were pleasantly surprised with the precision Bonham's band brought to the stage, despite only a few weeks of rehearsal and this being only the second stop on the tour. If you closed your eyes and listened, it wasn't hard to imagine a Zeppelin gig might sound like this.
Vocalist James Dylan just had to open his mouth to demonstrate he's a credible substitute for Robert Plant. Physically, there's absolutely no resemblance. Plant was famous for his long curly locks, while Dylan is bald and looks like he could be Bonham's brother. Dylan has proven he's a master of the art of covering Zep tunes as the frontman for Virtual Zeppelin, whose on-line site shows how to play each instrument for spot-on Zeppelin songs.
The sounds of John Paul Jones, the Zeppelin bass and keyboard player, were produced by Michael Devin --formerly of Whitesnake, who supplied the low frequency tones that complemented Bonham's Ludwig drum kit -- and fellow Los Angelino, Stephen LeBlanc, who proved his versatility replicating Jones's organ and also added some rhythm guitar.
The difficult job of emulating Jimmy Page was handed to Tony Catina. The New Yorker showed he's well-schooled in the blues, reeling off credible versions of I Can't Quit You, Since I've Been Loving You, Dazed and Confused (complete with the violin bow stroking Page made famous), and The Lemon Song,
I'm Gonna Crawl, from the last Zeppelin studio album, In Through The Out Door, was an unexpected treat, a perfect showcase for Catina to blast out some high-pitched spine-tingling riffs. Other highlights included The Ocean, The Song Remains the Same, Black Dog, Stairway to Heaven, and a scintillating rendition of Kashmir.
The spotlight was never far from the drum kit. Jason has studied his dad's uniquely powerful but relaxed drumming style and knows those beats better than anyone. He's inherited Bonzo's musical genes and with cameras pointed at his hands and feet he gave the audience a taste of one of rock's most influential drummers. Criticized on the Internet for trying to cash in on his famous father's fame, Jason is no different than any other son who takes up his dad's profession.
"He gave me the gift to play the drums and I love Led Zeppelin so that's why we're here," he told the crowd.
Bonham family home movies gave the audience an intimate glimpse of what it was like for Jason growing up in the farmhouse his dad, a former carpenter, built near Redditch, England. In one hilarious clip, Jason, not more than seven years old with a pageboy haircut, is dancing for his mom and dad to Gary Glitter's I'm the Leader of the Gang (I Am), proving he's not just a talented drummer. Always coming across as sincere, an everyday guy who just happened to grow up surrounded by rock stars, at times Jason became emotional, fighting back tears while talking about his dad, who died at age 32. He'd look up at the heavens, as if seeking approval, then ask the crowd, "How is it so far?"
The video clips allowed Jason, now 44, to pretend his dad was sharing the stage. "This song didn't sound right in rehearsal. Dad, can you play the drums for me?," was Jason's way of introducing the drum-heavy When the Levee Breaks.
Just before the intermission came Moby Dick, and its signature drum solo. Jason expressed his regret there was only one drum kit in the house when he was kid and never got to play with his dad, but the duet came to life with an audio/video recording of John attacking the skins in perfect sync with Jason's live assault.
With Dylan's voice starting to fade, a planned two-song encore was limited to a full-throttle Rock 'n' Roll. As they took their bows, the crowd reciprocated by pouring a Whole Lotta Love back at the band, who left us with the hope we'll once again get to experience Led Zeppelin.
