Its been nearly five years since Jason Bonham was last in Australia but tonight he kicked off his JBLZE Australian Tour with a sell out show at the Astor Theatre in Perth, WA. With an incredible back catalogue in his own right, tonight was once again about the legacy his father left with the incredible songs of Led Zeppelin.
As the house lights dimmed and the final cannons from AC/DC’s ‘For Those About to Rock’ faded into the distance, Bonham & his band strode on to the stage with beaming smiles and a hint of cheeky joviality – this was a going to be a fun evening… I could smell it in the air. Tonight was a night of hits, bits and B-sides – songs we love, and songs we don’t get to hear as often as we would like… especially live.
The eclectic crowd buzzed and bustled with excitement as ‘Immigrant Song’ opened the evening, lead vocalist James Dylan effortlessly delivering as Plant himself would have. ‘Good Times Bad Times’ continued to keep the crowd well and truly in warm-up mode as a loud cheer embraced the room with Bonham teasing us with those Zep trademark drum fills made so famous by his father.
‘Over the Hills and Far Away’ was masterful dispatched before we got the first of many interludes, with Jason, donning mirror sunglasses, telling us stories of the past, heartfelt and at times amusing tales of his father, John. Bonham began by explaining that he had been approached a few years back with the idea of starting a Led Zeppelin tribute band. “But why would I want to do that? I’ve just played with the real thing?” referencing his playing with the band at the 2007 reunion. But 13 years ago the idea became reality when JBLZE was born. “We play these songs for you guys and because everyone in this room has a love for Led Zeppelin and I’m so blessed to be able to represent the Bonham name. We play these songs from the heart.”
‘Ramble On’ was the first of the sing-a-longs, with Bonham challenging Perth to be the best singers on the tour. “I want to go to the other cities and tell them they sound great…but not as good as Perth!” Cue loud cheers and a challenge set. ‘The Rain Song’ and ‘Thank You’ continued to delve into the Zep songbook and it’s at this point I will stop telling you all the stories we heard so as not to spoil them for you but listen out for the one about Grandma Joan and Jerry the Trumpet player – its a hoot!
The band were now in full flow with multi-instrumentalist Alex Howland jumping between Les Paul Gold Top, mandolin, keyboards and acoustic guitars. Lead guitarist Jimmy Sakurai and bassist Dorian Heartsong helped reproduce the sound that has captivated audiences with some of the greatest songs ever written. ‘Going to California’ gave Bonham a chance to rest, but not for long as he stood behind the kit filming the Perth crowd from his phone while mouthing the lyrics word perfect, as he encouraged more audience participation.
Howland got to shine on the spellbinding ‘No Quarter’ even though we were informed the keyboards he was using weren’t the same as what they were expecting to take on this leg of the tour. “Don’t worry. He’s a professional,” beamed Bonham. Another song, another tale… ‘My dad was walking to the pub when he told Jimmy (Page) that he had this idea for the opening of a song.” ‘Kashmir’ has one of the bands most memorable of riffs and I never knew it was one of Bonzo’s ideas! But I do now.
‘Stairway to Heaven’ lifted the crowd to an even higher stay of extasy with Sakurai making his dual neck guitar weep during ‘that’ solo. “We don’t need to walk off and do all that encore rubbish do we? Do you want us to play some more?” Did he need to ask? Of course not. Is there a better way to end a night of incredible musicianship that ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and ‘Rock and Roll’? I think not.
If your a die-hard fan of Led Zeppelin and haven’t got tickets yet, then why not. If you enjoy a night of high quality entertainment delivered by exceptional musicians with wonderful tales from the past then get along to JBLZE at a venue near you.
Thanks to Metropolis Touring for the access and the Astor Theatre, as always, for your hospitality.
Photos by Shotweiler Photography
