Location: Shenkman Theatre, Orleans, ON
Date: March 4th, 2011
Opening Act: None
The Main Show: 6 guys, doing the work of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. The show was split into two parts: the first half was Led Zeppelin's fifth album, Houses of the Holy, from start to finish; the second half was a bunch of other hits from albums I, II, and XVIII.
The First Half - Houses of the Holy:
"We've done four already and now we're steady, and they we went 1, 2, 3, 4..."
That was the only thing missing from this tribute to Houses of the Holy. Three of the guys looked almost exactly like their counterparts from the band - the guitarist, as Jimmy page; the backup guitarist, as John Paul Jones; and the drummer, as John Bonham. Thankfully, the singer was not wearing Robert Plant-style jeans, though his voice was very good. Close enough to sound like the real thing, not so close as to seem fake and lacking in style.
Each part was executed just about perfectly, the acoustics were good, the sound guys did their job, and the crowd was really into. This made for a great atmosphere, and I was able to focus on the talent of these musicians. And there was enough of it to go around.
Houses of the Holy is an album which uses a full range of styles, and showcases each member of the band in different songs. The vocalist took a few songs to be able to hit all the highest notes (though it was explained later that the singer flew in from Florida at 3 am, then drove to Ottawa from Toronto in time for the show). When he got there, he really put on a show. The skill of the guitarist and drummer also became apparent very quickly. The bassist, backup guitar and keyboardist also did their jobs to complete the full range of sound.
From "The Song Remains the Same" to "The Ocean", this album was executed very well. I was in awe as the intermission arrived.
The Second Half - Selections from other albums
The second half was opened with "Fool in the Rain" from In Through the Out Door. The band then took us through the years with "Hot Dog", "How Many More Times", "Whole Lotta Love", "Heartbreaker / Livin' Lovin' Woman" and an incredible rendition of "Moby Dick". (I really mean incredible. The drummer was awesome)
Surprisingly, the band left out albums III, IV (Zoso), and VI (Presence) completely, missing out on "The Immigrant Song", "Black Dog", "Stairway to Heaven", "Achilles' Last Stand", and many other big hits. That's OK though. The encore was an all-out rock-out with an extended version of * wait for it * "Kashmir".
Overall Impression
This was a hell of a show. Classic Albums Live really put together a great group for this performance. There wasn't much of a light show, but the guys really showed their love for the music, and their ability to play it. Good sound balance and overall atmosphere contributed to a great show. I would definitely go see these guys again.
Incidentally, they will be playing a number of shows in Quebec and Ontario, including Port Hope, if you're interested. I strongly recommend seeing this show.
