ZOSO: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience rocked the house at The Tropicana Showroom Friday night 7/5 and 50 years of rockin' catalog added to the fireworks and firepower of a holiday weekend at the Jersey shore! Sitting in eager anticipation of the perfect date night out for many (myself included), the band took the stage at 9:12pm and launched into a show open Rock And Roll from the Forth (Zoso) album. The Immigrant Song, Black Dog and my favorite Kashmir all done with tasty creative arrangement and showmanship had me fully strapped into my time machine going full speed to 1975 and my seat at the Philadelphia Spectrum!
The Song Remains The Same was a treat I hadn't previously seen in their setlist. The Led Zeppelin song discography is so vast, not every song can be performed during any one concert. ZOSO: The Led Zeppelin Experience gives their fans a different playlist show to show with this in mind. Dancing Days from the Houses Of The Holy album (1973) was another bonus for me personally. It's one more song that tripped emotional (school days) heartstrings for me, where I was, what I was doing and who I was sweet on as that song played on those years in the background!
The players brought the magic, the likeness and the power of the original Iconic lads, led by band co-founder Adam Sandling (above), who showed John Paul Jones prowess and likeness. Sandling, a gifted musician on electric bass, keyboards and mandolin showed the 29-year staying power of the band.
Lead vocalist and founding band member Matt Jernigan portrayed (a younger Robert Plant) in stage persona, look and soul, belting out the classics with precision of the original recordings. He studies the legendary recordings and stage performances of Led Zeppelin meticulously and he certainly brought home the power of the 2007 LIVE performance/recording of Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven, with stage comments made by Plant himself, ("I think this is a song of hope")*
NONE of these songs could transition without the high-powered performance of Jimmy Rotondi on lead guitar. The most recent addition to the lineup, Rotondi took on the role of Jimmy Page in 2021. Wow! This guy has the look and skillset of a big-time rock n roll guitarist! AND he is, as a former member of the legendary Humble Pie among other world touring artists. His stage presence and look and gift really took hold and grabbed me with his musical translations and string efforts during Whole Lotta Love, the shows encore close.
Drummer Bevan Davies, the jet engine behind the kit since 2015 is another proven veteran of rock and touring, having toured with Danzig, Jerry Cantrell and The Cult's Billy Duffy! One suggestion I would have is that the band incorporate Moby Dick as a nightly feature to the setlist. Davies prowess can be spotlighted nightly and also may used as an off-stage transition for the other players. What a great night for personal time travel. Mission accomplished. It wasn't my first time. I thought they were tighter and more musically in rhythm with each other than last year's concert. They felt good. As a result, we all felt great leaving the venue. These guys are the real deal. If you love these songs, you will feel them the way you felt them in years gone by. Get ready for a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. It's time travel back to a far, far land at warped speed! From Austin to Atlantic City from Hartford to Honolulu and everywhere in between, these guys are ready to bring the Zeppelin tunes to your town! And you should go! Grade: A+