Here are the latest concert reviews:

Stevie Nicks–Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA–7/28/01

Black Sabbath–Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA–7/20/01

Styx/Bad Company/Billy Squier–Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA–6/26/01

Robert Plant and Strange Sensation–D.A.R. Constitution Hall, Washington, D.C.–5/28/01

ZOSO–State Theater, Falls Church, VA–4/27/01

The Wall–State Theater, Falls Church, VA–4/27/01

Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes–Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA–7/6/00

STEVIE NICKS

Nissan Pavilion
Bristow, VA

July 28, 2001

An Evening in Shangri-La

    The new millenium has brought a long-awaited album for Stevie Nicks and a successful summer tour. It appears, though, that this classic rocker has swapped her trademark platform boots for some comfy black sneakers. I guess age finally catches up with all of us, doesn't it? Even with the minor shoe modification, Stevie is as much a modern-day rock-and-roll chick as she's ever been. On her current release, Trouble in Shangri-La, she engages the help of female artists Sheryl Crow, Macy Gray and Sarah McLachlan. Never one to be threatened by the younger generation of musicians, Stevie has lent the use of her “Edge of Seventeen” to girl-group, Destiny’s Child, for sampling on their latest hit “Booty-licious”. In fact, as Stevie prepared to take the stage at Nissan Pavilion on July 28, “Booty-licious” blared from the speakers, showing that this “bella donna” still has a sense of humor as well as a justifiable pride in the importance her music has achieved to date.

    Due to run from 9:00 to 10:50 p.m., the show finally got underway at 9:20 p.m. under threatening skies. Looking very “Stevie” in a corseted black dress with flowing skirts, she began her set with the hit recorded with longtime friend Tom Petty, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”. Stevie and her seven-piece band then launched into “Enchanted”, “Dreams” and “Gold Dust Woman” before playing two tracks from her new CD, “Every Day” and “Sorcerer”. Sharing with the audience a few of her songwriting stories (á la VH1 Storytellers) Stevie said of “Sorcerer,” “Good songs come out of great scary tragedy”. Alas, what that was she didn’t reveal.

    Following with “Rhiannon” and “Stand Back”, Stevie stepped off stage before each song to transform her image with a various fringe-y shawls. What the crowd lacked in numbers (about half-capacity) they made up for in enthusiasm, cheering wildly after every song. But even the supportive audience couldn’t keep Stevie going. After starting strong for the first six or seven songs, her exuberance began to fade as the evening wore on. Her demeanor became somewhat subdued (reportedly due to feeling “under the weather”) and she was more restrained in her performance. Stevie’s voice, once described as mezzo-soprano, was much lower in pitch tonight; she didn't hit the high notes of her youth, however to the delight of her fans Stevie’s unusual vocal style was very much intact.

    Up next was the new “Planets of the Universe”, one of her “favorite songs” says Stevie who was “very angry” when she wrote it in the late ’70s. (Yet another Lindsay Buckingham-related incident?) Continuing with her mini costume changes, “Too Far From Texas” lost much of its punch compared to the CD, but “Fall from Grace” (also new) really rocked. The final new cut, a jazzy “Bombay Sapphires,” finally employed some creative lighting—the flowers and columns on stage bathed in swirling pinks, purples, and blues. At the conclusion of the song, an arranged break followed during which pre-selected fans (Stevie Nicks Fan Club members?) were permitted to rush the stage. Stevie reappeared (yes, new shawl) and weakly launched into “Edge of Seventeen” as clamoring fans reached for her and waved flowers and stuffed teddy bears. During “Seventeen’s” final bars, Stevie-supported by her body guard-made her choreographed way along the front of the stage, touching hands and accepting gifts.

    The first encore was another Tom Petty hit, “I Need to Know”, followed by an ineffective choice for a second encore, “Has Anyone Written Anything for You?” with Stevie now sporting a pink bodice and oversized black derby hat with giant pink feather. (That ensemble should have stayed on the bus.) The crowd were on their feet and screaming at this final song, but this reviewer would have gladly seen the show close with one of Stevie’s chart-climbers, such as “Talk to Me” or “Landslide” (just my humble opinion—each of us has our favorites!). And the show finished right on time at 10:50 p.m., cheating fans out of 20 minutes of scheduled performance. Try as they might, their cheers couldn’t extract another song out of Stevie—the Nissan Pavilion runs a tight ship.

    As the crowds of satisfied fans exited the arena, a misty rain began to fall, dampening their $32 Shangri-La t-shirts and causing the lace gowns of Stevie look-alikes to droop. Stevie must have been drooping, too because her black stretch limousine and two tour buses stopped the already snarled traffic as she boogied her way straight out of town.

K. Rhys-Gruffydd

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BLACK SABBATH

Nissan Pavilion
Bristow, VA

July 20, 2001

WHOLLY SABBATH!

    Tony Iommi once said that nothing could compare to the original Black Sabbath line-up. Well he and Ozzy Osbourne, along with Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, proved this definitively Friday, July 20th at 9:30 p.m. when they took the stage as the grand finale act in the day long Ozzfest (more like Buzzfest—as always, contact highs were plentiful!) at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow, Virginia. After a full day of heavy metal bands such as Slipknot, Linkin Park, Papa Roach and Marilyn Manson, the largely teenaged to mid-20s crowd were primed and ready for the kings of gothic rock.

    What’s so great about the Sab is that, unlike so many of the classic rock bands still out there performing, they really can still put on a rock show reminiscent of the 1970s shows we all remember (sort of) and loved so well. Fire and brimstone, baby, complete with a huge burning cross and gothic mirrors which doubled as video screens for the ever-essential and oh-so-delightfully sinister film montage. The requisite black backdrop with purple, pink and blue flashes of color shimmered and glistened as stage scaffolding sprayed water out over an enthusiastic crowd.

    Trappings aren’t everything, however, and these dark masters know it. They had no problem delivering a stellar set though, beginning with the classic “N.I.B” which was closely followed by the bluesy new cut, “Scary Dreams”. The audience stayed right with Ozzy throughout the set and despite their peach fuzz, seemed to know word for word all of the classic Black Sabbath faves. It’s a good thing they did, too, because Ozzy did seem to need a little help from his friends when it came to lyrics. And if not forthcoming from the audience, then the large teleprompter was at the ready to fill in the gaps. Fortunately his use of this device wasn’t horribly obvious to most people; in fact Ozzy is really better than most when it comes to using a teleprompter discreetly and effectively.

    Overall Black Sabbath’s enthusiasm when performing before a live audience more than compensates for little problems like lyrics. Ozzy, as always so great with the crowd, demanded their constant involvement by either spraying them with hoses or by repeatedly shouting between numbers, "Let's go fucking crazy!" and “You ain’t seen fuckin’ crazy yet!” But Oz was a good sport, soaking himself with a bucket of water every time he sprayed the audience.

    Black Sabbath appeared healthy and robust in their indispensable black attire and cross pendants. The robust Geezer and Bill were tight as a rhythm unit and Tony was (as always) pristine on lead guitar. The foursome rollicked fans through the remainder of Ozzfest with impeccable renditions of Sab classics, “War Pigs”, “Iron Man”, “Into the Void”, “The Wizard”, and “Black Sabbath”. Encore numbers, “Paranoid” and “Children of the Grave” (which a bouncing Ozzy threatened not to provide unless the crowd were loud and crazy enough) raised the roof and capped off the day's festivities perfectly.

    The show ended all too soon at 10:45 p.m., with Ozzy promising to return next year with Black Sabbath to “kick” our collective “asses again”. Thousands of lighters filling the venue upon the band’s departure were a clear testimonial to Black Sabbath’s triumph this day. We can only hope that when they return it will once more be with the original members in tow. After all, these heavy metal gods wrote the book on rock showmanship and are the real reason for the smashing success behind this year's festival—Ozzy and the stellar presence of “the” Black Sabbath will always be key to the ongoing prosperity of Ozzfest!

S. Cameron

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STYX/BAD COMPANY/BILLY SQUIER

Nissan Pavilion
Bristow, VA

June 26, 2001

IN THE COMPANY OF ROCKERS

Billy Squier

    An evening of classic rock at the Nissan Pavilion in Northern Virginia kicked off promptly at 7:30 p.m. with Billy Squier grabbing the first leg of this triple-header. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of his hugely successful Don't Say No album, Billy looked quite buff in faded jeans and white tank top, indicating his time spent away from the stage has not been idle. Billy brought along several band members from his Don't Say No days, and filled in the gaps on drums and guitar with two younger and very enthusiastic musicians. Together they treated the audience to an excellent track-by-track revisiting of Don't Say No, including such classics as “Too Daze Gone”, “Lonely is the Night”, “In the Dark” and “My Kinda Lover”.

    Billy displayed an endless amount of energy—running, sliding, jumping—thoroughly enjoying his time on stage. His voice was still strong and capable of hitting all the high notes. The only disappointment came early in the set during “The Stroke” which Billy performed acoustically in a blues style. The crowd waited expectantly for the familiar beat to begin and looked a bit bummed when Billy failed to let loose on this normally rockin’ “bring down the house” number. They soon recovered with the advent of the next song and remained cheering for the rest of his 40-minute set.

Bad Company

    Next on the docket was Bad Company at 8:25 p.m., keeping to a precise schedule set forth by the Nissan staff. (Hardly enough time between sets to refresh your beer and avail yourself of the facilities!) Looking slick in white belted jeans and a black Styx tank top, founding member and lead singer Paul Rodgers seemed determined to make the most of his band’s second-billing status behind Styx. Accompanying Paul on stage were original drummer Simon Kirke, guitarist “Bucket” Colwell and bassist Rick Wills. Bad Company, however, sounded a little rusty as they began with old favorites “Rock Steady”, “Can't Get Enough”. The band soon worked the kinks out on “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and it was all non-stop rockin’ from there. The audience clearly enjoyed Bad Company’s performance and sang along with Paul Rodgers on many of the songs. Paul invited them to take the lead on the chorus of “Shooting Star” and was rewarded with almost 100% participation (including that of this reviewer). More classics followed, such as “Bad Company”, “Don't Let Me Down”, Movin’ On” and “Run with the Pack”. Unfortunately, Bad Company were forced to give up the stage after 50 minutes without a chance to play some of the lesser-known favorites. Time sure flies when you're having fun!

Styx

    In a reprisal of last summer’s tour with REO Speedwagon, ‘70s superband Styx featured original members Tommy Shaw and James Young (J.Y.) along with lead singer Lawrence Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman and bassist Glen Burtnick. As the final and headlining band of the evening, Styx was allowed a mere 90 minutes to play as many hits as they could squeeze in by 11:00 p.m.—gone, it seems, are the days of the Led Zeppelin-pioneered three-hour music set. Gone also are the days of former lead singer Dennis DeYoung hogging the stage and most of the singing parts. This time around (even more so than last summer) the singing was shared by Tommy, Lawrence, J.Y. and Glen. It was a bit disconcerting, though, to hear traditionally DeYoung songs—“Borrowed Time” and “Fooling Yourself”—sung now by, not Lawrence (whose voice is quite similar) but Tommy. In fact, Lawrence seemed content to plug away at the keyboards sporting so-tight-they've-got-to-be-sprayed-on pants. Tommy has let his hair grow out a bit from last summer's trendy ‘do and goatee ensemble. The band occasionally worked the length of the stage but (as usual) generally concentrated on the center, leaving the folks on the ends straining for a closer glimpse or a thrown guitar pick.

    Styx treated their audience to such favorites as “Too Much Time on My Hands”, “Snowblind” and “Light Up”. Tommy dedicated “Sing for the Day” to his “daughter who was in attendance that night and J.Y. took the lead on “Miss America” as per the norm. A few new songs were also performed from their new CD. But the real surprise of the evening came when founding member and bassist Chuck Panozzo joined the band onstage for “Renegade” to a standing ovation. Wearing an authentic Chicago Police blazer from his hometown and still current residence, Chuck worked the stage in his usual reserved manner. His broad smile gave away his excitement, though, and he even indulged in a jam with Glen. Sadly, there were no deep album cuts in the set, such as “Queen of Spades”, “Crystal Ball” and “Boat on the River” as in recent years’ shows. And with only one encore—the requisite “Come Sail Away” albeit with the addition of Chuck—fans were left wanting a lot more and wondering if indeed Styx have now become the corporate rockers they always despised.

K. Rhys-Gruffydd

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ROBERT PLANT AND STRANGE SENSATION

D.A.R. Constitution Hall
Washington, D.C.

May 28, 2001

STRANGER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED!

    Robert Plant performed with his latest band, Strange Sensation, on Memorial Day at Washington D.C.'s D.A.R. Constitution Hall. Constitution Hall, a less than ideal rock venue with a capacity of approximately 3700, was only about half full for this performance, with tickets still available up to the very last minute. Hardly surprising, since there wasn't much advance promotion for the show (starting only about a week before tickets went on sale). Nor was there any indication via the few promotions as to what exactly Strange Sensation was going to present to audiences in the first place. However, once the concert got closer, some local radio stations did start to advertise that Led Zeppelin music would be played—an apparent effort to boost sluggish ticket sales.

     “Strange” is a good word for Robert's most recent musical endeavors. Another that comes to mind is “perplexing”. Many concertgoers at Constitution Hall seemed perplexed by a number of things, from the lack of promotional items for sale to the clouds of smoke coming from the numerous (read: headache!) sticks of incense Robert was burning onstage (does “No Smoking” apply to incense?). But most of the audience bewilderment stemmed from the music.

    After a brief opening act, Robert casually took the stage at about 9:00 p.m., looking confident and quite fit in black leather pants and black shirt. What followed was an odd mix of just a few Led Zeppelin tunes, and a rather large dose of some lesser known ‘60s numbers-all cloaked in a Middle Eastern sounding haze and replete with a backdrop of Moroccan photos and swirling pink lights. A longtime lover of Eastern music, this must be Robert's way of putting his personal stamp on whatever Strange Sensation plays. Conspicuously absent from this performance was material from Robert's solo years.

    Though Robert's performance was much less physical than those from years ago, his vocals sounded absolutely fantastic! And while the notes flowed clear and strong from his well-seasoned throat, he seemed content to merely stand at the mike or perch on a nearby stool. A fling of the still-blond curls and the occasional wailing of “oooh, baby” and “yeah, mama” gave the audience brief glimpses of the Robert-of-old—the one they had come to see. But the animation and improvisation for which Robert was so famous were too seldom displayed.

    Robert did perform one better known tune from the ‘60s, the Hendrix staple, “Hey Joe”. Yet even this great number was barely recognizable in its presentation this night. The audience went along with it though, cheering loudly when prompted by Robert beckoning, “feed me!” (Robert's ego has obviously remained intact after all these years!) Unfortunately, the concert had an overall feeling of being thrown together. Robert himself called it “self-indulgent”, and it was. After playing for a mere hour and ten minutes, Robert indulged himself and the audience with no less than three separate encores, thus managing to stretch the show into the more expected (barely) two hour performance. Strange Sensation, while good musicians, lacks the ability to showcase Robert's vocal talents and do not do credit to his well-earned status of rock-and-roll god. His distinctive voice was too often lost behind meandering guitar solos and noisy drumming. Not very promising, considering they just recently announced their intention to record a CD together!

    In any case it can at least be said that, for the most part, the few Led Zeppelin numbers saved the day for Robert and Strange Sensation. (The sole exception being “Whole Lotta Love” which, despite Robert's excellent vocals, was a great disappointment, instrumentally.) Robert, along with bassist (and son-in-law) Charlie Jones, guitarists Porl Thompson (of the Cure) and Justin Adams, drummer Clive Deamer and keyboardist John Baggott managed to put a fair amount of “kick-ass” into such Zep favorites as “Four Sticks”, “In The Light”, “Babe I'm Gonna Leave You” and “Misty Mountain Hop.” And though it was a bit unprepared on the part of Chris Robinson when he had to read sheet music while performing with Jimmy Page last summer, it was positively disgraceful to see Robert Plant doing the exact same thing (constantly!) with his very own Zeppelin material. (We know he used to sometimes mix up the odd verse or two, even back in the ‘70s, but c'mon!).

    Despite the various disappointments, fans of Robert Plant were clearly happy to have him performing again, and those in attendance at Constitution Hall definitely showed Robert their appreciation, particularly during the Led Zeppelin numbers. So far fans have been tolerant of his various musical manifestations (although, judging from ticket sales and post-performance interviews with concertgoers, their tolerance may be in decline). But one does wonder what his objective is. Robert is forever searching for new musical direction and inspiration and perpetually bouncing back and forth between whether he is or isn't comfortable with the Zeppelin legacy. And while nothing ever seems to make Robert happy for long, there is only one thing that really makes his fans happy—more Zeppelin!

S. Cameron

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ZOSO

State Theater
Falls Church, VA

April 27, 2001

YOU ZOSO NEED TO SEE THIS SHOW!

    The April 27 Distant Replay show featuring tribute bands The Wall (Pink Floyd) and Zoso (Led Zeppelin) at the recently renovated State Theatre sold out in less than two hours. The reason for the quick sell was no doubt the appeal of both bands together in one evening. However, Zoso was plainly the main attraction and rocked the house that night for a full two hours plus an encore. Fans of all ages were in attendance, from teens to 50-somethings, many sporting aged Led Zeppelin t-shirts.

     Zoso is: Matt Jernigan as lead singer Robert Plant, Greg Thompson as drummer John Bonham, Adam Sandling as bass guitarist John Paul Jones and Jay Bobo as lead guitarist Jimmy Page. Based on the East Coast, this band has made a career out of portraying Led Zeppelin, keeping a staggering number of cross-country shows on their schedule each year. Each member of Zoso is a trained musician, clearly overqualified to be in any of today's cookie-cutter bands. Thankfully for all of us, the members of Zoso choose to keep the timeless music of Led Zeppelin alive through their performances.

    When Zoso takes the stage, band members pay their own nightly tribute to the greatest rock-and-roll group that ever was. Using their skill as musicians, their attention to Led Zeppelin details and the uncanny way each plays the part of the original, this is accomplished in a truly extraordinary way. The band has studied the movements of Led Zeppelin through various means but most identifiably the movie, The Song Remains the Same (TSRTS). Seeing Matt's Robert Plant strutting and posing and Jay's Jimmy Page stance, that tuition has paid off. While on stage, Zoso allow themselves to believe for a split second that they really are Led Zeppelin, and this feeling is transmitted to the audience.

    Zoso's Friday night set began at breakneck speed with "Rock 'n Roll" and plunged straight into "Immigrant Song", "Houses of the Holy", "Black Dog" and "What is and What Will Never Be" with lead singer Matt Jernigan hitting every note just as strong and clear as Robert Plant would have in his glory days. Drummer Greg Thompson, whose impressive strength in attacking his drum kit was evident during each song, kept a bruising beat throughout the night. Regarding Led Zeppelin's late drummer John Bonham, Greg commented, "I was totally blown away by his drumming…he's one of the ones that really got me, inspired me to be a heavy hitter…He's the greatest."

    After true-Zeppelin versions of "Thank You" and "Misty Mountain Hop", Zoso launched into the TSRTS version of "Since I've Been Loving You". Even Jimmy Page didn't attempt this song when he was in DC last summer with the Black Crowes. Says lead singer Matt of Zeppelin's music, "It's high demand and not just anybody can do it." Well, Zoso can and does. Continuing on with "The Wanton Song", "The Lemon Song" and "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?" Zoso kept up the pace. Bassist Adam Sandling alternated expertly between the bass and keyboards and plays with more enthusiasm than John Paul Jones did originally. Even though he's the youngest in the band, Adam plays the difficult Zeppelin pieces with ease.

    Winding down the two-hour set was a TSRTS version of "The Song Remains the Same" and "The Rain Song". Then it was "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Tangerine". But one of the real treats of the evening was the extended live TSRTS version of "Dazed and Confused" when Jay Bobo really got to show his stuff. After dazzling the capacity crowd all night with his licks, he blew them away as he finished this song with a bow across the strings á la Jimmy Page. Before the show, Jay said that as a high schooler he would play Zeppelin albums in the living room and visualize himself as Jimmy Page on stage. Well his dream has come true and his representation does Jimmy proud.

    Zoso left the stage after this number, but clearly were coming back for an encore because the house lights didn't go on (all you concert-goers who stay until the bitter end know what I'm talking about). Fans that left to beat the crowd missed the jewel of the evening-yes, Zoso played "Stairway to Heaven". Since Zoso takes such pains to be accurate and believable, in retrospect, how could they have left it out? If this were a 1974 concert, Zeppelin surely would have played it. Three cheers for Zoso who have taken portraying Zeppelin to the nth degree.

    If you missed the chance to see Led Zeppelin live in concert, or if you did and want to relive the experience, then run—don't walk—to a Zoso show near you. You can expect these four talented musicians to pour their heart and soul into a rock-and-roll performance that will take you back 30 years. And during the show you just might catch yourself believing you're really there again.

K. Rhys-Gruffydd

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THE WALL

State Theater
Falls Church, VA

April 27, 2001

SO WHAT IS A TRIBUTE BAND ANYWAY?

    The Wall, a New York/New Jersey based Pink Floyd tribute band ventured south to perform for a sold out crowd of Floyd lovers at the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA on Friday, April 27th.

    The appropriateness of their name became obvious from the moment they took the stage and began playing. These guys are not just named for the most popular Pink Floyd album and song of all time, but also create a truly impenetrable "wall" of pink sound for those fortunate to hear them perform.

    The Backstage Pass staff caught up with the Wall band members (Darren Cederquist—vocals and keyboards; Randy Depas—guitar; Scott Franklin—drums; and, Karl Lindboom on bass guitar) a few minutes before they were to go on stage at the State Theatre last Friday. Within that short period of time these quiet, unassuming guys blew away everything we had presupposed about tribute bands, in general.

    For starters, it's a mistake to assume that members of the Wall are lifelong die-hard Pink Floyd fans who just can't get enough of imitating their heroes, so to speak. A couple of the band members are veteran fans of Pink Floyd, but one or two guys are fairly recent converts to that whole listening experience. And "tribute" really is the key word here. They are not copying or imitating; their real aim is to honor and to give recognition to what these guys consider to be some of the best classic rock music around and they do so by exercising their considerable talent as musicians. As Darren Cederquist pointed out, "I think it's timeless music." The huge number of Pink Floyd fans, both young and old, at the State Theatre that Friday night would agree. Darren observes that even the "kids…17,18 and 19 years old…" seem to "...know every single word to the songs and sing along with us and so that's the big thing, that the generation gap is kind of huge!"

    So rather than cover a wide range of various rock hits by multiple rock artists, the Wall wisely choose to cover one very popular group, namely Pink Floyd, and are therefore much more popular, not to mention viable, than your average, run-of-mill cover band could possibly hope to be. As drummer, Scott Franklin enthused, "…this…is actually a lot of fun! The fans are incredible! Crowd participation is unbelievable at times, so that's what keeps us alive." Bassist Karl Lindboom agrees adding that the "exposure" afforded them by covering strictly Pink Floyd classics is rewarding in every sense.

    We would also be wrong to assume that these guys live and breathe Pink Floyd every waking moment of their lives. Quite the contrary, members of the Wall are normal guys with normal lives who actually have regular jobs and careers they must attend to in addition to fulfilling these gigs. They enjoy other music and are just like most aspiring musicians in that they enjoy working on their own original tunes in their spare time (what little they must have). But as guitarist Randy Depas points out, "Originals are hard to sell…" but "playing …a Floyd tribute…" is to "do something that we actually like (that) is actually marketable at the same time."

     These things make experiencing the Wall's labor of love all the more interesting, fascinating and worthwhile. Each member of this group is an outstanding musician in his own right. And it is this remarkable musicianship that allows them to do what they do so successfully—that is, perform and therefore provide acclaim to one of the best classic rock bands of all time. Witness the Wall perform Pink Floyd classics, and you will intuitively feel and understand the nature and depth of their tribute.

S. MacBay

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JIMMY PAGE & THE BLACK CROWES

Nissan Pavilion
Bristow, VA

July 6, 2000

A ZEPPELIN SPOTTED IN D.C. AIRSPACE

    Jimmy Page cares about Led Zeppelin fans. That much was evident even prior to the commencement of his performance with the Black Crowes, Thursday July 6 at the Nissan Pavilion in Virginia. Jimmy is the keeper of the Led Zeppelin flame and is, unfortunately, the only remaining member of Led Zeppelin willing to perform their legendary music to the still massive numbers of fans who demand it. This particular appearance, however, mustered a crowd of only 12,000, barely half the venue's capacity - a far cry from 'massive' and a phenomenon that can be laid squarely at the feet of the concert promoter, who barely "promoted" this show at all. (There was some radio promotion thanks to a few local deejays, but Nissan sent no e-mail announcements and ran only one newspaper ad.) As a result, people on the lawn were invited by the group to move a little closer to the stage into some open rear-orchestra seating - an opportunity the picnickers joyously took advantage of! (As a matter of fact, since the concert, this reviewer has encountered a number of people who have complained as follows: "Jimmy Page? When? How did I miss that? I never heard a thing about it!" - definitely shabby on the part of the promoter.)

    This was Jimmy's show from the get go. His star billing and the Zep-heavy material bear witness to this fact. Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes quietly sauntered onto the stage at about 8:40 p.m. and with zero small talk went right to work for the audience, charging into a rousing interpretation of Zeppelin's Celebration Day. From their first moments on stage, Jimmy and the Crowes had totally seduced this audience. In fact the entire audience never sat down once until the concert was over. The songs selected for their performance were well chosen, cutting a wide swathe across the Led Zeppelin catalogue. One of the many hi-lights of the show was the boisterous Page/Crowes rendition of Zeppelin's In My Time of Dying, which drove the crowd into an absolute rock frenzy, as did other Zep staples such as Heartbreaker (played slightly slower than usual) and the finale, Whole Lotta Love. The entire set list ran as follows:

 Celebration Day (Zeppelin)

 The Wanton Song (Zeppelin)

 Misty Mountain Hop (Zeppelin)

 Hots On For Nowhere (Zeppelin)

 No Speak No Slave (Crowes)

 Sick Again (Zeppelin)

 What Is And What Will Never Be (Zeppelin)

 Oh Well (Fleetwood Mac)

 Ten Years Gone (Zeppelin)

 In My Time Of Dying (Zeppelin)

 You're Time Is Gonna Come (Zeppelin)

 Remedy (Crowes)

 The Lemon Song (Zeppelin)

 In The Light (Zeppelin)

 Shake Your Money Maker (Crowes)

 Nobody's Fault But Mine (Zeppelin)

 Heartbreaker (Zeppelin)

Bring It On Home (Zeppelin)

She Talks To Angels (Crowes)

Whole Lotta Love (Zeppelin)

    The May/December banding of Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes resulted in a comparable audience turnout. Animated fans, both young and old, danced and sang and swayed to the Zeppelin numbers (as well as the few Crowes numbers) like there was no tomorrow. Particularly amazing to this old concert-goer were the masses of young people, probably not even born at the time of Led Zeppelin demise in 1980, who knew every Zep song word for word and were screaming for more! These kids are proof that Led Zeppelin did indeed achieve what it set out to do in the 1970s, and that was to create music that would last and have a timeless appeal. Jimmy was in absolute top form, reminiscent of the many stellar performances he provided during the Seventies. Grinning ear to ear, Jimmy appeared very fit and radiated a thoroughly festive mood to the already animated crowd. The audience shouted Jimmy's name repeatedly after every song. Jimmy and the Crowes seem to enjoy a genuine camaraderie, which manifested itself time and again throughout the show. One refreshing thing about this performance is that Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes seem very aware of the entire audience as a whole, unlike most groups who shamefully pander to the first few rows of people (as if no one else had purchased a ticket). Thus the whole audience felt a part of the overall atmosphere.

    The Crowes performed the often-difficult Zeppelin numbers admirably and displayed noticeable improvement over their various October 1999 concert appearances with Jimmy Page. Maybe what the Crowes have said about being influenced by Zeppelin music is true (with the exception of Chris Robinson who, though he performs the Zeppelin numbers extremely well, seems to be reading a prompter for the lyrics. Some of Chris' moves are suspicious as well - almost as though he had been studying Robert Plant's moves in the Zep movie, The Song Remains the Same). Whatever the case, The Black Crowes have proved the perfect vehicle, allowing Jimmy to achieve his greatest desire, which is the perpetuation of the legendary Led Zeppelin sound and style.

    Hopefully the Jimmy Page/Black Crowes association will continue and therefore produce more live performances of this timeless Zeppelin material. One would hope also that they get a different promoter, so that next time word will reach all of the fans out there that yearn for a real music fix!

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