Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience Tour Dates

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience has a series of dates scheduled in the fall, starting with 2 dates in Chile and three in Australia in September. They then return to the US for shows in California and Nevada in October.



September 5th, 2012: Caupolican Theatre - Santiago, Chile
September 7th, 2012: La Tortuga - Concepcion, Chile

September 13th, 2012: Enmore Theatre - Sydney, Australia
September 14th, 2012: Forum Theatre - Melbourne, Australia
September 15th, 2012: Challenge Stadium - Perth, Australia

October 6th, 2012: Silver Legacy Casino - Reno, NV
October 7th, 2012: The Warfield - San Francisco, CA
October 8th, 2012: The Uptown Theatre - Napa Valley, CA
October 9th, 2012: Crest Theatre - Sacramento, CA
October 11th, 2012: The Greek Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
October 12th, 2012: Aliante Casino - Las Vegas, NV
October 13th, 2012: Fantasy Springs Resort Casino - Indio, CA

Expect more dates to be announced.

Achilles in Connecticut

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience  began their 2011 tour last night in Wallingford Connecticut, wher ethey premiered a new song, Achilles Last Stand:



Joining the Led Zeppelin Experience this time around is former Powerman 5000 bassist Dorian Heartsong (AKA Dorian 27).  He replaces Michael Devin, who had a prior commitment with Whitesnake.

The Return of the Led Zeppelin Experience

Last fall, Jason Bonham hit the road with a show called The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience (JBLZE). Put together by the guys who did The Beatles Rain show, JBLZE combined the music of Led Zeppelin with pictures and home movies from his own life.

Between songs, Bonham would stand at the edge of the stage and talk about his life with his father, his life as a member of the Led Zeppelin family. Whether talking about his father, or about the “greatest night of his life,” Dec 10, 2007 at the O2 arena, JBLZE is a tribute to the father from the son.

When he announced the JBLZE tour last fall, Bonham suggested the band would do 30 shows, to pay homage to the fact it had been 30 years since his father’s death. The number of shows, however, became a bit fluid and the thirty shows never stood. Now Bonham is taking the JBLZE back on the road for 18 more shows (as currently announced - more could be added), and it looks like JBLZE may be a more or less permanent side project for the drummer.

Bonham appears to be taking the same band out on the road as he did in the fall. Bassist Michael Devin is the bassist of record for Whitesnake, who also have dates supporting their new album, Forevermore, beginning in May. Many Whitesnake dates coincide with the JBLZE experience shows.



The rest of the band is Stephen LeBlanc on lap steel guitar/guitar/keyboards, Tony Catania on guitar and James Dylan on vocals.

A review of Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience performance in Kitchener last October can be found here. Steve Sauer at Lemon Squeezings has the full slate of shows Bonham is doing with JBLZE, as well as with Black Country Communion and Paul Rodgers.

Dolphins Dancing Days

If you are heading to next Sunday’s Miami Dolphins Buffalo Bills game, there’s an extra treat for you. Besides being one of the fiercest rivalries in the NFL, this Sunday, Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience will be playing at the pre-game.

The Experience will be playing the Land Shark Tailgate Stage on the AT&T Grand Plaza at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium. The pre-game tailgate concert will begin at noon.

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience Tour Over

Around the time this post loads onto the WordPress server, Jason Bonham, James Dylan, Tony Catania, Michael Devin and Stephen LeBlanc will be taking the final bows of the Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience Tour. Covering 38 shows in almost two months, three different runs into Canada, three shows in the Toronto Vacinity and a show at the Best Buy theatre in Times Square, it was, by all accounts it was a successful tour. The show got consistently strong reviews and blew audiences away.

Early on, the fan reviews were luke-warm. By the time the the show hit Milwaukee on October 20th, the band seemed to be gelling and the word was out that this was a very good show. Then Montreal happened:

I sit for a moment to take in how great the show was tonight in Montreal ! Not because I feel we played any better than any other night but tonight the crowd was the highlight for me !! Never have I played to such a fantastic audience , I'm still shaking inside and feel overwhelmed . Thank you thank you thank you !!!!

Stephen LeBlanc was just as enthused as his boss:

The soccer crowd response we got in Montreal last night can't be a fluke. Awesome crowd, great show

Bass player Michael Devin also called it, "such an amazing night."

The tour was on a roll, and the next bunch of Canadian shows, in Quebec City, Hamilton, Kitchener and Toronto all got a strong response. Crossing back into America, they started November in Boston, travelled the North East, into Florida, across the Southwest and back up the west Coast. They played San Fransisco the night before the anniversary of the Last Waltz before finishing in Portland, Seattle, Bellingham and Vacnouver BC, a mere 740 miles from where they began in Dawson Creek BC.

Jason Bonham put together a top notch band, who did the hard work necessary to pull off an outstanding show for thousands of fans across North America. Next up for Jason Bonham is two shows with Black Country Communion in late December, and then back into the studio with the supergroup for BCCII. Look for a spring tour.

Jason Bonham Without Flowers in His Hair

A news report from San Francisco on the Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience.

"You Know Too Much!"

Jason Bonham, once again proving he does do interviews with blogs, has talked to Stephen Appleford of West Coast Sound. The interview appears on LA Blogs, where The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience is currently playing. Bonham speaks about his tour, his father, and his time recording with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, who told Jason leading up to the 02 concert three years ago, "You know too much!"

On his father's drumming style:

It's like the myth of him using huge drumsticks and hitting harder than anybody else. That's a lot of bollocks. His drums sticks are tiny compared to mine. There's a whole jazz element there that not many people are aware of.

On his father's three ring, Ballantine Beer symbol:

...it means father, mother and son. I always felt that I was part of it in some way.

On hanging arond with the memebrs of Led Zeppelin (while rehearsing for the 02 show):

They are the most normal bunch of guys you could be around. At one point we were in rehearsal, and this old lady turned up with sandwiches... we took a break, everyone would take a section of the newspaper and read. And I'm going, 'Where's the debauchery? Where's the upside down crosses and naked girls and sacrificial tables with virgins on them?' But, boy, when they played.

On why Robert Plant didn't continue with Led Zeppelin after the 02 show:

Robert always expressed to me: 'Jason, you know I love you, I loved your dad, and I know how great you are as a player. And on the night, you were great. But to me Led Zeppelin's John, not Jason.'

On the music made in the aftermath of the reunion with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones:

Some cool riff-based stuff, some acoustic stuff. I think Jimmy is still working on that stuff now. I look forward to hearing that. Jimmy was playing amazingly.

A good interview that, while short, covers a lot of ground and adds new information to the canon about the Led Zeppelin reunion and John Bonham.

Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience Pictures

Aubrey Stewart went to the Dallas Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience and "snuck" his Canon 7D with 24-70L lens in:

...Security immediately started shaking their heads saying it was a professional rig and I argued it was a consumer camera and they asked me to step to the side and they called someone on a walkie talkie and said they would have to get it approved. As they turned back to incoming patrons I handed my camera bag to my wife and told her to quickly go and she did. I stood there for a few minutes more and they realized I no longer had the camera and gave me one of those "no you didn't" looks. I just shrugged and walked on in and nobody pursued me.

The result is the best set of pictures I have seen of this tour, and I've looked at a lot of them.  He has graciously allowed me to post some of the pictures here.

For the whole set, go to imagesbyaubrey.com/jblze/

Free Download

Stephen LeBlanc, keyboard player, lap steel guitar and back up guitarist in Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, is making his second album, Leftovers, availibale for free download.

According to Stephen LeBlanc's Facebook page, Leftovers is "songs recorded mostly at home between 2005-2009. Elly LeBlanc lends vocal talents and a bit of songwriting."

The files are in M4a format and will be usable on any iTunes compatible computer or MP3 player.

His first album, SLEB is available to purchase on iTunes:

Stephen LeBlanc on iTunes

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience: Michael “Denim“ Devin

It was on all the music sites and magazines in August:

After months of speculation, Whitesnake are thrilled to announce their new bass player/singer… 35 year old Michael Devin.

Recently Michael was playing with Lynch Mob with new Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy.

[caption id="attachment_478" align="alignright" width="280" caption="Michael 'Denim' Devin(left) with Jason Bonham."][/caption]

Brian Tichy turns up a lot in the Michael Devin story. Whether it’s as the organizer for the tribute to John Bonham, Bonzo: The Groove Remains the Same, that Devin played in (along with JBLZE keyboard/guitar/lap steel player Stephen LeBlanc); as the drummer for Lynch Mob and Whitesnake with Devin; or just in passing mention as Devin’s favourite drummer to work with:

He’s the best drummer in the west. That playing with him was utter madness and they brought thunder to every concert.

When asked about playing with Jason Bonham, Devin is similarly ebullient:

My favorite drummers are those that I learn from, whether I know them or not. Jason is that kind of drummer, undoubtedly, and I'm fortunate to have made a new friend with Jason. He’s a great drummer. A real good guy, too. He’s a musical person, like his dad. I love playing with him ‘cause he’s such a hard hitter and takes chances. His groove is powerful. His downbeats are heavy as hell. I’d say Jason is a lyrical drummer - with his phrasing - it's because music is so much a part of his personality. I love playing with Jason. He’s a hard worker when it comes to music, too. Nothing gets by him when it comes to Zeppelin, not a note.

Michael “Denom” Devin seems to have come of age in the mid-1970’s, not born then. His nickname, Denim, is, according to band mates, “because he emits such a 70’s demeanour.”

He picked up the bass when he was 12 and has been exploring it ever since. Although he says he also plays piano, vox, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, piano, drums, guitar and taurus pedals, "sings a little,” and has been playing harmonica during When The Levee Breaks on the current tour, the bass has always been his primary instrument.

He comes by his musical tastes honestly: the New England town he grew up in was a factory town, and the local radio stations played hard rock. Eventually he followed in the path of his sisters, who were rock fans.

My sisters… went to see Whitesnake in 1988. They were supporting the 1987 album. I wasn‘t invited, being the kid brother. They returned with T-shirts. I nicked one and wore it for years, ‘til it faded.

As an 18-year old rocker, Devin set up a makeshift studio in his parents basement:

I got an 8-track tape, put up some walls, covered them in egg crate and carpet, rolled in a drum kit.

In that studio, he says, he learnt how to write songs and play different instruments. "It was paradise," he says now.

After high school, it was off to The University of Massachusetts Amherst where he got a BA in creative writing. He then got a Masters Degree in Sound Engineering from Emerson College, working at Cherokee Studios on Fairfax in Los Angeles until 2002.

During 2001-02 he gigged around Los Angeles, playing with former Motley Crue singer John Corabi, and Danzig Guitarist John Christ. In 2002 he joined the Brian Tichy fronted band BALL, about which he now says it was a band he loved being in:

BALL was FUN. Lots of amazing talent in the BALL family tree. Joe Travers, John DeServio, Dorian Heartsong, Mark Dannells, and Joe Taylor. I made a good friend in Brian because of that band.

After BALL, Devin went on to master bluesman Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s band, who he played with for three years. In Shepherd's band he played alongside guitarist Shaun Hague. The Massachusetts born Hague organizes tribute concerts in LA, bringing together numerous musicians to pay homage to artists like The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, which Michael Devin plays in.

Then a year ago a change. In November 2009 he joined former Dokken guitarist  George Lynch‘s band, Lynch Mob. Since then Devin has toured with Lynch Mob, Joined Whitesnake, played bass at the John Bonham tribute concert and toured with Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience.

In September he was at Lake Tahoe with Whitesnake, recording their new album. While a release date is still unknown, a tour begins next spring, leaving Devin little time to enjoy the successes of 2010.

He is a fixture in the LA circuit, and Jason Bonham heard about him through his sister, singer Zoe Bonham. Devin then introduced Jason Bonham to Stephen LeBlanc, who is also touring with The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience.

When Brian Tichy organized a tribute to John Bonham on the 30th anniversary of his death, he called on Devin to play bass in the evenings house band. "Bonzo: The Groove Remains the Same- A Night In Honor of John Henry Bonham," was a great success, "a magical evening," that "lined up perfectly with JBLZE rehearsals and the tour we’re on now."

About playing with Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, Devin pulls no punches:

Playing Led Zeppelin music to such enthused crowds, big fans like me, enjoying it as much as I do, coming together to celebrate Led Zeppelin and John Bonham, it’s awesome. I’m completely humbled by the experience. I’m not new to Zeppelin’s music, I was deep into the trip by about 13 years old. First songs I ever learned on bass were Zeppelin numbers. I love that band so much. For me it’s always been Zeppelin, Sabbath, Floyd, Purple - they pushed the boundaries of what a rock band could do musically. Playing these songs with Jason, with the band, every show is special. The shows have been really intense, really charged. Plus, just in listening to the inside stories, Jason’s experiences, hearing new bits of history every other day, it’s all higher learning for me.

Now Appearing...

on Tight But Loose

Tight But Loose is the premier Led Zeppelin website and magazine.  Dave Lewis started TBL in the 70's and, although he took a break after the death of John Bonham, has been doing it ever since.

So it is an honour to have my words printed on Dave's web server, as he uses a modified version of the JBLZE review I posted here. Scroll down the page until you see Centre in the Square, Kitchener, Ontario:

“Kitchener,” says Jason Bonham from the stage, bowler hat much like his father would occasionally wear perched on his head, “is very special to me. The background picture on my phone is of my dad in Kitchener.”

Meanwhile, it's worth mentioning that Tight But Loose issue #27 has been out about a month. Chock-a-block full of information about Robert Plant's Band of Joy, Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page, Jason Bonham's tour, Black Country Communion and 30 years since the death of John Bonham.

If you're a fan, then it's a must have. You can order it here, but check out the whole website: you never who you might find there.

JBLZE Date added

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience has added another Canadian date to their current tour. Vancouver on Monday November 29th is now on the roster.

Look for more dates to be added into December as the show is gaining momentum.

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience in Edmonton

Fan reviews of Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience have been slow coming in. Christopher Zuk posted one to the Led Zeppelin mailing list For Badgeholders Only (FBO). He has graciously allowed me to repost his words here:

I thought I would share my experience in seeing JBLZE on Tuesday night here in Edmonton, AB.

Overall I was very impressed, the band itself are amazing musicians. The setlist itself is (also) amazing. Some personal favourites are I'm Gonna Crawl, Stairway To Heaven, Thank You, Kashmir. Plus Jason sharing personal family footage was incredible.

I highly recommend seeing this show if it comes to you're town.

Of note about the Edmonton show, Good Times, Bad Times was performed for the first time on the tour that night.