By: Rick Landers
Photography by Mike Davis.
Earlier this year we had a chance to catch the Led Zeppelin tribute band, Lez Zeppelin, crank out some heavy Zep riffs at the State Theater in Virginia. And they rocked the house, garnering standing ovations, pumping fists and Zep fans singing along throughout the show.
Just before the show we met with lead guitarist, Steph Paynes, (aka Jimmy Page), who pulled out a sweet LP burst that she would later use in the show, along with some other cool axes reminiscent of Jimmy’s troop of guitars – including a very cool double-neck Gibson SG.
Rockin’ the house were Lez Zeppelin members Shannon Conley (vocals), Megan Thomas on bass, Leesa Harrington-Squyres on drums and Steph, and the crowd went wild when the crew hit the stage, opening with a pitch perfect “Immigrant Song”.
The house was packed with a heavy fueled set of classic Zeppelin cuts that featured, “Immigrant Song”, “Dazed and Confused”, “Going to California”, “Ramble On”, “When the Levee Breaks”, “Black Dog” and other mega-Zep tracks.
Conley hit her vocals with Robert Plant abandon while the full audience heartily sang along. Steph impressed with her loud “balls to the wall” guitar riffs driving through to rattle our bones. Pummeling her drum kit, Squyres shook the place with the petite Megan Thomas more than holding her ground, throttling a big Fender bass.
A tribute to Led Zeppelin wouldn’t be right without the lead guitarist pulling out a violin bow and squeezing Page out of her axe note for note and Steph was more than up for the task. She nailed Page’s style and guitar action throughout the night where all we had to do was close our eyes and imagine the master at work. The group rallied their fans and any skeptics with their spot on set list and the crowd demanded an encore…and Lez Zeppelin kept the faith and pulled out the stops.
The show was pulled together in support of the Gesundheit Institute of Patch Adams, who showed up to talk about his holistic medical center that helps people around the globe. So, a big “Hats off to Lez Zeppelin” for showcasing their amazing talents with their good hearted altruism.
GALLERY
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