By ERIC SCHELKOPF
For the members of Chicago band Led Zeppelin 2, replicating the look and sound of a Led Zeppelin show is a constant goal.
If you listen to critics, it is a goal the band has already achieved. Led Zeppelin 2 has been called one of the most authentic Led Zeppelin tribute bands on the scene today.
Led Zeppelin 2 will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 and 14 at the House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. Tickets are available at houseofblues.com/chicago.
I had the chance to talk to Bruce Lamont, who performs as Robert Plant and Paul Kamp, who performs as Jimmy Page, about the upcoming shows.
Q – Great talking to you. I know that you will be playing back-to-back shows at the House of Blues in Chicago this month. The first night you will perform "Led Zeppelin IV" in its entirety and the next night, you will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of "Houses of the Holy." What made you want to choose these albums to play and what should audiences expect from the shows?
Bruce Lamont – When we do the annual two night run in Chicago, we do our best to do something special and unexpected. The 50th anniversary of “Houses of the Holy” is why we chose that as the centerpiece of Saturday night's (Jan 14) show.
And on Friday (Jan 13) is the “IV” show, an album that we didn’t get to play out enough during its 50th year anniversary due to COVID restrictions and such. We have a few surprises still for each night.
Q – Bruce, I know you first heard Led Zeppelin's music in your parents’ 1970 Ford LTD. What kind of impact did the band have on you?
Led Zeppelin was some of the earliest music I remember hearing. And, ironically, I didn't know what I was hearing at the time as I was only 4 or 5 years old.
Q – In forming the band, what were your goals and do you think you've exceeded them?
Bruce – It was meant to be fun (and it still is) and the thrill of just playing Zep’s music. But, at the time, we didn’t realize what would happen or expect it to become anything beyond the first love of just playing the music
Q – The band has been called one of the most authentic Led Zeppelin bands out there. That must be a big compliment for you. What do you try to do to make the band so authentic?
Bruce – It is always a work in progress, but we appreciate anyone saying that. Each one of us really attempts to get "inside" each [original member of Led Zeppelin], especially on a live level.
We hope to capture those nuances as best as we can.
Q – Are you surprised there are so many Led Zeppelin tribute bands out there, including an all female Led Zeppelin tribute band called Lez Zeppelin? Have you listened to any of these bands, including Led Zeppelin tribute band Kashmir, also from Chicago? What do you think separates Led Zeppelin 2 from these other tribute bands?
Bruce – We are not surprised at all; they are the best rock band in history!
I personally have only checked out the Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience, who were really great. The musicians were killer and being able to hear from Jason’s perspective of growing up with what he did. Hats off to them (and Roy Harper).
I have been saying this for awhile now: The more Zep, the better!
Q – Paul, you have been called one of the accomplished guitarists in the Midwest and drew great acclaim as a member of Chicago band Busker Soundcheck. What first attracted you to the guitar and how have you tried to stand out from other guitarists?
Paul – Thanks for that mention. When I was very young, my dad listened to Glen Campbell, Roy Clark and Chet Atkins – and I still do. Glenn and Chet are really fantastic; they sound just as good today.
I found Led Zeppelin albums in my cousins’ record collections and as soon as I heard them, I knew it was a step above all the other music I knew at the time.
I heard very innovative guitar and compositions and when I listen to Zeppelin now, I still hear the same thing. Plus there’s some magic dust in the production – when Zeppelin comes on the radio, it still sounds better than other bands – and it was recorded 50 years ago!
I used a bow in Busker Soundcheck from the start. I also got to know old blues, slide and bottleneck delta blues, acoustic fingerpicking (I do it the same way as Page, with both a pick and fingers) and open tunings on acoustic, and I learned lead guitar by ear from a book that taught pentatonic scales and boxes and that was all long before I ever imagined I would be in a Zeppelin cover band.
So I was pretty adept at the styles and techniques Page used when we started Zep 2. It was fairly easy to learn the riffs and solos, but that said, I am still hearing new things in Page’s playing and relearning parts.
Q – Jimmy Page has been called one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. When you first started playing the guitar, was he one of your musical influences? Do you feel honored to be playing Jimmy Page in the band?
Yes, from the start it was Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, but a lot of other people too. I probably learned a lot of the same stuff and styles that Page learned so we sort of went to the same school.
A lot is derived from old blues and Chuck Berry-style rock and roll. It's how I would recommend a new player learn too; that’s the fundamentals of rock music and you build on that.
I am most happy to have the honor to play Jimmy Page when I look into the audience and see people, young and old, just having a good time. I just happen to be the guy on the stage playing the guitar.
It's fun to see people enjoy it.
Q – What's next for the band?
Paul – Well, what's next for now is getting ready for the 2023 set, which is the 50-year anniversary of the “Houses of the Holy” and we’ll play that entire album – plus a lot more – for most of our 2023 shows. I find that with the track "The Song Remains the Same" that is a lot of guitar playing and each time we come back to that one, I feel like I learn it from scratch, always hearing new ways to do certain parts.
Then there is "Rain Song," again a complex guitar part and just a fantastic composition. One that’s tricky for me is "The Crunge," hard to find that 11/8 groove and I also like to drop in the keyboard bits, play it on a Fender Strat with a whammy bar.
I really enjoyed some of our big outdoor shows in 2022, so I will look forward to those in 2023. Crowds are coming back after the pandemic made live music very challenging and it seems the audiences for Led Zep 2 are getting younger, overall; lots of Zeppelin fans in their teens and 20s and that’s encouraging.
We’ve always talked about recording some more songs, maybe a even writing a few as a band. That’s been on hold for awhile. We’ll see...
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