Led Zeppelin 2- Gramercy Theater

2 0n II- A Whole Lotta Zeppelin
By Rich Rickaby
Photos by Susan Wiley

Doors @ 7, Show @ 8, No opener

So realistic- Led Zeppelin 2

The tribute band Led Zeppelin 2 celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Led Zeppelin II album by performing it in its entirety plus more!

Gramercy Theater

First off, the Gramercy seems to be the go-to house for tribute bands. Wild Child, Almost Queen, Dead Letter Office, The Sons and Heirs and more have graced the stage. My take on these acts is that they're great fun and a lot less expensive than some of the headliners today. Double bonus, some may perform better than the originals if the originals were still around to play, or if you saw them in their heyday. Sure, you may have seen The Doors back in the day, but did Jim show up? Was he sober enough to perform or more interested in crowd manipulation than rocking the house? So, if you like a band, go see their tribute edition and have some fun for $25.00.

Jimmy Pagish with the twelve string, doubleneck

Given the mammoth nature of the event, 50 years since Zeppelin II was released, I gathered a posse of 5 to attend the event. Myself, Susan, John, Brian and Bruce, all rockers, all Zep fans and all set on a fun night out. We weren't disappointed and were still reminiscing a week later.
The first stop of the night was Flat Fix on E. 23rd Street, not far from the Gramercy. Good Mexican food at a great price with happy hour margaritas and more.

Heads Up! Gramercy Info: Tickets at the Gramercy vary between general admission and reserved seating. Sometimes the general admission includes the seating area that rises from the back of the standing area, first come, first serve, sometimes you have assigned seats. When possible, secure yourself a seat. No one's going to stop you from entering the standing area if that's where your rock and roll heart is at.

For the night we had 5 dedicated seats right behind the sound board, so once we settled in, we were ready to rock. So was the rest of the crowd, which looked like max capacity by the end of things.

'Whole Lotta Love' opened the show, of course, since it opens the Zeppelin II album and Zep 2 lost no time falling right into the groove. Yes, their Jimmy Page (Paul Camp) whipped out the bow for the solo sound explosion and their Robert Plant (Bruce Lamont) embodied all that we think a Plant performance should contain. Greg Fundis (their John Bonham) wore a headband but also performed one of the greatest drum solos ever witnessed, the one from 'Moby Dick', even to the point where he was using his hands once the sticks had flown the coop. Also holding down the house of rhythm was Matthew Longbons as their John Paul Jones on bass. Like Jones, He'd switch to keys when necessary.

Matthew Longbon on bass

'What Is and What Should Never Be' followed, then 'The Lemon Song' after that, just like the album with everything else in between before closing the featured set out with 'Bring It On Home'  

It was like being at a bar with a bunch of friends where someone puts on a great album but instead of it being the jukebox, it was a live performance designed to emulate. This was not kitsch or camp, this was a serious rock performance by some people with some serious chops.

The night continued with other selections consistently rocking from the Zeppelin catalog. If you like or love Zeppelin, check out Led Zeppelin 2 when you get the chance. Tour information is here and they tour a lot! Led Zeppelin 2 Website

If you've seen other Zeppelin tribute acts, let us know what you think in the comments below.