Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience Brings Anniversary Classic to Flagstaff

Photo: Jason Bonham has been behind the drums for the past 44 years. (Photo courtesy of Mike Corrado)

This year marks 50 years since the classic rock band Led Zeppelin released their double album Physical Graffiti. Jason Bonham, son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham is out on tour with his band, Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience, or JBLZE for short.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Jason before his Park City, Utah show about his career and the tour as they continue on their travels for their show at the Pepsi Amphitheater in Flagstaff on Tuesday night.

It will be a time machine experience for those of us who grew up in the seventies and still have this classic vinyl sitting near our turntables.

Jason, who had success in the late 80’s with his band Bonham said this tour focuses exclusively on the iconic classic Led Zeppelin album. “I have been with my current band for the past fifteen years and you can get comfortable playing the same songs. I took notice that it was coming up, the fifty years, and decided to mix things up,” said Jason.

“We had to learn what you would say are the less popular songs on the album. I forgot to mention that I didn’t tell the band till a week before the tour and that made us get at to learn those songs. There was a bit of nervousness but we were able to get right at it.”

Of the 15 songs on the album, he does have a favorite. “My absolute favorite on the album is “Night Flight” without the shadow of a doubt. It is not a song that garners great recognition. I had to learn and use a new trick or two on this one, and I really ended up using it a lot.”

It has been nearly 45 years since the passing of his father, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, and Jason feels his father would be impressed, at times, then laughing during others, as he would see his son play the drums. “As I was evolving as a drummer those who had seen my dad play, took notice that I would start off with my right hand, while my dad used his left. It was just the way I started and it works. It doesn’t really matter how you do the job as long as you get it done.”

Growing up Jason would see his dad’s friends come around the home. “My dad was not as wild as some would think, he was just Dad to me and he had friends. Now those friends included Jimmy, John, Robert of the band and there were the Beatles. There was also Jeff Beck, Bev Bevan, Paul Rodgers, and even Ozzy, who was a big friend of Dad. It was very sad to hear about Ozzy. It was such a huge loss. He was quite the character, but always charming in his own right. I don’t think that we fully understand the impact that one has on others until we see the memorials of those and realize the amount of people that were impacted by their lives and what they did.”

“When Dad passed I would get asked by many if there was anything I needed, and if so, just let them know. I appreciated that.” Despite the loss of his father in 1980, Jason grew up around the other members of Led Zeppelin for the most part, even filling his father’s shoes at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in May 1988. “I had known them for all my life and it was such an honor for them to ask me to play at that concert. That remains a very special memory.”

The next year he had his first album out titled The Disregard of Time Keeping, that produced the single “Wait For You”. The song garnished plenty of air play on rock stations across the U.S. “I wanted to reflect my father’s drumming style and I felt I played my best drums up to that point on that album. I think it also showed I was moving in a direction with my own musical identity and vision.”

In 2001, Jason played A.C., the drummer of the fictitious band Steel Dragon in the movie Rock Star. He also provided the drumming on the soundtrack. “Overall it was fun. I really didn’t care too much about getting there (on the set) and waiting around. I still see it on the television once in a while. Good times.”

It was nearly twenty years later after his first taste of playing with his dad’s bandmates, that Jason would be included again with the three remaining members of Led Zeppelin. “It was 2007 when Jimmy approached me and asked me to join the band. There I was being around them seven days a week. I remember one instant when I was coming to practice and I was stopped at the door, then someone said hey let him in he is the new drummer of Led Zeppelin. I really remember that because it was such a surreal moment.”

Jason has been involved with 29 albums and has played with numerous artists. The last two albums he has played on have been with Sammy Hagar and the Circle band.

“I have played with him for ten years. Sammy is real laid back. In fact one funny thing about Sammy is that he does not like to rehearse. He just builds us up and says it is going to be great, don’t get stressed, just go with it, and so we do. Then after you’re thinking, man that was great, it turned out just like he said it would.

After touring the world, Jason has two favorite venues to perform at which are the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and Sao Paulo Stadium in Brazil. “The Greek is always memorable sitting back in the Hollywood hills, it is like the perfect scene.  We play there every year and it just gets more and more magical.  As far as the world goes I would have to say Sao Paulo Brazil. We were the opening act with the Scorpions headlining with Dio and Iron Maiden. We started with the immigrant song and to see 75,000 people jumping up and down, you get choked up.”

After Flagstaff, the tour continues Wednesday night at the Rialto Theater in Tucson, and ultimately wraps up on August 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Jason concluded with, “It has been great fun so far, sharing this album live with so many and honoring it through all the songs and stories too.”

Gates open today at 5pm and the show starts at 7pm. More information and tickets for the show are available at the www.pepsiamp.com  or at (480)-656-9940.