Get the Led Out in Providence, RI – April 15, 2022
Most of us never got the opportunity to see the mighty Led Zeppelin. After the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, the band broke up. While the surviving members had a couple of special performances since then, Led Zeppelin was really no more. Across their eight albums, however, they left a legacy of great tunes that continue to inspire generations of rock and roll fans. What does a fan do when they can’t go see the band live?
That’s where Get the Led Out comes in. There are many Led Zeppelin tribute acts out there, many of whom impersonate the look of the band and the sound of a live Led Zeppelin show. GtLO believes Zeppelin’s mythic status is based on their legendary studio recordings, and so they try to recreate those performances as faithfully as possible. For this reason, you’ll find up to 3 guitar players on stage at any given time. Yes, Zeppelin only had Jimmy Page, but on the studio recordings, you’ll often find multiple layers of guitar tracks recorded. By having multiple guitar players on stage, they can perform live what Zeppelin recorded to tape.
On a Friday night at The Strand Ballroom in Providence, the lights went down, the curtains opened, and fog rolled off the stage as drummer Adam Ferraioli kicked into the classic song “Rock and Roll.” Through a wall of amps, the vintage Zeppelin guitar sound that followed was so faithful, you could close your eyes and believe you were listening to the album. Frontman Paul Sinclair, while not looking like Robert Plant, he had the sound and the energy needed.
As the band started “Good Times, Bad Times,” keyboardist Eddie Kurek picked up a guitar, and joined the other guitarists Paul Hammond and Tommy Zamp. Throughout the night you’d find anywhere from one to three of them slinging axes, depending on what the song called for. Of course we can’t leave out bassist Phil D’Agostino, playing the signature JPJ licks you expect to hear, on an absolutely gorgeous Jazz bass.
Other highlights of the first set included “Rambled On” and “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You.” The set finished up with a trio of acoustic songs, “Going to California,” “Tangerine,” and “Hey Hey What Can I Do.” I’ll to stop myself from using the word faithful again, but these songs were played exactly as you would want them to be.
The band took a short break before coming back with “In the Light,” off of Physical Graffiti, into the instrumental classic “Moby Dick,” with its complete epic drum solo. Songs like “All of My Love” and “Kashmir” rounded out the set, before an encore of “Bring it On Home,” “Stairway to Heaven,” and “Whole Lotta Love.” During “Whole Lotta Love,” guitarist Paul Hammond of course played a theremin, recreating all the spacey sounds the song and Jimmy Page were known for.
I’m no stranger to the tribute band scene. Having played hundreds of shows in a touring Aerosmith tribute band, we’ve shared the stage with multiple Led Zeppelin tributes. Get the Led Out is on another level when it comes to the performance, the sound and the production of their show. If you want to see a great show and hear these classic tunes the way they were recorded, be sure to check them out when they come around!
