They may be from Chicago, but Led Zeppelin 2 plays the blues just like the English quartet.  Revolution Live had reached its maximum capacity of roughly 1,000 spectators on February 22^nd, as Zeppelin lovers in their teens shared the room with parents and grandparents.  Trekking out of the Windy City, Zeppelin 2 was spectacular at recreating and improvising hours’ worth of the greatest music ever made  

Kicking things off with the epic “Kashmir,” the boys captured Zeppelin’s mystical power of Arabian music, followed by the familiar riffs and diabolical pounding of “Heartbreaker.”  The dramatic wails were full of screeching guitar and thundering drums.  Dressed in a pimpin’ Seventies jumpsuit with stars, guitarist Paul Kamp supplied the fancy finger-work as the drummer smashed down on his cymbals.  Singer Bruce Lamont sang about a cherished but forbidden lover in “What Is and What Should Never Be.”  As a fan blew his long crimped hair to the sky, the talented vocalist then introduced the brilliant drummer Ian Lee as “Bonzo with the Gonzo.”  The percussionist hammered out the fast-paced “Immigrant Song.”  Handling a mean harmonica, Lamont set the mood for the blues classic “Nobody’s Fault But Mine.”  “How many of you have seen us before?” the vocalist asked.  He shared his appreciation for so many showgoers in South Florida coming back to see Led Zeppelin 2 at Revolution Live.  “You’re a rowdy bunch of motherfuckers, that’s for sure.” 

Throughout the heavy guitar solos and unrivaled tempos of “The Lemon Song,” Lamont hopped up and down, holding up a limp wrist, not unlike Mr. Plant.  He asked the room to “Squeeze my lemon, ‘Til the juice runs down my leg.”  The gifted bass guitarist Matthew Longbons stepped to an electric organ for the passionate “Thank You.”  Kamp busted out a double-necked Gibson to perform the subtle and melodic tones of “Stairway to Heaven.”  Numerous spectators used the time to take a bathroom break and get a brew. 

Setting up three stools at the front of the stage, Zeppelin 2 put on a short but poignant acoustic set.  Lee took a breather as Longbons strummed a mandolin for the exquisite tribute to Joni Mitchell, “Going to California.”  After a touching version of “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” the guitarist’s showed off his mastery with the hard-hitting “Dazed and Confused.”  Blue and yellow lights flickered as he guided a violin bow across his instrument during an extended solo.  Lee even stood up from his roaring drums to bang a giant gong.  Towards the end on the number, Lamontsang a verse of Scott McKenzie’s 1967 hippie tune “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair).”  According to Kamp, “Robert Plant was a big hippie.  So Zeppelin would mix in a folk song, either ‘San Francisco’ or a Buffalo Springfield song when doing ‘Dazed and Confused’ onstage.”  Similar to the mighty Zeppelin, the fellas make it a point to wing the familiar classic onstage.  Listeners could feel the pain in man’s voice.  “Dazed and Confused” was the evening’s highlight, lasting well more than 20 minutes.

“After the show, we’ll be hangin’ out, doing shots of bourbon because we are American,” Lamont said into his mic.  “That’s what we do.”  In the background, the rest of the band was covering ZZ Top’s “La Grange.”  Showing off his mastery of a third instrument, Longbons found himself behind an organ for the multidimensional “No Quarter.”  “Misty Mountain Hop” featured poetry with a psychedelic feel.  The spiritual funk contained a massive conclusion on cymbals.  Lee was introduced as “The gong, the bedazzler” before executing the immense drum solo of “Moby Dick.”  Unfortunately, the drummer never tossed away his sticks to bang away with his bare hands.   “As far as setting the bar for myself, ‘Moby Dick’ is as high as it gets,” Lee explained backstage.  “It is definitely the point where I have to pull together all of the parts of studying (John) Bonham.  Hopefully, I can then communicate his spirit onstage.  I love that I get to freestyle the solo every night.”

Led Heads at Revolution Live treasured the climactic explosion and jungle rhythm of “Black Dog” before hearing “Whole Lotta Love.”  Lamont belted out seductive moans.  After the definitive Zeppelin anthem, the lights were turned on in the venue.  As the crowd raised their arms and screamed with delight, the singer pulled out a camera to snap some shots of the audience.  Customary at Zeppelin 2 concerts, the singer turned around and took a photo of Mr. Kamp.  After a short encore of screams, Zeppelin 2 returned to their stage.  “You guys are amazing,” Lamont declared.  “Un-fucking-believable. You want more?  Well, you are going to get it.”  The room enjoyed the compelling bash of “When the Levee Breaks.”  Full of phased vocals and an impressive harmonica, the dynamic ditty about their hometown was complimented by the guitarist’s expertise.  “Fort Lauderdale, you’ve been so good, we’ll come back and see you soon.

From “Heartbreaker” and “The Lemon Song” to “Dazed and Confused,”  Zeppelin 2 delivered their best South Florida show in years.  Concentrating on the earlier Zeppelin blues, the crew played for more than two hours.  “We are just trying to pay homage to one of the most amazing bands that ever lived,” said Longbons.  “We try our best to do it justice and carry it on so music lovers can have a fabulous time.  And things just don’t get any better than in Fort Lauderdale.  We absolutely love it here.”          

“We only wish we could come here more often,” said Kamp.  The musician was proud to say that he arrived by boat and merely strolled into sunny South Florida.  Led Zeppelin 2 will be back to Revolution Live in the fall to perform the full album Physical Graffiti onstage.  “It will be a new concept for us,” Lamont explained after the show.  “Our live presentation of Physical Graffiti will be a multimedia experience with a giant light show in the background.  We just want to step things up, and do something a little different.”