REVIEW
✭✭✭✭☆ 4/5
Led Zeppelin Masters
featuring Vince Contarino & the Black Dog Orchestra
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
12th April 2019
✭✭✭✭☆ 4/5
Led Zeppelin Masters
featuring Vince Contarino & the Black Dog Orchestra
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend on Sea
12th April 2019
You know you’ve been to a great rock gig when your ears ring and people leave elated, with big smiles on their faces, singing the songs they’ve just heard.
This was a great rock gig! And my ears are still ringing!
This may not have been THE Led Zeppelin but those on stage did their darn best to make you think they were. The main 4 piece band are actually The Zep boys who hail from Adelaide, Australia and have been doing their (or Led Zeppelin’s) thing for 30 years. Those Aussies
appreciate their rock music! Add to that the 30 piece Black Dog Orchestra and you’re gonna get a sound as big as lead singer Vince Contarino’s biceps! And that’s big!
First off I have to say I’m not a fan of ‘sit down’ rock gigs… I think people need to be on their feet to enjoy a gig as fully as possible and many agreed as they got to their feet in the second half and shook their stuff… mind you, so did the couple in front of me sitting down… can you ‘shake your stuff’ sitting down - they certainly did.
The gig was split into 2 parts, each an hours duration and they kept the energy up all the way through… and could have easily gone on if they’d be allowed to I’m sure. It’s not an easy ask - to recreate the massive sound of Led Zeppelin, the almost impossible vocals of Robert Plant, the majesty of Jimmy Page’s guitarmanship, Jon Paul Jones’s thumping bass and John Bonham’s thundering drumming; many have failed trying to - but not these boys.
After the overture, nicely titled Zepature they began with Good Times Bad Times straight into Nobody’s Fault But Mine; not a bad way to start a gig… almost like getting the audience round the scruff of the neck and shaking them…hard! Next up Over The Hills and Far Away and straight in to Ramble On. Things were getting exciting and the crowd cheered and whooped and showed their appreciation. We were then treated to a great renditions of All My Love, The Song Remains the Same and Rain Song before things went wild with Dazed and Confused before finishing with an incredible Rock and Roll. If you want a crowd to return for more that’s the way to leave act 1!
A quick pint and then back for more and things just seemed to get better. A brilliant version of Kashmir with the orchestra really adding depth to the sound. I have to say, the orchestra really added something special and made you realise how incredible Led Zeppelin were. On we went, No Quarter, Moby Dick, Going to California and then into the timeless Stairway to Heaven. Almost a surreal experience to be honest - it’s not everyday you hear such a classic song played live with a full orchestra. Absolutely wonderful!
Act 2 finished with a thundering Heartbreaker and then Black Dog. By now the whole crowd were on their feet showing their appreciation. After a short breather for the boys they came back for the inevitable encore. Immigrant Song and then an extended Whole Lotta Love. The crowd went nuts! This was as close to seeing Led Zeppelin as you’ll probably ever get … and it was great. The smiles on peoples faces was a real buzz; it really lifted the spirits.
They are on a short tour of Europe now but fingers crossed will be back somewhere in the UK soon. It really is worth travelling to see these boys, especially with the added dynamics of The Black Dog Orchestra. I promise they won’t let you down. Now…..where did I put my copy of Remasters - I need another fix!!
Review: Neil Lands
This was a great rock gig! And my ears are still ringing!
This may not have been THE Led Zeppelin but those on stage did their darn best to make you think they were. The main 4 piece band are actually The Zep boys who hail from Adelaide, Australia and have been doing their (or Led Zeppelin’s) thing for 30 years. Those Aussies
appreciate their rock music! Add to that the 30 piece Black Dog Orchestra and you’re gonna get a sound as big as lead singer Vince Contarino’s biceps! And that’s big!
First off I have to say I’m not a fan of ‘sit down’ rock gigs… I think people need to be on their feet to enjoy a gig as fully as possible and many agreed as they got to their feet in the second half and shook their stuff… mind you, so did the couple in front of me sitting down… can you ‘shake your stuff’ sitting down - they certainly did.
The gig was split into 2 parts, each an hours duration and they kept the energy up all the way through… and could have easily gone on if they’d be allowed to I’m sure. It’s not an easy ask - to recreate the massive sound of Led Zeppelin, the almost impossible vocals of Robert Plant, the majesty of Jimmy Page’s guitarmanship, Jon Paul Jones’s thumping bass and John Bonham’s thundering drumming; many have failed trying to - but not these boys.
After the overture, nicely titled Zepature they began with Good Times Bad Times straight into Nobody’s Fault But Mine; not a bad way to start a gig… almost like getting the audience round the scruff of the neck and shaking them…hard! Next up Over The Hills and Far Away and straight in to Ramble On. Things were getting exciting and the crowd cheered and whooped and showed their appreciation. We were then treated to a great renditions of All My Love, The Song Remains the Same and Rain Song before things went wild with Dazed and Confused before finishing with an incredible Rock and Roll. If you want a crowd to return for more that’s the way to leave act 1!
A quick pint and then back for more and things just seemed to get better. A brilliant version of Kashmir with the orchestra really adding depth to the sound. I have to say, the orchestra really added something special and made you realise how incredible Led Zeppelin were. On we went, No Quarter, Moby Dick, Going to California and then into the timeless Stairway to Heaven. Almost a surreal experience to be honest - it’s not everyday you hear such a classic song played live with a full orchestra. Absolutely wonderful!
Act 2 finished with a thundering Heartbreaker and then Black Dog. By now the whole crowd were on their feet showing their appreciation. After a short breather for the boys they came back for the inevitable encore. Immigrant Song and then an extended Whole Lotta Love. The crowd went nuts! This was as close to seeing Led Zeppelin as you’ll probably ever get … and it was great. The smiles on peoples faces was a real buzz; it really lifted the spirits.
They are on a short tour of Europe now but fingers crossed will be back somewhere in the UK soon. It really is worth travelling to see these boys, especially with the added dynamics of The Black Dog Orchestra. I promise they won’t let you down. Now…..where did I put my copy of Remasters - I need another fix!!
Review: Neil Lands
‘Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters’ Return in 2019 for a UK & European Tour to Celebrate 50th Anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s Debut Album
Marking fifty years since the release of Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut album – and its follow-up, Led Zeppelin II - Australia’s celebrated live concert event Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters will return to the UK for ten-dates in April 2019 as part of their European tour.
Marking fifty years since the release of Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut album – and its follow-up, Led Zeppelin II - Australia’s celebrated live concert event Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters will return to the UK for ten-dates in April 2019 as part of their European tour.
Fronted by powerhouse vocalist Vince Contarino and bolstered by the breathtaking might of the thirty-five-piece The Black Dog Orchestra, Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters features no fewer than eighteen Led Zeppelin classics.
From the raw, metallic blues of Whole Lotta Love to the epic Stairway to Heaven and the sheer exhilaration of Kashmir, Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters celebrates the timeless musical legacy of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones with a no-holds-barred concert performing the masterpieces of Led Zeppelin.
Having performed numerous sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House and nationwide tours across Australia, Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters’ debut UK tour in 2017 was so successful their 2019 return will preceded by eight dates in mainland Europe for the first time.
From the raw, metallic blues of Whole Lotta Love to the epic Stairway to Heaven and the sheer exhilaration of Kashmir, Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters celebrates the timeless musical legacy of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones with a no-holds-barred concert performing the masterpieces of Led Zeppelin.
Having performed numerous sold-out shows at the Sydney Opera House and nationwide tours across Australia, Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters’ debut UK tour in 2017 was so successful their 2019 return will preceded by eight dates in mainland Europe for the first time.
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Vince Contarino said, “To be able to come back to the UK means the world to us. We were welcomed graciously and treated with the utmost respect when we toured the UK for the first time in 2017, despite being an unknown and unproven act in the UK. To be asked back for an even bigger tour is hugely gratifying. We are feeling the love, and we’re going to be coming back over to give it back by the truckload.”
Stairway To Heaven: Led Zeppelin Masters’ debut UK tour received glowing praise from both Led Zeppelin fans and the music critics alike – including Dave Lewis the editor of the world-famous Led Zeppelin fanzine Tight But Loose, who said the band’s performance of The Rain Song was “quite simply one of the best performances of a Zep song performed by a band that were not Led Zeppelin I’ve ever witnessed.” |
Vince said, “We were taken aback by the reception we received. We loved that the UK audiences are so demonstrative - the energy is amazing. We are also still in disbelief when we look back at the reviews the press gave us throughout the first tour. They were so positive and encouraging. In fact, as the reviews were coming in we just kept trying harder and harder each night, so as to keep the standard up.
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With the tour falling in between the anniversaries of Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut album and its follow-up, Led Zeppelin II, released in March and October of 1969, respectively, Vince admits the timing of the tour is a happy coincidence, “It was only when we saw the tour dates that we realised the timing was perfect. Look at it this way, spending time with friends is a blessing and a great thing to do, but if there is a good reason to celebrate, like a birthday or an anniversary, then crack out the champagne and let’s party!”
The ten-date UK tour will begin at Liverpool’s Philharmonic on Tuesday, 2nd April 2019, and end at London’s Eventim Apollo on Sunday, 14th April. |
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Tickets are on sale now, available from www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Don’t miss this explosive celebration of the music of Led Zeppelin as one of the most ambitious concerts ever to meet the stage returns to the UK. Way, way down inside, you need it!
Don’t miss this explosive celebration of the music of Led Zeppelin as one of the most ambitious concerts ever to meet the stage returns to the UK. Way, way down inside, you need it!
For more information and to keep up to date with all of the Led Zeppelin Masters gigs, click on the links below!
ledzeppelinmasters.com
Facebook: LedZeppelinMastersLive
Twitter @LedZepMasters
Also, check out our Review from the last time they played at the Cliffs Pavilion
ledzeppelinmasters.com
Facebook: LedZeppelinMastersLive
Twitter @LedZepMasters
Also, check out our Review from the last time they played at the Cliffs Pavilion
Photos from Southend's Cliffs Pavilion gig on 26th April 2017 taken exclusively by Stephen Hawke for Southend Theatre Scene