Classic rock fans Come Together once more, this time to hear the music of Led Zeppelin the way it was meant to be, live and loud.
When we last saw our Come Together Allstar band, they had gelled into a real band playing U2’s Joshua Tree (click here for the review). And now they are even better!
Huge kudos go to music director Jol Mulholland, who got a chance to show off his chops tonight, along with the crew at Liberty Stage for putting this thing together.
The regular suspects are back…Mike Hall on bass, Alistair Deverick on drums, Matthias Jordan playing the keys and guitar whizz Brett Adams. Julia Deans and Milan Borich return to sing along with newcomers Jennie Skulander (Devilskin), E.J. Barnes (daughter of Jimmy) and a guy called Seamus Johnson from Wellington, who performs as “Seamouse” .
I’ve gotta say it’s pretty cool to have just seen Milan doing his solo acoustic thing at The Wine Cellar the night before, singing songs by the likes of Nick Drake and Tom Waits and then to watch him let loose on these Zeppelin rockers. The same can be said for E.J. Barnes, who was in this same venue the night before singing Aussie pub rock with her dad, Jimmy.
Usually the featured album is performed during the first set and that’s followed by a set of “greatest hits”. Not so tonight, as Stairway To Heaven, Black Dog and Misty Mountain Hop are tough to follow. So we get 70 minutes of Led Zeppelin classics like opener Immigrant Song and a beautifully varied set that show the musicality of Zeppelin with songs like Over The Hills And Far Away, Trampled Under Foot, What Is And What Should Never Be and Dazed and Confused, reputed to be the song the original band performed the most.
