July 27, 2024

Come Together: Led Zeppelin IV – Civic Theatre: July 26, 2024 (13th Floor Concert Review)

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.

Everyone, without exception was at the top of their game.

Jennie ripped through Immigrant Song and Dazed and Confused…Devilskin fans will know what she can do with her voice. Milan belted out Over The Hills And Far Away and The Lemon Song in all of his bare-chested glory.

Julia acted as MC and sang Good Times Bad Times along with appearing in a black cape and hood to front No Quarter while E.J. proved that she was more than just her dad’s daughter when she unleashed her pipes on What Is And What Should Never Be.

The unknown quantity was Seamus and he thrilled us with his vocal dexterity when he opened up to sing Communication Breakdown. What a set of pipes!

So, yeah, the first set was pretty darn good…I’d seen Led Zeppelin just once…the post-Bonzo version at the Atlantic Records 40^th Anniversary concert in 1988 and this band was much better as Plant was more focussed on his solo career at the time and Page was drunk.

We all knew what was coming for the second set…the one-two punch of Black Dog and Rock and Roll, a duelling mandolin version of The Battle Of Evermore, a show-stopping Stairway To Heaven with Brett taking up a double-neck guitar and Jennie doing her best Ann Wilson doing Robert Plant.

Julia and Jol sat down for Going To California and then we were all on our feet for the finale of When The Levee Breaks with Kashmir, Ramble On and Whole Lotta Love as encore picks.

I can’t imagine a more perfect night for either the casual Led Zep fan or the hardcore know-it-all. There was something for everyone and it was all performed impeccably.

Wow!

Marty Duda

Click on any photo to view a gallery by Azrie: