Review by Bruce Forrest
Photos by Ron Lyon
Despite some 35 years of attending concerts, I have to admit that sometimes I still get a wee bit star-struck. And, with the 2015 California Music Festival, it’s easy to see why. The brainchild of former Whitesnake and Billy Idol drummer Brian Tichy, the Bonzo Bash tribute show to Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham has been going strong since September 2010 (albeit, with a couple of name changes).
In 2014, it was coupled with the Randy Rhoads Remembered tribute to guitarist Randy Rhoads, and then The Ox & The Loon, which pays tribute to the Who’s John Entwistle and Keith Moon. For 2015, the three were brought together for the three-night California Music Festival, coinciding with the 2015 NAMM Show to honoring four fallen musician heroes, all sadly missing from our current core of old-school rockers.
When you put together some of the biggest names in rock, you can understand why it would be easy for anyone attending these shows to get a bit excited. I mean, how often do you get bass guitar greats like Tony Franklin (the Firm, Blue Murder), Phil Chen (Rod Stewart, Robby Krieger), and Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Talas, David Lee Roth) performing on the same stage? Or, witnessing drummers Steven Adler (Guns ‘n Roses), Kenny Aronoff (John Cougar, Elton John), and Charlie Benante (Anthrax) pounding the skins for their favorite Zeppelin, Who and Ozzy Osbourne songs? Or how about the interesting irony of seeing Poison’s Rikki Rockett and Slayer’s Dave Lombardo on the same bill? Just ponder that for a moment.
But, right there, you can see the appeal for shows of that caliber. And there is no reason to believe these partnerships will not continue through the years because, obviously, they are pretty damned popular. Another plus to all of this is the affordable ticket prices and the intimacy of a smaller sized venue.
Unfortunately, I missed Randy Rhoads Remembered, but I did attend Bonzo Bash and The Ox & The Loon. Based upon the musical proficiency, and the fans’ enthusiasm, there would be no reason not to believe Randy Rhoads Remembered was on equal par with the shows I saw.
Bonzo Bash began with the Moby Dicks, a cast of musicians (all of whom would reappear throughout the three days) laying down some acoustic, unplugged versions of Zep’s finest, before proceeding to the sledge-hammering aspects.
The Observatory was packed to the rafters (or pretty close to it). As the night went on, each Zeppelin song was performed by a different drummer, while vocals, guitars and bass were provided by an array of other musicians, many from the Moby Dicks, which includes singer Chas West (Bonham, Foreigner), guitarist Brent Woods (Vince Neil), bassist Michael Devin (Whitesnake), bassist James LoMenzo (White Lion, Megadeth, John Fogerty) and keyboardist Stephen LeBlanc.
There was a rambunctious medley of “Moby Dick” (sans solo) and “The Song Remains the Same.” For visual effect, the mysterious wizard-looking fellow from the gatefold of Led Zeppelin IV stood behind the drum kit. The wizard revealed himself to be none other than Brian Tichy, who jumped back and forth between drums and guitar.
Styx drummer Todd Sucherman delivered on “Fool in the Rain,” though there was a lack of Bonzo’s groove. A minor detail perhaps, but it emphasized the fact of how important Bonham’s feel was in driving Zeppelin’s material.
A late addition to the show, Alphonse Mouzon (Stevie Wonder) was amazing on “Misty Mountain Hop,” operating effortlessly in a cool and laidback mode. Mouzon was an early influence on John Bonham; Robert Plant even name-checked him when Zeppelin was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Joe Travers (Zappa Plays Zappa, Duran Duran) really had a grasp of “Achilles Last Stand,” while Bobby Rondinelli (Rainbow) played on the epic “Kashmir.”
During a brief break in the music, Charlie Benante presented Dave Lombardo (Slayer) with the Bonzo Bash 2015 Legend Award.
As the show progressed, Cortney DeAugustine (Frank Hannon) came up and was definitely a pleasant surprise. There is nothing like watching a female drummer lighting a fire under the guys’ feet. She not only supplied lead vocals — she also managed to work the fans into a frenzy with her percussive assault on “No Quarter.” Definitely worth mentioning is Lombardo taking his turn on “Stairway to Heaven.” This demonstrated his drumming artistry on material that cannot be pigeonholed as thrash.
I am a much bigger fan of the Who than I am of Led Zeppelin (almost sacrilegious, I know), so I eagerly anticipating The Ox & The Loon show. As excellent as it was, Bonzo Bash turned out to be more of an opening act for the intensity of The Ox & The Loon.
After a lengthy delay, following an average-at-best opening act, the show kicked off. And what a way to get things rolling with none other than Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse and his band (bassist Dave LaRue and drummer Van Romaine). I have always been a major fan of Dixie Dregs, and, of course, Deep Purple, so to see Morse and his band tear it up was one of the highlights of my evening.
Morse and crew performed a hard-hitting, bluesy medley of Who tunes that really got everything off to an amazing start. Their versions of “Can’t Explain,” “Summertime Blues” and ”Listening To You” truly set the tone for the evening. I wouldn’t have minded if Morse had extended his set with some of his own material, they were that good.
After Morse’s all-too-brief set, “Substitute” was performed, featuring Tony Franklin and guitarist Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses).
One of the highlights included watching Phil Chen and his great bass playing. The fun he was having on stage was evident, and very infectious. As a big fan of drummer Kenny Aronoff, it was a pleasure watching him let loose on “Who Are You,” unleashing some energy he probably doesn’t get to unleash as often.
I was amused watching Lombardo reel it in a bit on “Magic Bus,” having grown accustomed to his relentless double-bass drumming with Slayer. Former Ozzy Osbourne bassist Phil Soussan vocalized on a very tentative “Boris the Spider,” but fared much better with “I Can See My Miles.”
The Devil City Angels (guitarist Tracii Guns [L.A. Guns], drummer Rikki Rockett [Poison], bassist Eric Brittingham [Cinderella] and singer Brandon Gibbs) brought the show down for a bit of a breather, performing the more pop-oriented “Squeeze Box” and “The Kids are Alright.” It was light and entertaining.
But, alas, the energy returned with the ferocious “Young Man Blues.” Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins really impressed me with his skills. Alongside Tichy on guitar and Devin on bass guitar and vocals, this came pretty damned close to rivaling any early 70s footage one may have seen of the Who performing this blues cover.
Mountain drummer Corky Laing came on and told a very funny tale about his encounters with Keith Moon in the 60s when he almost stole the Who drummer’s beloved Union Jack jacket. This was followed by Laing going mad on “Summertime Blues.” The man is 67, and let me tell you, he plays like he is in his teens. Keeping the intensity flying, Matt Starr (Mr. Big, Ace Frehley) tore it up, singing and drumming on “Heaven and Hell,” one of my all-time favorite John Entwistle tunes.
As the evening went along and drew closer to a finish, we got an appearance by none other than Mr. Big’s bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarist Paul Gilbert. They performed an instrumental medley, similar to Morse’s earlier appearance, featuring “My Generation,” “Sparks” and other bits and pieces of music from Tommy. They were accompanied by drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Winery Dogs, Flying Colors), clad in Moon attire — the infamous white boiler suit. What could be expected to close out the show after “Wont Get Fooled Again”? Yeah, you guessed it. the demolition and mass destruction of drum gear.
Missing from the set, however, was the Entwistle-penned “My Wife.” It would have also been interesting to hear a take on Moon’s showpiece, “Cobwebs and Strange.”
Whereas Bonzo Bash was more comfortable in its zone of musicians having a good time and enjoying performing the music of Led Zeppelin, The Ox & The Loon exceeded it. Yes, Zeppelin was heavy, but anyone familiar with the Who in the late 60s and early 70s would understand. The Who was a powerhouse of its own kind.
Any lover of pure rock and roll who missed any, or all, of the three nights, truly owe it to themselves to check this out in 2016. The list of players enduring the solid hour-after-hour of each performance far outweighs anything one would pay ten times over to witness in a larger venue.
I can only see this event getting bigger and potentially moving into a larger venue eventually. Maybe putting together a Jimi Hendrix night wouldn’t be all that bad of an idea.
There’s plenty of tribute bands out there, and some that should not even exist. Calling these “Tribute Nights” actually may be, to a certain degree, disrespectful. After all, these are seasoned veterans, and their resumes can not be touched by anyone casually throwing together a quick nod to their favorite band. Tichy really deserves kudos for pulling these shows together with their professionalism, and array of dedicated artists. I salute them, one and all.
