Jason Bonham’s ‘Physical Graffiti’ Tour Is Ending Soon — And This Led Zeppelin Album Is Next

Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening is gearing up for a last tally of its circuit celebrating the 50th day of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti. “This is it, the past run,” the lad of Zeppelin’s precocious drummer John Bonham promises Billboard. “We volition not bash it again.”

But Bonham already has a bully thought of what he’ll bash next.

“After 15 years of doing this, I’m ever inspired to go, ‘What could beryllium next?’ And this time…Presence!” helium says, referencing Led Zeppelin’s seventh workplace album, which volition observe its aureate day adjacent year. “That’s 1 of my favorites. And underrated: ‘For Your Life,’ ‘Achilles Last Stand,’ ‘Candy Store Rock.’ I can’t wait. I consciousness similar we’ve decidedly got to effort it.” Bonham did, successful fact, play the epic Presence opener “Achilles Last Stand” during shows past twelvemonth aft avoiding it antecedently — “’cause I was ever frightened of it,” helium notes with a laugh.

Bonham acknowledges he’s adjacent looking beyond Presence. “I’m not excessively definite if I’ll beryllium capable to play that well, but successful 2029, Presence into (1979’s) In Through the Out Door, successful their entirety, would beryllium the mode to go,” helium says, noting that astir of the latter’s songs were ne'er played unrecorded by Zeppelin owed to the set breaking up aft his father’s decease 13 months aft its release. He’s peculiarly blistery to instrumentality connected the careening “Carouselambra,” which helium played with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones during rehearsals successful 2008, erstwhile Zeppelin was trying to proceed aft its triumphant December 2007 Celebration Day reunion astatine London’s O2 Arena.

“They played it arsenic if they had conscionable near the studio, and they hadn’t played it since they time they recorded it. It was mind-blowing,” Bonham recalls. “Jimmy was lone utilizing this tiny small amp, and it inactive had that dependable (sings), that breakdown successful the middle. I’d emotion to play that for (an audience).”

With that aboriginal mapped out, albeit loosely, Bonham is looking guardant to returning to the Physical Graffiti shows, starting Oct. 22 successful Louisville, Ken., with 26 North American dates booked done Nov. 26 successful Hollywood, Fla. He considers the Billboard 200-topping Physical Graffiti — Zeppelin’s archetypal connected its ain Swan Song Records statement and the archetypal medium to spell platinum connected beforehand orders — to beryllium “THE Led Zeppelin” album. He says performing it has been arsenic rewarding arsenic helium hoped erstwhile helium and the JBLZE set acceptable retired to bash it.

“It’s the archetypal clip we’d ever had to spell into a spot to rehearse,” helium says, “because adjacent though we had done astir each 1 of these songs astatine immoderate point, possibly conscionable for 1 tour, we ne'er thought of really doing it arsenic the full album. (Led Zeppelin) utilized to bash ‘In My Time of Dying’ live. They did ‘Kashmir’ live, ‘Ten Years Gone,’ ‘Sick Again.’ But past to bash ‘The Wanton Song’ and ‘Down By the Seaside’ and ‘Night Flight’…When I recovered retired ‘Night Flight’ was a Led Zeppelin IV outtake, it made cleanable sense; erstwhile dada does the (sings drum fill), that’s the ‘Stairway to Heaven ‘ fill. You know, drummers, erstwhile we find a caller capable we’ll enactment it successful anything, like, ‘Oh, that’ll enactment determination arsenic well..'” He’s besides fond of talking to the assemblage astir wherefore the opus “Houses of the Holy” coiled up connected Physical Graffiti and not connected Zeppelin’s preceding medium of that title.

JBLZE does not, however, play Physical Graffiti successful its archetypal moving order.

“It’s a show; we’re trying to support radical engaged successful this,” helium explains. “I cognize if I went to a performance and knew it was gonna beryllium successful order, you subconsciously go, ‘I tin nip disconnected to the bath connected this one’ if it’s not on...