When my friend Alex Kayne mentioned on Facebook that Lez Zeppelin was performing in Brooklyn to honor Led Zeppelin’s timeless double album, Physical Graffiti, there was no way I would want to miss it.
Lez Zeppelin rule. I felt that I needed to see such a defining classic rock release again and with a better view. I first saw them perform all of Physical Graffiti at Manhattan’s Gramercy Theatre to celebrate its forty-fifth anniversary, four weeks before the world went into a soft exile in 2020.
I ventured to Sutphin Blvd/Archer Ave in Queens via a Penn Station bound LIRR while feeling a little homesick after some brief family time in Ronkonkoma the day before that would soon subside, gradually realizing that wondrous times drew near.
At around 7:30 P.M., I arrived at the Brooklyn Bowl. There’s something otherworldly about walking into a venue and hearing Solar Angels by Judas Priest on full blast in the distance to get the adrenaline rising, chosen by the East Coast legendary hard rock / heavy metal DJ Alex Kayne to set the mood for the headliner. Alex did it up for probably two hours while he created a vintage atmosphere in an old-school feeling bowling alley while the attendees went about a line or two of bowling. Alex got everyone ready for another brilliant night with Lez Zeppelin, spinning a great variety of heavy music from Judas Priest, Rainbow, Rush, Sixx: A.M, and more.
At around 9:00 P.M., the four badasses of Marlain Angelides (Robert Plant), Joan Chew (John Paul Jones), Leesa Squyres (John Bonham), and Steph Paynes (Jimmy Page) graced the stage with a unified air of confidence that Zepheads of all ages, creeds, races, and religions felt.
They started with Physical Graffiti’s opener, the classic Custard Pie. Brooklyn got treated to more classics like Trampled Under Foot and deep tracks, including other die-hard Zephead favorites like The Rover, The Wanton Song, and even Sick Again (that album’s conclusive cut) and capped the evening off with Black Dog and Rock and Roll. I wanted to see Physical Graffiti surrounded by other like-minded Led Zeppelin fans without mandatory theatre level seating. Where you are can affect how you enjoy a concert experience. What a difference it made. Unavoidable seating, please leave the hall.
Lez Zeppelin represents a very loose and unpredictable Zeppelin tribute which is how everyone should experience Led Zeppelin’s music. The set was not boring for a moment as those ladies had everyone dancing. Lez Zeppelin is the kind of tribute that makes you want to dance or fuck or kick some ass!
After a sensational evening, I instantly purchased a satisfying post-show steak quesadilla at the nearby Mexico Lindo food truck. I headed home to come in clutch at work the morning after a few days of family time and another all-killer, no filler evening with Lez Zeppelin.
