THE SONGS REMAIN THE SAME
Free lawn and mezzanine seating is available during the May 29 Houston Symphony performance of “The Music of Led Zeppelin” at the Woodlands Pavilion. Gates open at 7 p.m. and the main show begins an hour later; orchestra tickets are available for $20.
The concert has been a sometimes annual tradition since 2007, and the performance featuring the lineup of conductor Brent Havens and vocalist Randy Jackson has been a consistent crowd pleaser. Jackson is probably best known for his time as lead singer of the New Orleans rock band Zebra. Every few months – or years – when the symphony revisits the music of Led Zeppelin, it’s at either Jones Hall or The Pavilion. If it’s at the Pavilion, a sponsor usually underwrites the cost of lawn and mezzanine seating. Huntsman and Kiewit are sponsors.
“My concept for ‘The Music of Led Zeppelin’ was to take the music as close to the originals as we could and then add some colors to enhance what Zep had done,” Havens said in a press release. “The wonderful thing with an orchestra is that you have an entire palette to call upon. The band is reproducing what Led Zeppelin did on the albums, verbatim, and then having an orchestra behind the band gives the music a richness, a whole different feel, a whole different sense of power.”
During its set, the symphony will perform 18 Led Zeppelin songs – including “Immigrant Song,” “Black Dog,” “Heartbreaker,” and the defining power ballad “Stairway to Heaven.” Picnics are allowed and lawn chairs are provided, but beverages cannot be brought into the venue. Garage parking is $10 per vehicle, but free parking is also available.
In the mid-1970s, when Zebra first began performing, the band’s reputation grew because of its authentic Led Zeppelin covers. On its own songs, Jackson was known for hitting the high notes, similar to Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant.