JASON BONHAM’S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE will celebrate the life and music of his father - the legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. The limited engagement of concert dates - timed to take place just after the 30th anniversary of his Dad’s passing on September 25th, 1980 - will launch in North America October 8 in British Columbia. JBLZE will kick off in the US October 19 in Minneapolis and continue through late November, reaching major North American cities.

Evan Schlansky from Americansongwriter.com spoke with Bonham recently about the tour. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Americansongwriter.com: What’s the inspiration behind the tour?

Bonham: "The inspiration behind the tour was, since playing with Led Zeppelin at the O2 concert, with Jimmy, Robert, and John Paul, I’ve wanted do something like this. It’s something I’ve always kind of shied away from - I just didn’t see the point of putting another tribute band out there or whatever. But then I saw the show Rain which is a tribute to THE BEATLES. I went along just to be courteous, really, and while at that show, I saw there was a whole other way of doing it which I’d never thought of, which was telling a little bit more of a story. And basically from that moment I was thinking, 'how could I tell people how much Led Zeppelin has been a part of my life?' So we started throwing ideas around, about showing my first memories of Led Zeppelin, my first time jamming with them, playing with them, as a kid, you know. Things that have never been seen before, to try and make it a show, and a very personal one."

Americansongwriter.com: What’s it going to be like?

Bonham: "I want to make it intimate, but also make it big enough to get some of the production that we’re going to use. I want to do things where I play drums on certain songs where (John Bonham) will be in the room and I’ll be playing along with him. It’s been thirty years dad passed away, and I said, let’s do thirty shows for thirty years."

Americansongwriter.com: What Zeppelin songs are the most fun for you to play?

Bonham: "Well, I’m very lucky that I got to play, I think I actually got to play every song live with the real guys. Not many people can say that really, because after 02, when Robert wasn’t there, Jimmy and I and John Paul Jones got together and were doing some writing and playing. Every now and then, I’d ask, can we jam this, or can we jam that? And they’d say, okay, sure. It was mind blowing sometimes. One of my favorites would have to be 'The Song Remains the Same', I really enjoyed that at the 02. It’s a great drummer’s piece, you know, especially the live version of that. 'Kashmir' is one of my all-time favorites to play. It’s the hardest thing to do, you try and have that rocking groove the whole way. The more relaxed you can be and laid back, the heavier it sounds. And then I would say 'Heartbreaker' would be one of my favorites, and I’ll say once again, I love the live The Song Remains the Same version where he does all the different fills. I actually find that quite challenging, especially to play it right with all those sticks in your hands. You’ve got to be really relaxed with your hands. And then 'In My Time of Dying'. The groove, the tempo and big open spaces to do what you want. That was definitely a moment at the 02. I could go on, there’s a million and they’re all really good in different ways."

Read the entire interview here.

Below is the first leg of Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience:

October

8 - Encana Events Center - Dawson Creek, BC
9 - CN Centre - Prince George, BC
12 - Northern Alberta Jubilee - Edmonton, AB
13 - Enmax Centre - Red Deer, AB
14 - Southern Alberta Jubilee - Calgary, AB
16 - Brandt Centre - Regina, SK
17 - MTS Centre - Winnipeg, MB
19 - State Theatre - Minneapolis, MN
20 - Riverside Theatre - Milwaukee, WI
21 - Star Plaza - Merrilville, IN
23 - Metropolis - Montreal, QUE
25 - Grand Theatre - Quebec City, QUE
27 - Hamilton Place - Great Hall - Hamilton, ON
28 - Centre in the Square - Kitchener, ON
29 - Sony Centre - Toronto, ON
30 - Auditorium Theater - Rochester, NY

November

2 - The Orpheum - Boston, MA
3 - Count Basie Theater - Red Bank, NJ
4 - Bergen PAC - Englewood, NJ
6 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
8 - Nokia Theater - New York, NY
13 - Florida Theater - Jacksonville, FL
14 - King Center - Melbourne, FL
16 - Verizon Theatre - Houston, TX
21 - Fox PAC - Riverside, CA
23 - Pantages Theater - Los Angeles, CA
26 - Schnitzer Concert Hall - Portland, OR
27 - WaMu Theater - Seattle, WA
29 - The Centre PAC - Vancouver, BC