The self-proclaimed “ultimate Led Zeppelin experience” will take over The Varsity tomorrow night in the form of the tribute band Zoso.
The Los Angeles-based band not only covers the songs of the legendary musical force, but also embodies their personas by mimicking the appearance of the respective musicians.
In other words, Jay Bobo, guitarist for Zoso will dress the part, as well as acting the way Jimmy Page did onstage during Zeppelin’s heyday nearly three decades ago.
Other members include Matt Jernigan as lead singer Robert Plant, Greg Thompson as drummer John Bonham and Adam Sandling as bassist John Paul Jones.
Varsity doorman Josh Fennel has seen Zoso perform two sold-out shows at The Varsity within the past year.
“The guys look just like Led Zeppelin,” he said. “It’s kind of scary.”
Fennel said one of the reasons that the tribute band was memorable is because, unlike other cover bands, there is little time between songs in which the musicians talk to the crowd.
“They also play a two hour set and they don’t just play the known songs,” he said. “You’ll hear some [Zeppelin] songs you haven’t heard before.”
Chris Lundgren, talent buyer for The Varsity, said that some changes will be made to the club’s capacity in order to accommodate the typical Zoso crowd.
“Their crowd is usually a mixture of young and older people, and the older people had been complaining about the large crowd, even though we’re legally under capacity,” he said. “For this show, we’re limiting the entrance availability by about 100 people.”
The change is not unprecedented, but is isolated among the club’s current schedule of performances.
“It has happened before, but there has to be a really good reason, and it is rare,” said Luke Henry, another doorman at The Varsity who has seen Zoso sell out the venue on more than one occasion.
The level of musicianship that the members of Led Zeppelin have attained leads to a difficult task for the members of Zoso.
“I was very skeptical because Zeppelin’s sound is so hard to master,” Fennel said. “Zoso is a unique tribute band because they nail it so well.”
The appeal to Zoso comes from the legend of Led Zeppelin and the cult following of the group that hit it big with such hits as “Stairway to Heaven” and “Kashmir.”
Zanne Stevens, an English literature senior, had another reason for loving the band.
“My parents were hippies, and they played it all the time when I was growing up; so, I was pretty much raised on their music,” she said. “I have a great connection with my parents because of that.”
Other fans caught on after hearing the music and becoming infected.
“They are one of the greatest rock bands ever,” said Dustin Johnson, a marketing junior. “I haven’t heard a sound that original since I started listening to them.”
Zeppelin fans can decide for themselves whether Zoso lives up to the hype.
Lundgren recommends patrons order tickets online at www.varsitytheatre.com because of the large crowd and limited availability. Tickets are also available at the door for $13.75.