Live Zeppelin...in a way

I got a shock of a night for Halloween. An extremely pleasant one.

Fitzy and I saw Gov't Mule at the O'Shaughnessy last night and there was buzz that one of their sets was going to be the Zep album, "Houses of the Holy" played all the way through.

(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????)

I was so not expecting that.

Now, I'd heard some of those brilliant Phish Halloween album-cover-tributes before...and I had always wanted to experience a band playing an entire album the whole way through...LIVE. Granted, the first time I saw the Who the were doing their "Quadrophenia" tour. That was quite a thrill... My only real other whole-album-straight-through would be the magical experience I had of seeing my friend John play with a hodge-podge of musicians from the local bands Self Evident and (his old band) Align crank out The Police's "Synchronicity" in a dingy basement. I still bore my loved ones with that tired (but close to my musical heart) story.

Anyway--sure enough, as the second set began, the Mule busted out "The Song Remains the Same," and...I shit you not...Warren Haynes did his very best Robert Plant impression and...I was impressed. Now, he didn't *sound* like him, exactly--he just did the songs (and Mr. Plant) justice. Rock and roll justice. Also, standing beside Haynes was a tall, lanky feller with a curly fro. He was doing an AMAZING Jimmy Page guitar tribute, my friends. Those ever-so-familiar songs (that have been imprinted in my brain since the age of 14, mind you) are like gospel to me and man, did this guy know his shit. I just kept thinking, this guy must've *learned* to play the fucking guitar to Zeppelin records. For real. So, I had to tap the shoulder of the headbanging gentleman in front of me to find out who the fuck this guitar prodigy was. It was a name I had never heard before and what a name it is: Audley Freed of Black Crowes fame. Mr. Freed continued to amaze and dazzle and later Haynes told the crowd that he had flown in just to play that set for us and that was that. Dang.

I was a happy fucking camper. It was pure joy to see those songs on a theatre stage as intimate as O'Shaughnessy's and I took delight in singing along with every word and flailing my hair as much as possible.

Now...can we get the Lads to do "London Calling"? Who can I put a request in to for that...?

P.S. Tomorrow... I see Bruce Springsteen. 'Nuff said.