Zoso, named after Led Zeppelin’s fourth album, rocked the Atwood Music Hall on Oct. 30 as part of the tribute band’s 30th Anniversary tour, the band’s fourth show in Madison and first since 2020. Their act and energy offered extremely close surrogate acts for this generation, and kept Zepp’s act going 45 years after their final show.
When Zoso started in 1995, founders Matt Jernigan and Adam Sandling shared a passion for Zeppelin’s music. Bevan Davies, an accomplished rock concert musician in his own right, joined in 2015. Holstan Rainero eagerly joined the band in 2015 after as a fan of the group and contacted the band several times to request an audition.
One of the aspects that has set Zoso apart from other tributes is that Jernigan, Sandling, Davies and Rainero become the actual members of Led Zeppelin. They retained the four-member lineup, with each playing the respective instruments and acting like their counterparts. Sandling is responsible for the bass, mandolin and keyboard and reserved stage presence anchors the group just like John Paul Jones. Jernigan sings, walks and dresses like Robert Plant while Rainero shreds like Jimmy Page, and Davies’ explosive drum playing is immediately recognizable as an emulation of John Bonham.
The set included Zeppelin’s greatest hits, like “Immigrant Song,” “Kashmir” and “Stairway to Heaven.” The seated crowd all got on their feet for “Misty Mountain Hop,” and many of them stayed up and danced for the rest of the show.
The people who had sat down got back up towards the end of the set, when Davies played a nearly 10-minute drum solo as the only man left on stage. When the crowd thought he was done and he had put down his drumsticks, Davis played another six minutes, slapping his hands on the drums with the same force and power as with sticks.
Rainero’s solos and renditions of Page’s playing effortlessly put stank faces onto each audience member before promptly melting them off, shredding on double-necked and acoustic guitars. Sandling worked overtime on the keys and bass, and Jernigan put the cherry on top with his iconic Robert Plant vocals.
The 30th anniversary tour was designed to bring the energy of Led Zeppelin to today’s audiences, and the band delivered. Zoso brings the feel of a packed Zeppelin gig to a 150-person show 50 years later and gives audiences the chance to see the closest thing to Led Zeppelin since 1980 when the band separated.
