'Bonzo's Birthday Bash': Interview, Rehearsal, Performance Footage Posted Online

June 8, 2012

Carmine Appice (ROD STEWART, VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS),Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, KILL DEVIL HILL),Frankie Banali (QUIET RIOT),Fred Coury (CINDERELLA),Jimmy D'Anda (BULLETBOYS),Ray Luzier (KORN),Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, ADRENALINE MOB),Glen Sobel (ALICE COOPER),Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, S.U.N.),Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO),Roy Mayorga (STONE SOUR),Steven Adler (GUNS N' ROSES),Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) and Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW) are among the musicians who paid tribute to legendary LED ZEPPELIN drummer John Bonham at "Bonzo's Birthday Bash" on May 31 at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California.

Interview footage with a couple of the drummers taking part in the event, as well as pre-show rehearsal footage and fan-filmed clips of the actual performance, can be seen below.

After three groundbreaking tribute shows entitled "Bonzo: The Groove Remains The Same", as well as popular demand and a collective passion and respect amongst all the participating drummers, past and present to Bonham, Brian Tichy and Joe Sutton have decided to go for it once again!

WHITESNAKE drummer and "Bonzo's Birthday Bash" founder Brian Tichy previously stated about the event, "When I first thought of this, the idea seemed too cool and simple NOT to try; get a John Bonham replica drum set, complete with gong and timpani, up front, center stage, and have each drummer perform their favorite LED ZEP song with a house band (THE MOBY DICKS). There are no rules other than to have fun putting your own groove and character into your song choice! It's such a unique night, seeing how all these great drummers approach the same drum set making it their own! And THE MOBY DICKS hold their own as a true force to be reckoned with! We have structure and within the structure there is total freedom, making the pace and vibe of this show somewhere between a backyard party and a.... backyard party with a killer band playing LED ZEP songs! Haha! Our previous shows were named 'The Groove Remains The Same', but this tribute falls on Bonzo's exact birthday and we wanted to let that be known!

"I am a tried and true Zep Head; a total Bonzo freak! Bonzo is my lifelong most 'listened to' drummer! This is a labor of love. The camaraderie and ego-less respect amongst all involved is something very rare to be a part of these days. Ask any of us! We've never been part of a show quite like this before! There has never been a tribute like this to a musician before! John Bonham deserves it! Bonzo's Birthday Bash is the ultimate tribute show and that's that!"

THE MOBY DICKS lineup:

* Michael Devin (WHITESNAKE) - Bass
* Stephen LeBlanc (JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEP EXPERIENCE) - Keyboards
* Keith St. John (MONTROSE) - Vocals
* Brian Tichy (S.U.N.) - Guitar, Drums
* Brent Woods (BRENTWOOD FOREST) - Lead And Rhythm Guitars

Interview:

Rehearsal:

Performance:

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