Reports:
This from Carl Schreyer
Wow, what a wonderful night! Mutual Admiration was evident by all onstage and in the audience. The Birchmere is a table and chairs sit down venue (seats about 1,000). Many people get there early and have dinner before the show. The venue was filled to capacity well before the concert started. As has been previously mentioned the majority of the audience were Nickel Creek fans. By the way, they were a very appreciative and politely enthusiastic audience (no drunken rowdiness). The Birchmere does not allow talking or dancing during the performance (no kidding). This Led to a very attentive audience with the focus on the music.

The music was outstanding. I would describe the music as pop/bluegrass/country/rock. Probably not for everyone and at times a little too pop oriented for me, but if you enjoy musical diversity (as we know all the members of Zep do and most of us fans) then I think you would have really enjoyed and appreciated the concert. The band casually walked onstage one by one and John Paul Jones was greeted by a warm roar from the audience. He mostly stood towards the back of the stage to the right of the drummer, Pete Thomas. John Paul Jones is in great shape and along with his bandmates seemed to thoroughly enjoy the evening. All the band members seemed very Loose. The music was played very enthusiasticly. There were lots of smiles and nods by all the band members. It was great to see John Paul Jones playing up close and personal (we were about 10 feet from the stage). He was smiling, joking, and dancing a little bit while he played the bass. This being the last night of the tour many references were made to the audience about how much they all enjoyed playing together and how the end of the tour was bittersweet.

The highlights for me were the more rootsy bluegrass extended instrumentals which of course included some hot bass runs. John Paul Jones joining in on the four-part harmony of a ballad. The Taxman cover. Gallows Pole was fun to hear, but I thought the vocals were a little shaky (the singer humbly apologized to Zep fans afterwards) and although John Paul Jones and Pete Thomas laid down the groove during the faster part, the arrangement just didn’t do it for me. The instrumental duo of Going To California with acoustic guitar and John Paul Jones on mandolin was absolutely beautiful.

Most of the band members including John Paul Jones participated in a meet and greet about an hour or so after the concert. John Paul Jones was very gracious and patient with everyone.

Lastly, The Washington Post printed a preview of the concert the previous weekend and one of the band members mentioned the entire tour is being recorded and a live release will be forthcoming.
This from Ria
My story will be short but sweet about the last show, for MAS on the tour, at the Birchmere.
If not for Jonesy I would not only never have seen but I would not have had the pleasure of experiencing their outstanding performance.
It was all good and I have to say that the talent that came together to form MAS really WOWed the full house that last night ~ it was a sold out show, as it was the night before. Jonsey being there, to bring yet so much more to the already brilliant line up, was a treat. The fact that we got to hear GtC & a great take on Gallows Pole was soothing for us who had hoped to hear a few Zep tunes.

The jazzed up-beat rendition of Taxman really brought some spunk to the set list too. As all good things usually do come to an end so did the show. There was a bitter sweet culmination for the band as well as the audience. There was something memorable for the hard core to mildly moved fan to take away with them at the end of the show. It was the end of an amazing experience that won’t soon be forgotten, if ever. This observation is mine but not necessarily unique. Many Thanks are in order from not just from one but for all who came to see & hear.
So, I Thank You JPJ & all the MAS folk & crew, for the awesome memories and moments in time, sights & sounds