No change in set list-standard fare with all the new stuff for this leg included with That’s The Way tease, etc. About all I can say is Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!!! Last night I saw something that I never would have imagined that I would get a chance to see in a million years. Since I was born in ’75, I never got to see Zep live and have had to piece together live concert experiences from those who still remain. I have seen P/P three times, got to see and meet Jason Bonham on the tribute tour a few years ago and seeing and meeting Jonesy last night completed the circle. It truely was a spiritual experience! I got the show about four yours in advance in hopes of meeting JPJ and possible getting an autograph or two. I have to admit, I didn’t realy have high expectations for the Cininnnati crowd. With low ticket sales and even more subdued enthusiasm being reported in larger, more “hip”, areas of the country, I didn’t expect for there to be much of a turnout. I figured that there would be a lot of calls for the Lemon Song and Whole Lotta Love (which there were-Ha!). Needless to say, my four hour wait was in vain as Jonesy was late for sound check and ran right in without breaking stride. Guess it wasn’t such a good idea to skip those afternoon classes afterall.
As for the show itself, powerful, determined and awe-inspiring only begin to come close. I was a little skeptical about the whole “Zooma” project at first, but it has since become my favorite post-Zep project of any band member. The venue was farily small, about average for this tour, and the place was about a third to half full. Much to my surprise, and to JPJ’s as he hinted at the beginning of the show, the crowd arrived early and was TOTALLY into the show. Everyone was really excited and seemed to have a good grasp on what John Paul and the “John Paul Jones Orchestra” was trying to do. JPJ opened up the the enthusuastic crown very early and was quite vocal throughout the evening, although it was sometimes difficult for me to understand what he was saying since he didn’t always get close to the mic when addressing the crown. Every time Hugh Manson came on stage, the crown would chant “Huuuuugh”, “Huuuugh”. They all got a kick out of it and were having a great time.
I thought that the performance as a whole was excellent. The new album really lends itself well to live performance. The opening tracks to Zooma, Black Dog & Nobody’s Fault But Mine worked great on the bass steel, and Going to California played entirely on the mandolin was brilliant. I thought that Trampled Underfoot was a bit lengthy (much like this review) and was somewhat uninspired, and No Quarter just lacked the punch it has in its tradtional 4-piece arrangement. As for the other players, I thought that the drummer was weak at times but did a good job overall. I also found it difficult to pick out the stick parts from time to time but the sound was excellent-probably one of the best “sounding” shows I’ve ever been too…great balance and detail, and that’s coming from the first and second rows where the sound isn’t always that great!
After the show, about half of those in attendance ran to the back of the venue to try to meet Jonesy, but the cops came by and ran everyone off…except for those of us few die-hard fans with a little common sense and persistance. After most of the people had long since gone home, those of us who kept a low profile were treated to one of the most unusual and unique expereiences of our lives. Someone came out and asked us to form a line since JPJ was going to come out and sign a few items. Jonesy came out of the club and proceeced to stand there, sign autographs, take photos with fans and talk to us for about the next 30-45 minutes!!! I never thought that I would even get to see him perform live, never thought that I would get to stand on the front row of a club and see him in the flesh, and I certainly never thought that I would be able to meet him and talk to him face to face! The entire scene was very low key, everyone was really excited but gracious at the same time. There was no pushing and the mob scene that one would expect was completely absent! He seemed really glad to be able to spend time with us and was very willing to talk to anyone, take as many picures as was asked of him and didn’t seem put off or rushed in the slightest. What a great night and what a great guy! 

Jay Michael Lewis

Last night’s show was awesome. I’m a huge Zeppelin fan, and a chance to catch JPJ in such an intimate venue was a suprise. The audience was a modest size and people were very anxious for the band to hit the stage. A long intro played for about five minutes, and then JPJ and crew ripped into Zooma. JP played like a man with a point to prove. The next two tracks, Grind and Goose, kept the crowd into these beautiful and powerful songs. The crowd was loud and rowdy, but JP said he was pleasantly supprised. I was taken by his prowess on stage. He was very actively moving, and really seemed into the zooma material. The band moved on to Bass’n’Drums. A snippet of HeartBreaker, Dazed and Confused, and Sick Again (Played the riff once). People were going crazy. I hate people who only get into the zep music, which seemed to be 60% of the crowd. Next was Jonesy moving onto what he called a great song from a Very-very bad movie. The song was Spaghetti Junktion, witch was much more vibrant in this from, ala the stick. After this number, John Paul had a percussion shaker in the shape of a lemon. He said no lemons here tonight, and the crowd went bonkers, as Jones ran to the keys and ripped into No Quarter. I loved it, although Nick seemed to overlook some key guitar parts. Next was Nosumi Blues. Jones was in awe of his work and the band was really running perfect, with great interplay of Jones and Terl. The Band launched into “Levee” and the place just erupted! I thought Jimmy was on top of his game on the last P/P tour during How many more times, but JPJ captured the most powerful post-zep movement to me on this. He tossed in a little bit of Robert Johnson’s Teraplane Blues, and what sounded like hints of traveling riverside blues. The Band then took a fifteen minute break. The next songs were Triple neck solo, crack back, and B fingers. All superb. Nobody’s Fault was next, JP tearing up the steel. Encores: Trampled and Black Dog. After the show I went to get my photo and the police made us leave. John Paul’s entourage apologized for the circumstances as about 25 of us were threatened to be arrested. The last Led Zeppelin concert here in Cincinnati was in 1977. At that show, a man jumped off the plaza level of our stadium to the street below. And a police motorcycle was tossed off of it too. I guess they figured we would be that way. LEGENDS NEVER DIE! We LOVE you JOHN PAUL!

The show was supposed to start at 8:00 but didn’t get going until about 10 after(lucky for us cause thats when we arrived). There was only about 200 people max. My friend and I headed straight for the stage and ended up being front and center(best seats in the house). I wasn’t really sure what to expect-I heard that the reviews for JPJ’s new CD were really good, but I didn’t have any idea of what kind of show was in store. I was totally blown away! The new music was incredible not to mention hearing the Zeppelin tunes (I’m only 20 so I never had the experience of a Zeppelin show):( . JPJ really seemed to be having a great time. He chatted with the crowd saying that he was pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm, and calling the Zeppelin tunes “dinosaurs”. The show lasted about 2 hours and they played 3 encores. Black Dog was last and the place absolutely went nuts. After the show, we ran straight for his bus and waited for about an hour hoping to get an autograph and almost getting arrested in the process. Lucky us, JPJ came out right by the door where we were standing and we got not only autographs but pictures and a bit of chat. It was by far the most incredible show I’ve ever been to and my first encounter with any of the members of Led Zeppelin( one down, two to go:).The people there were awesome and I got to see some great Led Zeppelin photos and memorabilia, and also got to hear some great stories. JPJ rocks! 

Jamie Fagin Ohio