Built in the shadow of Truist Park (home to the Atlanta Braves), the Coca-Cola Roxy played host to Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening on Saturday night. Grammy Award–winning musician and drummer Bonham is out on the road celebrating 50 years of Zeppelin’s 1975 album Physical Graffiti by performing the record in its entirety, along with other fan-favorite hits. Opened as recently as 2017, this venue is a cornerstone destination within The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development of restaurants and condominiums adjacent to the ballpark, located approximately 10 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta.
Few albums in rock history command the reverence of Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, a sprawling, ambitious double-LP that captured the band at their most fearless back in 1975. On Saturday night, starting just after 8:00 p.m., Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening didn’t just revisit the classic, they reignited it, transforming the concert hall into a temple of iconic riffs, channeled nostalgia, and unfiltered rock energy.
From the moment the lights dimmed and the opening drone of “Custard Pie” hit, the Atlanta crowd was locked in. Bonham’s drums immediately thundered with the unmistakable DNA of his father, John Henry “Bonzo” Bonham, as heavy, swampy, and impossibly precise in the pocket, yet carrying his own modern fire. Bonham’s band, anchored by vocalist James Dylan, was razor-tight and clearly reverent of the legacy material, matching him step for step. Jimmy Sakurai’s guitars snarled with vintage grit, Alex Howland’s keys shimmered with psychedelic warmth, and Dorian Heartsong’s soulful bass lines rounded out a respectful musical tone that carried that familiar Zeppelin swagger.
Joking that the two-plus-hour show would be a celebration of Physical Graffiti, but “not in order so you don’t know when to get a beer or go to the bathroom,” the 59-year-old Bonham moved the band through the 15-song chart-topper, delivering standouts such as “The Rover,” “In My Time of Dying,” and “Houses of the Holy.” Between songs, Bonham spoke with the warmth of someone not only guarding his father’s legacy but embracing a lifelong bond. His reflections on growing up around these songs and the original band members were both heartfelt and hysterical (Google “John Bonham samurai sword”), grounding the night in something deeply personal.
Given the marketing context of the tour, the setlist didn’t really have room for signature Zeppelin tunes like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Immigrant Song,” or “Black Dog,” but an epic centerpiece from Physical Graffiti, “Kashmir,” was used to emphatically wrap up the portion of the show that highlighted that release. As Bonham recounted, the “Kashmir” rhythm was apparently “sung” to his bandmates as an idea for a song by his drummer father, prompting Bonham to lovingly convey, “If you’re in a band and your drummer has an idea for a song, don’t call him an Uber.”
By the time the final crash of Bonham’s cymbals faded on their back-to-back iconic closing tracks, “Whole Lotta Love” and “Rock and Roll,” the sold-out crowd buzzed with energy that was equal parts exhilarating and emotional. Celebrating Physical Graffiti at 50 was more than just an anniversary; it was a reminder of why these songs endure. They’re not musical museum pieces, but a living, breathing legacy carried forward by someone who holds the band’s heartbeat in his very bones. Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening proved that with power, precision, and passion to spare.
The JBLZE run of fall shows will wrap up this coming week on Wednesday, November 26th, at the Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida.
JBLZE Band
Jason Bonham – Drums
James Dylan – Lead vocals, guitar
Dorian Heartsong – Bass
Jimmy Sakurai – Lead guitar
Alex Howland – Keyboards, guitar
Setlist:
1.) Custard Pie (Led Zeppelin cover)
2.) The Rover (Led Zeppelin cover)
3.) The Wanton Song (Led Zeppelin cover)
4.) In My Time of Dying (Led Zeppelin cover)
5.) Houses of the Holy (Led Zeppelin cover)
6.) In the Light (Led Zeppelin cover)
7.) Sick Again (Led Zeppelin cover)
8.) Bron-Yr-Aur (Led Zeppelin cover)
9.) Boogie With Stu (Led Zeppelin cover)
10.) Black Country Woman (Led Zeppelin cover)
11.) Down By the Seaside (Led Zeppelin cover)
12.) Night Flight (Led Zeppelin cover)
13.) Ten Years Gone (Led Zeppelin cover)
14.) Trampled Under Foot (Led Zeppelin cover)
15.) Kashmir (Led Zeppelin cover)
16.) Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover)
17.) Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.