Fans fill the Midland Theatre for Led Zeppelin's music

NEWARK – Fans who miss Led Zeppelin — and others who missed them altogether in their heyday — flocked to the Midland Theatre on Saturday night to hear Philadelphia-based Get the Led Out recreate the songs and sounds of the seminal British band.

Composed of vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, keyboardist and bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham, Led Zeppelin mixed elements of the blues, Celtic folk, psychedelia and rock, and the members of that lineup are generally considered the fathers of heavy metal. They are known for many hits, notably "Stairway to Heaven," "Whole Lotta Love," "Dazed and Confused" and "Immigrant Song."

The group disbanded in 1980 after Bonham's death. His son, Jason, has sat in on drums during occasional reunion shows.

Scott Wade, of Gahanna, calls Led Zeppelin "my No. 1 band. There's no other band." He saw the group three times — in Cleveland and Cincinnati — when they were still together and touring.

Wade brought his wife, Michaela, and daughter, Taylor, to the Midland on Saturday. None of them had seen Get the Led Out before, but all were looking forward to the show. Taylor Wade was hoping to hear her two favorite Led Zeppelin songs, "Going to California," and "Ten Years Gone."

"It'll rock," she said. "That's what you need to know, from the first number until the end."

Saturday's show marked Get the Led Out's fourth appearance at the Midland, Executive Director Nancy Anderson said.

"We've never had a group here four times before," Anderson said. "This is their first sell-out. Each year, they've drawn more people, and this time, they managed to pull it off."

Kieth Hall, of Heath, has attended all four shows.

"My very first time coming, I won tickets on WNKO radio," he said, "and I've come ever since."

Hall bought tickets online for the concert the first day they went on sale.

"We wound up getting some pretty good seats, Gold Circle, sixth row," he said. "These will be the best seats I've ever had."

Hall brought his buddy, Mike Frewin, of Newark, to the show. They work together at Bionetics Corp. in Heath. Frewin was a first-timer, but said he was looking forward to hearing "Kashmir" and its "pretty amazing drum solo."

Get the Led Out opened the show in the blues vein, with "When the Levee Breaks," originally recorded in the 1920s. They followed that up with "Trampled Underfoot," from 1975's "Physical Graffiti," and then "Good Times, Bad Times," the first cut from Led Zeppelin's self-named debut album, released in 1969.

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