Swan Montgomery has been playing the role of Robert Plant for 31 years as the lead singer for the Led Zeppelin tribute band Led Zepagain.
And he鈥檚 still waiting to get tired of performing the music of the iconic British rock band.
鈥淎fter 31 years, it鈥檚 kind of an ongoing joke in the band as to how much longer we can keep doing this,鈥� Montgomery said in an interview with Black Press Media.
鈥淚鈥檓 the oldest guy in the band, but I keep saying we will just keep going until we drop.鈥�
Joining Montgomery in the group are Anthony David on guitar, Jim Wootten on bass and keyboards, and drummerDerek Smith.
Led Zepagain has performed in 琉璃神社 twice in the last decade and will return for a third show Tuesday, Sept. 24, at the Mary Irwin Theatre in the Rotary Centre for the Arts at 421 Cawston Avenue.
Led Zepagain is on the road year-round playing dates in Canada, the U.S., South America, Europe and Japan, which Montgomery feels is both a reflection of the enduring popularity of Led Zeppelin鈥檚 music and his own group鈥檚 attitude of being faithful to the original recordings.
As a tribute band, Montgomery said its audiences are not interested in their interpretation of the music, but rather want it to recreate the music as close to the original sound as possible.
鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting but people who come to our shows who grew up with Led Zeppelin come to hear certain sounds or points in a song that bring back memories for them. You might do a solo or reach some point in a song that resonates with the audience and they stand up and applaud while you are still performing the song, which is unusual,鈥� he said.
鈥淔or a tribute band, if you don鈥檛 get it right, people will let you know about it.鈥�
To that end, Montgomery said he and his bandmates have taken the time to learn Led Zeppelin鈥檚 music down to every individual note.
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鈥淚 don鈥檛 mean to criticize other tribute bands but we have done our homework. A lot of tribute bands don鈥檛 that,鈥� he said.
Led Zepagain鈥檚 efforts have reached back to some of the original band members too, as Montgomery has met Plant - 鈥渉e was very cordial and nice about what we doing鈥� 鈥� and Jimmy Page, who said Led Zepagain is the closest he has seen to recreating the group鈥檚 sound.
鈥淛immy told us how listening to us perform their songs took him back to the rawness of their sound when they were starting out. That was a great compliment to come from one of your peers.鈥�
When Led Zeppelin reunited for one concert in London, England, Montgomery found himself sitting with other invited guests, courtesy of Page, to witness what he called 鈥渁 mind boggling concert鈥� in 2007.
鈥淭he neat part is we got to watch the band in rehearsal the day before, and it was cool to see them making mistakes in getting their own songs down right. It was an interesting dynamic to be able to watch.鈥�
| The original Led Zeppelin: (from left) John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. (Contributed) |
鈥淏ut as I鈥檝e been studying and listening to his music for most of my life, I have come to appreciate what a tremendous vocalist he was, both with Led Zeppelin and on his own as a solo act after the group disbanded.鈥�
Montgomery said Led Zeppelin has a song catalogue of 82 songs, and Led Zepagain has learned to play most of them, moving songs in and out of their playlist to keep their shows fresh for the audience and themselves.
He said Stairway To Heaven and Kashmir are two staples from the Led Zeppelin library that they include in every show.
He described the enduring popularity of Stairway To Heaven as a musical work of art, given its orchestral-like buildup coupled with poetic lyrics.
鈥淭here is nothing like it that was written at that time or since. It鈥檚 a song that just takes you different places in your mind. It is amazing to see the lights and the cell phones (in the audience) while (fans) sing along to it.鈥�
Other favourites of Montgomery鈥檚 include Black Dog, Going To California and Ramble On.
He said during Led Zeppelin鈥檚 heyday, from 1969 to 1975, the group embraced many different genres of music which Montgomery feels is why, today, its music still resonates with audiences.
鈥淭he great thing about their music is it never feels dated,鈥� he said.
Led Zeppelin鈥檚 run came to an end with the death of drummer John Bonham from alcohol poisoning in 1980. Despite pressure to carry on with a new drummer, the surviving members, in particular Plant, felt it was time to move on and not tarnish their original group鈥檚 legacy.
Plant, Page and bassist John Paul Jones ventured off in different music career directions, the two exceptions being the London reunion concert where the trio were joined by Jason Bonham, John鈥檚 son, behind the drum kit, and at Live Aid in 1985 when Phil Collins played drums.
琉璃神社 classic rock fans may remember Jason Bonham performing at Prospera Place in January 2014 with Heart, who dedicated half of their show that year to playing Led Zeppelin music with the younger Bonham as their invited guest musician.
Tickets for the Led Zepagain concert are available at the Rotary Centre Box Office, by phone at 250-717-5304 or online at rotarycentreforthearts.com. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.
