If you never saw the mighty Led Zeppelin live, then this is probably going to be your best chance of experiencing something close to how magical that iconic band was in concert. Get The Led Out is kind of between a tribute band and a cover band. They don’t try to dress and look exactly like the guys and there are definitely more than just four guys on stage at the same time. This is more of a celebration of what the band was like live and their amazing catalog of music. They’re a bunch of professional musicians who were brought together to share their love for “The Mighty Zep” with the masses. I read in an interview from a few years ago where lead vocalist Robert Sinclair said, “I was never interested in doing the ‘impersonator’ thing – dressing up to look like Page, Plant, Bonham and Jones.” “We’re paying tribute to Zeppelin but we’re not a ‘look-alike’ band by any means. I love the music of Led Zeppelin, but I don’t want to be Robert Plant. I’m a fan of this music; I love it like you do and I’m going to do my damnedest to sing it so people that come to see us are happy with what we’re doing.”

This was my first time seeing Get The Lead Out, sometimes referred to as GTLO, and I was ready to join Sherman and Peabody in the way back machine (cartoon reference you can Google if you don’t get it). The setlist can vary while they are on tour but for the most part it stays the same from city to city. You can expect your Zeppelin staples like “Stairway To Heaven,” “Rock and Roll” and “Kashmir,” but they also dig into some deep cuts such as “Bron-Yr-Aur” and “In The Light.” The band visited a packed DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) in Durham, North Carolina on May 17. Our show was in two sets with a brief intermission between the two. You don’t want to miss any of this on a bathroom break or a beer run so a brief intermission was a very good idea. The guys play all eras of the band, trying to touch on as much as possible during. A funny twist to our show was opening with “Rock and Roll” instead of “Immigrant Song” which they opened with the night before. The band likes to start their show with a high energy song in a deliberate attempt to try and get the audience out of their seats and standing. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. The shows tend to be a bit more fun when an audience stands and really gets into the show.

This was the band’s tenth appearance at the beautiful DPAC (Durham Performing Arts Center) in Durham, North Carolina. That feat did not go unmentioned as lead singer Paul Sinclair acknowledged it during their set. He and the band were very appreciative of the many years that they have been visiting the venue. As for the show, it was pretty damn amazing! Sinclair has a very powerful voice and he definitely knows how to deliver those classic songs. As for the rest of the band, these guys are seasoned veterans and that experience could be heard all night long. This was an amazing journey, especially for those of us who had never seen The Might Zep in concert. I actually found two guys who had seen the band “back in the day” and they have seen Get The Lead Out numerous times. They said that the band does and amazing of paying homage to one of the greatest rock bands of all time. I highly recommend seeing this show if it comes anywhere close to your city. Zeppelin fans will absolutely love it and fans of classic rock will definitely enjoy it too.

Get The Led Out are:

Paul Sinclair – Lead vocals

Seth Chrisman – Bass

Paul Hammond – Electric & acoustic guitars & mandolin

Derek Smith – Drums & percussion

Tommy Zamp – Electric & acoustic guitars

Eddie Kurek – Keys, electric & acoustic guitars, vocals & percussion

Review & photos by I’m Music Magazine Owner/Editor Johnny Price