While there are many great groups today, few can hold a candle to the rock giants of the ’70s. While modern-era artists struggle to shift copies of their latest efforts, many of the hit artists of yesteryear continue to sell millions of albums worldwide. For those who continue to tour, demand for tickets is unprecedented. Nowhere is this trend more clear than with rock icons Led Zeppelin.
Proving their drawing power hasn’t diminished one bit in the two decades since they last performed, their recent reunion show in London drew 20 million ticket requests for a mere 18,000 seats. Such a huge, unsatisfied fan base hasn’t gone unnoticed by artists around the world, with tribute bands and related events springing up to pick up the slack.
One such group taking the plunge into the bands catalog is local rock trio Superunloader, who will perform Friday, Jan. 25, at the 710 Beach Club, as Superunledded.
It’s unclear whether or not Led Zeppelin will extend their reunion and tour, but for any fan of their music, Superunledded’s performance will be the next best thing, a chance to hear classic songs by one of rock music’s most legendary bands, in an intimate venue.
Despite the recent hoopla over Zeppelin’s reunion show, according to drummer Chad Farran the timing of their show is coincidental. Comprised of Farran, guitarist Jimmy Lewis and bassist Chris McGreal, the group has been life-long fans of the British combo.
“Zeppelin has been a big influence on all of us since before started playing music,” Farran said.
The band started doing the occasional night of Led Zeppelin music for special nights like New Year’s eve and benefit concerts, but this show will be even more important to them.
“This next one is going to help us pay for our new CD,” he explained. “I guess the biggest inspiration is money, but we love playing the tunes and seeing people freak out (over the music).”
He cites “Good Times Bad Times,” “Heartbreaker,” and “How Many More Times” as crowd favorites in their set. While the band has used guest musicians in the past, including extra guitar, harmonica and keys, this next show will feature the core three-piece.
“We’ll only avoid songs that can’t be pulled off well live,” he remarked. “We don’t have a keyboard player, so that does leave out a lot of the later Zep music.”
While the band strives for authenticity, they also add their own feel to the proceedings.
“We try to play the songs like the album, but our own styles come out,” Farran said. “Jimmy plays (like guitarist Jimmy) Page perfectly, and after a few pints, I can get into the role of drummer John Bonham pretty good.”
For Farran the appeal of a show like this is obvious.
“The energy from the people is amazing,” he said. “I wish they would freak out that much for our original music. I love seeing people get crazy and sing along.”
Following the show, Superunloader hopes to start work on their new album.
“We’ve been talking about a new album for a decade now, so long that it’s become kind of a running joke,” he said. “We have a ton of unreleased songs, so hopefully within the next decade we’ll have something done. It’s going to be a doozy.”
In the meantime, Farran is thrilled to be performing the music of his favorite group. He doesn’t truly consider Led Zeppelin to be of a particular era but instead to be timeless.
“Their music has now crossed over to many generations of people,” he remarked with clear admiration. “I still see teenagers wearing Zep shirts. They’ll go on forever.”