Classic rock fans will certainly have something to look forward to this Thursday night at the Majestic Theatre. Well-known Led Zeppelin tribute band, Zoso, is stopping in Madison for the second time this year and couldn’t be more excited to provide the community with another opportunity to experience Led Zeppelin live.
Front-man Matt Jernigan, who portrays actual famed Zeppelin front man Robert Plant, said, as a tribute band, Zoso aims to reenact live Led Zeppelin shows as close as possible.
“There are other bands out there that would claim they are a tribute band,” Jernigan said. “But they don’t really reenact it. We try to be as if you were actually experiencing them in their heyday.”
Jernigan said all members of the band share a mutual appreciation and understanding of their job as a tribute band.
“We hope that the audience will be able to relive a moment through us, and we want them to be able to appreciate something that we appreciate at the same time,” Jernigan said. “It’s a bygone era, and it’s sad, of course, because it’ll never happen again. We just hope that people like us can relive that moment through us, and so far we’ve been pretty successful.”
Band members Jernigan, John McDaniel, Adam Sandling and Greg Thompson formed Zoso in 1995 and began playing in their hometown and touring regionally. Almost immediately they gained recognition and obtained further distinction when Rick City News deemed them “Best Tribute Act in California.”
In 1999, the band expanded its annual tours and has spent the past 15 years touring around much of the United States, playing about 150-180 shows a year. Since 2004, Zoso has also worked with live events company Live Nation, which has resulted in the band playing shows at nine different House of Blues venues.
Jernigan added, despite the time that has passed since they first formed, they still get a wide age range in their audiences.
“We do get a multi-generational audience,” Jernigan said. “We’ll get kids from 12-years-old to people over 60. It’s a large demographic, and in a way it’s a lot like [The] Beatles’. Such a wide, diverse age range in an audience definitely lets you know that what you are doing has stood the test of time, and that the music that you are playing is still modern.”
Zoso makes a point to never play the same show twice. It varies its set list with every show and tries to include at least one song from every album. Although the name of the band is a reference to Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page’s symbol on the cover of their fourth album, Led Zeppelin IV, Jernigan noted the members of Zoso have no particular favorite album or song.
“I think everybody [in the band] has their own tastes,” Jernigan said. “For me personally, there are some songs that are better than others, but there’s not a bad song.”
Jernigan added, “I have a really great gig, because I’m not doing something that I don’t want to be doing or that I’m ashamed of. I don’t have to say I’m working this job for money and hate the gig. I’m very fortunate to be able to make a living and enjoy it all at the same time.”
Since this is Zoso’s second stop in Madison this year, the band expects many of the same people to come out for the show, as well as several new people.
“You can’t come out and see us once and take in everything,” Jernigan said. “And we mainly like people to come and relive every moment. Especially for people who are younger and who never got to see anything. We like them to come and experience our different show as well.”
Jernigan said Zoso likes touring the Midwest and finds the people in Midwestern cities to be enthusiastic and to have positive energies.
“Madison was great.” Jernigan said. “It was very supportive the first time in, and it will probably be better the next time. We’re really looking forward to it.”
Zoso will perform at the Majestic Theatre on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 9 p.m. Visit www.majesticmadison.com for tickets or more information.
