Forty years ago saw the release of Led Zeppelinâs seminal rock album, Led Zeppelin IV, featuring such classics as âStairway to Heavenâ and âBlack Dogâ and that, I guess, is as good a reason as any to bring back the show that celebrates the music of this iconic band. âWhole Lotta Loveâ is an epic production that brings together some of Australiaâs finest talents to perform a range of songs by one of the greatest rock bands the world has known. This is not the first time this show has hit the road. In fact, âWhole Lotta Loveâ has been thrilling audiences around the country for nine years now. So what is it that keeps the crowds coming back to see this show?
Steve Balbi, bass player with Noiseworks and one of the stars of the show, maintains it is a combination of a great line-up giving strong performances and, of course, the music. âIt blows me away just watching the audience. If you like Led Zeppelin, youâll love this,â he enthuses. âCome and check it out. It really is a special show.â
The production includes songs from throughout the history of the band. âThere are lots of different songs in there,â he explains. âIf youâre a Led Zeppelin fan, I donât think youâll be going away saying âI wish theyâd played that oneâ.  I donât know exactly how many songs there are but thereâs a lot.â
The vocals are shared throughout the show by Steve, Jeff Martin (Tea Party) Simon Meli (Widowbirds), Natasha Stuart and Zkye, backed by a fantastic band of talented musicians, including Gordon Rytmeister on drums, Greg Royal on bass, Charmaine Ford on keyboards, Darren Evans on percussion, Adrian Keating on violin, Rachel Thomson on viola and Charlotte Roberts on cello and Creative Director, Joseph Calderazzo on guitars. They will take the show to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and even Gosford in NSW. âItâs a great show with great people and everyone knows what theyâre doing, except for me.â he adds with a laugh.
Steve thinks that there is a real and growing demand out there for shows like this one. âI reckon itâs come about because all of the baby boomers are grown up, their kids have grown up but theyâre still young at heart and they still want to listen to all that great music. And the chances of seeing Led Zeppelin for realâŠwell, itâs not going to happen. But hereâs a chance to see some of Australiaâs finest presenting that music. The boomers donât want to hang out in pubs anymore but they want to go out to the Theatre and have a great night of rock and roll. I think a lot of them are asking âwhereâs the rock and roll gone?â so weâre here to give it to them.â
And of course Led Zeppelin had an influence on Steveâs musical style. âOh yeah. They hit me like a ton of bricks,â he tells me. And that influence still plays a part in his approach to making music today. âIâll be going in next week to work on a Noiseworks record,â he reveals. âand Iâll do my normal mike techniques but also use the Led Zeppelin technique of the mikes around a drum kit that they used on some occasions and itâs still used a lot in music today. My son plays drums and he had these Green Day and Lincoln Park things to learn and I said to him   âYouâve  gotta play rock. Just come and check this outâand I played him âWhen the Levee Breaksâ and he couldnât believe it. His eyes just lit up and I think my eyes did exactly the same thing all those years ago. Their legacy is truly great.â
Apart from the âWhole Lotta Loveâ tour, and his Noiseworks commitments, Steve is involved with numerous other projects, keeping him very, very busy. But thatâs the way he likes it. âIâm doing something that I love and Iâm very grateful for that,â Â Â he reveals humbly. âI love music and Iâm very blessed.â
The 9th Annual âWhole Lotta Love: Led Zeppelin Celebrationâ tour kicks off in September. For full details, go to our touring page.
by Sharyn Hamey
Copyright © Sharyn Hamey 2011.  All rights reserved