Check Out The Immersive John Bonham Statue

This wild (and alleged) night is still highly debated as to whether it happened or didn’t happen and whether Zeppelin and/or Vanilla Fudge were involved, but we all have heard about this story by now. If you haven’t, Google it, because I have a good feeling if I were to describe it, I might get fired.

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On Friday John Bonham's statue in his hometown gets a makeover. It will be featuring an immersive experience! You'll be able to see an animation of Bonham playing along to some cool Zeppelin tunes!

It’s debatable who the greatest rock drummer ever is. However, a name that always winds up in the conversation is John Bonham. His parts were so diverse and he was a heavy hitter who laid down a solid foundation for the rest of his Led Zeppelin bandmates. Was he the best ever? Maybe. Undoubtedly, his parts are impressive and it’s no surprise that his hometown honored him a few years back.

In 2018, on what would have been Bonham’s 70^th Birthday, a statue was erected in his hometown of Redditch, England.

And while the statue itself is a nice way to honor him and looks really cool – This Friday it gets even more awesome! There’s a QR Code that has been inserted into the statue and beginning Friday, when you scan it, you’ll see something very cool…….animated drumming from the late Bonzo playing along to some classic Zep tunes!

How did this work exactly? Matt Green, a local drummer, sat behind a drumset to play Zeppelin's “Rock and Roll,” “Good Times, Bad Times” and “Immigrant Song,” and that footage is being combined with a new animation of Bonham. It’s pretty impressive technology and should be really cool to watch. Plus while you’re there, also included is a local guide that directs people to relevant locations in Redditch tied to Bonham's time there.

Bonham was found dead on September 25th, 1980 by Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones at Jimmy Page's house in Windsor, England following the first day of rehearsals for their U.S. tour. He choked on his vomit following a heavy day of drinking. He was 32.

Now, the part that is a real bummer about this is that the statue is in England and I would assume you’re like me- you’re not planning an overseas trip just to scan a QR code. But, I would imagine that many people will post videos of this, so it’s only a matter if time before we could go to YouTube or the net and watch this immersive display!

DHA Listeners Pick Their Favorite Led Zeppelin Album

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the release of Led Zeppelin’s debut album! It came out on January 12th of 1969. What a phenomenal debut it is too. It really showcased each member’s skill, while also showing the diversity in sound Zeppelin would become masters at.

For the Question of The Day on the WDHA Facebook page, I asked DHA listeners what their favorite Zeppelin album is. OF course, almost every release was mentioned by someone. However, here’s a look at the top 3 responses.

1. “PHYSICAL GRAFFITI”

A stellar double album without any filler. So many monster songs on the release, it’s easy to tell why it’s a favorite amongst the DHA family. I blasted “Custard Pie” for First Call Last Call!

2. “UNTITLED/LED ZEPPELIN IV”

What’s there to say? LOL! It’s got “Stairway To Heaven” and “Rock and Roll” which are a great introduction to what Zeppelin is all about. However, it’s also got some really mesmerizing ballads which make this album very eclectic sounding.

We fired up “Misty Mountain Hop” for the set.