View File photoThe Las Vegas Philharmonic and guest conductor Brent Havens will be joined by a full rock band ensemble and singer Randy Jackson in tribute to Led Zeppelin.
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The Las Vegas Philharmonic has a reputation to uphold. But that doesn't mean that the group of world-class musicians can't get down and dirty with some good, old-fashioned rock 'n' roll.
The orchestra will perform "The Music of Led Zeppelin: A Rock Symphony" at 8 p.m. Saturday inside the Theater for the Performing Arts at Planet Hollywood, and audiences can rest assured, this ain't your grandparents Philharmonic.
The 21/2-hour concert event will feature 18 songs from Led Zeppelin albums, performed with a full rock band ensemble and lead vocals by rock band Zebra front man Randy Jackson.
Show creator and guest conductor Brent Havens developed the idea to fuse legendary rock tunes with the backing of classical musicians to create a more powerful musical experience almost 15 years ago.
"Our goal is to deliver music that people love," Havens said. "But in a unique way that audiences find stimulating and exciting. We produce an enhanced version of Zeppelin that audiences respond to."
According to Havens, the show has taken off in popularity over the past four years.
"We essentially perform a rock concert with a band backed by a full 50-piece orchestra," Havens said. "The last four years have seen things really take off, and we're playing more and more concerts."
Jackson said he believes that the show's success is due in part to the baby boomers who bring their kids to experience the music of a generation.
"I think that it gets boomers into the environment where they can enjoy the music that they love in a different way," Jackson said. "Kids of all ages attend. It's an orchestra experience, but the fact that it's also a rock 'n' roll experience makes it a bit cooler and people are more accepting and receptive."
Renato Estacio, marketing director for the Philharmonic, said the concert is part the group's effort to garner interest from a wider audience.
"We are trying to appeal to younger audiences because our community is growing," Estacio said. "So the music of Led Zeppelin certainly appealed to our marketing and audience appeal strategies."
While Estacio said he believes that most people don't get to experience live music of this caliber very often, he hopes that the Led Zeppelin concert will encourage the public at large to seek out such events on a more regular basis.
"It's about getting people to experience live music in a different manner," Estacio said. "In fact, a lot of classical/orchestral music is full of life, passion and innuendoes beyond what most people imagine. Here, the idea of combining forces is a wonderful approach to that, so we are glad to have that opportunity."
The performance will include renditions of hits such as "Stairway to Heaven," "Heartbreaker" and "Black Dog."
Havens said he spent a lot of time charting songs to ensure that each note was correct -- an exhausting effort he knows will make all the difference with Led Zeppelin fans.
"The Led-heads will love it," Havens said. "I transcribed every note verbatim from the albums, wrote all of the charts, and I know for a fact that each riff is right on. What we are doing could be played note for note with the album."
Tickets are $65, $45 and $25 and can be purchased at www.livenation.com, the Planet Hollywood Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets.
For more information, visit www.themusicofledzeppelin.com.
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