Concert Review: Get the Led Out

Story posted November 19, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by McKenna Wall

The State Theatre was rocking out with Get the Led Out in town for a show. The concert was set to start at 8 p.m., but with 500 people flooding the entrance, a delay was inevitable.

The band members walked out around 8:10 p.m., and the crowd roared. The crowd was transported back to 1970 when the concert kicked off with “Immigrant Song.”

Something only true Led Zeppelin fans would notice stood out about the cover band: there were six members. Led Zeppelin consisted of four members. The lead singer of Get the Led Out, Paul Sinclair, addressed this concern:

“We are not here to impersonate Led Zeppelin. We are fans just like you guys.”

Sinclair explained that the best way for the band to recreate Led Zeppelin's sound is by using the talent of six people, rather than four. There was no denying they did an excellent job mimicking Led Zeppelin music.

The percussionist, Adam Ferraioli, put on an especially impressive performance of “Moby Dick,” an epic drum solo born from John Bonham, the original Led Zeppelin drummer.

Bonham was known to have played this song so intensely that he would break his drumsticks and begin playing with his hands. In a tribute to the late, great Bonham, Ferraioli took a break from his sticks and played a portion of the solo with his bare hands.

Sinclair’s voice was scarily similar to that of Robert Plant’s. His clear tone throughout “Immigrant Song” and “Ramble On” did the popular hits justice.

Guitarists Paul Hammond, Tommy Zamp and Eddie Kurek brought the energy for an electric night. The guys were able to vary their performances from violent shredding to gentle strumming.

After a killer introduction of songs, the band brought out stools and chairs for a chill jam session with the audience.

The first sit-down song the guys played was “Going to California,” and it was an ethereal experience. The soft glow of the lights and sound of soothing guitar plucks lulled the crowd into a moment of bliss.

Once everyone was mellowed out, Sinclair temporarily said goodbye to the crowd for a somewhat unexpected intermission.

The venue was packed with a senior-citizen audience, but the break was much appreciated by nearly all of the concert go-ers since it was a chance to stretch out, before rocking the rest of the night away.

The second half of the show struggled a bit to keep the energy up. It started to drag slightly since the songs, “Black Dog” and “Kashmir” were saved for the end.

It is understandable, however, that the band would want to tack the popular songs onto the end of the concert to keep the crowd intrigued. It was not necessary, though, because this audience was dedicated and passionate about each song's performance.

The night was full of rockin’ and rollin’. Some fantastic covers included “Kashmir,” “Black Dog” and “Good Times Bad Times.” The band said it's goodbye, but the curtain never closed. A few minutes later, Sinclair and the guys came back to entertain.

The encore started with a perfect rendition of “Over the Hills and Far Away,” and was capped off with “Whole Lotta Love,” bringing the crowd to its feet. The show ended with Sinclair giving a whole lot of love to State College,

“We come here and you know it, we know it: State College rocks!”

McKenna Wall is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email mew6140@psu.edu.