The Music of Led Zeppelin to come alive at The Pavilion on May 29

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – Bridging the gulf between rock ‘n’ roll and classical music, conductor and arranger Brent Havens takes the podium to present The Music of Led Zeppelin with the Houston Symphony May 29. Tickets are $20 for orchestra seating. Mezzanine and lawn seating are free courtesy of Huntsman and Kiewit. Tickets are not required for free seating. Gates open at 7 p.m.


Performed with the Houston Symphony and amplified with a full band and vocals, Havens and his ensemble capture Led Zeppelin’s “sheer blast and power,” riff for riff while churning out new musical colors.


“My concept for The Music of Led Zeppelin was to take the music as close to the originals as we could and then add some colors to enhance what Zep had done,” says Havens. “The wonderful thing with an orchestra is that you have an entire palette to call upon. The band is reproducing what Led Zeppelin did on the albums, verbatim, and then having an orchestra behind the band gives the music a richness, a whole different feel, a whole different sense of power.”


Havens felt Led Zeppelin’s intricate rhythm patterns and unusual progressions contained within straight-forward rock n’ roll makes them an ideal choice for scoring. The performance features 18 Zeppelin tunes, including “Stairway to Heaven,” “Heartbreaker,” “Black Dog” and “Immigrant Song.”


Delivering a note-for-note interpretation, vocalist Randy Jackson (lead singer of the rock band Zebra), shrieks brilliantly, acting as a window between the audience and the reworked material. “The music itself is one thing, but Jackson more than captures the spirit of legendary Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant,” says Havens.


Pre-performance activities begin at 7 p.m. in the North Plaza. Children and parents can visit The Pavilion Partners Arts & Crafts Booth and Instrument Petting Zoo as well as activities by Woodforest National Bank, Renewal by Andersen, Century 21 Realty Partners and Audi of America, official automobile of The Pavilion. Guests also can register-to-win Tommy Bahama’s “Best Seats in the House” and participate in Fidelity’s Seat Exchange. Don’t miss a performance by students from School of Rock – The Woodlands on the side stage from 7-7:30 p.m.

At the symphony, guests are welcome to have a picnic in their seat or on the hill. Keep in mind that beverages cannot be brought into The Pavilion. Sitting on the hill? Lawn chairs also are provided free for this event!


Preferred parking is available in the on-site Town Center Garage, located along Six Pines Drive. Parking is $10 per vehicle for this and most performing arts events. Tickets for on-site parking can be purchased in advance at all Ticketmaster locations and The Pavilion Box Office. Guests also may park in any of the five free parking lots on the southwest side of The Pavilion. The free, color-coded lots are connected to The Pavilion by corresponding pathways with signs leading across The Waterway.