Quad City Bank & Trust Presents the Riverfront Pops' “The Music of Led Zeppelin" at LeClaire Park -- August 17.
Saturday, August 17, 7:30 p.m.
LeClaire Park Bandshell, 400 West Beiderbecke Drive, Davenport IA
For this year's annual Riverfront Pops concert event in Davenport's LeClaire Park, the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and Quad City Bank & Trust invite audiences to rock out with the talents of Jeans 'n' Classics and conductor Hisham Bravo Groover during the August 17 extravaganza The Music of Led Zeppelin, a celebration of the iconic artists and their legendary repertoire that includes “All of My Love,” “Good Times Bad Times,” “D’yer Mak’er,” and “Stairway to Heaven.”
Having formed in London in 1968, Led Zeppelin itself originally comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they're cited as one of the progenitors of hard rock and heavy metal, although their style drew from a variety of influences, including blues and folk music. Led Zeppelin have been credited as significantly impacting the nature of the music industry, particularly in the development of album-oriented rock (AOR) and stadium rock.
Originally named the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that gave them considerable artistic freedom, and although initially unpopular with critics, they achieved significant commercial success with eight studio albums over 10 years. Their self-titled 1969 debut was a top-10 smash in several countries and featured such tracks as "Good Times Bad Times," "Dazed and Confused," and "Communication Breakdown." Later that year, Led Zeppelin II was their first number-one album, and yielded "Ramble On" and "Whole Lotta Love." In 1970, they released Led Zeppelin III, which featured "Immigrant Song," while their untitled fourth album from 1971, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV, is one of the best-selling recordings in history with 37 million copies sold. That work included "Black Dog," "Rock and Roll," and "Stairway to Heaven", with the latter being among the most popular and influential works in rock history.
Led Zeppelin stand as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with their total record sales estimated to be between 200 to 300 million units worldwide. They achieved eight consecutive number-one albums in the United Kingdom and six number-one albums on the U.S. Billboard 200, with five of their albums diamond-certified. Rolling Stone described them as "the heaviest band of all time," "the biggest band of the Seventies," and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history," and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, with the museum's biography of the outfit stating that they were as influential during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.
As conducted by Hisham Bravo Groover, Jeans ‘n Classics has been bringing their impressive symphonic rock catalogue to symphony audiences across North America for the past three decades, with a long list of crowd pleasing shows. This tight-knit collection of top players and vocalists has become a star performer in the arts and entertainment scene. Most definitely not a tribute act, Jeans ‘n Classics faithfully interprets the music of legendary rock and pop albums and artists, with their own special and signature flair.
With the LeClaire Park gates opening at 4 p.m., the August 17 Riverfront Pops event will begin with a 6:30 p.m. pre-show featuring the QCSO Youth Symphony Orchestra. The 7:30 p.m. concert itself will conclude, as always, with rousing renditions of Tchaikovsky's “1812 Overture” and Sousa's “Stars & Stripes Forever” set to a brilliant fireworks display over the Mississippi River. Advance tickets are $5-22, bandshell seating is is $27-42, and more information on the Quad City Bank & Trust's The Music of Led Zeppelin is available by calling (563)322-0931 and visiting QCSO.org.
