Led Zeppelin in Chennai?

After reading about it on another Chennai blogger's blog, the news is officially out on the Saarang web page. Led Zepplica the Led Zepplin tribute band from Los Angeles will be playing at Saarang this year at I.I.T, Madras. Touted as the next closest thing to the original band I just cannot wait for the band to play "Stairway to Heaven", "Immigrant Song", "Kashmir" and tons of other hits from my No.1 rock band of all time.

At this juncture I cannot help mentioning a great band of yesteryears from Chennai who played a number of Led Zeppelin songs at rock competitions here in the city in the mid to late 80's. Being a student of the Madras Christian College rock shows and competitions weren't new to us but we never (in those days) had a band to rival Loyola College's Down Sterling. DS were simply unbeatable. I watched them twice. The first was in 1985 at the Utsav festival at Thomas Hall where they gave a concert with another band. Toto's "Rosanna" was a staple in those days and it was played to perfection. It was the first time I heard them play Led Zepp's "Stairway to Heaven". It became the crowd favourite. But that performance could hardly come close to their show at Octavia, the rock competition at Heber Hall in 1988. Even Led Zeppelin would have been moved with the way DS played their all time classic. The band with Srikanth on vocals imitating Plant and that groovy guitarist (don't know his name) playing Page's awesome guitar solo blew us all away. I am eager to watch how Led Zepplica is going to handle this number. One thing's sure. I.I.T Madras will definitely have something to talk about for sometime. Watch out for my review of the concert.

What a time to also write about the once-in-a-lifetime rock event that took place in the past at I.I.T Madras, probably the biggest ever inside a uni/college campus in India. Coming soon on my music blog.

Shaji, my ex-MCC'ian(for one year)/Madras IIT'ian friend just called from Houston, Texas yesterday morning telling me about the laser show at the Pink Floyd's concert he'd been to with his three year old son. However telling him about Led Zepplica at I.I.T, Madras for Saarang this year was the most exciting part. Was he missing something?