For Get the Led Out, the song remains the same and fans love it

It was 1998 and Led Zeppelin icons Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were asked to get to the heart of performing live.

“I like to stretch it, take the songs and stretch it and play with it. It's now within our grasp every night,” Plant told the Tribune-Review.

“You can feel an atmosphere, which is literally electric and can communicate with everybody there, and they can feel the music,” added Page. ”I'm really passionate about music, and what it is to be able to communicate that passion on stage or by record.”

It's probably easier in a live situation, he said. “Maybe they can see where you're going. It's like I am improvising every night, trying to find new ways to express myself.”

Get The Led Out (GTLO) lead singer Paul Sinclair and his bandmates are honored to be able to help keep that expression alive in re-creating, live on stage, the multi-layered recordings of Led Zeppelin.

The nationally touring group, annually one of the most popular playing the Palace Theatre, returns for another two-night stand, Jan. 19-20, with fresh sets of music each show.

Led Zeppelin's body of work is so extensive, says the Philadelphia musician and recording studio owner, that changing the sets by 10 or more numbers each night seemed to be an obvious decision.

“Get The Led Out is, by far, the exception for us and has done better than any other show of its kind,” says Teresa Baughman, director of operations and programming for the Westmoreland Cultural Trust's Palace Theatre.

“However, they do not consider themselves to be a ‘tribute band,' per se, as they do not dress in costumes or impersonate the original Led Zeppelin members. It's all about recreating the sound for them. Fans tell us that, if you were to close your eyes, you'd swear you were listening to the real thing, as the music is a replica of the albums.”

The Trust has historically kept GTLO ticket prices reasonable since first presenting the band in 2010, she adds.

“Now that we're presenting the band on two consecutive nights, folks can afford to come to each show, which features a different set list except for a couple key numbers. And we're selling out two nights, so the formula is working,” Baughman says.

There seems to be a decided bridging of the “generation gap” when it comes to Led Zeppelin.

“Fans like to bring their teenagers and even younger children to the shows to introduce them to the music they loved,” Baughman says.

Sinclair assures he does not take that fan loyalty and passion lightly.

Baughman says the band is great to work with. “They come to the lobby after each show to meet folks,” she says, “and bask in everyone's passion for the music.”

Sinclair usually develops the sets a week in advance. A lot goes into the process, he says.

“I have every set list we've ever performed. I refer to the previous shows when returning to a venue to always give the fans a different experience. I try to honor requests that people post on social media. I also have to think about my voice and what order makes sense for that, as well as the overall pacing of the show,” he explains.

He views Led Zeppelin as “the classical composers of the rock era.”

That's one of the many reasons, he implies, why it is important to keep this music vibrantly alive for generations to come.

Rex Rutkoski is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.