BRATTLEBORO-The music of two foundational musical groups to come out of the 1960s and ’70s, Led Zeppelin and The Grateful Dead, will play at the historic Latchis Theatre in downtown Brattleboro Saturday, April 11, in a show called “Led & Dead,” performed by two local groups.
Black Rover, a Brattleboro-based group, will present an eclectic set of Led Zeppelin songs, with some of their biggest hits as well as a couple of deep cuts. Then, the band Wolfman Jack will perform their two-set “Primal Dead” show, a tribute to the Grateful Dead era between 1965–1972, when the Dead were exploring the psychedelic depths of their music.
This will mark the third appearance by Black Rover at the Latchis. They opened for the film “Becoming Led Zeppelin,” in 2025, performing a selection of acoustic songs and leading a discussion with the audience about the band and their music. Later in the year, they presented a full evening of Zeppelin’s music. Playing together only less than two years, they have also performed at the Union Hall in Newfane and Marigold in Brattleboro.
Wolfman Jack is known to Brattleboro audiences from their recent run at the Stone Church and other local venues, and they say they “look forward to greeting their legion of fans” at the Latchis. The band recreates the shows of the Grateful Dead as a “True Dance” band. The band performs frequently throughout New England and the northeast.
There have been other shows that feature both Led Zeppelin and Grateful Dead tribute bands. In 2024, Columbus Commons in Ohio hosted A Song Remains (a Led Zeppelin tribute) and The Dead Revival (a Grateful Dead tribute) performing together, but it doesn’t happen often.
There are bands who combine the two, like Dead Zeppelin, and one unusual group called “Dread Zeppelin,” which approaches the music from a Bob Marley viewpoint (with a lead singer who impersonates Elvis Presley.) It is rare that two separate bands pay tribute to these iconic groups in the same show.
Tickets are on sale at latchis.com for $20. The doors will open at 7 p.m., and tickets are $25 at the door. Black Rover takes the stage at 7:30 pm, with Wolfman Jack following for two sets of Primal Dead.
For more information on the show, visit latchis.com or call 802-254-1109.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.