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Lez Zeppelin takes on rock icon Friday

While there will never be another band quite like Led Zeppelin, the all-female powerhouse quartet Lez Zeppelin has flawlessly captured the group’s essence, power, and seductiveness.

Excited to perform at the Struthers Library Theatre for their first time, Lez Zeppelin will rock the stage on Friday from 8 to 9:45 p.m. All seats are $35 and doors open at 7 p.m.

Since forming in 2004, the band has grown into a global phenomenon, delivering explosive live shows and studio recordings that feel more like a spiritual channeling than a standard tribute. Rather than focusing on simple impersonation, Lez Zeppelin sets its sights on the art of collective musical communion. Their extraordinary talent even caught the attention of Jimmy Page himself, who attended their London show in June 2013 and praised the group for playing with “an extraordinary sensuality and an energy and passion that highlighted their superb musicianship.” Now, in 2026 -- marking the 50th anniversary of the legendary rock film "The Song Remains the Same" -- Lez Zeppelin is bringing that iconic 1973 Madison Square Garden soundtrack to life for the Warren audience.

Audience members attending Friday's performance are in for a mind-bending musical experience as Lez Zeppelin brings rock's most innovative sounds to the stage. In a recent interview, band founder and lead guitarist Steph Paynes confirmed that she will be implementing the Theremin -- the pioneering, hands-free electronic musical instrument which Jimmy Page famously used to create psychedelic sounds. Page originally paired it with his Gibson Les Paul guitar creating shrieks with deep heavy tones, giving the hallucinogenic sounds heard in "Whole Lotta Love" and "The Song Remains the Same." Paynes will be using the Theremin twice in Friday's show. Audience members will also experience hits like "Stairway to Heaven," "Dazed & Confused," and many more.

Paynes shared they like to explore what Led Zeppelin did as a band. "We are always playing various concert set lists, special shows, entire albums, conceptual shows, acoustic shows."

When she came up with the idea for the band over two decades ago, Paynes said it was her fantasy to play the music of Led Zeppelin. "To find anybody, male or female that can play this music the way it should be played is near impossible."

Getting members together in 2003 and playing gigs in early 2004, by mid year an agent was attracted and it took off immediately. Money had nothing to do with what Paynes wanted to do.

Not knowing what a tribute band was, Paynes admitted that she had no interest in being one.

She just thought it was the best music to which she wanted to play for fun and stated, "I wanted to be in Led Zeppelin."

Refusing the opportunity to perform as a tribute band at first, she turned away agents and gigs. Eventually, the group earned such immense credibility that when the right moment came to fully launch, their career skyrocketed almost overnight.

Over the years, there have been five major lineups in the band. While Paynes plays guitar, mandolin and Theremin; Dana Athens is on vocals, Joan Chew on bass, keys and mandolin; and Hillary Blaze on drums/percussion. They have an ability and passion to meticulously recreate the energy and setlists of Led Zeppelin.

Thrilled to be on the tour and to bring it to Warren, Paynes said, "The band has done so many amazing things that were way beyond my imaginations when I first started it. I just started it on a whim just to play the music for fun."

Having traveled all over the U.S., Europe and Japan, Paynes said, "When you have travels and adventures like that, it's amazing what you get to see and the places you go that you would never go." Meeting people from all walks of life, Paynes hopes that the band will have the same experience during their time in Warren.

"The band affects people. When I first started the band, the name of the band was unforgettable and attracted many to find out what we were about. Coming to shows thinking it was a joke and burlesque but, what they got stunned them. They did not expect the sound to be reproduced by women."

Led Zeppelin famously brought an element of androgyny to rock music, but the all-female powerhouse Lez Zeppelin modifies that legacy from the opposite direction. Matching the original band's raw, jaw-dropping sonic aggression, their emergence capitalized on a powerful cultural shift, successfully transforming traditionally male-centric stadium rock into a raw, female-driven phenomenon.

When asked what the outstanding differences the ladies present compared to Led Zeppelin, Paynes said, "The thing about Led Zeppelin is that it was four musicians coming together and combusting. It's very rare for musicians to come together and have the magic in the communication and communion. It's the fifth element that exists. The alchemy of the band will never be copied by anybody else.They were who they were. There is absolutely no way to be like them exactly. "

Embracing the differences that come from each personality of any band, Paynes said, "We understand what it was that was so special about Led Zeppelin. Trying to aim and focus on that in our band is what makes us sound like Led Zeppelin."

A new book by Paynes titled "Lez Zeppelin: Taking on the World's Most Powerful Band," offers a retrospective deep-dive into the all-female quartet’s history. Described by the author as a project born of pure intensity and love, copies of the new release will be sold at the merchandise table during the band’s upcoming gig at the Struthers Library Theatre

More than two decades after founder Paynes first launched the band, Lez Zeppelin remains dedicated to channeling the magical, highly communicative synergy that defined the original group. Constantly pushing musical boundaries to thrill their fans, the band will finish their current "The Song Remains the Same" run before going into an ambitious upcoming tour next year with Led Zeppelin’s historic 1977 North American tour.

With 1.5 million followers on Facebook, Lez Zeppelin is putting audiences in awe of not only the right notes, but the energy and power of Led Zeppelin's music and mystical appeal.