Thirty-one years is a long time to chase a ghost. ZOSO — the Led Zeppelin tribute project founded by vocalist Matt Jernigan in 1995 — has now logged over 4,900 shows globally, assembled a lineup with genuine touring credentials, and earned press notices that most tribute acts can’t approach. The LA Times called them “head and shoulders above all other Led Zeppelin tributes.” The fact that the band marks 31 years of operation in 2026 without any particular sign of winding down is, in its own way, as remarkable as the number itself. They bring that show to Electric City in Buffalo on Friday, December 18.
About the Show
The current lineup divides the Zeppelin roles with deliberate precision. Jernigan anchors the Robert Plant vocal role as the project’s founder; co-founder Adam Sandling handles bass, keyboards, and mandolin in the John Paul Jones tradition; Bevan Davies, who joined in 2015 after touring work with Danzig, Jerry Cantrell, and Static X, takes on the John Bonham framework; and guitarist Holston Rainero, who came aboard in 2025 at age 24 following an audition conducted through self-recorded social media footage, handles the Jimmy Page material. The Rainero detail carries its own context: a guitarist born years after Led Zeppelin’s last performance is now the band’s lead interpreter of Jimmy Page’s catalog, apparently convincingly enough to land the job through social media clips alone. The band commits to both the well-known tracks and deeper album cuts, with an emphasis on capturing the live energy of Zeppelin’s original performances rather than note-correct reproduction.
The band’s recent trajectory supports that standing. A sold-out 2023 performance at the Capitol Theatre and opening duties on the 2025 Zakk Sabbath tour alongside Zakk Wylde placed ZOSO in front of audiences well outside the usual tribute-act circuit. The St. Petersburg Times called them “the most exacting of all the Led Zeppelin tributes” — a distinction that holds real weight in a field where the competition is considerable and the source material is unforgettable.
Venue & Logistics
Electric City, at 433 Pearl St in Buffalo, has become a consistent stop for national touring acts passing through western New York. Doors are at 7 p.m. for the 8 p.m. show. The December 18 date is all ages.
Tickets
No official ticket price was available from sources at the time of publication. Buy tickets