It was a sellout, and when the three members of All the Saints ambled onstage around 8 o'clock the floor of the Tabernacle was already full nearly to the back. I positioned myself to the left of the soundboard as the Atlanta band kicked into their opening set. As far as I could tell, nobody in my immediate vicinity had any idea who they were. It didn't appear to be the kind of crowd that typically goes to see local bands, aside from maybe cover bands at the Wooden Nickel, so there was a lot of "Who are these guys?" going on around me. Still, ATS received a generally enthusiastic reception, especially whenever drummer Jim Crook bounded from the stool behind his kit to rouse the crowd at the front of the stage, which was pretty much after every song. He's the most animated, entertaining and intense component of this band by a long shot, pummeling his drums with such concentrated ferocity that he has to bounce up and pace several steps each time a song ends, like he needs to come down a bit, regain his vision and remember where he is. At one point near the end of their set Crook approached the microphone to testify how excited and honored they were to be opening for Them Crooked Vultures – the music their members and their various bands have made, he said, deeply inspired All the Saints. That got their biggest cheer of the evening, but he wasn't exaggerating.

Lack of the latter was not an issue for Them Crooked Vultures. With Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones in the lineup, and confirmed Zep fanatics Dave Grohl and Josh Homme adding their particular muscle, they seem determined to hammer every chunky Page/Bonham replication they can pump out into a monument of their devotion. Yeah, a lot of their songs sound like outtakes from Presence and Physical Graffiti, and generally the more they blatantly steal from Zeppelin, the better their music is. I'm not saying it's right, but that's just the truth. So it wasn't a surprise that "Scumbag Blues" and "Reptiles" got the biggest fist-pumping, woo-hooing approval from the packed throng. And I have to admit, it's a rush to hear and witness Jones lending his distinctive input to such taut, assertive rides, tailor made in his honor it would seem. Thrilling, too, was watching Grohl behind the drumkit again, hair and arms flailing, on fire and in the pocket, his enthusiasm readily apparent by the frequent ear-to-ear smiles on his face. Why they don't just reform Zeppelin for a world tour with Grohl on drums is a mystery, aside from Robert Plant's reluctance. Dude even sorta looks like a young John Bonham anyway, certainly more so than Jason Bonham, and he plays more like it too. If anything good comes from the cross-generational union of Them Crooked Vultures, perhaps it's that the prospects for such an event may now be greater.

As for Homme and whoever the bald guy was, well they can certainly play well. All four of the Vultures are tremendously skilled musicians. But they don't really add much excitement. Part of that could be attributed to the Tabernacle's sound system, which too often muddies vocals, in particular. But certainly part of it is that, beyond the heavy riffing and jarring rhythm section, Them Crooked Vultures are ultimately uninspiring in and of themselves. They're worthy of attention because of their sound and who's in the band, but their songs on their sole album are one-dimensional. There's no subtlety or vulnerability to them. They sound like they were written for a template, with little regard given to lyrics or emotional impact. Which is fine if you just wanna get fists pumping – mine was right up there a time or two – but it doesn't bode well for any sort of lasting impact. Pretty much par for the course with all-star lineups like this, anyhow. So if you were feeling exhausted but a bit empty the day after this show, just console yourself by remembering this: You just saw John Paul Jones playing a freakin' keytar!