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Back to 1969: Autumn Martini and Led Zep Live Bring Classic Live Zeppelin to Florida Stages

By The Led Zeppelin Bus · · 13 min read · 2,786 words

A public, expanded version of a newsletter article.

Florida has no shortage of nights where a band plays "Whole Lotta Love" and the room sings the riff back. What is less common is a show that tries to sound like a particular year. Led Zep Live, a Led Zeppelin tribute act featuring bassist Autumn Martini, describes its sound with a date in the sentence: "It's live! It's electric blues. It's back to 1969." That line comes from the band's own site, ledzeplive.com, and it is a good place to start, because it tells you what kind of night this is.

This is a longer, public version of the cover story from the first issue of The Led Zeppelin Bus Newsletter. It covers who Autumn Martini is, how Led Zep Live relates to a larger tribute ensemble called In The Light of Led Zeppelin, what the band says about its music, what the "1969" in the tagline means for a Zeppelin fan, how tribute acts work in general, and where the next two Florida dates are listed. Every factual claim is tied to a source in the list at the bottom. Where the sources disagree or are out of date, the article says so instead of guessing.

Pencil illustration of a vintage tour bus interior with a record turntable on a wooden cabinet, a brown bench seat and curtained windows looking out at hills.
Placeholder artwork: a pencil illustration from the Led Zeppelin Bus archive. A photographic image is planned for this slot.

The short version

  • Led Zep Live is a tribute act that plays classic-era Led Zeppelin material. Its website says it is "Classic Live Zeppelin performed by 4 members of In the Light of Led Zeppelin."
  • Autumn Martini plays bass (and acoustic guitar in the larger ensemble). Her MESA/Boogie artist page names Spector Bass as her main instrument.
  • In The Light of Led Zeppelin (ITL) is a symphonic tribute ensemble. Its website says Led Zep Live is performing while ITL is on break.
  • Next listed dates: Saturday, October 24, 2026 at Wild Rover Brewing Company in Tampa, and Saturday, November 28, 2026 at Crazy Uncle Mike's in Boca Raton. Check the band's Shows page before you go.

Who is Autumn Martini?

Autumn Martini is a bassist. Her artist page at MESA/Boogie lists Spector Bass as her main instrument and says she also plays upright bass, 8-string bass, acoustic guitar and mandolin. That list matters for a Zeppelin tribute, because the band's catalog asks a lot of a bass player. John Paul Jones, the original band's bassist and multi-instrumentalist, was also known for keyboards, mandolin and other instruments, so a tribute bassist who is comfortable on acoustic instruments is working with the right toolkit.

She is best known as the bass and acoustic guitar player in In The Light of Led Zeppelin, the symphonic tribute ensemble led by musical director and lead guitarist Antonio Bolet. According to her bio on the ITL website, her history goes back well before the tribute world: time on the New York City, New Jersey and Long Island circuit with a band called Paradise Alley in the early 1990s, a stint as the first bass player for Antigone Rising, and several original and solo recordings. The same sources say she is endorsed by Spector Basses and Mesa Boogie.

"Can you play?"

Her bio also tells the story of how she got the job. When she was called to audition for a Led Zeppelin tribute, she asked why they would want a woman. The answer, she says, was "Can you play?" She could, and she won the audition. In her words from that bio: "To us, music has no gender."

Those are published lines from her biography on In The Light of Led Zeppelin's website, and they are quoted here only as published. This article has no new interview with her. If the band wants to add a fresh quote about Led Zep Live, the story can be updated with one and the update date will change.

Placeholder pencil illustration for the Autumn Martini section of the article.
Placeholder artwork. A photographic-style illustration of a bassist at a club stage is planned; it will be labeled as AI-generated, and it will not depict any real person.

What is a tribute act, and what makes this one different?

A tribute act performs the songs of a specific artist, usually as faithfully as the players can manage. Some tribute bands go for the whole picture: costumes, instruments, stage moves. Others focus on the music and the feel of a particular period. Both kinds are common in the live circuit, and for fans they serve a simple purpose. The original band cannot be everywhere, and the songs are made to be played live.

Led Zeppelin is a famous band for this, and one reason is the way the band's music works on stage. The studio albums are carefully built, but the band was known for stretching songs in concert. A tribute audience tends to want the studio version they know and, just as much, the extended live version they heard on a bootleg or a live album. A cover band that only plays the radio edit misses half of what people came for.

Independent of the band. Led Zep Live and In The Light of Led Zeppelin are tribute acts. They are not Led Zeppelin, and nothing in this article suggests that Led Zeppelin or its members endorse, sponsor or are affiliated with them, or with this website.

What changed: Led Zep Live steps forward

In The Light of Led Zeppelin is known for a large lineup that pairs Zeppelin classics with Page & Plant-style orchestral arrangements. If you have seen the Page and Plant "No Quarter" era of the 1990s, which paired the songs with strings and a wider palette of instruments, you have a rough picture of what an ensemble like this sets out to do: take the songs somewhere bigger than a four-piece rock band.

Now the group's website says something different is happening. It states, in so many words, that "Led Zep Live is performing while ITL is on break," and it describes Led Zep Live as "Classic Live Zeppelin performed by 4 members of In the Light of Led Zeppelin."

The result, on the band's own telling, is a leaner and harder-hitting show. Where the symphonic ensemble has room for orchestral color, a four-piece has to make the whole sound out of guitar, bass, drums and voice, the same basic lineup Led Zeppelin used on stage. That is a different challenge. It is also a lot closer to the club shows many fans never got to see from the original band.

On the lineup: ITL's site describes Led Zep Live as four members of the ensemble. Guitarist and musical director Antonio Bolet and bassist Autumn Martini are identified in the band's materials. The band's Facebook page describes the act as "a powerhouse three piece," and an older Facebook post lists a five-person lineup from 2022. Those descriptions don't match each other, which is not unusual for a working band whose lineup flexes from show to show. If you are booking the band, ask them directly who is playing your date.

What does "back to 1969" actually mean?

The tagline is a nod to a specific moment. Led Zeppelin's first album came out in early 1969, and the band spent much of that year touring hard. The sound of that era is blues-rooted and loud, with long improvised sections, a lot of room for the guitar, and a rhythm section that pushes and pulls instead of sitting politely on the beat. That is the sound fans mean when they say "early Zeppelin."

The band's own description of its set fits that picture. Led Zep Live says the set moves between deep blues, rock, Indian, reggae and funk influences, mixing the album cuts fans know with the live versions they may have missed. The mix is worth a note. Zeppelin's catalog is more varied than the radio hits suggest: acoustic folk, blues covers reworked into something new, and rhythmic experiments that borrow from several traditions. A set that draws on all of that is closer to what the original band's own live shows tried to do than a list of the ten most-played songs.

Placeholder pencil illustration for the section about the early Led Zeppelin sound.
Placeholder artwork. A photographic-style generic 1960s-era stage scene is planned for this slot, labeled as AI-generated, with no real band members, logos or likenesses.

How to find the band online

The band's site, ledzeplive.com, is built for two kinds of visitor: fans looking for a date, and talent buyers looking for a band. According to the site's own navigation, it has these sections:

  • About: the story and sound of the show.
  • Gallery: performance photos, including shots of Autumn Martini and Antonio Bolet.
  • Demo: live videos, including a Tampa live demo.
  • Shows: upcoming dates with ticket links.
  • Contact: a booking form and an email address.

Two practical notes. First, the Contact page shows a booking email that appears to contain a typo in the domain name, so if a message to it bounces, use the booking form on the page instead. Second, the band is also on Facebook at facebook.com/LedZepLive.

A disclosure about who built what. ASA Digital Art, the business behind ledzeppelinbus.com and the second owner of the Led Zeppelin Bus, built this website. Led Zep Live's website, ledzeplive.com, is run separately by the band and was not built by ASA Digital Art. We are not paid by the band for this article and the band did not review it.

Upcoming shows

As of October 18, 2026, these two dates were listed by the band and the venues:

  • Saturday, October 24, 2026, Wild Rover Brewing Company, Tampa, FL (13921 Lynmar Blvd). Show 8 to 10 PM, doors at 7 PM, ages 21 and up. Tickets are sold through Wild Rover's Eventbrite listing.
  • Saturday, November 28, 2026, Crazy Uncle Mike's, Boca Raton, FL (6450 N Federal Hwy). The venue lists a start time of 8:30 PM.

Schedules change. Before you go, check the band's Shows page at ledzeplive.com/shows and the venue's listing for the latest times and ticket links. A past September 12, 2026 date at the Funky Biscuit may still appear on some listing sites; it has already happened.

Placeholder image of the Led Zeppelin Bus tour bus at sunset.
Placeholder artwork from the Led Zeppelin Bus archive. A photographic-style generic craft-brewery-patio concert scene is planned for this slot, labeled as AI-generated.

Tips for your first tribute show

If you have never been to a tribute concert, a few habits make the night better.

  1. Check the age rule. The Tampa show is listed as ages 21 and up, which is common at breweries and bars that serve alcohol.
  2. Arrive near doors. For a general-admission room, the people who arrive early get the choice of spots. Doors for the Tampa show are listed at 7 PM, an hour before the music starts.
  3. Bring earplugs. A guitar-and-drums band in a small room is loud. Simple foam or musician's earplugs protect your hearing without ruining the music.
  4. Listen for the long versions. If you know the studio songs, notice where the band stretches them. That is where a live Zeppelin set differs from a playlist.
  5. Say hello. Tribute bands live on word of mouth. A kind note on their page helps more than you might think.

Why a Florida bus-and-music site is writing about this

The Led Zeppelin Bus is an independent fan project about a Winnebago tour bus that carried a seven-person Led Zeppelin tribute band across a lot of road, told in a book by ASA Digital Art The site also lists live music near you by ZIP code. A feature on a Florida tribute act fits, and the bus is a reminder that this kind of music runs on small crews, long drives and rooms of fans who know every word.

None of this article is paid placement. If that ever changes for a post on this blog, it will be labeled at the top.

Catch the show and stay on the bus

If you love the raw energy of 1970s Zeppelin concerts, put a Led Zep Live night on your calendar. See the band's upcoming shows at ledzeplive.com/shows for dates and tickets, watch live videos at ledzeplive.com, and follow the band on Facebook at facebook.com/LedZepLive.

Want more stories like this one? The newsletter publishes regular issues, and the blog will carry public, expanded versions of its articles. You can sign up below.

How tribute shows work behind the scenes

Fans often ask how a tribute act can legally play another band's songs. In the United States, the songs themselves are protected by copyright, and venues that host live music generally pay for blanket licenses from performing rights organizations such as ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, which collect fees and pass royalties to songwriters and publishers. A tribute band that plays a licensed venue is covered the same way any cover band is. What a tribute act cannot do is claim to be the original band or use that band's trademarks as if it were official. That is why you will see wording like "tribute" and "not affiliated" on listings, and why this article repeats it. If you run a venue and are unsure, your licensing paperwork or a music licensing attorney is the right place to ask; this article is general information, not legal advice.

For the musicians, a tribute set is a real piece of work. Someone has to choose which versions of each song to play, since the band's live arrangements changed from year to year. Someone has to decide how closely to follow the original tones and how much room to leave for improvisation. And a four-piece has to cover parts that were layered in the studio, which usually means the bass, guitar and vocals each carry more of the song than a listener might expect.

A short glossary for newcomers

  • Tribute act: a band that performs the music of one artist and says so openly.
  • Cover band: a band that plays songs by many artists. A tribute act focuses on one.
  • Symphonic tribute: a tribute that adds orchestral or ensemble arrangements to rock songs, like the large In The Light of Led Zeppelin lineup described on its website.
  • Doors: the time a venue opens to the public. The show starts later; for the Tampa date the listing shows doors at 7 PM and the show at 8 PM.
  • General admission: no assigned seats; first come, first served.
  • 21+: only people 21 and older may enter, common when a room's main business is serving alcohol.

Frequently asked questions

Is Led Zep Live the same band as In The Light of Led Zeppelin? Not exactly. According to ITL's website, Led Zep Live is made up of four members of In The Light of Led Zeppelin and is performing while ITL is on break. They are related acts with overlapping players.

Is this band affiliated with Led Zeppelin? No. They are a tribute act, and nothing here suggests that Led Zeppelin or its members have any connection to them or to this site.

Where do I buy tickets? Start from the band's Shows page at ledzeplive.com/shows. For the Tampa date the listing points to Wild Rover's Eventbrite page. For Boca Raton, the venue's own event page lists the details.

Will the setlist match the studio albums? The band says its set mixes the album cuts fans know with live versions. We have not seen a setlist for either upcoming date, so we can't tell you which songs will be played.

Who is in the band on a given night? Published descriptions vary: the website says four members, and the Facebook page says "a powerhouse three piece." Ask the band if it matters for your booking.

Does ASA Digital Art get paid for this article? No. We have no payment arrangement with the band. ASA Digital Art built ledzeppelinbus.com, not ledzeplive.com.

I think something here is wrong. What should I do? Email asadigitalart000@gmail.com with the correction and a source, and we will update the article and its "updated" date.

Sources

Every fact in this article comes from one of the sources below, read in October 2026. Show dates and times may have changed since.

Updated October 18, 2026. Spotted an error? Email asadigitalart000@gmail.com and we will fix it.

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