TORONTO - There was a whole lot of love shown for Jason Bonham and Led Zeppelin on Friday night in Toronto, but the connection the son of the late drummer John Bonham felt to his father was quite evident.

Traveling with an assortment of musicians on a tour called Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, the 44-year-old drummer said how excited he was to be playing the Sony Centre For The Performing Arts before lying down on the stage. On November 2, 1969, his father played the same stage at the then known O'Keefe Centre alongside Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones.

But for the most part, the nearly three-hour show - with a 20-minute intermission - was a seasoned exercise in celebrating Led Zeppelin's catalogue. Whether it was the rather rehashed warhorse like Stairway To Heaven that was doled out near the homestretch or the show opener Rock And Roll, Bonham and his four fellow musicians definitely one-upped all the Zeppelin tribute acts around.

Adding to that personal touch were a series of home videos of a youthful Jason with his father, dancing in some and playing drums alongside him in others, something he never got the chance to do professionally following his father's death in 1980.

What the younger Bonham managed to accomplish were a string of impressive drum fills and solos highlighted by the ridiculously intricate Moby Dick, a staple of Zeppelin's live shows. With video of Jason performing live with synchronized footage of his father playing the same song, the skill and talent was clearly passed on. A loud standing ovation marked the first of a handful of highlights.

Although a five-piece, Bonham's group was capable of performing the songs, particularly the slower, blues-based material such as Since I've Been Loving You, the fine How Many More Times and Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. Here singer James Dylan belted out the lines with a Plant-like flair despite being the polar opposite when it comes to possessing Plant's mane of hair. Other material was strong but not memorable, particularly the heady Dazed And Confused with guitarist Tony Catania using a bow on his guitar for good measure.

The fact that they were watching only one-quarter of the line-up for Zeppelin's 2007 one-off gig at London's O2 Arena didn't bother fans, most of whom lapped up the sweet Over The Hills And Far Away and especially the groove-soaked rock of When The Levee Breaks, the latter having everyone up on their feet.

Rather chatty at times and quite pleased to be playing the material, Bonham was the star of the evening, especially on Black Dog and Sick Again from 1975's Physical Graffiti which seemed to be a last-minute audible to the band. "He does that to us all the time" Dylan quipped of the change of plans.

With the end in sight - despite no In My Time Of Dying or Trampled Under Foot - Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience wrapped up its main set with the slow and steady Kashmir before Whole Lotta Love finished the night. It's a night fans and father would have been proud of.