As he embarks on the final tour of his Led Zeppelin Evening, Jason Bonham is “a little sad” – but not angry – about losing his spot in Sammy Hagar’s band.

Bonham answered a fan’s question on social media a few days ago, revealing that his ten-year tenure with the Circle and last year’s Best of All Worlds touring band had come to an end. “Sammy has decided to move on with Kenny,” Bonham wrote, referring to Kenny Aronoff, who filled in during the four Best of All Worlds shows in August when Bonham rushed to England to help care for his mother, who has a had had a stroke. .

The move reunited the last Chickenfoot touring lineup of Hagar, Aronoff, guitarist Joe Satriani and bassist Michael Anthony (along with keyboardist-guitarist Rai Thistlethwayte). The group, featuring Aronoff, has been photographed in the studio working on new material, and Bonham says Hagar informed him not long after the tour ended that he had been replaced.

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“I was actually trying to answer the fans because they were asking me, ‘Why aren’t you involved in the new thing they’re recording?’ and said, ‘Aren’t you going to do it again?’ ‘I was let go, so no,'” Bonham, who recorded three albums with Hagar (2015’s At your service2019 Space between and 2022 Crazy times), says UCR. ‘Sammy called me a while ago. He asked about my mom, but then he said, ‘You know, I’m not going to do much next year,’ blah, blah, ‘and I’m going with Kenny. ‘ I was a bit shocked, I must say. I’d be lying to you if I wasn’t a little sad because we were on fire at the end of the tour. And I got a little upset after being with him for 10 years.”

Yet Bonham has nothing but good things to say about Hagar. “Listen, I love that man dearly. I don’t wish him any harm. I still talk to him. Honestly, the man taught me so much – about business, being positive. I’m an English man; I can do it.” are really negative half the time. Even when the sun shines, ‘but it can rain.’ He really helped me a lot in that area, business acumen and never taking no for an answer, always believing in yourself.

“So yeah, I had ten great years. He always let me do what I wanted to do. When things got busy, he always gave me space. I couldn’t ask for more.”

However, Bonham is happy to report that his mother is doing well. “My mom is doing absolutely amazing, which is more than I could have ever imagined – from literally saying ‘Say goodbye now’ to now,” he says. “She’s a stubborn, tough woman who suddenly said, ‘I’m fine. I’m going to be good.’ It will still take a lot of rehabilitation and a lot of time to get back to what she was, but the real painful part is that she has overcome that. She is almost back to normal, she hardly talks to me anymore ! (Laughs.) She’ll be around for a lot longer.”

In the midst of all this, Bonham just hit the road again with LZE, kicking off on Tuesday evening, November 19th in Indianapolis, with 18 more US dates through December 16th. The fact that I wanted to do it once has naturally become a part of my life that I enjoy doing every year,” says the son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. “I never intended to do it every year so many shows to do, but we have about 20 at the beginning of the year and 20 at the end of the year, a winter run, and then bands started asking me to open for them on summer tours.”

Bonham has also kept his LZE setlists evolving; in its most recent rehearsals, it has “drawn out a number of songs that have never been done” or rarely performed, including “Friends,” “Achilles’ Last Stand,” “In the Evening” and the extended “Dazed and Confused” by The song remains the same.

Bonham says he’s also “working on” a full Led Zeppelin album launch Physical graffiti for the 50th anniversary next year. “This is done purely out of love, as a passion project,” says Bonham. “I still get very impressed or overwhelmed by the response we get. Every night I tell the audience, ‘I will do it until I can no longer play. If I can’t play with the power that the songs require have, or the day I don’t enjoy doing it, I will put an end to it.”

Bonham, who is also part of the all-star Black Country Communion, has a number of other points of pride for the year. He remains active with his son Jagr Henry, who had a rock radio hit this year with “Breed.”

“I’m so proud of him and the music he makes. Some of the music is a little heavy for some people’s tastes, but for me I’m a drummer. I love riff-based music. We’re off to a really good start with it , and he’ll come out and join (LZE) for a few shows and scare some of my fans a little bit because he’s like 6 feet tall, he’s ripped, totally tattooed, but his band is I’m so glad he’s at this point now state, and it’s only going to get better.”

How Jason Bonham helped foreigners get back together

And while he wasn’t an inducted member, Bonham was pleased that Foreigner — in which he starred from 2004 to 2008 — received his honor from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last month.

“In 2004 I did a charity event in Santa Barbra with (foreign founder) Mick Jones and got (current bassist) Jeff Pilson involved and we had one of the original keyboard players and I brought along an old singer who I had worked with before.. .After it was over, I said, ‘Come on, Mick, let’s get the band back together!’ That was the beginning, and twenty years later they are still touring. My time there was short, but I’m very happy that I had something to do with getting the band back together, because Foreigner’s music. is timeless.”

He added with a laugh, “It was always weird… because my wedding song was ‘Waiting For a Girl Like You.’ Then I danced with my wife to play that every night, it always felt a little weird.”