Van Halen's Michael Anthony Sits In With Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening for a Rare Non-Zeppelin Cover

Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony joined Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening on stage at the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa, California, to perform the Van Halen classic 'Runnin' With the Devil' — the first non-Led Zeppelin song the band has played in 16 years of touring.

Bonham, son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, told the crowd the break from the setlist was unprecedented. His group, originally called Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, has toured since 2010 performing the Zeppelin catalogue, created with the blessing of all three surviving members of the original band: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (Rolling Stone).

The Van Halen cover came during the encore. Anthony handled the bass and sang the hook — the repeated title phrase — while lead vocalist James Dylan, nicknamed 'Mr. Jimmy', took David Lee Roth's original lead vocal parts, just as Anthony did on the 1978 recording. Anthony stayed on stage for the show's finale, a rendition of Led Zeppelin's 'Rock and Roll' (Instagram).

Anthony and Bonham are longtime bandmates. Both played in Sammy Hagar and the Circle alongside guitarist Vic Johnson, and in 2024 they toured together on the Best of All Worlds tour with Hagar and guitarist Joe Satriani. That outing's set was built largely around the Van Halen catalogue (Rolling Stone).

The Costa Mesa cameo also marks a public reunion of sorts. The Best of All Worlds tour was derailed for Bonham midway through when he left to care for his ailing mother. Drummer Kenny Aronoff learned the entire set with barely a day's notice and kept the tour running. Bonham later said he was shocked and sad that Hagar chose to stick with Aronoff rather than welcome him back. Hagar attributed the split to scheduling: Bonham's commitments in Europe with the band Black Country Communion prevented him from attending rehearsals (Rolling Stone).

Both drummers have full calendars ahead. Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening is scheduled to remain on the road through 6 September. Sammy Hagar and the Best of All Worlds Band have five nights booked at the Park MGM in Las Vegas between 18 and 26 September (Rolling Stone).

What makes the Costa Mesa moment resonate is the chain of connections behind it. Anthony and Bonham share years of stages, a mutual history with Hagar, and deep roots in two of hard rock's defining catalogues. For one encore, those threads pulled together — and a band devoted entirely to Led Zeppelin's songs played something else entirely.