Nicky's story is intense. I don't want to give away too much because we both believe that one day we'll write a book about the series and his tale will be one of the most interesting reads. But I will say that while we've all seen Nicky on stage wailing Zep or AC/DC, we may not realize that he is a heavily trained classical pianist.

When we first took on Springsteen's 'Born To Run' album, I knew that he was the right person to play piano. That album is full of flourishes and fun. Nicky nailed it. No small feat as many of you well know. It was then that I became convinced that he can do anything.

But it is the Zep shows that we know him for. I've never seen anyone perform with such ease and confidence. He is power tempered with ability. There was one night, we were doing a show in Orlando, and the day had become a series of unfortunate events for him. He showed up seconds before we were to hit the stage. I knew to leave him alone. That night he worked all of his demons out on stage. He was assaulting us with nothing more than his voice. It was like you didn't want to get too close to the stage for fear that you might get run over.

I'm Godfather to his daughter. It's a high honour. We've become the best of friends and we count on each other like friends do. It doesn't matter what album we're out touring, at sometime during the tour, Nicky will come up to me and say 'Craiger, this is the best album we've ever done." I love that. I believe that too. He loves music and life and the two are one and the same for him.

He's been with the series since the beginning. He lives a beautiful life full of love and wonder.