On paper, Them Crooked Vultures [ tickets ] is a monster. The supergroup pairs the bassist/keyboardist from the most influential act of the '70s with the drummer of the most influential group of the '90s in Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Nirvana's Dave Grohl. Finding a singer/guitarist to front that rhythm section is a tall order that went to Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme.

At the Wiltern Theatre on Tuesday (11/17)--the date that also saw the release of the trio's self-titled debut--Homme wisely did not to attempt to mimic Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant or Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, but instead brought his own voice and persona to the proceedings, even taking along QOTSA sideman Alain Johannes as a second guitarist. Yet, despite their best intentions, Them Crooked Vultures failed to live up to the huge expectations spurred by the news of their formation.

That's not to say that TCV was not a force to reckon with live. Buoyed by the thundering, rock-solid rhythm section of Jones and Grohl, Homme and Johannes were free to lay down monstrous guitar riffs that threatened to peel the paint off the ornate theater's walls in barnburners like set-opener "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I," "Mind Eraser, No Chaser," and the band's first rock radio hit, "New Fang." While the instrumental assault is undoubtedly part of the band's appeal, it's also a limitation. At least at this point, TCV seems more about riffs and grooves than actual memorable songs, which may affect that band's long-term fortunes, but it didn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of any one in attendance at the Wiltern.

Grohl, who's also the singer/guitarist of the Foo Fighters, could easily be resting on his laurels promoting that act's recently released greatest-hits set, but the formation of TCV gives him the chance to live out the next-best thing to his rock-and-roll fantasy of drumming in Led Zeppelin. The elder statesmen of the trio, Jones received the biggest ovation of the evening following his introduction. Left hanging after 2007's Led Zeppelin reunion ended up as a one-show gig, you certainly can't fault the versatile veteran for getting his groove on with some of rock's current generation.

Homme is a more than capable frontman in QOTSA, a band that rose from the ashes of desert-based stoner rockers Kyuss with minimal expectations. However, at the Wiltern, Homme didn't have the charisma or dynamism to front a band backed by the unprecedented teaming of Jones and Grohl. A better choice would have been Jack White, who at times in The White Stripes and The Raconteurs has showed he possesses the spirit of Plant, Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and Cobain.

Still, TCV had their moments. The band was most interesting when it veered from the full-throttle approach and threw a curveball, as was the case on the neo-soul rocker "Scumbag Blues," which had Homme singing in a falsetto with Jones and Grohl on backing vocals. On the trippy "Interlude with Ludes," Jones strapped on a keytar, Grohl added some of the evening's more interesting percussion textures, and Homme sang like a drugged-out Las Vegas crooner. During the non-album cut "Highway One," Jones donned an electric mandolin for a tune that featured a bit of the Middle Eastern-flavor that Led Zeppelin mined in "Kashmir."

The bulk of the set, however, consisted of balls-out rockers that highlighted the players' instrumental prowess. An extended take of "Spinning in the Daffodils" concluded with Jones adding some majestic keyboards. The 10-minute-plus encore of "Warsaw or the First Breath You Take After You Give Up" ended the evening with an extended jam.

While it might be premature to make such a proclamation, at this point, Them Crooked Vultures appears to be not another chapter in rock history, but merely a powerful footnote.