ALBANY — Lez Zeppelin’s Steph Paynes is the best woman guitarist I’ve ever heard play.

That might not be saying much, since you rarely — actually, never — get to see women in the role of guitar-hero. Monday night at Washington Park she played the part of Jimmy Page, nailing the solos in “Custard Pie” and the slide work in “In My Time of Dying.” She lit up the sky during “Since I’ve Been Loving You.”

I’ve seen better Jimmy Page copiers. But she was darn good — even mimicking his bent-over knee-level posture — and you couldn’t help give her points just for daring to play Page.

The rest of the band didn’t come close.

But the packed venue didn’t ask for much: just keep banging out those Zeppelin tunes. Which they did with “The Ocean,” “Immigrant Song,” and “Black Dog.”

Vocalist Sarah McLellan was a mediocre blues singer and didn’t have the range to follow Robert Plant’s notes. Nor could she tease out the more sensual spots like Plant did, as in “What Is and What Should Never Be.”

But her own limited style was likeable. Drummer Helen Destroy sought to hit — destroy — the skins as hard as John Bonham did. But Bonham was much more musical than that. Destroy was consistent, and never let down the tune, but she also rarely contributed beyond the heavy, expected thumping.

Only Paynes dressed in Zep regalia, the others in plain suburban jeans and white sneakers, which took away from the Zeppelin atmosphere they sought to create.

The New York City-based band seemed aware of their weaknesses in the rough stuff, like the mid-section to “Heartbreaker.” But that didn’t stop them from plowing through it.

But the large crowd came to hear women play Zeppelin, and that’s what they got in spades, including a frolicking “Black Dog” and “No Quarter,” which captured the eerie, black-magic of Page. They closed with “Kashmir,” “Black Dog,” and “Whole Lotta Love.”

Albany-based Ten Year Vamp opened the show with a powerhouse set centered on their originals. They are good — as individuals and together — and it was hard to watch them work so hard and only be the warm-up act. Singer Debbie Gabrione is more energy and presence than vocals, though you can’t separate the elements on stage. Scott Card has the skills and concepts of a jazz-fusion drummer, his limbs carving every angle of the tune.

From the first beat of the opener they exploded. They stated with their work ethic that they’re serious. Some of the songs started with the members leaping in place together. Bassist Chad Balzer and guitarist Mark Rose don’t appear to be the jumping-spinning boy-band type, but they’re not above it either, and they don’t have to be. Their music stands strong, even when they covered Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” in their power-rock style.

Gabrione mentioned that they play regularly in seven states. How good will they have to be to reach all 50?