Portland, OR - Media Reviews

Def Leppard #Memorial Coliseum By The Oregonian

Beginning with the heavy bashing rock of 'Stagefright', the five-piece band - Rick Savage on bass, Steve Clark and Phil Collen on guitars, Rick Allen on an electronic, custom-made drum kit and lead singer Joe Elliott - worked through a solid 90-minute set of new and old tunes.

While they rely on the standard laser, lights and fog display, for their in-the-round stage show, the band has a distinct musicality and a feel for pop-metal arrangements that go beyond three-chord hammering and screaming vocals.

The minor chord, whammy bar stew cooked up by both Collen and Clark on 'Women' added to three-part harmonies on the chorus, was just the first of several tunes where this nascent musicality shone through.

On 'Too Late' and again on the green laser assault of 'Hysteria', the guitarists spilt lead-duties with seamless authority.

Clark's apocalyptic solo lead in to 'Gods Of War' set the tone for the anti-war song's later bomb bursts and atomic light show brilliance.

Throughout, the one-armed drummer Allen kept perfect time, his left foot taking over where his left arm would've normally done the trick.

It's a tribute to both his diligence and the band's patience that he's even on a stage today let alone playing in a hard rock band where pummelling drums are the rule.

After an acoustic intro (Collen played six-string, Clark played an 18-string, double-neck Gibson) to 'Heartbreak' the band tore into the anthemic 'Animal'.

With it's catchy and hook-filled chorus and Clark's wailing and precise guitar runs riding over top, the song showed s better than average ear for rock 'n' roll arrangements.

In a field crowded with screechy and flashy bands who pour on the thundering schmaltz ad nauseum, Def Leppard gets the job done with one-hand drumming.

By The Oregonian 1987.

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