Detroit/Clarkston, MI - Fan Reviews

Fan Review - By Dan B

A terrific show at DTE in perfect weather. I sat on the lawn right in the middle a litte back from the reserved seats so I could see the center projection screen for the lawn folks. As recently as the night before, rain was forecast so I could hardly believe the 78° and perfectly clear weather. This was my second time seeing them on this tour and third time overall. I thought I’d seen them for the first and last time in ’99 at the Michigan State Fair on their Euphoria tour!

I was happy to see some variation in the set list from the Grand Rapids show I saw in April – they played 'Slang'! I was sorry they didn’t play You’re So Beautiful from X, but am really starting to like 'LLWTG'. Joe’s ongoing dedication of the song to our guys in Iraq seems very heartfelt and this time also dedicated the song to everyone that is waiting for someone to return from duty.

The crowd’s energy seemed to grow with every song. I thought 'Women' was great and the extended 'Rocket' is always a treat. It’s cool how Joe worked 'Whole Lotta Love' into it. I liked other artists’ music worked in like Joe’s acoustic riffs of 'Detroit Rock City' and inviting the crowd to sing a few verses of 'Sweet Home Alabama'. Goofing around, he even played a few acoustic riffs from (Black Sabbath?) but I kind of missed this because I was laughing too hard.

The show reached a crescendo with 'PSSOM' I think all 10,000+ in attendance sang every single word LOUD. There was certainly the feeling they had just brought the house down and Joe sort of stopped and walked around the stage a bit seeming to drink in the moment a little. He stopped and said “Sh--, I can’t believe it” and just looked around the crowd for a bit as if checking to see for himself. He may have found it hard to believe this many people had turned out to see them less than 4 months after they played the Palace of Auburn Hills just a few miles away – and we were all going nuts again. He then talked a little about the memories the place brings back from there first show here with Ozzy O in 1981 and how blown away they were by the size of the crowd and their energy.

At the end, Joe and the band had said their goodbyes and he was about to walk off, then thought better of it, came back to the mike and shouted “It doesn’t get any better than this!” I get the feeling the Leps will be happy to play for a small more passive crowd if it allows them to keep playing. But they would rather play for a bigger crowd that goes nuts for them and that’s what they got at DTE tonight. Thanks for a great show guys!.

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Fan Review - By Kashmir

WOW! What a night! The 4th time really was the best time. My sister and I were lucky enough to have won the Raven Drum Foundation Auction. We had backstage passes for the show! Were we nervous…yes. Were we excited…yes! We got to DTE early enough to actually hear the sound check. That was very cool. When we heard them play part of 'Action' we hoped we would get to hear it later, and the boys did not disappoint us.

Finally into the venue, we were pleasantly surprised to see they were allowing cameras in. This was a change for us. All the other shows we went to they were taking cameras and you had to hide to take a picture. Not this time! We took our seats in time to see Ricky’s set. We had 2nd row center, in between Joe and Sav. Ricky played to a less than half filled theatre, which quickly filled up when the Leps took the stage. We heard the beat of 'We Will Rock You', and we knew it was time. Here they come.

The boys hit the stage with 'Let it Go', and we were rockin’! We did get to hear "Action" again it was the second song. It is so great to go to a concert where you know all the words to every song. The Leps were great, as usual. I just LOVE hearing 'Slang' live! And 'Rocket' with the dueling guitars was awesome too. Joe did play a snippet of 'Sweet Home Alabama' and 'Detroit Rock City'. We found out on a radio station that morning that Rick and Phil had been to the Lynyrd Skynyrd/Sammy Hagar concert the night before. Another wonderful Lep concert experience was over. They just seem to get better every time I see them.

Then we went backstage for the “After Show” meet and greet. Some people were Raven Drum winners, some had other types of passes on. We went to an area outside, behind the stage. There was a large two level deck, covered with tents. There were lots of patio tables and chairs. There were at least 50 people back there. Malvin came out and wanted to know who were the “Bright Star” (Raven Drum) winners. There were about 8 of us. He said Rick would be out to see us soon. Rick came out and spent time with us first. He was as friendly and gracious as ever. He shook hands and asked us our names. We took pictures with him and got his autograph. Viv came out next and we got more pictures and autographs. Then Phil came out, and we also saw Rory walking around. What a cutie! We got pictures with Phil and autographs too.

Finally the man himself, Joe Elliott came out. This was our first time meeting Joe. He was just as nice as the other guys, very open and friendly. Joe gave us autographs and pictures as well. Sav never came out for the meet and greet. We saw him leave with his bag headed for the buses. He turned and waved to us. It was a GREAT night! We couldn’t have asked for better. See you on the next tour! Don’t forget us, and we won’t forget you!.

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Fan Review - By Michael

This was my 8th Def Leppard show, and my second time seeing them at the DTE Music Theatre outside of Detroit (some may know it better as Pine Knob). While it may be cliche, each time I see them seems to be better than the last. By far, this was the loudest Leppard crowd I've ever been part of.

While not sold out, there were plenty of people loud enough to make up for the few empty seats. Being the first "full" show since the band took a break, their energy level was quite high, and it resulted in more goofing around from Phil and Viv than I've ever seen. Joe was waxing nostalgic a few times about the venue, having first played here in 1981 opening up for Ozzy. Up to that show, they had been playing small theatres and clubs on that tour, and were blown away by the size and volume of the crowd. 22 years later, he still seemed to be. Part of the nostalgia, and part of the reason why Joe strummed 'Sweet Home Alabama' this far north was due to the fact that the night before, Sammy Hagar and Lynyrd Skynyrd played the same venue, and the next two nights, Ozzfest was rolling in. He threw in a very little bit of 'Detroit Rock City' (if you weren't paying attention, you likely missed it) before launching into 'Two Steps Behind'.

It was great to get the addition of both 'Action' and 'Slang'. The new tunes from "X" went down about the same as everywhere else. Those who knew 'Long Long Way To Go' sang along, others went to the toilet. 'Four Letter Word' was well received, as was 'Now'. But the more shows I see, the more 'Rocket' becomes my favorite of theirs live. Until next time.. and there will be a next time.

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Fan Review - By Todd J

What a show! This was my 4th time seeing Def Leppard on this tour, and I must say it my have been the must enjoyable yet. The band was very energetic and wasted no time getting DTE (formerly pine knob ) Rockin! Though the Venue was not sold out, it was close. I spoke to some of the security people and they said they were expecting about 12,000 people. Joe and the boys came out rockin,it was nice to hear them mix it up a bit. They opened with 'Let it Go', then changed it up with 'Action', and 'Make Love Like a Man'.

The X songs were fairly well received with '4 Letter Word' and 'Now' getting the most fan response. Unfortunately when they played 'Long Long Way to Go' quite a few people headed for the bathrooms. After slowing it down for 'Two Steps Behind' and Now they went into there bag of rock hits and keep the crowd going for the rest of the show.

The crowd was a little late arriving,which is to be expected on a weeknight show, but they were very into it, and most people danced and sang to every song. It was good to see the crowd was very diverse. There were people in there 50's and there were teenage girls, that you would not normally expect to see at a Def Leppard show. There were even some kids probably 7 or 8 years old wearing Def Leppard shirts and enjoying the show.

This will be the last show I see on this tour, hopefully there will be many more tours to come. They sound better then ever! From Cedar Rapids Iowa to Milwaukee, to the Palace of Auburn Hills and DTE, what a great year it has been for me and the rest of us Leppard fans. SEE YOU NEXT TOUR!!!.

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