Tupelo, MS - Fan Reviews
Fan Review - By Lshort
Unreal! Not the best word to describe this event but it's the closest I can come up with. The night started as previous shows, Ricky on solo opener. It was announced that he would not be continuing with them for a while due to other engagements (pic shoot in LA). He was givin' a SWEET farewell from the crew and the Leps. I have to say that this guy really rocked on the acoustic a lot better than I thought it would be. I am interested now in hearing his studio work, should be very nice! Once again Viv joins for 'Three Sides to Every Story', Nice touch to his set! He was very funny as well, commenting on the heat of Mississippi vs. his hometown of Belfast, N. Ireland.
On to the Leps! With the usual songs played during the intermission I was well prepared for the Leps to come out to Gary Glitter's Rock and Roll Pt.1. Being the first time I have ever seen the Leps live this was a special experience for me. As soon as they hit the stage I was in a whole new world. I was finally seeing the band I followed for so long, LIVE! The band looked great on stage and seemed to be having a GREAT time, judging by all the running and jumping and dancing around they were doing.
Joe made a mention of a visit to Elvis' home before coming to Tupelo. A few funny Elvis jokes and the crowd was set to sing to 'Sweet Home Alabama'. After we sang, Viv shows up on stage and follows up with a Elvis impersonation and does 'Love me Tender', much to the delight of the crowd. Joe says he was glad it was Viv doing it and not Rick Allen. Ha Ha! Once Joe got us singing, he said he wanted it to last that way the rest of the night...and it did! The response was tremendous from the crowd for 4-5000 people. Not a sell-out but just right IMO for the Leps to really shine and get personal with the crowd.
The best moment came at the end of the evening when several people in the crowd (myself included) held up handwritten signs that read "PLAY WASTED!" After LGR, the Leps left the stage and the crowd wanted more. With our signs still high over our heads, the Leps came back out. Joe scans the crowd pointing at all of the signs and says, "You know what happens when people hold up signs at our show saying "Play Wasted" ??? Well? WE PLAY WASTED!!!" I thought the house would come down from the crowd roar that followed! It was a very memorable occasion for everyone there. After all, how often does a band of their magnitude cater to a crowd like that?! ROCK ON FOREVER DEF LEPPARD!.
Fan Review - By Mike (Birmingham Alabama)
One word covers the Saturday May 2nd concert in Tupelo Mississippi is Awesome. This is a 10,000 seat venue and I would say there we between 8 and 9000 seats filled.(maybe not the 50,000 at Wembley Stadium but hey I think they would have worked that hard for 5 people. If I could afford to travel to more concerts to see them on this tour I would go right back. At 33 I have seen a lot of concerts but I can say without a doubt this was the most power filled I have ever seen. People rockin on the floor, hands in the air and it was so loud that my ears haven't felt that good in years. If I hadn't known better, I would have sworn I had my DVD of In the Round in the player with the radio full blast!!!
Def Leppard played selections from all their albums and to me it was a very good mix. Viv played a acoustic version and sang of 'Love me Tender', Joe also played a acoustic version of 'Sweet Home Alabama' that made the house come down, and the guys also did 3 or 4 songs acoustic that was awesome. The power that you felt made me feel like a giddy 18 year old kid. For the naysayers that say that this is not a kickin band THEY ROCKED!!!!.
Fan Review - By Sean
As we neared Tupelo via Memphis (via our hometown of Nashville), we noticed that there was not much to Tupelo. In fact, we were essentially in Tupelo and still didn't see anything that looked like even a small city. Then we rounded a corner and saw a large arena out of no where. Still barely a city to be seen, but there was the arena. How they support it, I have no idea. So we drive around the building a few times and stop just across the street from the Lep's tour buses. We counted 5 giant state-of-the-art shiney white tour buses - and a few big-rig 18-wheelers. Definitely a large contingent of vehicles.
On to the show...It seems like we were fortunate enough to have received a few additional bright-spots above and beyond the usual fare being offered by the Leps on this tour. Ricky Warwick came out and, as usual, gave it his all, and the crowd definitely warmed to him. Viv got a huge ovation when he joined Ricky onstage, and the two sounded great. This being Ricky's last show on this leg of the tour, right before his last song (he played 5 in total I believe) Phil, Rick and Viv came walking out, followed by some crew members, then Sav, then Joe, Malvin and the rest of the crew, and they're walking out and across the stage from both sides and they're all holding beverages and toasting Ricky as they pass him onstage. Both Joe and Sav gave him a big hug. Obviously the Lep's and crew really enjoyed Ricky's company on tour. Pretty cool thing to see.
Lep came out at 8:20 and, as usual, ripped the place wide open from the opening bell. I'm talking foot on the throat domination! We were on the 8th row right in front of Phil, and talk about loud and awesome - you could feel your chest being thumped by each kick of the bass drum. It was like getting C.P.R. We yelled, screamed, danced, looked at the fun crowd (I'd estimate about 7,000 people in the house.) Cool to see tons of younger people (high school/college age - and lots of girls! In fact, there were three college-age girls sitting front row center wearing matching skin-tight red, white and blue halter tops and painted on pants - totally decked out (and slutted out!) for our fine Leppard boys!) Ah, to be a rockstar. I need to get that going!
Tupelo being the birthplace of Elvis Presley, Joe talked about Tupelo being "...the true fucking birthplace of rock and roll!" And at that, he said he'd like to introduce the most amazing Elvis impersonator he'd ever seen - and out walks Viv who sits on a stool and with acoustic guitar in hand sings Elvis' 'Love Me Tender' in its entirety. Yes, the crowd went haywire!
Another bonus was a third encore song. A few folks were holding up "Play Wasted" signs. After what should have been they're final song ("Do You Wanna Get Rocked?"), Sav had already given his bass to his bass tech at the side of the stage and was on his way back to the front of the stage to wave and say "Thanks" to everyone when Joe went up to him and pointed to the signs saying "Play Wasted." Sav had to go backstage and track down his bass. Of course, it sounded great, and you could tell the guys were really impressed by such a small town jamming so many loud people into the building. You could also tell that the band held the city to a higher esteem because of Elvis. Joe even talked about spending time at Elvis' childhood home that afternoon. Just to give you an idea of how small this "shotgun shack" is, we visited it right before the show and estimated that it was about 10 feet wide by 15 feet long.
All in all, a great show. And even better knowing we were going to catch them again in Nashville the following night. (And in Dallas at the end of May, and Columbus, OH, and as many other places as possible!). Go if you can. And let's figure out a way to ensure that Def Leppard gets into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!.
Fan Review - By W Burrell
Just got back from the Def Leppard concert in Tupelo,MS. Most people would laugh if you told them that this would be Def Leppard's best show of the tour so far. But they can laugh all they want to, because this one was the BEST of the tour. Need proof? The fans never sat down during the entire show, DL played an extra song by Elvis (this is the birthplace) and here's where it really gets interesting, they played 3 encore songs!!!!!!! The last song being WASTED. I know from past posts that this is the first time in the US that they have done that.
Now for some details, the show started out strong with the high and dry set, I knew that it was going to be a special night when no one sat down on the lesser known songs. The band really fed off the energy of the crowd and they looked like they were having a good time. There were some technical issues, often Phil's guitars overpowered the vocals, but that could be easily forgiven. The lights were excellent. Overall the band sounded in top form. The last time I saw DL was in 1999 on the euphoria tour, and I must say, this show blew that one out of the water. One word of warning if you are going to see them soon, GET A SHIRT EARLY, they were sold out of just about everything by the start of the concert.
I was shocked at how loud the fans in Tupelo were, I was even more shocked when DL stayed for a third song during their encore. Not only did they say they would be back, they said they would without a doubt come back to TUPELO. For the people going to see DL soon, BE READY, these guys are in top form and you will not be disappointed. MAN, WHAT A SHOW!!!!.
Fan Review - By Kenny
What a show. In my many years of seeing Lep shows, I think this one was the best. The sound mix was not the best at the beginning (Joe's vocals were drowned out) but it was quickly resolved. The crowd was into it and from what I could see they were receptive to the new songs. Local paper had the attendance at 4,780 in their write up the next morning, but it sure looked like more people than that were there.
They played the High 'n Dry setlist (appears YSB has been replaced by MLLAM) which in and of itself was really cool, but there were a couple of highlights to the show. For those of you that don't know, Tupelo, MS is the birthplace of Elvis Presley. They have turned his birth home there into a museum. This was not lost on the band. Joe made mention about how this place was "full of history" and said he visited the house prior to the gig. Joe plays the acoustic snippet of 'Sweet Home Alabama' and then Viv comes out and plays (and sings) one verse and the chorus to 'Love Me Tender'. Really cool. The other highlight (and this made it one of the coolest experiences of my life) is that they played 'Wasted' during the encore. What made it cool is that some of my online buddies and I are the reasons they played it. I've seen the band on every tour since "Hysteria" except for "Euphoria" and I've never heard "Wasted" live.
Well, since our seats were pretty close (6th, 7th and 8th row) I brought a magic marker and paper to the show and made signs that said "Play Wasted". We distributed them out through our seats. When they came back out for the encore, I held mine up and I think that ajm held hers up too. Phil saw mine, pointed at me and started into the opening riff. He played about 5 seconds of it, stopped and smiled. They then went into 'Love Bites' and when the lights came back up, the signs went back up too. Evidently, gladone and lls were holding their signs up too because Joe went over to Phil and started pointing and counting the signs. Vivian "air guitared" the intro and looked like he wanted to play it too. They played 'LGR' (Phil said something to Joe right before the solo that cracked Joe up and he ended up missing some of the lyrics) and when that was over, Sav went over to the edge of the stage and handed his bass to his tech. Joe went over to him and motioned for him to get it back (he looked a little pissed about that). Joe then came up and said something like "You know what you! get when you bring signs to a gig that say 'play Wasted'? You get 'Wasted!' It was way freakin cool!
After the gig, I met Phil and Rick and had them autograph the sign I used. They said it was fun to play that since they don't usually get to do so. 'Now' really sounds good live. 'LLWTG' needs to be done acoustically. Joe said that this show would probably be the last one in which they would dedicate that song to the troops. This show was like the other one I went to on this tour and the others I've seen reviewed where the energy really gets going from 'Women' on. Again, if you have the chance to catch them, do so. It is easily the best show since the "Hysteria" tour and maybe their best ever. Special thanks to the Official Site and whomever else is responsible for the ticket pre-sales. Best seats I've had to a Lep show with none of the hassle.
Fan Review - By Angie
I had a great time at the concert last night in Tupelo! We got to our seats about 20 minutes before Ricky Warwick came on stage. Malvin came out to welcome us and then introduced Ricky Warwick. He is a very good singer, but I am just not into that particular type of music. His performance lasted 20 or 30 minutes, and Vivian joined him for one song.
When Queen's 'We Will Rock You' came on over the speakers, the crowd really began to get fired up. After that and another song or two, "Disintegrate" started. When the curtain dropped, everyone was on their feet!! I saw no one sitting down the whole time. We had seats in the 6th row over by Phil. I got a pretty good view of him and he seemed to be really enjoying himself, laughing, smiling and working the crowd. He even talked with some of the people in the front row between songs and handed some guitar picks out. I didn't get close enough to get one, though. :( It is obvious that Phil loves his job! Sav and Viv also came over to our side several times during the show. Sav did his famous pose for us, which was great. And every time I looked at Rick Allen he had a smile from ear to ear. If Joe was feeling ill at all, it certainly didn't show. He was all over the stage as usual, working the crowd like such a pro.
I am sorry I can't remember the exact setlist, but the first song was 'Let It Go' and the sound was terrible. Joe's vocals were totally drowned out by the guitars. I thought, "oh no"! My husband turned to me and said "I can't hear a word he's singing!" Joe noticed the problem too and said something to the sound guys at the side of the stage. After that, it got better. About midway through the show, Joe sang a small bit of 'Sweet Home Alabama' which the crowd loved, and he asked us to sing along. He also mentioned about Tupelo being the birthplace of rock and roll and Vivian sang 'Love Me Tender'. He did a great job on it, and the crowd loved it. Joe made a funny comment later in the show about Viv doing his Elvis impersonation. Joe talked a little about Elvis and said he had visited Graceland and mentioned that he wondered what Elvis was on when he decorated the "jungle room" at Graceland.
Toward the end of the show, there were a few of us holding up signs that said, "please play Wasted!" Phil saw my sign and smiled. We held them up again during the encore after 'Love Bites' and 'Let's Get Rocked' and Joe said something like, "you want us to play Wasted, then we'll play Wasted!" It was really great, and they seemed happy to do it for us. The band came on stage around 8:30 and played until approximately 10:30. The time went by way too fast, though!!.
Fan Review - By Scott
Choosing the most appropriate adjective to describe last night's performance is very had to do when there are so many that fit this band. Perhaps stunning would be the best word for an unbelievable performance! It was 20 years ago last night that I first saw Def Leppard and in 2003 they are as polished, and as awesome, as they have ever been. My uneducated guess would be that there were about 6-7 thousand fans in attendance last night (the venue holds 10 thousand). No one knew Ricky Warwick but he was very good. Viv, as usual, came out and played a song with him and it really got the crowd ready for the main event. The whole band and road crew came out on stage and toasted Ricky as last night was his last night on the tour with them.
As my son and I walked up to the venue we happened to see a small crowd (about 7 people) and realized Rick Allen was out chatting with them. We went over to get his autograph and spoke to him for a few minutes. He was one of the nicest people you could ever meet. We also met Mal and he said that Joe was very sick. From the performance last night you could not tell it! Joe sang his guts out and the boys simply rocked the birthplace of Elvis and Rock-n-Roll. Viv even sang a good portion of Elvis' 'Love Me Tender' just before playing 'Two Steps Behind'.
They played the High 'n Dry set list (the one I wanted) and from the very first notes of 'Let It Go' the place was screaming. This crowd didn't wait for the hits to be played, they simply danced, sang, clapped, and rocked from beginning to end.
As others have pointed out, the only song that perhaps needed a change was 'LLWTG'. It needs to be played acoustically. While good in electric form, they didn't capture the softness of the song as recorded on the CD. Joe said that since they probably couldn't do it for much longer, he wanted to dedicate LLWTG to the British & American soldiers in Iraq. The crowd seemed to know 99% of the songs but Foolin', Animal, Promises, Photograph, Pour Some Sugar On Me, Armageddon It and 'Rock of Ages' seemed to send the crowd into a wild frenzy. If you ever have an opportunity to see Def Leppard live, please see them on this tour. You will walk away wanting more and wishing it could never end! The boys are older but their performance, lyrics, and music are as fresh today as they were in 1983. This was a concert I will hold dear to my heart and will never forget!.
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