home > tour history > 2006 > auburn > Media Reviews

Thursday, 31st August 2006
Back  

Auburn, WA - Media Reviews

By Mark Carras

So how is a show with two 80’s has-beens you ask? Well, the 20,000 seat venue was pretty much sold out, so you can kindly shut the fuck up about my 80’s buttrock, thank you! These 80’s has-beens kicked some major ass at their sold out show too, and some of the younger bands the other writers love to praise so much on this site could learn a lesson or two from them.

Next up was Def Leppard. Now why can bands like Journey and Def Leppard pack a 20,000 capacity amphitheatre when other bands that had platinum albums in the 80’s can’t sell out a 500 capacity club? None of them had the bullshit rockstar attitudes that kill careers! They know they are there to put on an amazing show and if they don’t, the fans won’t come back next time. So all the members of Def Leppard (and Journey) pull out all the stops and do everything they can to make sure every fan there gets their money’s worth. They rock the hits as well as introduce you to the new stuff. So while Jani Lane continues to bitch about being the “Cherry Pie guy”, these bands are still playing the biggest venues around. Both bands also are aging pretty damn well too. Joe had a very slight gut, but the rest of them looked fit enough to still get the really hot groupies. My wife commented that Phil had the ripped abs that would make a twenty-something jealous! They are in great shape and they keep that way by running around that stage like it was a training gym. Def Leppard had a cool mix of animation, and live footage they played on this huge screen behind them. I am sure that this made the show great for the people in the back, as well. Me and the wife were very lucky and had seats way the hell up front thanks to those wonderful folks at Live Nation. In an age where promoters can be tighter then a dolphin’s ass, Live Nation really took care of us!

The whole show was so great I forgot about my back hurting like hell from when I fucked it up earlier in the day. I felt like that 15 year old kid that fell in love with this great music so long ago. For those that wonder about things like set lists, I am pretty sure it went Let's Get Rocked, Let It Go, Rock! Rock! Till You Drop, Bringin' On The Heartbreak, Foolin', Hysteria, 20th Century Boy, Rock On, Rocket, Photograph, Armageddon It, Animal, & Rock Of Ages. Then for the encore it was Love Bites followed by Pour Some Sugar On Me. Now I think I was the only journalist there and I know for a fact that I was the only photographer there for a publication (other then the venue photographer). Because of this I swear Phil was checking out my reaction to the show several times to see what kind of review I would write. Well Phil, if you read this I hope you guys come back real soon because I had a blast! For anyone else reading this, the band is only halfway through this American tour. So they may be headed your way still. I highly suggest you go check out this show. It will be the best 80’s buttrock you will see all year! This show did Rock My Monkey!.

By Mark Carras @ RockMyMonkey 2006.


Def Leppard does its fans proud By Shawn Telford

There are three types of bands that release albums of cover songs. The first is a band that wants to pay tribute to its musical heroes by recording interpretations of the songs that made them want to become a band in the first place. The second is a band that wants to show respect for its elders by sounding just like their elders. The last type is a band that hasn't put out a convincing album in 14 years and won't dare embarrass itself with a record of new material that couldn't possibly touch the high-water mark of its heyday.

Def Leppard is that band. It's 2006 release "Yeah!" is an album of cover songs ranging from Bowie to Blondie, from Badfinger to Thin Lizzy and from Mott the Hoople to ELO. And the British five-piece hopes this album will grant them some street cred or at the least elevate their status from dismissible '80s hair band to formidable if not seminal pop band, one that has survived 25 years of hits, sold-out tours, the loss of life and limb and that has sold more than 65 million albums worldwide, racking up not one but two extremely rare Diamond Awards (recognizing sales of more than 10 million each) for their albums "Hysteria" and "Pyromania," a feat achieved by only five other bands in history: Pink Floyd, the Eagles, the Beatles, Van Halen and Led Zeppelin.

Def Leppard's concert Thursday night at White River Amphitheatre brought forth the classics (culled from 2005's double disc "Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection") and melded them with the new Leppard, the one that wants to be taken seriously, "Yeah!" The evening may have been one part reminiscent and one part relevant, but to the thousands of fans the show was all RAWK!

With karaoke, one person sings along with a machine. With rock-a-raoke, one person sings along with a cover band. With arena-raoke, thousands of people sing along with the real band. For the duration of the hour-plus set, Def Leppard relished some quality moments. And when this many people come together to recite one song -- true, many sing out of key and many screw up the words -- everyone sings with all their heart. Though each individual has a unique meaning and place for the song, the arena-raoke masses are one. The significance of this unity cannot go unnoticed.

By Shawn Telford @ Seattlepi 2006.

Back

share this page:



get def leppard news

Stay in touch with the latest updates.




explore def leppard tour history
All News
Tour News
Album News
All Tours