Uncasville, CT, USA - Media Reviews

Def Leppard @ Mohegan Sun Arena By Eric

After a half an hour set change, Def Leppard kicked off their set promptly at 9:20pm. From the second the lights went down, the crowd jumped out of their seats and screamed as loud as possible, and Def Leppard came out and opened with the rocking "Hellraiser." The band was full of energy as they moved around the stage and wore nothing but smiles as they took in the fans. Their set was filled with tons of explosive rock hits like "Let's Get Rocked," "Foolin," and "Rocket." After about half an hour of Def Leppard classics, the band dove into some tunes from their latest album, Yeah!, which is all cover songs. First, they gave the crowd a well done version of the Badfinger classic "No Matter What," in which Joe Elliott got to showcase some of his great vocals while Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell ripped through the classic riff of the tune. Rick Savage got his turn next as he gave a kicking bass solo that led into an amazing version of the David Essex classic, "Rock On." For me, this was the highlight of the show. The song was done with expertise that lived up to the original, while still maintaining the Def Leppard flavor. And of course we can't forget the band's great drummer Rick Allen who rocked out hard the entire set.

Def Leppard gave the fans an hour and twenty minute set and concluded it with a two song encore composed of "Love Bites" and the unforgettable "Sugar." This was my second time seeing Def Leppard, the first being in the late 90's. I wasn't too impressed the first time, but after this show I now consider myself a Def Leppard fan. Simply stated, they put on a great f*cking rock show.

By Music Infusion 2006.

A Strange Pairing Of Big '80s Bands By Thomas Kintner

Def Leppard Outplays Tour-Mate Journey. Although their approaches to rock have been radically different throughout their long histories, that Def Leppard and Journey were both popular in the 1980s apparently justifies pairing them for a tour. The double bill stopped at the Mohegan Sun Arena Wednesday night, and Def Leppard got the better of it, justifying its headlining slot with a show that was the more engaging, energetic and fun of the two.

Journey opened the show without that quality; its five-piece rock trip through "Faith in the Heartland" was too overloaded to discern much except Deen Castronovo's booming drumbeats and Neal Schon's ever-wailing guitar. The going was similarly muddy for the driving pop rock of "Be Good to Yourself."

Singer Steve Augeri has spent the better part of a decade in front of the band, but remained a Steve Perry impersonator, whether for the pounding "Wheel in the Sky" or the blustery ballad "Lights." For all his showy flair, Schon was much the same, most impressive for his precision in replicating signature licks such as the grabby opening to "Stone in Love" than for anything fresh.

The eschewing of several hits in favor of the drab recent "Every Generation" and less successful past numbers fell between unpredictability and ill-informed insistence that the band is more than a nostalgia play. But the set closed with the big hits "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)." An encore of "Any Way You Want It" completed the closing trifecta of racing, hook-slathered tunes.

Def Leppard's show was a little longer, a little deeper, and substantially more vital. It had its own creaks as the band opened with a cover of Sweet's "Hell Raiser" and a throbbing trip through "Let It Go," both of which were salvaged by the dynamic electric-guitar pair of Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell.

Singer Joe Elliott started the show slowly, sounding like he was trying to keep up with "Let's Get Rocked." By mid-show, he was in gear with the rest of the five-man band, yelping through tunes such as "Photograph" and "Armageddon It" with aplomb.

The group's new album focuses on covers of classic rock tunes, and, while unremarkable for their fresh twists, takes on "No Matter What You Do" and "Rock On" were more possessed of rock verve than any contemporary material Journey conjured up.

Def Leppard's greatest strength remains its accessibility and sheer rock power, backed by drummer Rick Allen for the bludgeoning closer, "Rock of Ages." An encore of "Love Bites" was the show's most plodding moment, but the insistently rhythmic "Pour Some Sugar on Me" made up for those doldrums.

By Hartford Courant 2006.

Back

share this page: