Hidalgo, TX - Media Reviews

Def Leppard make long awaited Valley debut By Miriam Ramirez

It was a memorable night, one that many of us have waited for-for decades.

The British rock band that kept us company throughout High 'N Dry, Hysteria and Pyromania had finally decided to pay a visit to the good 'ol Rio Grande Valley. Where rock runs deep within our tortilla fueled souls. As the digital red curtain glittered in the background the familiar sound of AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" brought the nearly sold out crowd to their feet.

The anticipation was torture.

Suddenly a montage of photos, years of rock, flashed continuously. Watching them (and listening to some amazing arpeggios spilling from the PA system) sent chills up my spine.

"That was then, this is now" the screen stated in bright white letters. And there they were Joe, Phil, Vivian Rick and Rick opening to a thunderous response with "Rocket". Amazing way to start the show, sing along and carefully dissect each member as we've waited to do for so long. Aside from a few extra lb's, frontman Joe Elliot still had that spunk and ability to work a crowd. His voice was a bit strained but you can thank a 30-year career behind the mic for that. We'll let that one slide.

The others...well, I guess some men get better looking with age. I know I'm not the only one who noticed guitarist Phil Collen's chiseled physique. Good lord! I'm sure all of the soccer mom's and antsy cougars in the stands saw what I saw. So back to the music.

"Good evening Rio Grande Valley," Elliot told the audience. "Do you wanna get rocked?"

Uh, heck yeah we do.

Appropriately enough, the band dove into "Let's Get Rocked" followed by a new track off of the Songs From the Sparkle Lounge album "C'mon, C'mon". It was touching to see such a cohesive unit on stage but it was even more moving to see the guys hadn't forgotten the late Steve Clark as images of the guitarist in the form of angel flashed on the big screen. With every song, old or new, the crowd maintained the same excitement from start to finish, something that really took Elliot by surprise it seemed.

He would often take a step back and compliment the fans for the support and even questioned why it took 28 years to get here. Aside from the requisite radio hits I'm sure a lot of rock elitist's were happy to hear a couple songs from the High 'N Dry days which some consider the more rockin' (less commercial) era. Whatever Def Leppard era you're into they strolled right through it with finesse. I'm sure some bitter fortysomething's appreciated "Love Bites" while some of us shed a tear for an amazing acoustic rendition of "Two Steps Behind.

Elliot used his time on stage to fuel the ongoing beef between Poison drummer Rikki Rocket and Bret Michaels who were forced to defend their rock credentials after a jab from Elliot. "Just like Rikki Rocket...f-ing idiot. He's just never seen a good band before," Elliot said after some technical difficulties. Classic. (Even though I love Poison too).

Regardless of what 80s rock band scores higher than the other Def Leppard will always be considered one of the best. Even if you're not into the whole radio rock arena you can't help but appreciate some of the songs. Especially one of the evening's highlight and a song we were all waiting for "Pour Some Sugar on Me".

This show scored some high marks for its simplicity and crowd-pleasing set list. There are very few bands that can accomplish what Def Leppard has and there are even fewer bands out there who can only dream of that kind of longevity.

By The Monitor 2008.

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