Brisbane, QLD, Australia - Media Reviews

Def Leppard, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Oct 27 By Matt Shea

It would be hard to come across a band more lovingly anachronistic than Def Leppard. These Brits are firmly a product of the 1980s, when their pop-metal loomed over the music charts like a carefully coiffed colossus. Back then, you felt they could have gone either way: towards the slashing technicality of heavier groups such as Metallica (they certainly had the heads for involved production); or the glammed-up hair metal of bands such as Poison and Motley Crue (they certainly had the look). But Leppard ended up occupying their own space, one where the respectable and ridiculous magically intersect.

Seeing them live is an interesting experience. The Brisbane Entertainment Centre tonight is a touch short of full capacity, but an eclectic assortment of freaks, geeks, rabble rousers and respectables nevertheless go crazy-eight bonkers as lights lift and the band's revealed atop Rick Allen's drum platform. As it turns out, though, they actually start a little flat, their new single 'Undefeated' itself impressing, but front man Joe Elliott seeming just a yard off his best. I dunno: perhaps everybody was still tuned into Heart, who'd done a terrific job of warming up the crowd (despite the, ahem, non-appearance of 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You' - that's my buddy who's no doubt today busily spamming their Facebook page with invective).

Still, it makes you notice how hard the whole of Def Leppard work their vocal parts. So much of what on record you take to be Elliott is in fact bassist Rick Savage and duelling guitarists, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell. It frees Elliott up to pigeon-toe around the stage and save himself for the high-notes, which a few songs in he begins to hit with admirable accuracy. The bulk of the set tonight of course ends up being lifted from Hysteria, Leppard's 1987 kiss-off to the Cold War era that unleashed no less than seven singles. They're dolled out as careful as candy, lest too much at once has the audience losing its collective mind. Thus you get a stone cold classic like 'Love Bites' bumping up against the middling 'Make Love Like A Man' - the most embarrassing song in history? Almost certainly.

Thankfully, the band have plenty of great material elsewhere in their catalogue, so the set tends to take more right turns than wrong. There are occasions when the players' indulgences get the better of them, such as the interminable shred that comes packaged with 'Rocket', or a tiring two-song acoustic breakdown that would be better saved for Def Leppard's family holidays. But each time the audience starts to get a little 'wtf?' they're brought back from their Twitter feeds with a sterling rendition of 'Armageddon It' or maybe 'Pour Some Sugar On Me', which closes the main section of the show in giddy style.

The band come back for an encore with 'Rock Of Ages', and in terms of an ending it's probably a bit of a misstep. Yet the crowd tonight hardly care: they hoot and holler and hold up their Union Jacks. You're reminded Leppard are very much their own band, and perhaps that focuses the nostalgia people feel for them. Elliott promises they'll return, and given the price of the tickets and busy merch desk I can totally understand why. Not to be churlish: these guys may be a long way from the glory of their in-the-round concerts of 1988, but like any group of their era they're super tight and know how to handle a big stage. In any case, they'll rightly be welcomed back to Australia.

By Everguide 2011.

Reviewed Def Leppard and Heart By Tarnia Bell

Tonight as I entered the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, I felt like I was stepping into a time machine. I was about to see three bands that I, along with the crowd mainly consisting of people over the age of thirty had loved and grown up listening to in the era that was the 80s. I had seen both Def Leppard and Choirboys before, but this to be my first time seeing Heart, as this was their first time in Australia. There were some younger people ready and waiting to see these three bands and they were just as enthusiastic as the rest of us.

Choirboys started the night off sounding great. By the time they got to their song 'Boys will Be Boys', the crowd were all singing along and really enjoying what they were hearing. Choirboys finished their set with their 1987 hit 'Run to Paradise' and you could tell that the crowd had really enjoyed it. Lead Singer Mark Gable thanked not only the fans, but Def Leppard for bringing them on tour. It was a really heart felt thank you that got the crowd even more ready to see Def Leppard. But first we had the amazingly talented Heart to see first.

With a bit of a light show to get us ready the Wilson sisters, Ann and Nancy, along with their band Heart came on stage and lead vocalist Ann Wilson let us hear her amazing voice. At sixty one years old Ann could have been mistaken for a woman of twenty. She looks and sounds fantastic. She, along with sister Nancy who did a high kick in the air while playing guitar, proved that age has nothing to do with true talent. With songs like 'Alone', 'What about Love' and even a cover of John Farnham's, 'Your the Voice' and sister Nancy Wilson stepping up to the mic and singing 'These Dreams', you forget just how many great songs Heart have produced over the years. The audience favourite was of coarse the final song, Heart's 1977 hit, 'Barracuda', which ended with thunderous applause, proving that the Wilson sisters truly are rock goddesses.

As the roadies started setting up the stage for headliners Def Leppard, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre started to fill up with not only people, but anticipation. It was obvious that although Choirboys and Heart were amazing, it was Def Leppard that the crowd were waiting to see. With anticipation brewing, Def Leppard took the stage to deafening crowd applause. By their second song 'Let's Get Rocked', the audience could no longer contain themselves and stay in their seats. The fans were up dancing , singing and jumping around. With Def Leppard jumping into all their classic hits like 'Animal', by the fourth song into their set, it was standing ovations all around.

Lead Singer Joe Elliot told us that this tour, ‘The Mirror Ball’ tour ,would take us back to the 80’s and even though it was only for a few hours, that is what Def Leppard did. When they started singing their hit ballad ‘Love Bites’ there was cigarette lighters in raised hands swaying all through the crowd. The song ‘Rock It’ had the crowd once again out of their seats.

The older crowd were ecstatic to see that Def Leppard, who we had grown up with and had posters on our walls of, were still kicking ass and sounding great. After a few acoustic songs and a chat to the crowd, it was back to the classics such as 'Hysteria' and 'Armageddon' and not only an amazing, but inspiring drum solo by drummer Rick Allen. The final song, 'Pour Some Sugar on Me', sent the crowd into a frenzy and wanting more, which Def Leppard obliged with one final encore. There was no fancy stage set up or pyro show, just good rock n roll played at its best. Def Leppard kept our attention from start to finish with amazing vocals, Rick Allen's inspiring drums and awesome guitar riffs. Def Leppard truly still knows what it means to put on a fantastic rock n roll show.

By Live Guide 2011.

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