Melbourne, VIC, Australia - Media Reviews

Heart & Def Leppard By Jim Schembri

VINTAGE rock acts don't want forgiving fans to cut them slack, they want to prove they can still cut it - and that's (almost) precisely what Heart and Def Leppard did as they serenaded a packed, crowd of old-school rock fans.

After a dutiful warm-up by local lads the Choirboys, the strains of Led Zeppelin's In the Light introduced Heart to a rousing roar as Wilson sisters Ann (vocals, flute) and Nancy (guitar) kicked off with Kick It Out and their classic Magic Man.

At 61, Ann's voice defied time's ravages with the power ballad What About Love and a surprising, heartfelt rendition of John Farnham's You're the Voice; Nancy's elongated acoustic intro to Crazy on You stilled the room.

Inexplicably, Heart's proto-speed metal anthem Barracuda was delivered at what sounded like half-speed - a sizeable let-down in an otherwise powerful, all-too-brief set. Judging from the reaction, though, it would be a shame if Heart's first Australian tour was their last.

Proving they're more pop-rock than heavy metal, Def Leppard quickly recovered from a bland start as they fed their army a slickly deployed hit parade. The highlights were as predictable as they were rousing: Undefeated, Photograph, Let's Get Rocked, Rocket, Rock of Ages, Love Bites and their signature Pour Some Sugar on Me pleased an air-punching crowd that delighted in the Vivian Campbell/Phil Collen guitar duels.

The band simply didn't need the largely useless bank of giant LED video screens, which mainly showed coloured blobs and elements from their videos. The music was big enough.

By The Age 2011.

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