Knoxville, TN - Media Reviews

Def Leppard, Journey rock Knoxville, early in tour that brings them to Summerfest By Ryan Wilusz

If you went to Thompson-Boling Arena on Wednesday night for a rowdy rock ‘n’ roll show — crowd surfing, beer slinging and head banging — you probably left disappointed. But in 2018, that’s not what Def Leppard and Journey are about.

Maybe back in their day they tore the roof down, but the bands have grown up over the years. So what makes them still must-see acts? Well, their fans have grown up with them.

The band members may be in their 50s and 60s, but their songs never get old for fans. They were the soundtracks to high school dances, first kisses and late-night cruises for many in attendance. And who wouldn’t want to relive those moments?

There were some young people in the crowd. I guess you have rockin’ moms and dads to thank for that. But no matter fans’ backgrounds, Journey welcomed them with open arms. Def Leppard did, too — and that’s no foolin’.

As part of this 58-city North American tour, Def Leppard and Journey are co-headlining the American Family Insurance Amphitheater at Milwaukee's Summerfest on July 4.

Journey continues to believe

It’s hard to replace any member of a band. Finding a new frontman may seem impossible.

For the past 11 years, Arnel Pineda has belted vocals for Journey in place of Steve Perry. And for 90 minutes Wednesday, Pineda showed fans why he’s more than fitting for the job.

Pineda is from the Phillipines, but he made the runway his home most of the night. He stuck his microphone in fans’ faces for them to sing along. Heck, he even stuck his own face in fans’ faces to sing along with them.

At one point, Pineda hopped off stage to take a short lap around the arena. It seemed that by the time fans spotted him across the room, he already was in their section.

Pineda's energy probably could have lasted another 90 minutes past the end of the show, but the show couldn't be done alone.

The music from Neal Schon, Ross Valory, Steve Smith and Jonathan Cain kept fans dancing throughout the set. But it was an unlikely song that brought most fans to their feet: “Faithfully.”

As the band slowed things down, hands wrapped around waists and eyes stared deep into eyes. Although “Faithfully” has been heard by thousands of ears since its release in 1983, it’s safe to say that multiple couples in the crowd considered the song to be their own.

But the true highlight of the night — anyone could have guessed it.

You either love "Don't Stop Believin'" because its objectively good or you hate it because it’s been overplayed. Either way, the crowd went into a frenzy as soon as the first piano chord hit and Pineda slipped on a Tennessee basketball jersey.

Unfortunately for the maintenance workers and very fortunately for everyone else, the tune ended in an explosion of confetti that only seemed fitting given the caliber of the song.

The band then walked off stage and returned so quickly that I’m not sure whether to call it an encore or just part of the setlist. Regardless, the band closed with “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” an odd choice considering the epic “finale” that just took place.

But everything was OK as a few pieces of confetti still were falling from the sky when the band said "thank you" and "goodbye." But really, it was the crowd that should have been doing the thanking. Journey put on one spectacular show.

Are you ready to rocket?

To say Def Leppard "has still got it" would be vague and unfair.

If by “it” you mean the rock’ ‘n’ roll look, then sure. Rick Savage wore some glamorous pink pants Wednesday night and Phil Collen had his bare chest showing throughout the set. The latter should be no surprise.

But if by “it” you mean the same energy the group had when they were just four ambitious young lads in 1970s England, then no. A lot has changed since then — the lineup, band members’ health and the entire music industry, to name a few.

But there is one major thing the band still has, and that’s the ability to keep fans on the edge of their seats and, in many cases, completely out of them.

Prior to Def Leppard taking the stage, an unknown voice asked fans if they were ready to “rocket.” Can anyone guess what the first song was?

The lights cut out and screens rose toward the ceiling, revealing the band backlit and standing still. The master musicians soon erupted into “Rocket” before breezing through a handful of hits.

The middle of the set suffered from a slight lull, but it soon picked back up when vocalist Joe Elliot left the stage, leaving the instrumentalists in the spotlight to do what they do best.

I’m not sure what you call a solo being played by two people — a duo perhaps? Whatever you call the craft, guitarists Vivian Campbell and Collen mastered it about an hour into the set. Drummer Rick Allen then showed what he had in his arsenal.

Barefoot and with one arm, as most Def Leppard fans know, Allen jumped right into a solo of his own. The speedy strikes on the drums caused the arena to roar.

Allen finished the solo with a peace sign straight up in the air. As the camera zoomed closer to his upward-pointed fingers, the crowd got increasingly louder. The drummer then stared directly into the camera and smiled, causing multiple crowd members to turn to their neighbor and do the same.

But by far, the coolest moment of the night came immediately after the solo session. The band went into a live version of “Hysteria” that was perfectly synchronized with classic live performances of the same song. A slideshow of old photos also played on screen.

Before transitioning into “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, the song ended with an outro of David Bowie’s “Heroes.”

But it wasn’t just the slideshow, the shout out or the synchronization that sent fans back to the early days. Visuals of neon strips and old TVs sets established a 1980s theme throughout the night. In fact, the entire production was impressive, from well-organized video packages to mesmerizing laser lights.

By Journal Sentinel 2018.

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