Media Review - by Martin Herron - [ Link Back ]
Animal Magic - Def Leppard's Home Triumph (Front Page)
Monsters Incorporated
Def-ening evening as rock greats join forces.
Punk could not wither them nor acid house stale their infinite variety. Def Leppard and Whitesnake - two of the real monsters of rock - took to the stage at Sheffield Arena last night.
Between them the bands have more than 60 years of live performances under their belts, and have weathered the change in trends over the last 30 years - Leppard are one of the city of steel's major metal exports.
Formed in 1977 by pupils from Sheffield's Tapton and King Edward's schools the band are rock legends. One of the top selling acts of the 80s, shifting more than 65 million albums, they became one of only five rock acts to have two original albums sell more than 10 million in the US. The other four are The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Van Halen.
And, playing a home fixture, they gave the punters what they wanted - the hits like Animal and Pour Some Sugar On Me were greeted with open arms by committed fans.
And their hits from through the ages were greeted with rapturous applause from the devoted metalheads.
Whitesnake also formed in 1977 - though they had more of a known pedigree when they first took to the boards. Put together by former Deep Purple frontman David Coverdale their early career was dogged by accusations of sexism - Lie Down, I Think I Love You being a typical song title. But they hit the heights in the late 80s with huge hits such as Is This Love and Here I Go Again. In the last 30 years their line-up has boasted 34 members.
At the Arena last night the band boasted only one original member - Coverdale himself.
But they're pros - Coverdale above all others - and the retinue of biggies were there in full effect. At times the poodle rock teetered into self-parody but the faithful didn't notice - fists were punched and heads were banged as expected.
It may be a tried and tested formula but a bucketful of ballsy blues from both bands meant everyone went home happy.
Martin Herron © The Star 2008.
Fan Review - Amy from Michigan - [ Add Yours ]
Good Evening Sheffield...do ya wanna get rocked? - Pic Gallery
As always it was brilliant to be back in the Leps' hometown for this monumental occasion. I flew in from Michigan on the Saturday and spent the weekend in Sheffield prior to the concert. After paying homage to the Legends by visiting their star in front of Town Hall earlier in the day and having visited Steve's grave in Hillsborough the day prior, it was time to see if the hometown heroes could still put on a show as awesome as they did in 2006.
Arriving at the Sheffield Arena well before the doors opened, my concert-mate and I were fortunate to score stands in the second row at the end of the thrust stage. Aptly named, as David Coverdale would soon prove. We truly had a bird's-eye view (no pun intended) and the most up-close experience I've ever had at a Leppard concert. Well worth the 3,800-mile trans-Atlantic flight, this.
The openers, Black Stone Cherry, were quite good; but having already stood on our feet for nearly four hours, I had no idea how we'd survive until the headliners took the stage. Ditto for Whitesnake - surprisingly good live despite relatively new band members, but let's get to the Leps. I must give David Coverdale credit, though, he is indeed "not bad for 56" as he boasted. Making full use of the thrust stage, his mic stand, and a few female admirers in the front row, DC is a charismatic front man, Yorkshire Tea and all. His "'ere's a song for ya" intros did get a bit old, but nevertheless. In addition, new axeman Doug Aldrich was downright brilliant! Wielding his Les Paul expertly, he reminded me a bit of the late great Steve Clark, especially during his acoustic version of the beautiful track, The Deeper the Love.
Now for the piece de resistance, the one, the only, DEF LEPPARD! Funny how all the fatigue from the last five or six hours just melts away as soon as the curtain drops and the guys appear in front of a dynamic backdrop. The stage and screen presentation were absolutely fantastic this time, adding even more excitement to an already exhilarating show. The way Joe, Sav, and Phil dash across stage, you'd never guess they were a day past 25. Apparently rock and roll keeps ya young!
To be honest, I must say Joe sounded better this time than any of the 9 previous times I've seen/heard him. He's recovered from his respiratory infection in fine form, his voice sounding stronger than ever. "Dressed to Kill" in his English country gentleman t-shirt, he truly seems larger than life, especially from the second row. Fortunately for us, Joe also made good (but less suggestive) use of the thrust stage and at one point even doused the sweaty crowd with droplets from his water bottle. Now there's a front man who cares about his fans.
As usual, it was hard to see much of the Thunder God, but we knew he was there, keeping the beat. Ever smiling amidst his incense and sunflower, this guy just gets better and better. Fun to see Rick wearing his Hysteria t-shirt in a nod to the glory days. He received another thunderous and well-deserved hometown welcome, as did t'other Rick in the band.
Sav dazzled in all white, striking an especially Steve-like pose in his Rock On opening solo. Other than Joe's slightly dodgy introduction of him as "the guy my parents let into my bedroom 30 years ago...to see my record collection," Sav projects true rock royalty. Despite his notoriously introverted off-stage nature, on stage he is genuinely engaged and engaging with the audience, a real joy to watch. There is no finer bass player in the world, and it's gratifying to see Sav revel in his moment in the spotlight in Rock On (an otherwise useless addition to the setlist), during Rocket; and as he sings along with all his might to all the classics like Hysteria and WLAHC, a treat to hear in England as it's never on US setlists.
You didn't think I forgot the best part, did you? The reason we arrived early for second row and stood stage left? Loud and proud from London Town (although introduced this time as an honorary Yorkshireman from Walthamstow), Mr Phil 'Flamenco' Collen! Whether shirted or not, Phil shines brighter than the sun, with a presence 10X Bigger Than Love and certainly larger than his fifty-and-fit-five-foot-seven physique. This one's for the ladies: the shirt disappeared this time after only the FIRST song. Yes, it was indeed hot in Sheffield Arena. What can I say, he's as brilliant as his bling on every song and utter, stutter, and stammer fun to watch. Full of smiles, high-fives, and rock-star poses, Phil could be a one-man band. For his first moment in the spotlight, Joe leans over and hands Phil the mic to solo his Cockney rhyming rap in MLLAM. Phil, of course, does so with gusto; and rewards Joe with a cheeky kiss! I don't think this went down as well with the blokes in the audience, but to admiring females, we were all a bit jealous of Joe for a minute.
Guitar-wise, Phil added particular flair in the reworked ride-out to Hysteria. Again, WLHAC sounded even better live thanks to his heartfelt and ever-so-slightly countrified guitar licks; perhaps a sign of influence from Nine Lives co-star Tim McGraw.
You can tell Phil's part in writing Nine Lives, as he plays it enthusiastically and expertly. We were treated to an appearance from one of his favourite Hysteria-era guitars, the Jackson Bela Lugosi. Seeing Phil gesturing to a tech to "turn out the lights,"
I tried to snap a picture of Bela glowing in the dark; but it didn't turn out. I did get lots of other great shots of Phil, capturing his on-stage intensity beautifully as he gazes down at his guitar and smiles out into the crowd.
The setlist had a few hits and a few misses. As aforementioned, WLAHC was a treat for me to hear live, as were the new songs from Sparkle Lounge. MLLAM is also rarely featured in America; and with Phil singing lead if only for a few seconds, it's one of my favourite live songs. Hysteria is superb with the reworked ending, and the classics like Animal, ROA, Photograph, and PSSOM never fail to disappoint. I don't see how they can play these songs so many nights in a row, for so many years, and still have the energy they bring to these rockers. God bless you, boys.
I would like to see them add more High 'n' Dry and earlier songs such as Another Hit and Run or Let It Go. Although I love Switch 625, I am glad they didn't feature it this time. It's not the same without Steve, and I'd say the same of my other favourite, Love Bites. I didn't miss that in the UK setlists. Another song that's fun to hear live, even if it's a bit of a yawn on record, is Two Steps Behind. Seeing four guys on stools playing acoustic guitars, Master Tuner Joe included, that's what makes a concert a concert - something you have to experience in person. Especially with the thrust stage, TSB allows them to "get closer" to the ever-appreciative fans in the audience and provided for some great photo ops.
Of the new songs other than Nine Lives, C'Mon C'Mon was probably the best live version. It was accompanied by a very entertaining montage on the video screen complete with faces of friends and family members; see London review for highlights on that. Another funny video segment was the new backdrop for Animal, showing each of the current five members as an animal. Sav of course was named a Savage Beast.
Whilst Bad Actress seemed a strange choice for the encore, Let's Get Rocked went down very well and closed the show with a bang (so to speak). The energy these guys bring to an otherwise silly song is positively infectious and left the full house at Sheffield Arena rocked and satisfied. Joe holding the Union flag with Sav, Rick, and Phil surrounding him will be my lasting memory of not only this concert but their devoted return to their home country. Until next time, and there better be a next time!
[Webmaster: Review rating - "4" Stars.]
Fan Review - Stephen Deary - [ Add Yours ]
As a long time Lep fan (over 25 years), I made the journey over from Canada to the UK to see relatives and see the guys on their home turf so to speak. I was fortunate to get tickets for the Sheffield show. Let me say I have seen all the Leppard tours since Hysteria and this gig was the highlight for me. Of course I enjoyed other tours as I heard songs you just don't hear anymore (Don't shoot shotgun, All I want is everything, Paper Sun, etc) but this gig was the home town one and it rocked. I enjoyed the fact that I finally was able to hear "When Love and Hate Collide" live as this song doesn't get played in North America. In addition I enjoyed hearing the 3 songs from Sparkle Lounge especially Bad Actress as we don't get the dueling solos from Phil & Viv on Rocket anymore. I could go into details on the songs but Darren has done that perfect as he always does. It was too bad I missed the chance to meet Darren. I was in the 3rd row standing on Phil's side, and Darren was at the end of the walkway. I guess you can say I wasn't hard to miss as I was wearing a Red hoody with "Canada" on it. A fact that wasn't missed by the guys as Phil and Sav gave me the thumbs up and nods of approval when they saw me. Before the gig I managed to take in the Sites at Sheffield (Don Valley, City Hall, etc, and pay my respects at Steve's grave (I also left a small Canadian Flag at his memorial to represent the Canadian fans). All and all a great night to remember and one that I would like to repeat if they tour the UK again on their next release.
So as I was about to close that chapter on my trip, little did I know I was about to have an even bigger highlight of my UK trip. While in Birmingham I had the privilege of meeting Huwey Lucas (the other guitarist who auditioned after Steve's death besides Vivian). We talked for about an 1/2 hour and I can honestly say that the guy is a first rate bloke and would have fit in nicely with Def Leppard if they would have went that route. It was great to hear from him about the details behind his audition and his meeting with Q-Prime through the process. Huwey had many great things to say about the guys and wished them nothing but the best. For me this was such a cool meeting as I still have the Rolling Stone article that first talks about Huwey in it. As Darren mentioned in his review if you ever have the chance to see Def Leppard in their home town do it. I plan to take his advice and do it more often.
Media Review - by Dave Attrill - [ Link Back ]
DEF LEPPARD/WHITESNAKE + Black Stone Cherry
The trimming of their set length this year may come at the expense of 'Rock Rock' and 'Action', live mainstays for fourteen years but even more surprsing is the decision taken to open the night with 'Rocket', not that there are any complaints obviously. New material from the 'Sparkle Lounge' disc is met with low amounts of resentment too - 'C'mon, c'mon' being played in superb synchrony with the single's video projected on the screen which for the uninformed is the basis for the album's front sleeve pic. Amp gremlins suddenly take hold and it takes until Joe begins singing to identify 'Animal' in its accidentally re-made drum/bass/vocal only form. Phil's widdlnig can however just be deciphered halfway along.
Dave Attrill © metalville 2008 - (see link for full review).