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[ X UK/Irish Tour 2003 Page 3 ]
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THUR Feb 27th 2003: BriXton Carling Academy, London, ENGLAND. Fan Review :: by Cubbz This is one of the most awesome gigs that I have ever been to. Luckily, I was on the first row, against the railing, and had a chance to get some good close up pictures. Awesome Awesome Awesome! Cant wait to see them again!!!!!.
Fan Review :: by Bryan What can you say that hasn't already been said about this tour? Def Leppard once again put together a bill that was shit hot. None of these crap support bands on this tour. Ricky Warwick was excellent, having the balls to stand up there and do a set with just an electric acoustic guitar for company is amazing and well recieved by a crowd who wanted to rock!! Highlight of his set was a special appearance by Viv on guitar helping to bolster the sound. Can't wait to hear Ricky with a full band behind him. If The Darkness had started 20 years ago they would have been huge. They had all the riffs and posturing and then some they've even got the terrible dress sense, pink trousers anyone, all in all a good party band and a great support before the might of Def Leppard. It was great to see the band enjoying themselves so much. Each one of them had a massive shit eating grin on their face from beginning to end. Everything was so tight and their wasn't a weak link in the set. The new songs slotted in well along side the old standard live tracks with "Long Long Way to Go" in particular sounding fantastic, hopefully the band won't wait so long until their next tour, I don't know if I could stand the wait.
Media Review :: by Gavin H You know the bit in Men In Black, where the old guy (Tommy Lee Jones’ original partner) realises he’s a bit past it and the reins are subsequently handed over to the younger, somewhat fresher model (Will Smith)? Well, as I arrive at the Brixton Academy, it feels as though this concert has all the makings of being the musical version of that scenario. Vintage rockers Def Leppard have been treading the boards for some 24 years now and nobody would forgive them if they suddenly decided to call it a day and pass the gauntlet on to new blood. Tonight’s support act, The Darkness, would happily take up that offer, but if the old hands have anything to do with it, they’ll soldier on for a good few more years yet. I’d like to take this opportunity to express my feelings of discontent about the Brixton Academy staff. Having waited in the guest list queue for 25 minutes, watching the standard queue disappear into the building, I finally get to the door to collect my photo pass, only to be told it isn’t there. As I make a phone call to find out if it’s definitely been left for me, several others are turned away, all of whom are adamant that their actual tickets are awaiting them. The doorman’s answer to these dejected people is “we’ve got literally 300 tickets to look through here and they’re all over the place”. When I’m turned away for a second time I ask him why it’s so difficult to find people's tickets/passes, surely they’re in alphabetical order of people’s surname. Apparently “it’s not as simple as that mate”. Well clearly, sir, you are! Before I can argue any longer I hear The Darkness take to the stage, so give up on my photo pass and make my way into the venue. This is the third time I’ve seen this band perform live and it’s no secret that I think they are fantastic. The hardcore Def Leppard fans warm to the music and the flamboyant stage antics of frontman Justin Hawkins, whose choice of attire tonight is pink leather trousers and a pale pink T-shirt. By the third song, ‘The Best Of Me’, the audience have taken to clapping in time to the music and the warm applause that follows is taken with appreciative, though somewhat surprised smirks from the band. New single ‘Get Your Hands Off My Woman’ goes down a storm and Justin leaves the stage momentarily, only to return in a leopard-skin catsuit. The guy is a genius, and one of the best frontmen I have ever seen. How many other people can you name who could fit ‘guitar playing behind head’, ‘flexing and kissing of one’s biceps’ and countless scissor kicks in the space of a half-hour set? Debut single ‘I Believe In A Thing Called Love’ draws the set towards the end, before an extended version of B-Side ‘Love On The Rocks (With No Ice)’ brings the house down, with Justin riding through the crowd aloft one of the crew’s shoulders. So, with the newcomers flying high, just how do the experienced chaps better that? Well, for a start they burst on to the stage with plenty of energy and enthusiasm and the response from the crowd shows that they are clearly up for it. Def Leppard always were the Iron Maiden that your mum quite liked, thanks to a whole arsenal of ballady rock numbers. The acoustic ‘Two Steps Behind’ and new tracks ‘You’re So Beautiful’ and ‘Long Long Way To Go’ are all greeted with large amounts of swaying and smiling faces and as I look around the crowd I’m surprised to see that, at 26, I’m by no means the youngest person here. An hour into the set and I find myself enjoying it a lot more than I expected. Recent single ‘Now’ rocks - big time, while ‘Hysteria’ and the tongue'n'cheek ‘Make Love Like A Man’ remind me how of when I used to listen to the band constantly during my college years. The best part of the set, by far, comes in the final third, which is dedicated to the old classics. ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’, ‘Animal’, ‘Armageddon It’, ‘Rock Of Ages’ and a blistering 10 minute version of ‘Rocket’ bring the show to an incredible climax and there’s still just enough time for their biggest hit ‘When Love And Hate Collide’ before they say their farewells and disappear backstage. So, the verdict is that, whist they might have added a few inches to the old waistlines and the odd wrinkle to their faces, Def Leppard still know how to rock and set a fine example to the youngsters. As for The Darkness, they surely have all of that to come and hopefully at least 24 years of it too. © Gavin H 2003 :: (Link expired).
Media Review :: by Marqvas This past Thursday night I went down to the Brixton Academy to see ‘Def Leppard’ complete the UK tour in support of their latest release ‘X’. The academy is synonymous with all that is musical and you name the greats and they’ve all probably played there. ‘Def Leppard’ presented a tight uncomplicated package of hits. Tracks from my favourite ‘Pyromania’ through ‘Hysteria’ through to their latest release ‘X’. A jam packed Academy were on their feet from the first bar and for two hours ‘Def Leppard’ had the audience eating from their palms. Me on the other hand was not so easily taken. Lets take a quick review of the situation. Nice venue, which allows for a good view of the stage. Good lighting rig used well and a nice sound that was not a distorting sludge fest like some other venues around the corner. A top quality act that have sold literally billions of albums and have had more hits than brain cells. Yes, they worked the audience well with a mix of hard rock delights like ‘Foolin’ to an acoustical jam on tracks like ‘Two Step Behind’. (Mention must be made of bassist Rick Savage who must be the coolest looking bassist one can have in a band). So what’s the problem? I can’t help feeling that they lost the plot after ‘Pyromania’ and changed from a ‘Heavy Rock’ act into a bubblegum ‘Pop Rock’ outfit churning out the same sounding chewable –recyclable ballady type poppycock. Yes, the eighties to be ‘in’ you had to show versatility with a cool ballad but shit Sherlock regurgetation is for cows! The ‘X’ release is a watered down viscous of ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Euphoria’ = ‘We Bore Ya’…To me real 'Def Leppard' is when they’re ‘High ‘ Dry’ whilst travelling ‘On Through the Night’ suffering from ‘Pyromania’. © Marqvas 2003 :: (Link expired).
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