[SETLIST] [PA] - Sparkle Lounge Intro, [01] - Rocket, [02] - Animal, [03] - C'mon C'mon, [04] - Foolin', [05] - Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes), [06] - Nine Lives, [07] - Love Bites, [08] - Rick Savage Bass Solo, [09] - Rock On, [10] - Two Steps Behind, [11] - Bringin' On The Heartbreak, [12] - Switch 625, [13] - Hysteria, [14] - Armageddon It, [15] - Photograph, [16] - Pour Some Sugar On Me, [17] - Rock Of Ages, [Encore]: [18] - Bad Actress, [19] - Let's Get Rocked. ------------------------------- [Pic Galleries] - none yet [Show Recording] - none yet [Last Played] - 16th Aug 2005 [Venue Pic Link] - View [Capacity] - 8,312. [Tour Map] - View [Show News] - Here [Support Act] - Billy Idol Def Leppard Fan Videos - NEW

Show 48 - THUR 7th Aug 2008: John Labatt Centre, London, ON, CANADA. [Main Gallery] - Pics by . [Show Notes] - The band last played here in August 2005 with The Tea Party. The venue is home to the London Knights Ice Hockey team. Def Leppard's new album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge | Buy @ Amazon US Buy Man Raze's new album Surreal

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Media Review - by Paige Aarhus - [ Link Back ]

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Rock lives with Idol, Leppard ::

So, what's got nine arms and rocks?

That's right. Def Leppard.

The classic 80s rockers played to a nearly-full house at the John Labatt Centre last night, proving that even if their newer stuff isn't their best, they still know how to plan an excellent set.

Fresh off this year's release of Songs From the Sparkle Lounge, the band, featuring singer John Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell and famed drummer Rick Allen (who lost his left arm in a car crash decades ago) had something to prove this time around.

Songs From the Sparkle Lounge has been criticized as formulaic, sticking to the band's arena rock mentality and failing to recapture their 80s heyday.

Try telling that to last night's crowd.

Def Leppard opened with Rocket, following up with the always popular, fast-paced hit Animal.

And while Elliott might not be as dreamy as Idol, or as involved with the crowd, he still had fists pumping and feet tapping, even in the back rows.

Def Leppard's been called too pop-rock, too hair-metal, and criticized for changing their sound and style to appeal to the masses. Some say the band's lost it.

But they're also one of the few groups in the world that can boast two separate, original albums selling more than 10 million copies each (the others being the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and Pink Floyd).

So maybe the formula works.

At any rate, an arena rock mentality was perfect for last night's show.

After the first two songs, Elliott launched into the opening bars of C'mon, C'mon, straight from the new album. The crowd went wild.

Fans weren't as energetic for Leppard as they were for Idol until the last half of the band's carefully planned set.

After classics Foolin' and Love Bites, and a particularly awe-inspiring drum solo from the bare-footed Allen, Elliott, Campbell and Collen took to acoustic guitars for Bringin' on the Heartbreak.

They paused long enough for Elliott to declare, "This is definitely better than Hamilton," before Campbell and Collen changed guitars without notice and delivered face-melting electric solos.

After that, it was build-up after build-up. Heartbreak led to Armageddon It, followed by Photograph, and topped by Pour Some Sugar on Me. Rock of Ages made for a grand finale. The musicians weren't the only ones dripping sweat after a set like that.

But then, Def Leppard snuck in one of their latest offerings, Bad Actress, for the first encore. It's not that the song is so terrible, just that its strategic placement proves some critics right. Def Leppard is arena-oriented.

Still, every fist was raised for the final song, Let's Get Rocked, and Def Leppard proved once again that they can still get a crowd screaming, singing and reminiscing about the good old days.
Paige Aarhus © The London Free Press 2008.

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