Madison, WI, USA - Media Review Quotes

By The Shepherd

In comparison to previous tours, Def Leppard’s stage show relied more on the basics and less on the flash and glitz. Not totally without optic tech pleasures and the use of a giant jumbo tron, the focus was more on song, feel, and energy. Once the massive tapestry came down, a sonic journey from past to present unfolded.

Old school fans, those of us who were drawn to the metal side of On Through The Night and Pyromania, found pleasure in the early Let It Go and the later Foolin. Like all bands on the bill, a legendary career spanning close to 40 years, gave birth to iconic albums, especially the beloved Hysteria. From that, Animal, Rocket and Armageddon It served up the hard rock still accessible, but the melting point came from Hysteria and Love Bites. With the opening notes of the latter ballad I imagine recollections of first love and first heartbreak, and I hearkened back to a snowy Christmas Eve night, hearing the words “I’m in love with you” from a girl I thought would be by my side forever. Of course, eventually she did Bring on the Heartbreak, and became a memory, just as Phil Collen dressed in gold shoes and belt, rocking out shirtless (has he ever worn a shirt) will do. With a physique like his, I wouldn’t wear one either- what work out plan is he on?

Part in the present, but full of nostalgia, it was great to see Ric Savage and Vivian Campbell. Walking down amnesia lane is proper and planned with Def Leppard, but they still pushed their current work with Dangerous. Collen stood with Joe Elliot, ripped some killer chords, and let flow a relatively unknown track that felt more familiar than it should, comfortably in the DL camp.

Veterans that they are, they kept us waiting until the encore. It was worth the wait. Rock of Ages and Photograph ended a fun night with frenzy and power, just what the metalheads in the stadium showed up for. We all had the albums back in the day, now we collect (or re-collect) those gems once again.

By Welovemetal 2016.

By Tommy Leu

Finally, Def Leppard delivered a multi-media spectacle of sound, lights, and video from the first song to the last. Joe Elliot, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell also brought a high-caliber performance. The numerous requisite hits were played including “Animal,” “Foolin,” “Armageddon It,” “Love Bites,” “Let It Go,” “Rocket,” “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” and the encore numbers “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph.” Replicating 1981’s High & Dry record, the band performed the excellent “Switch 625” instrumental as a tag on to “Bringing On The Heartbreak.”

This highlight of the evening featured drummer Rick Allen’s mini-solo at the end of the tune which moved the crowd to near hysteria. Allen nonverbally thanked the crowd with big smiles directly into his drum camera, and flew the double-finger peace sign high above his kit, which understandably brought the house down even more for obvious reasons. And speaking of hysteria, the band’s monster hit of the same name was another highlight tune augmented by a moving video of archive footage of the band’s long history on the giant screen throughout. This segment in particular brought back a lot of memories and reminded me of just how big a cultural phenomenon Def Leppard was for someone roundabout my age. The fact is, you couldn’t escape the mighty Lep back in the 1980’s whether you were a fan or not.

By Anti Hero Magazine 2016.

Read the full review/17 photos at - antiheromagazine.com

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