Kris and I went to Def Leppard last Saturday night. She has been looking forward to the show since the day they announced it since Def Leppard is her favorite band. I originally thought it would be easy night since we wouldn’t have to deal with the crowds from Summerfest (which we had to do the lat time we saw Def Leppard at the Marcus Ampitheater). Well I forgot that last weekend was Festa Italiana, which I would say is the biggest lakefront ethnic festival. So everyone going to the concert was herded through one entrance, which took a little while to get in, but we dealt with it.
The Cheap Trick and Poison were the opening acts, and I have to say that Cheap Trick was pretty good. I haven’t heard from them since about 1988, so I was assuming they would play their 3 or 4 big hits, which includes ‘I Want You to Want Me’ (Yawn). But I was surprised when they played a few “forgotten songs” that I never hear played on the radio (She’s Tight, Dream Police, Tonight It’s You). They did seven or eight songs, and on a scale of 1 to 5 I’d give them a Solid 4. Rick Neilsen is always entertaining (man does that guy sweat!) and Robin Zander’s pipes are as good as ever.
Poison was a little disappointing. Their sound was screachy, and they had a lot of feedback during the show. While C.C . Is still a great guitarist and he looked great (though a tad bit orange... Lay off the tanning beds man) Bret Michaels is becoming a bit of a joke with his stupid reality show. Bobby Dall I have always thought was a total jag, and he didn’t disappoint. A mediocre bass player at best. All in all, they played the songs everyone wanted to hear (me included) but I think it could have been better. I’d give them a 3 out of 5.
Then the Leps came on promptly at 9:30. I should say that we have seen Def Leppard 4 times in the last 5 years, but they have always tried to do some different things to keep the show fresh, like mixing in some older songs that they haven’t played in a while, or like when they played all of side one of High and Dry. I can’t say there was much new in the show, but the performance was A1. I have ever seen these guys mail it in during a show. On a scale of 1 to 5, they get a 4.5.
However, that being said, as always, I have two complaints with their show, the length, and the variety. They have been around for almost 30 years and have a significant library of work, so why only do 14 songs? They could easily headline a tour without an opening act (or acts) and play for a good 2 or 2 and a half hours. I would have no problem shelling out more $$$ to see them play longer. The second complaint relates a lot to the first. They play the same songs every time we see them. It used to be that if you put out a new album you played maybe 5 or 6 songs from that album and mixed in about another 10 or 12 from your career. But the last few times They have played one song from the new record and they rest has been a greatest hits show (mainly Pyromania and Hysteria). Now I understand their thinking, they are playing the songs that the fans want to hear and that’s fine, but how is anyone going to get any exposure to your new stuff unless you play it live? You play the one single that gets released and that’s it.
For the entire show I would give it a 3.5 out of 5, but that is mainly because Poison blew so much. Take away Poison and the show gets 4 or 4.5 for content and entertainment value.
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