Edmonton, AB - Media Reviews

Def-ening Leppard! By Neal Watson

Rock 'n' roll shows, like shopping malls in Edmonton, are generally conceived with the idea that the newer and bigger the gimmick, the better.

But for the enormous Hysteria world tour which was in town at the Coliseum last night, English rockers Def Leppard decided to go back to the past for their gimmick.

They stuck their multi-tiered stage smack-dab in the middle of 14,000 ecstatic fans on the Coliseum floor. It's not a new idea, but it's one that's seldom used by rock bands and never on the scale now employed by Def Leppard.

And with the use of some truly dazzling lighting that included a laser light show, the old gimmick worked just fine. The veteran rockers, who began their career 10 years ago in Sheffield, England, pounded out what was a thoroughly entertaining, if overly loud, rock 'n' roll show.

A voice-over narration of actor Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry ("Do you feel lucky?") heralded the arrival of Def Leppard. The five-man band was carted to the stage in laundry hampers, supposedly concealing their arrival. Making their way on stage, they quickly plowed through versions of Stagefright. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) and Too Late For Love.

Singer Joe Elliott and the rest of this frenetic band diligently worked all corners of the stage, alternating positions like sentries on duty. Rick Allen, Def Leppard's famous one-armed drummer, was a study in concentration completely in tune with his amazing, electronic drum kit.

Def Leppard's forte is punchy, melodic hard rock tunes and one of the best is the title track from their new album, Hysteria. Seldom at heavy metal concerts can one witness rows of fans singing along, but Def Leppard's catchy material had many in attendance joining in.

It is rare, if ever, that so many fans get so close to the stage and their rock 'n' roll heroes during a rock concert of this scale. And Elliott and the rest of Def Leppard seemed to genuinely enjoy the opportunity of playing right to the faces of their fans.

Repeated attempts to "Teslafy" the audience failed and this boring hard rock band, called Tesla, from Northern California punched out a dull opening set of their monotonous rockers. The band was saved only by the fact they are the only act in recent memory to have two guitarists playing their instruments with their heads at the same time.

By Edmonton Sun 1988.

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