Dublin, Ireland - Media Reviews

Def Leppard Road Warriors By Pamela Shaw

"It's been five years since we played here, and a lot's changed since then."

Dublin, Ireland, was the launch pad picked by Def Leppard to blast off their 1992 Adrenalize world tour.

The 7,500 seat venue, The Point, was almost filled to capacity as locals witnessed the first ever non-club performance with new guitarist Vivian Campbell.

Campbell replaced Steve Clark who, in case you've been living in a cave recently, died in January 1991 of an overdose.

As the sweat dried in his dark, lanky hair, Vivian asked the quintessential question as he mingled in a back stage corridor after the gig.

"How was it?."

A simple enough question to which there was no easy answer.

Of course, given the casual nature of the query, the reply came fast and frank.

"Great, man. You guys rocked!."

And rock they did, through two hours and twenty minutes of fist-waving songs that seem to have been written with the 'enormodome' audience in mind .

Unfortunately there was a major distraction with the placement of the stage, which had been laid out in the center of the assembly hall, creating an 'in the round' view for the fans that seemed better suited for Shakespeare than for headbanging.

The state itself, was cool enough, though, a steel and girder recreation of the eyeball and lightening 'Adrenalize' album cover.

Complete with a lighting rig identical to the one seen in the Let's Get Rocked video.

After Scottish rockers GUN had warmed up the already anxious crowd, the Irish Lep-holics scurried off to the bar for yet another Guinness before settling in for the main event.

The booming heartbeat of a bass drum pounded out the cadence as 6,000 Irish fans screeched in delight.

The stage, still shrouded in it's black veil, was illuminated with purple and green cross-hairs as if some crazed militant group were targeting it.

Joe Elliott's voice rang through his hometown arena, "I said welcome to our show, it's just you and me babe, we got the whole damn night to go!".

The curtains finally dropped, and the love affair between Def Leppard and their fans was reborn.

With the second song 'Tear It Down', a pattern emerged which was to repeat throughout the concert.

Guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell traded off solos within many songs, exhibiting much less a case of 'I'm the lead guy and you're the rhythm' than you usually see in shows.

And drummer Rick Allen, seated atop a moving circular platform, seemed an island unto himself as he was spun and twirled this way and that.

His drumstick seemed exclusively to attend the high hat and cymbals, but his legs got a real workout as he did an admirable job of preserving the musical integrity, if not every complex drum fill, in the songs.

'Hello Dublin!' Joe Elliott enthused as the second song ended.

'This is the first day of our Seven Day Weekend Tour. Are you ready to rock?!'.

The crowd roared as two separate keyboards on opposite sides of the stage rose from the steel below and the opening licks to 'Women' blared through the already sweaty hall.

It was the most recognisable song so far, and clenched fists pounded the stagnate air above to the forceful beat.

Bassist Rick 'Sav' Savage ran from side to side, playing keyboards first one way, then another.

'Did you ever see a laddie go this way and that?' asks an old Irish children's tune.

Well, you have if you've seen the new Def Leppard show.

This way and that way and this way and that way.

'Hysteria' was up next. Rather than providing a lull in which the crowd lost it's energy, it was more of a lullaby.

The fans rocked back and forth contentedly like a baby in its mother's lap.

A freckled six year old girl hopped up on daddy's shoulders for a better view.

Her little head emerged above the crowd just in time to see Elliott strip off his denim jacket and start singing 'Make Love Like A Man'.

The Irish parents consider thus some strange sort of sex-education or what?.

The audience went wild with recognition of this recent hit - no doubt aided in part by MTV's incessant loyalty to mondo-rotation for every single Lep release (Yes, they watch MTC all day there too).

A sobering sombre moment erupted as Joe Elliott introduced the next song.

'It's been five years since we played here,' he said 'And a lot's changed since then. We had to say goodbye to a real good friend named Steve Clark'.

The fans, unsure of the appropriate response to this statement - to cheer seemed wrong somehow - stayed mum.

Elliott blew a kiss towards heaven, then shifted the mood by announcing.

'We've got a new guitarist, he's from Belfast. Say hello to Vivian Campbell!'.

A loud cheer burst forth as Vivian soloed wildly, enjoying the instant acceptance of the crowd with is chunky-chorded approach to 'Foolin''.

Appropriately enough, for the next song everyone except Rick Allen sat on the sides of the stage with acoustic guitars and strummed a slow moody opening to 'Bringin' On The Heartbreak'.

Another slower song from the new LP 'Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad' provided the last relaxed breath the crowd would have, with the big finish consisting of their heavy-weight hits 'Photograph', 'Armageddon It', 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and 'Let's Get Rocked'.

The five band members then disappeared under the stage, but we all knew they'd be back.

Partly because they still hadn't done their other huge hit Love Bites, but also because we knew they were trapped like rats under the stage, with no way to exit unblocked by the fans.

The Irish patrons in the crowd wooed them back on stage by chanting the national football anthem (that's soccer to you and me).

Elliott is said to be such a fan of Sheffield United team that every other Saturday during the season he hops on a plane, rents a car, and picks up his Dad to take him to their games. You've got to love a guy like that.

This hometown crowd certainly did love Def Leppard, chanting 'Ole, Ole, Ole' until the lights came back down for an encore.

With a monstrous one-two punch of 'Love Bites' and 'Rock Of Ages', it was a clean KO in the final round.

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The meat and greet following the show boasted what seemed like half the audience (Well, we all have cousins and distant aunts haven't we?).

Three teenagers in wheelchairs wearing their concert T-shirts, and half a dozen boys aged 7-10 nervously fitting about, ready to swoop down for autographs at the appearance of a band member.

Phil Collen was the first one out of the dressing room, casual and friendly, Joe Elliott was not far behind, although a bit more reserved with greeting people.

Rock Savage appeared for a brief moment between bites of his dinner.

Vivian Campbell was there but very shy.

Rick Allen was nowhere to be found.

After the obligatory how-do-you-do's, the band and several friends snuck off to Lily's Bordello, a hot nightspot in the center of Dublin.

James Brown and Madonna records were spun by a DJ as the local night owls sweated away on the dance floor.

'We all knew Def Leppard was coming here tonight' says 22 year old fan Audrey in her Irish accent.

'The rock bands always come here after a show'.

But Elliott was off in another room, surrounded by well-wishers and star gazers, presumably helping him celebrate the beginning of what has proven to be a hugely successful international tour.

By Hit Parader 1992.

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