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Thursday, 5th September 1996
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Calgary, AB - Media Reviews

Simply Def In Calgary By Dave Veitch

These are tough times for the premiere pop-metal bands of the 1980s.

Warrant, Poison, Slaughter - and many of their brothers in hairspray - have mercifully slid into oblivion.

At least britain's Def Leppard have survived, but the sight of all those empty Saddledome seats at last night's concert was still startling considering the band filled the joint to the rafters just eight years ago.

The hysteria is gone.

Ironically, Def Leppard's drawing power is dwindling just as the group is reaching its creative peak in the studio and on stage.

Def Leppard sounded positively rejuvenated.

The glossy sheen that coated most of the band's '80s hits was scraped away; songs such as Animal and Pour Some Sugar On Me were rendered lean, mean and delightfully raw.

The band didn't play many songs from its new album, Slang, but the surprisingly funky Work It Out proved Def Leppard is capable - and willing - to make distinctive, interesting music outside of the realm of hard rock.

Still, the band's overriding philosophy of this tour is: keep it simple.

And that was never more evident than in their stage production.

The quintet merely played on a basic black stage in front of a Marshall stack; there were no flashpots, or flying drum kits or laser lights.

Compared to the hi-tech spectacles the band used to stage, this concert looked like something you would see in a nightclub.

But the no-frills surroundings simply made the band members seem more approachable.

Singer Joe Elliott appeared determined to make eye contact with all 6,500 fans in the building.

For all the changes, though, Def Leppard can still put on a feel-good, sing-along in the aisles, rock 'n' roll show.

Qualities like that never go out of style.

By Calgary Sun 1996.


Def Leppard shows '90s style By Frank King

Can Def Leppard make it as a credible '90s band? The evidence from Thursday night's concert seems to suggest it's possible, but only if the British fivesome's fans and (more importantly) radio let it happen.

Material from the recently-released Slang album received a reasonably good response. But on a musical level it shows Phil Collen and company are capable of doing that '90s wall of scratchy sound thing, yet still throw in enough decent melody to distinguish them from the tidal wave of I-Hate-Myself-And-Wanna-Die groups flooding the airwaves.

Indeed, the title track was a quickie (too quick, in reality) number that expertly combined hip-hop rhythms with Def's mainstream commercial sensibilities.

But, of course, it was the mountains of classic radio fodder that consistently struck an ecstatic chord with the crowd. The band opened with Rock Rock ('Til You Drop), then Foolin', Animal and Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad - all numbers that during the 1980s and early 1990s found comfortable homes on the top 40 list.

During all this, the band exhorted the crowd on to its feet, while a shirtless Collen and newly slimmed down bassist Rick Savage (with open shirt) made sure all the female fans were satisfied.

Jamming? Well, that's never been Def's expertise. Tight solos, lotsa harmonies (even the new stuff, during a time when harmonies are oh SO outta style) and short songs have always been the order of the day.

But it did manage to stretch things out during a downright ancient classic, Bringin' On The Heartbreak from 1982's High And Dry album. It was a rare chance to see guitarist Vivian Campbell (the newest member) shine, because Collen hogs most of the solo spotlight.

Openers Tripping Daisy are obviously along for the ride to help the band connect with the '90s crowd. It had lots of the current attitude - obscenities, plenty of pounding, scratchy volume, occasional moments of Pink Floyd weirdness to make things interesting, and a lead singer who came on stage in a wig and my mother's old house coat. Weird, but that's what sells these days.

By Calgary Herald 1996.

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