Billings, MT - Media Reviews

After Two decades Def Leppard Hasn't Missed A Beat By Karen Vaughan

They may not be the Rolling Stones or Aerosmith, but Def Leppard still has longevity and the ability to fill an arena, which they proved at Saturday night's two-hour show.

Montana rock 'n' roll fans take whatever they can get, and a sold-out Metra Park was evidence of that at last night's show. Which isn't to say that Def Leppard couldn't pack them in anywhere else, but c'mon, we don't exactly have a potpourri of live music to choose from up in these parts.

No fancy light shows. No smoke machines. A basic stage setup with a British flag for a backdrop. Could this still be the band that drove my mother crazy back in the 1980s when I cranked up my stereo to 9? Is this the same band whose albums (read LPs) I rushed out to buy with my hard-earned allowance? Am I getting too old for this? It was bound to happen sooner or later.

But Def Leppard is not "old," nor do they want their audiences to feel that way. The band still creates a big party, and although they have been accused of sounding overproduced on their albums, they remain ingenious and content to be doing what they're doing. With so many changes in the music industry, they haven't sold out to gain fans from other musical genres.

Def Leppard has introduced a new group of fans to its music, one I'm not a part of, but one I longed to join last night as their tunes had me reminiscing about those "old" days before Pearl Jam and Sarah MacLachlan. Perhaps the band, too, enjoys the simplicity and, like me, has outgrown the fancy laser shows and smoke-filled arenas of decades past. They didn't need any of it. Their music was being judged Saturday night, not their ability to stun the crowd with external stimuli.

Longtime favorites kept the crowd on its feet during the entire show as Def Leppard ran through its hit songs, including "Rocket," an old favorite of mine, as well as new songs "Promises," "Goodbye" and "Paper Sun" from its new CD, "Euphoria," which was released in June. Fans, of course, know all the words to the group's songs and accepted the opportunity to sing them during "Rock! Rock! Till You Drop," "Photograph," "Foolin'," and their extremely popular "Rock of Ages" from its 1983 album "Pyromania." In addition, Def Leppard played just about every hit song from its older albums "Hysteria" and "Adrenalize," including "Let's Get Rocked," "Women," "Animal," and a crowd favorite, "Armageddon It." Oh, heck, all of them were favorites. This band just can't do any wrong.

Joe Elliott still has his powerful voice; it only got raspy during one song. Phil Collen, on lead guitar, and former Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell complemented each other on stage, and each performed equally great solos during many songs. Collen had an easy rapport with the audience, and he truly seems to love his job. It was hard to see drummer Rick Allen, but his presence was felt during the concert, with his pounding beats reverberating off the arena's walls. Bassist Rick Savage also had his chops down. Def Leppard's playing was tight and fluid, and equally impressive was the fact that they didn't try to impress us too much. The band's music does it all.

By The Billings Gazette 1999.

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