Wantagh, NY - Media Reviews

Def Leppard @ Jones Beach Theater By Soundcheck

Def Leppard brought their X tour to the Jones Beach Tommy Hillfiger Amphitheater on August 1st, 2003. It was Joe Elliott’s birthday and someone up there must have been in a good mood. A short time before the band hit the stage, the rain stopped! I have seen Def Leppard play a bunch of times in the last few years and each show just seems to get better. This band is very tight and very together. They feed off each other’s energy and are always smiling and joking around with each other and with the crowd. But what I don’t get is the crowd at Jones Beach. It was almost like they were asleep. And this isn’t this first time I have thought that. They seemed asleep at Aerosmith last summer and at Poison this summer. You could tell the band was a little affected by it, but they still had a great time.

The band's tour manager of 22 years, Malvin Mortimer, and some crew members brought out a cake for Joe before the band went into “Two Steps Behind.” Joe thanked the audience for singing Happy Birthday and said he feels like he is 18. Then said, “Hell, I think I’ll be 12 today. It’s my birthday and I can.” He said the same thing when he donned a pair of devil horns toward the end of the night. Something very cool about Def Leppard is that you get fans of all ages at the shows. There was a two-year-old at Jones Beach with her mom, just loving the music (and all the attention she was getting). In NJ there were a lot of kids as well as some older couples. This one couple, who must have been in their ‘60s, were singing along to “Love Bites.” It was really sweet! There are no age barriers when it comes to music.

Musically I did not think they could not have sounded better. Playing their usual mix of hits like “Photograph,” “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” and “Animal” they also played a few songs off X including “Four Letter Word” (which sounds a LOT like “Armageddon It” off of Hysteria). They dug back into the past and played “Slang,” which they don’t do too often. And in a very touching tribute to the American and British troops in Iraq Joe dedicated “Long Long Way To Go”, a really touching song also off X.

By Soundcheck 2003.

Show Comment - By Ian Hunter

"Do I like Def Leppard? Well, I saw them at Jones Beach a while ago and they were effin brilliant. Joe is one of my best mates and all the Leps are great people."

By Ian Hunter @ Ian Hunter.com 2003.

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