Calgary, AB - Media Reviews

Def Leppard rocks Saddledome By Heath McCoy

Metal for moms. That's been Def Leppard's stock-in-trade for a long time now, and that's exactly what the British rock band delivered Wednesday, in front of a sold-out house at Pengrowth Saddledome. Honey-sweet harmonies and singalong pop anthems, set to polished hard-rock grooves. Def Leppard put that formula into motion from the start on the 'Dome stage, opening with the friendly fist-pumper.

Action, followed by the mindless fun of Let's Get Rocked, and the big-rock drone of Women, the band's ode to, you guessed it, women. Singer and '80s heartthrob Joe Elliott, now 46, is looking a bit pudgy, though that face is still pretty enough. His voice was somewhat disappointing, however, sounding rather thin and strained when compared with what you'll hear on the records. That was especially apparent during the Lep's otherwise strong versions of Foolin' and Love Bites. The rest of the band have held up remarkably well. Guitarist Phil Collen, 47, ran around bareback all night to show off his lean physique.

As for Rick Allen, 41, the band's drummer, who lost an arm way back in '84, he really does lay down an authoritative beat. That was clear on a strong version of the rhythmic Rocket. The giant screen itself was a fine feature of the gig, interspersing footage of the band in action with old video clips and a myriad of images somewhat related to the songs. All highlighted by a flashy light show, of course.

As I see it, there are two Def Leppards. There's the pop-metal band of the early '80s, who sounded kind of like a boy-band version of AC/DC. And, as sacrilegious as that might sound, the Sheffield lads pulled it off with a pair of great records in Pyromania and High and Dry. Then, along came Hysteria with its polished power ballads and synthesized dance-metal beats. From then on, Def Leppard was playing for teenage girls and the pop charts. My metal for moms theory makes perfect sense. The girls have grown up, right? It's not my thing, personally, but good for them. Moms need metal too, I suppose.

For my money though, the heavier version of Def Leppard is far superior. And, unfortunately, that side of the band reared its head only sporadically at the 'Dome. It was there to fire up Armageddon It, but it ducked out during Gods Of War, one of the better tunes on Hysteria. The gentler Leps were on during the tepid Two Steps Behind. But the band pulled out an excellent version of Bad Finger's No Matter What, to be heard on a coming release, and the hits Animal and Rock of Ages were highlights of the evening.

Opening the show was The Tea Party of Windsor, Ont., which put on a solid performance, though it's not the ideal opening act. Their prog rock was served up with plenty of muscle, but it was too sombre for the Leppard vibe, which is more about love songs and party anthems.

The Tea Party got a fairly enthusiastic response from the rockers out there, but the metal moms didn't seem moved. But then, they were waiting to have some sugar poured over them, and only Def Leppard's sugar would do.

By Heath McCoy @ The Calgary Herald 2005.

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Rock Of Aged By Mike Bell

Action! Not Words. Def Leppard couldn't have picked a better song to start their set last night at the Saddledome.

Or maybe ironic is a better description. It sums up exactly what the problem is with the U.K. hard rock mainstays - which, coincidentally, was exactly the problem the last time they rolled through town a couple of years ago.

Other than a healthy supply of hits - they've sold more than 65 million albums worldwide in a 25-year career - there is very little to a Def Leppard show. Granted, most of the 12,000 or so fans would argue they heard what they wanted to and didn't need an amazing light show or summersaults. But shouldn't there be better things to say about a rock show than "Wow, that was an ably performed version of Love Bites" or, "Muffled sound aside, that was a fairly decent and professionally played version of Hysteria."? Shouldn't there?

I mean, if we're looking at recent and upcoming nostalgic rock concert models, at least Motley Crue offered a spectacle, and when the Rolling Stones show up in October, they'll bring a great deal more aura and history.

Def Leppard brought nostalgia and their songs - ably, professionally and decently performed, of course - but little or nothing more. They're not particularly interesting or entertaining to watch - they ticked off the cliche rock moves in a workmanlike manner - nor is the big screen behind them. In fact, had they not had those old words and a paying and appreciative audience that seemingly required little else except for the odd mention of our city's name, Def Leppard could have been any retro act playing the Shamrock or the Back Alley.

So maybe there's a lesson here - action may speak louder than words but in this city, album sales and nostalgia trumps them both. It's tough to decide whether or not The Tea Party's decision to open for Dep Leppard was an entirely short-sighted one. Sure, the shows are getting the T.O. act in front of arena-sized audiences and, yes, they've always had a heavy, classic rock bent to their music. But, and here's where you really have to wonder, the Tea Party is coming off its most contemporary and arguably best release to date, The Seven Circles. Second guessing aside, the band, led by effortlessly enigmatic frontman Jeff Martin, made the most of it, putting on a loud and lean jeans-and-black-T-shirt no-nonsense set.

They were the rock band their music has always hinted at - especially Seven Circles - were they to strip away most of the indulgences and just freakin' play. It was nice to finally see them that way and great to finally hear them fill a venue that size with their muscular sound. Ultimately, the reaction from band and audience made the decision to open for an oldies act seem like sheer genius.

By Mike Bell @ The Calgary Sun 2005.

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