Charleston, WV - Fan Reviews
Fan Review - By harvjam
I have always wanted to see Def Leppard live. They have ALWAYS played WV in one area or another and Sunday night a dream finally came true! I was hoping right up `til I saw Rick Allen`s drum kit onstage that Bryan Adams would open and Def Leppard would close, but you can`t always get what you want. I managed to make it up to about the 5th row on the side of the stage where Sav and Viv played. Sav played his heart out. I have more respect for him now that I ever had before. Def Leppard opened up with "Action", a great song, but probably known to only die hard Lep fans. During the first part of the show, the band kept looking to their right of the audience and were smiling and laughing. I couldn't see any sort of commotion `cause I was pretty jammed in tight. My guess it was a lovely lady giving `em a show!! They played a very lengthy set, about 105 minutes. I was disappointed they didn`t play "Too Late for Love" my absolute favorite, nor did they play ANYTHING from On Through the Night or High N' Dry. Maybe next time! I very seriously thought about leaving before Bryan Adams took the stage, but I thought I would at least stay for a few songs, after all I do remember slow dancing to "Heaven" at JR. High School! He did all his hits and more. The coolest thing he done was pull a local gal up onstage with him to sing a song with him. He wound up giving her and her friends t-shirts and other tour stuff. Hell of a guy!! All in all it was money very well spent and a great way to spend a hot summer night!!.
Fan Review - By Rhapsody
I got to the ball park about noon, parked in the lot by the gates(back gates tho I didn't know it then) and then walked inside as the gates were open! NO ONE said a word to me. I sat with another woman at one of the picnic tables inside for 5 hours and no one asked us were we supposed to be there. So we got to see soundcheck!! It was awesome. I got a couple so-so pics from that since I was so far away & didn't want to call attention to myself. They did part of "20 Century Boy", part of another song(theirs) and 2 full songs(Action was the last one they played). Yeah, I should have written them down!
About 5 pm they let a few people in by mistake & that was my cue to head for the barricades! Staked out my place right in front of Joe. Vivian came out and kicked a soccer ball around near the dressing room area for about 10 minutes. He knows what he's doing with a soccer ball! Then at 5:30 they opened the gates for real & it was a mad stampede to the front. Whew! 6:30 Randy Coleman came on and did a great set. He led the crowd in the chorus of "Take Me Home Country Roads". He just had to do it when in West Virginia! The crowd drowned him out!
At 7:30 Def Leppard came on to a loud crowd response. They started with Action & ended with Pour Some Sugar On Me but I couldn't tell you the order of the songs in between. Same as most of the other shows I've been reading about. I was enjoying myself too much to remember! The ballpark was behind the car park for the hospital 2 blocks away and there was a small crowd up on the top level watching the show. Joe made a comment about the cheapskates watching from the car park & had everyone turn around & give them the finger! During the encore, a fan was waving an American flag hat & Joe remarked that it was a cool hat and had her send it up so he could wear it. He had a British flag towel he was using and held it up next to the hat and said "They go well together, don't they?!" I DID get a picture of that!! Was really surprised during "Rock On" when everyone but Joe left the stage till near the end. That was different. Did a good job with it. I had to leave after DL, since it was a 4 hour drive home & I had to be at work at 9 am. Was going to go by the buses & hang for a bit but things got a bit confused so ended up just leaving. It was a great show but just too short! And STILL no "Rock Brigade"! LOL
Fan Review - By Roy
But first off, I am a male. So I am not so in "Lust" with the band members that I am not listening to the MUSIC. Nor was I DRUNK...I was completely sober. (I don't drink nor do any drugs.) (What I mean is, I am actually LISTENING to the show, I was in the stands....2nd row right in front of the stage over by a aisle. (Where the merchandise stand was in the field) Let me also state, I am NOT a hardcore DL fan. I am more a fan of the earlier material. (Onward Through The Night to Hysteria.) My favorite 3 songs are as follows: 1.) Me and my Wine (Kick ass song, Very sad they never play it anymore live) 2.) Bringin On The Heartbreak 3.) Too Late For Love But let me start off with the venue itself before my rant on DL. (Mostly Joe Elliot)
1.) Cameras! I don't understand that one whatsoever. (I know it all depends on the actual venue? But it is still a very stupid rule none the less.) If we had really wanted pics? A good friend of mine could have smuggled hers in very easily. We were NEVER patted down or anything like that. So lets just say? She has her feminine ways of smuggling in things when she really has to!
2.) Umbrellas!, I lost yet another freaking umbrella due to stupid policies that makes no sense. (We heard it may rain so we was trying to be ready for it if it did hit us.)
3.) I asked about Ponchos they said and I quote "We don't pass those out until it rains" And so I said to the dude at the stand outside (Over by the 2nd enter/exit) "Well by the time I go get the freaking poncho? I will be so wet I wont give a turkey after that! LOL
4.) Opening Act: This was BULL! Completely BULLSH*T! It was billed and advertised as HYDROGYN opening up for them! (Even Rock 105 advertised it as such.) Not this lame assed Randy Coleman!
5.) There were NO BIG SCREENS ANYWHERE TO BE FOUND!
This really upset me. If you was in the stands? You could not see JACK! Shoot, You saw the show much better by standing out from the area where you go towards the first exit! And that was purty far back!
Now here is where I may piss quite a few ladies off! LOL!! Def Leppard the BAND ITSELF was AWESOME. I never realized just how talented SAV was. He is really great at setting a groove with his bass. Most times at concerts the bass player well tend to get drowned out by the guitars and drums.
I had always been amazed with RICK ALLEN. I was always very impressed on how he does the things he can do with one arm and 2 very fast feet! LOL (He was great!) Phil Collen was more amazing than I thought he would be, I could had just listened to the show with just him? And I would been a more happy camper! I remember Viv from his DIO days. So there was no surprise there.
But now to where I may make a few people very upset with me. Mr Joe Elliot! Mr. Elliot SERIOUSLY needs to lay off from smoking. It is KILLING AND RIPPING his vocal cords! His vocals were just honest to god awful! (I am sorry if that offends anyone, Just stating a very honest unbiased opinion.) When he did "Foolin" where it goes "I've realized that long ago" I just about wanted to hold my ears from the pain! LOL There were other bad spots with the high notes? But that is about the worse one I remember. Other songs were good. Hysteria and Promises was probably the best songs of the night. I was very let down though that "Too Late For Love" was not played.
As for Bryan Adams....Well those who left only to see Def Leppard? Missed an awesome show! Bryan was great and sounded just the same as he did over 20 years ago! He saved the night for me. Or I would had been bitching the whole way home and my friends would had put a muzzle on my ass! LOL Somebody posted before about DL opening for Bryan. They alternate each night (Or at least try). August 10, DL closes for example. I do also wanna state, I am more of a BA fan and he is actually who I came to see. So I will admit I am a little biased on that part!.
Fan Review - By Cheryl
This was my first Lepp show and I'm still kind of awestruck that I actually saw them in person! I'll do my best on this review - here goes... Everyone was standing around after the opening act waiting for them to announce Def Leppard. The next thing I knew, the guys just walked out on stage, picked up their instruments and started playing! I decided at that point I liked them even more than than I did before. They weren't looking for a big introduction and all the fanfare and glory. They were just 5 guys coming out to do what they enjoy - play music and entertain the crowd. They of course opened with "Action" as they have at each performance during this tour and from the moment that Joe sang the first word, I knew this was going to be a concert I would never forget!!
I have seen their live performances on DVD and wondered how seeing them live would compare. It didn't!! Not by a long shot! They are so much better in person! Sav, Joe, Phil and Viv were running around the stage from one end to the other to make sure they saw as much of the crowd as they could. I wonder if Rick feels a little left out of that? He doesn't have much choice I guess. :-) He did stand up several times once they finished a song so that the crowd could see him! I saw all of the guys laughing and smiling - cutting up with each other and having a great time. I have seen bands in the past that just play the music and sing the songs. They look more like they are working than having fun. This was definitely NOT the case with Def Leppard. They did not look like they were just doing their "job." The really appeared to be having fun and enjoying themselves. That gets the crowd more involved too. I know it did for me!
All of their songs sounded just like they do on the CDs. Sure, live is always a little different than the recording studio - words might be sung on a slightly different beat or maybe mixed up a little. If I were to close my eyes, I could have been listening to one of their CDs in my car! Joe's voice is spectacular and one of a kind! Sometimes it's kind of hard to pick out the bass line in some songs. I was really pleased to be able to actually hear Sav playing the bass. They had it cranked and it sounded GREAT! I always knew he was talented - they wouldn't have kept him around so long if he wasn't - but I really didn't have any idea until I heard him play just how GOOD he really is!! Viv and Phil, as always, played superbly. What those guys can do with a guitar just baffles me! And Rick, what words could describe him? I have more respect and admiration for him than just about anyone else in the world. To go through such a horrible tragedy and turn it into such a triumph deserves a great deal of respect.
At one point, someone threw an American hat onto the stage - at Joe's request. He put the hat on and held up the British towel he had been using. He then said "They go together pretty good don't they?" The crowd went wild. What a fitting statement in light of recent events in England and the upcoming anniversary in the United States. Thumbs up Joe! During "Rocket" Phil and Viv got to "show off" their talent. I usually hate guitar and drum solos but not this time! I was actually looking forward to hearing this one! And they didn't disappoint me! I would proudly stand up and say that Phil and Viv are two of the best guitar players I've ever heard. Rick's intros to "Rock of Ages" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" were right on the money too! I would have listened to him play longer if he could have!!
I have the Rock of Ages double CD set and heard their version of "No Matter What." I had not heard the song as it was done by Badfinger but I really like Def Leppard's version. Live was even better than the CD! And "Rock On" was really cool! Joe did a spectacular job singing that one. Just him and Rick and it was great! They came back and did "Bringing on the Heartbreak" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me." I've always liked "Heartbreak" and Joe did a great job on that one. He still has voice that just knocks me over!! And of course the crowd went nuts when they did "Sugar."
They stayed on the stage for some more photo ops from the crowd as they waved goodbye. And Joe left with his now famous quote: "Don't forget us...we won't forget you." I know they say that in every city but I also believe they really mean it! All musicians use the name of the city in which they are playing somewhere in the show. There is still something about hearing someone famous say the name of your town though. Although I drove from NC to Charleston to see the show, I still felt a part of everything there. And then, just as they came on, they were gone! I suddenly found myself wanting to see the show all over again!! I had waited for so long to see them and now it's over. I'll have to wait for the next tour I guess. I listen to all types of music - from Rock to Country to R & B to 80s Hair Bands. No other musician or band has ever moved me quite the way Def Leppard has. I watch everything I possibly can on them because their story is so fascinating. Having to replace Tony Kenning, the original drummer with Rick - who could have asked for better! Having to replace Pete Willis with Phil Collen - another big score for the Lepps there! The loss of Rick's arm and the way the band stood behind him and waited nearly 4 years for him to be ready to go again! What a testimony to friendship! The death of Steve Clark - a great loss to the music industry. Viv was in the right place at the right time and they definitely got another boost from him! Sav's bout with Bell's Palsy - again they waited for him to go through treatment. That's particularly close to my heart - I had Bell's Palsy as a senior in High School though mine was only temporary. They have been together for nearly 30 years and don't look to be slowing down at all! ROCK ON GUYS - YOU ARE THE BEST!!!.
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