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Wednesday, 27th June 2005
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Peoria, IL - Media Reviews

Hard-rock band is getting soft By Phil Luciano

Has Def Leppard become forgetful with advancing age? Does the band have Alzheimer's? Or maybe amnesia? Granted, the quintet hasn't forgotten how to crank out a crowd-pleasing revue of chart-toppers, as witnessed Wednesday night by 4,300 fans at the Peoria Civic Center.

But Def Leppard has forgotten that it once was a wall-shaking, hard-rock band.

Though most fans eagerly stood throughout Wednesday's show, many faces began to slack into catatonia as endless power ballads and pop metal slid into one another: "Foolin'," "Hysteria," "Rocket," "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" - you know the drill. By the time the show ended with "Pour Some Sugar on Me," long-time fans longed for a little less treacle and something with a bit more bite.

Wither "Rock Brigade," "Wasted" or any other rocking tune? It's as if Def Leppard refused to acknowledge life before the super-slick, mega-hit era of "Pyromania" and "Hysteria." The thing is, the band tried to inject some rock into the set list, via covers of David Essex's "Rock On" and Badfinger's "No Matter What" - both of which apparently will show up on Def Leppard's upcoming CD paying homage to British classic rock.

Indeed, inspired can shake up a concert, and Def Leppard handled both tunes well. But if the band wants to play some oldies, can't it delve into its own discography? The show ran only 90 minutes; it's not as if they didn't have time for a a bit of old-school guitar shredding.

Regardless, as for the musical performance, the band (as usual) eschewed theatrics and delivered note-for-note perfection. A couple of times, guitarists Viv Campbell and Phil Collen were allowed to cut loose with brief, searing solos.

But mostly the songs focused on singer Joe Elliot. He's never been much of a frontman; his stage presence is pretty much limited to a few token twirls of his stand-up mike. Still, Elliot (who still can squeeze into leather pants) did offer a bit of friendly banter to the crowd. He garnered a loud ovation when he held up the Union Jack and declared, "It's nice to know we're on the same side, and we thank you for it."

His layered melodies with bassist Sav Savage and the rest sounded on-target. But Elliot's vocals got fuzzy and thin at points. Granted, he's never had the strongest of pipes, but the problem seemed not from his throat but his mike or sound system. Toward the end, he sounded somewhat distorted and gravely, as if he were channeling Ernest Borgnine.

Opener Tesla had no such sonic difficulties. The outfit's blues-based rock filled the arena well, and wild-eyed singer Jeff Keith's wail never sounded more piercing. Tesla, which still has all five original members, pounded through rockers like "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Heaven's Trail" plus a handful of power ballads like "What U Give." Tommy Skeoch and Frankie Hannon repeatedly (and delightfully) smoked through guitar solos - electric as well as acoustic.

The only downside: Tesla played for a mere 50 minutes, leaving no time for head-bangers like "Edison's Medicine." Pity.

By Peoria Journal Star 2005.

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