Kansas City, KS - Media Reviews

Journey, Leppard take big crowd on fun trip By Timothy Finn

Big, indestructible songs carry veteran rockers.

On this tour, Journey is the co-headliner with Def Leppard, a combination that doesn’t wash with some listeners. That explains why a heavy smattering of people trickled out the gates between sets. Their loss.

Def Leppard is way more than the product of Mutt Lange’s manic/hermetic muse. They, too, have big, sweet and indestructible songs that sound good more than 20 years after they first became famous.

Those years have been kind to lead singer Joe Elliott, 47, who can still muster the muscle it takes to sing beefy pop-metal anthems for 100 minutes or so.

The set list comprised 15 songs, including two from the recent “Yeah!” collection of ’60s and ’70s covers: T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy” and David Essex’s “Rock On.”

The songs that prompted the loudest responses, however, were their own blockbuster hits, which sounded pretty much the way they did when they poured out of FM radio in the early to mid-1980s: “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” “Foolin’,” “Rocket” and “Photograph.”

They saved the best for the two-song encore, “Love Bites,” then “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” which was like handing candy to a child. Even some of the ushers and local cops sang along to that one. As Pete Townshend once wrote, “Long Live Rock.”

By Kansas City Star 2006.

Journey and Def Leppard Concert By Mindy G

It was the perfect night for an outdoor concert. At 6:30 p.m., cars were already lined up to get in to see the concert of the evening. Journey and Def Leppard were performing at Verizon Amphitheater located just outside of Kansas City. Some of the people in attendance were sporting their clothing from the 70's and 80's. Everyone was ready to go back in time.

Journey was the first to perform, and they were great as always. Not only did they sing their new songs, they also went back in time and performed all of their older songs which was a crowd pleaser. Singing songs like Open Arms, Faithfully, Wheel in the Sky, Any Way You Want It and Don't Stop Believin' brought back memories for everyone. They also took the time to dedicate the song "When the Lights Go Down in the City" to Steve Irwin in regards to his untimely death. After 30 years, they still know how to perform.

After over an hour of continuous play, it was time for Def Leppard to take the stage. With a new album coming out, it was the perfect opportunity to play some new songs from their album. They still know how to rock and roll. Joe Elliot, lead singer, was as good as ever. Moving from one side of the stage to the other, he put on a great show. Then, just watching Rick Allen is amazing. The way he can play those drums with one arm is incredible.

This is one show that will not be forgotten. These two groups came out and performed to a packed crowd. There was not an open space anywhere to be had. For those of us growing up in the 70's and 80's, it was a great time had by all!

By Associated Content 2006.

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