Sacramento, CA - Fan Reviews

Fan Review - By Eve Sullivan

Before I arrived at the Sleep Train Amphitheater on August 27, I swore I wasn't going to scream myself hoarse like I do every time I see Def Leppard.

Stoll Vaughan played an easygoing set as a throng of people were still filing to their seats. Journey put on a good show and were definitely more entertaining than Bryan Adams from last year's tour. I think the band wouldn't be much without Neal Schon and Dean Castronovo. I had fun, but I was relieved when Journey left the stage; it felt like they'd played too many songs and I was there to see Def Leppard.

The opening words of Let's Get Rocked,'Do you wanna get rocked?', were welcomed by a very enthusiastic, screaming crowd. Joe Elliott's voice was strong and sure throughout the night. He consistently hit all the high notes dead on, and his velvet, raspy purr on Armageddon It was memorably sexy. Phil Collen, Rick 'Sav' Savage, and Vivan Campbell added their dulcet harmonies to the signature Def Leppard sound.

By Foolin', Joe seemed to be physically warmed up and was strutting all over the stage. Sav skittered and grooved all over the stage from the start and spent quite a bit of time up on the risers in front of enormous video screens. I didn't have a good vantage to watch Rick, but from the shots on the videoscreens, he was smiling the whole time. Vivian and Phil traded sides frequently, playing to the crowd. Vivian's melodic, soulful guitar solo at the end of Love Bites blew me away.

The song choices all segued naturally into eachother and were universally familiar to the audience with the exception on 20th Century Boy, recently announced as the the newest single from Yeah!. However, the lyrics are catchy and easy, and by the middle of the song, it wasn't just the fans in the front singing '20th century toy, I wanna be your boy' at the top of their lungs.

One thing different about this concert from other Def Leppard shows I've been to was the lack of smell; Smoking was prohibited in the seats at the Sleep Train Amphitheater (though that didn't stop someone from lighting up a joint, of course). Also, the amphitheater is located in a rural, kind of agricultural area, and there were a lot of insects suiciding on the stage lights. During Journey's set, Jeff Scott Soto was repeatedly dive bombed by an enormous, bizarre pair of mating dragon flies.

Def Leppard were amazing last night. They sounded great and looked good. I grinned during the whole show. And yeah, I screamed myself hoarse.

Fan Review - By Lisa

Another great performance from the Lepps. This venue was in the middle of nowhere, but was packed. It was great to see and hear so many enjoying "the best band in the world". Same set list as Mt. View. 20th Century Boy is fabulous. The guys looked and sounded awesome.

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