Grand Rapids, MI - Fan Reviews
Fan Review - Grand in Cedar (?) Rapids By Amy
Friday night the Van Andel Arena was rocking to the sounds of Billy Idol and Def Leppard. Idol presented a terrific opening show, with the stunning Steve Stevens still on stage wielding an army of axes. With his glam black hair and fingernails, not to mention the pointy-toed boots, SS looked like a cross between Alice Cooper and Nikki Sixx but played better than either one. Idol shared the spotlight freely not only with his own band members but also with a special guest on White Wedding and the first couple songs, introducing "Rick Allen on drums!" Maybe it was just because I could actually see him for once, but not hidden behind his usual DL/sunflower equipped drum kit, Rick's smile seemed to be even broader than usual. Billy F---in' Idol, as he introduced himself, had the crowd won over until he referred to us as being from "Cedar" Rapids. Everyone in GRAND Rapids booed, but Billy recovered nicely, quipping, "Sorry, I haven't got one brain cell left." Even without his trademark white-blond spikes, Billy's still in fine shape physically and vocally. And yes, he did the sneer - several times.
Now for the real show: For Those About to Rock, We Salute You; and Def Leppard saluted us indeed. Bursting on stage to this tour's usual opener, Rocket, the band were animated and entertaining as ever. There was no extended guitar duel in Rocket this time, which was appreciated as it let them launch the next song, Animal, without losing any of the opening energy. As you can see from the setlist, pretty much all the classics were included. We weren't treated to WLAHC which I enjoyed so much in England, but hey, their home country deserves that special honour. At least we got to hear Phil sing lead vocal for a few seconds on MLLAM, an admittedly silly song but always great fun in concert.
Since he is always the highlight of the show for me, let's talk about Phil. Dashing onto the stage in his sharp black blazer with (open) white shirt, Phil was striking as ever. I didn't get any photos at the beginning of the show, as cameras were prohibited in the overly stuffy Van Andel Arena. Once Security had their hands full with the obnoxiously drunk, shirt-lifting female in front of me, they paid no mind as I was able to sneak a few pictures. Unfortunately I did not get a photo of still-shirted Phil, but thanks to a comfortably cool evening especially in Michigan, he left it on for the first three songs. This must be a record! Once Foolin' began - nice to see this classic back in the setlist - the shirt disappeared and the bling was back. Tea towel still tied to his faithful friend Bela, Phil got a chance to glow in the dark when the house lights went down. To his credit, his playing and on-stage antics were much like I described in Sheffield, so I can't say much more about the consistently cool Collen.
Interestingly, Phil was the only band member intro'd by Joe this time (not even the Thunder God, what gives?) Just before Nine Lives, Joe asked us to "say hello to my friend from London, Mr Phil Collen." I was only too happy to shout a loud hello to Mr Collen, who apparently noticed my Man Raze t-shirt and gave me a friendly smile and wave during Two Steps Behind.
Standing only about six rows back from the end of the thrust stage, once again I enjoyed an up close and personal view of Sav, Joe, and especially Phil, when they stood before us with their acoustic guitars. No tuning problems for Joe tonight, and his voice sounded unusually strong and spot on. He apologised for cancelling Grand Rapids earlier due to his illness, but his voice and graciousness to the crowd which he correctly called out as "GRAND Rapids" won us all over.
The funniest ad lib of the night was when a fan tossed a t-shirt up on stage and Phil caught it. She was pointing to Joe, so Phil handed it to him. Joe shook his head and put the shirt on Phil's mic stand, saying cheekily, "No, I think you need clothes more than I do." The Shirtless One smiled good naturedly and used the t-shirt to wipe some sweat off his glistening chest. But I digress.
Sav was there too, stylishly sprinting all over the stage. His England flag and Union Jack basses both made appearances as well as his usual Washburn. When he first appeared, he was sporting a military-epaulet-style waistcoat that was stunning; but again I could not get a picture that early. By the time he was close enough to pose for photos, he had changed into the black and olive green outfits he's usually seen wearing later in the show. There were bang lifts as always, and I am happy to report whatever brand of eyeliner he's wearing now must be waterproof. No drips or smudges this time, and not a bad note from Sav. His pre-Rock On solo was fantastic once again. At one point Sav even did a backbend-a-la-SMC's In the Round/Too Late for Love performance.
Both Ricks shone as Sav's solo led into Rock On. Whilst I couldn't see him as well as I could during Billy Idol's set, from time to time I got a glimpse of the man smiling behind the sunflower. Despite the lack of intro, Phil and Sav prompted an impromptu cheer for Rick as he drummed a brilliant opening to Switch 625, back in the setlist after it disappeared in the UK. Of course the audience knew and appreciated the Thunder God without having to be told who was keeping the beat. We also heard from Rick on those four famous words before the crowd-pleasing ROA.
The video montage was once again a lovely accompaniment to the Leps' live show. Seeing them each portrayed as Animals, Savage Beast (Sav) and Terrifying Man Beast (VC) was a real hoot. My favourite animation is during C'Mon C'Mon, which went down very well live. Simon Laffy from Phil's band Man Raze appears among friends and family, as well as the late great Steve Clark, who appears sitting on a cloud with angel's wings and his beloved Gibson Firebird and numerous times during Photograph. A nice tribute - thanks, guys.
No change in encore from the UK tour, still Bad Actress and LGR. Surprisingly, many in the crowd sang along to BA (not to be confused with the airline) and enjoyed the live performance. As always, LGR was the perfect ending to a perfectly brilliant night. The boys took their bows amidst much cheering, whooping, hollering, and a few rock horns. For me, the night ended on a high note when I got my special edition Def Leppard guitar signed by Flamenco Phil Collen as he chatted outside after the concert. Thanks to Phil for the autograph and for being the most gracious, pleasant, and awesome rock star since SMC; and thanks also to Rick Allen, Joe Elliott, and Rick Savage for making good on your promise to return and rock GRAND Rapids, MI!
Fan Review - By Curt Taft
Year after year, I am fortunate enough to be able to catch Def Leppard on tour, with this show being my 21st. I was originally supposed to see them on April 18, but that show was postponed due to illness in the band. This would benefit me in many ways.
First off, it brought on a new opener, Billy Idol. Had the show taken place in April, I would have had to sit through REO Speedwagon (no thanks), and Styx for the third time (even bigger no thanks). I really like Billy Idol, so this was a switch I was happy to make. Having one opener also opened up some time for Def Leppard, and they surprisingly extended their setlist by two songs. And finally, they were only playing one new song back in April since the album hadn't yet been released. Now, they were playing three. They had even played "Go" for a couple of shows right before this one, and that song is my favorite from the new album and one of my top ten favorites of all time from the band. So I was really excited to see it, though they dropped it at the show right before mine. Still, I had hope for them to play it.
On the flip side, it was Def Leppard that was sick back in April. This time, it was me. I had an extremely sore throat along with a headache, two things that do not mix well with a concert. Still, I was going to give it my all and try to have a great time.
Billy Idol came on a little after 7:00. He opened with "Cradle Of Love" before going into "Dancing With Myself." He was more reserved during these first few songs. "Flesh For Fantasy" followed before Steve Stevens put on his acoustic guitar to start a soft version of "White Wedding." It only lasted for a short while though, as the rest of the band came back on stage during a long scream from Billy. Also joining the other band members was Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen, joining in on drums. The song rocked and Rick looked like he was having a great time on stage. Billy then did two new songs, "John Wayne" and "New Future Weapon" which were actually really good. His set continued, featuring mostly hits, such as "Eyes Without A Face," "LA Woman," and "Ready Steady Go." Billy made the mistake of calling the city Cedar Rapids instead of Grand Rapids during his introduction for "LA Woman." The highlights were definitely "Mony Mony," which had Billy jumping down in the crowd to have them sing along, and the closer, "Rebel Yell." Billy Idol was even better than I expected him to be and is one of the best openers I've ever seen.
The time between bands was short as usual, and before I knew it, AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock" was blasting on the PA system. The stage went dark, the song went off, and the Sparkle Lounge intro video began. Joe walked onto the catwalk and started the show with "Rocket." Being one of my favorite songs, I always enjoy seeing it live. "Animal" followed and was great as always. Then came the first new song of the night, "C'mon C'mon." I'm not a big fan of this song on the album, but the live version is something else entirely. It's a great live song and had the crowd clapping and singing along.
"Foolin'" followed before the band went into "Make Love Like A Man," a song I've grown tired of. It has recently replaced "Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)" in the setlist, which was not a good move. The end of "Make Love" proved to be a pivitol point in the show for me. First off, my sore throat became way too much to even attempt to sing, so that came to a stop. Also, it was at this point in the show that I was really hoping they would play "Go," but that was a dream that would not come true. Every tour, I get screwed out of seeing them play anything rare or cool, and this was no different. Joe intoduced Phil and "Nine Lives" was played. The song was even boring live. My disappointment in the absence of "Go" and my sickness came together to take me out of the show completely.
Another standard, "Love Bites," followed. Next up was Rick's bass solo, which has to go. In 2006 it was something new, cool, and refreshing to see. In 2007, it was "oh yeah, I remember this from last year." In 2008, it's just taking up space. "Rock On" has also worn out it's welcome in the setlist.
The guys strapped on the acoustic guitars for a typical rendition of "Two Steps Behind," a song that should be retired from the setlist. The half acoustic "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" followed and was great, as it provides the best sing along opportunity for the crowd. I always love this song live, especially the electic second half. In my opinion, if they play "Bringin' On The Heartbreak," the excellent "Switch 625" must follow, and it did. This song was another highlight of the show as it always is, giving the band their time to shine. Rick is once again getting the spotlight at the end of the song, as he did on the "X" Tour.
Next up was the string of hits, starting with "Hysteria." "Armageddon It" followed, then "Photograph," "Pour Some Sugar On Me," and "Rock Of Ages." After a quick encore, the band returned to the stage with a drum beat featuring a bass line from Sav. What followed was an awesome version of "Bad Actress," a rare appearance of a new song in the encore. Joe wasted no time starting "Let's Get Rocked," and suddenly the show as over.
For what it was, it was a great show. It's just a shame that it's mostly pop songs and that "Go" has already been dropped. But it's really good to see the band back up to 18 songs and a great opener is always appreciated. The highlights of the entire night were Billy Idol's "White Wedding" featuring Rick, "Mony Mony," and "Rebel Yell," as well as Def Leppard's "Rocket," "C'mon C'mon," "Switch 625," and "Bad Actress." My original plan for after the show was to go back to my hotel room, grab my camera and "Slang" tour book, then go hang out by the buses, hoping to meet some of the band members. Unfortunately, I felt like I was going to pass out from being sick, so as soon as I hit the bed I was knocked out. I also didn't want to be responsible for making any of the members sick, forcing them to cancel more shows. We've had enough of that this year! It turns out the fans that did hang by the buses got to meet Phil and Viv, so I'm happy for them.
Fan Review - By Norm Huizenga
Another year, another Def Leppard concert. This show was postponed from April 18th, and might I say I'm glad it was. Def Leppard were so "on" Friday night, it was easily one of the best shows I've seen by them. To be honest though, it is hard to pick out any bad moments at any shows really. So if I would have saw them when they were sick, it would have definantly been a let down.
With the schedule change, it also changed up the opening band slot, not sure why, but was glad it did, simply because I had seen Styx before and I wasn't too interested in REO Speedwagon. Billy Idol was really good. It took him a few songs to work the crowd, but he got them moving like he had done this before. I knew most of the songs. He even threw two new ones from the Greatest Hits package, Idolize Yourself, he is promoting on this tour. He was very witty. The highlight of the show for me was White Wedding. It started out acoustically, which was something I didn't expect, but then even turned another fold when Rick Allen came out and drummed with the band. It was a bit odd seeing three hands up there drumming.
The Def Leppard stage was cool. They had a curtain much like on the Sparkle Lounge cover. To my disappointment though, it didn't open and close, because that would have been a neat way to start and end the show. Regardless they had a huge screen, the size of the stage that helped with that. Rocket opened the show, like the last time I saw them, without the guitar solo battle. Despite how many times I have seen it, it is one of my favorite parts. Animal was great. When they did C'mon C'mon you'd be surprised that it was a new song. Everyone was singing along. I don't know if that is a testament to album sales, or the songs connectivity with the crowd. Foolin' went down great as always, it should they have been playing for 25 years now. I wasn't too keen on the idea of hearing Make Love Like A Man again. I'm not crazy about the song, despite its fun lyrics and my singing along, they should have just left Go in the setlist! Nine Lives came off well. I still think Phil should sing Tim McGraw's parts.
I prefer the live version of Love Bites, so its always cool to hear. Rick Savage is still doing his bass solo before Rock On, I'm curious how many tours this will last. At this point in the show, Joe mentions the night before the band made a new best friend, Billy Bob Thorton and they went bowling the night before and were graced with an impromptu version of 'Sling Blade'. Also Styx man James Young's wife is ill and dedicated Two Steps Behind to her. Bringing On The Heartbreak was the last of the acoustic portion of the set, and the band tore into Switch 625, a replacement piece for the Rocket solos. The standards Hysteria, Armageddon It, Photograph, Photograph, Pour Some Sugar On Me and Rock Of Ages finished off the main set. Bad actress was the first song of the encore. It went off so well. That is the thing you really hear in the new songs, is that they blend well with the classics. They ended with the cheeky number, Let's Get Rocked. I did.
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