San Bernardino, CA - Media Reviews

Def Leppard rocks San Manuel Amphitheater By Wes Woods II

Rhythmic rock bands Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick knew how to work the crowd with deadly combinations of colorful lights, smoke machines and smash singles Sunday night at the San Manuel Amphitheater.

Fans clearly enjoyed the show and loudly sung along to radio staples like Def Leppard's 1987 hits "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Love Bites" or Poison's 1988 hits "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" or "Fallen Angel."

"I'm working, I'm trying my best," said Poison singer Bret Michaels after he actually rapped a verse toward the end of "Nothin' but a Good Time."

"Here's to you, San Bernardino," Michaels said.

The crowd was a diverse mix of families, youths and adults in their 40s and 50s.

Jeff Blakely, 18, of Yucaipa said his parents brought him to the concert.

"I'm mostly here for Def Leppard," said Blakely, who wore the punk group Social Distortion's T-shirt.

Before the concert, some concertgoers loudly blasted hits from Poison and Def Leppard in the parking lot and relaxed in lawn chairs or talked while they drank bottled beer.

"It was great," said Anna Thompson, 40, of Barstow after Def Leppard had performed their encore of "Rock of Ages" and "Let's Get Rocked."

Thompson, who said the Sunday's show was her fifth time seeing Def Leppard, felt lead singer Joe Elliott's voice "wasn't 100 percent" but enjoyed the show regardless.

The group used a massive digital backdrop that featured numerous silhouettes, photos and band logos to go along with the lighting during their songs.

Thompson said Poison singer Michaels had the better voice of the two despite some observers who said the "Rock of Love" star's normal singing voice had turned into a growl.

Poison's set started with the album cut "Look What The Cat Dragged In," which has been a staple of their live set for years.

While Cheap Trick performed on the main stage, Upland resident Todd Kolber said he liked all three bands, but Def Leppard holds a nostalgic value for him.

"I was a kid when they were popular," said Kolber, 46, of Upland, who added that he had seen Styx and REO Speedwagon recently at Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario. Kolber's sister Wendy Brown, also of Upland, said she had waited see Def Leppard for 20 years.

"They're one of my favorite bands, and I knew all the people and had all their albums," said Brown, 41.

Sabrina and George Bates of Beaumont were also at the concert to see Def Leppard and reminisced on attending classic rock shows at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino. In 1981, a small plane flew into the venue and destroyed the auditorium, which was not rebuilt.

Opener Cheap Trick played their hits, like the Elvis Presley cover "Don't Be Cruel," and their 1988 No. 1 hit "The Flame."

Arden Wiltshire, spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, said she had not heard of any reported incidents from the concert.

By Inland Valley Daily Bulletin 2009.

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In review: Cheap Trick, Poison and Def Leppard By Vanessa Franko

I don't think anybody had more fun this summer than the members of Poison and Def Leppard. Openers Cheap Trick didn't look like they were hating the crowd at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, either. After seeing them two weekends in a row (Irvine for fun last weekend and Devore for work on Sunday), I am convinced that they might be the only people who like their jobs more than I do.

Def Leppard headlined with a huge package of hits, played to an army of fans proudly wearing T-shirts that ranged from two decades old to just purchased at the merch stand at the show. The band played every radio smash off the famous "Hysteria" album, plus a smattering of others, including "Photograph" and "Bringin' On the Heartbreak," but the hits from "Hysteria," including the title track, "Armageddon It" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me" took the crowd back to 1989. The only thing that was missing was the rotating theater in the round stage from that tour 20 years ago.

Poison was the middle band, but that didn't mean they got all Jan Brady about it. I don't think anybody in the incredibly packed amphitheater (and a good chunk on the massive lawn) enjoyed it more than front man Bret Michaels. The band played about an hour of hits, starting with "Look What The Cat Dragged In" and ending with "Nothing But a Good Time." Even though bassist Bobby Dall was out sick, Cinderella bassist Eric Britting ham filled in with skill. And although it sounded like the summer tour had taken its toll on Bret Michaels' speaking voice in between songs, he sang with more gusto than ever. And even there were a few people out there who weren't Poison fans, at the very least guitarist C.C. Deville and drummer Rikki Rockett put on a show. And did I mention there was pyro?

It seems absurd that such an influential rock band like Cheap Trick was the opener in such a platinum record-studded night, but Rick Nielsen entertained the crowd and when Robin Zander opened up the second song by telling the crowd "I Want You to Want Me," that's all it took to go down a memory lane full of "Dream Police" and "Surrender." A nice touch was the ending song--"Hello There," with the lyrics switched.

It was a night of dazzle and flash (every band had some kind of jeweled or sparkly guitar, drum head or microphone stand, something that even those folks in the back could see). Maybe the sparkles were that magic pixie dust that took everyone in the audience back to a high school prom, or a first album, or a first concert. It worked, and the crowd sang along note for note, even when some of the singers couldn't quite reach those high ones anymore. It came from the heart.

The bottom line is that you would be hard pressed to find a Labor Day weekend party more fun than the show in Devore.

By The Press-Enterprise 2009.

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Let the sugar be poured: Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick deliver at San Manuel By Gerry Gittelson

What an intriguing rock 'n' roll triple bill Sunday, Sept. 5 at San Manuel Amphitheatre: a massively successful headliner in British melodic metal band, Def Leppard; perhaps the world's most accomplished glam band, Poison; and a classic, crowd-pleasing power-pop outfit in opener Cheap Trick.

Yup, all the bases were covered on this one, and an audience of about 10,000 cheered along to every chorus-heavy hit, from Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" to Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me" to Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." He he.

Def Leppard deserved to be the headliner even though Poison had been playing arenas by themselves during most previous summers and Cheap Trick has been around the longest. The Brits were the most popular of the three during rock's hey day - they've sold more than 65 million records, including 35 million in America -- and continue to have more drawing power, though not by much.

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott was in fine form, and the entire house was singing along during most of the highlights such as "Too Late For Love," "Hysteria," "Photograph," and, of course, the finale "Rock of Ages."

They were the only one of the three to perform an encore.

What made Def Leppard a cut above was an advanced level of musicianship. Guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell never miss a note, bassist Rick Savage is solid as they come, and one-armed dummer Rick Allen remains an inspiration to every one of us.

Def Leppard also had a bigger light show and were the only ones to have close-up video. They absolutely killed, giving a performance fully worthy of, say, 1987, when "Hysteria" was playing in the tape decks of Camaros from coast to coast.

Poison has not had a hit single since God knows when - its 2002 release, "Hollyweird," was one of the worst CDs of all-time - but Poison's prime years and knack for showmanship have carried the band's popularity through the years, aided quite nicely by singer Bret Michaels' reality stardom in the TV show "Rock of Love."

The band first rose to prominence right here on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood - prior to signing a record deal, Poison used to produce 30,000 flyers for every show at the Roxy, Whisky, Country Club, etc. - so they are always especially well-received in Southern California.

The problem this time around was Michaels' voice was bit hoarse after touring since June, plus longtime bassist Bobby Dall was not around for personal reasons, replaced by Poison's Eric Brittingham, not exactly a showman in the category of Gene Simmons.

Nevertheless, Poison was well-received, and there were no complaints about leaving any of their biggest hits out of the set.

As always, Cheap Trick was great. Robin Zander proved a fantastic singer, and zany Rick Nielsen is one of those guitarists whom you don't want to take your eyes off because you might miss something.

Songs like "I Want You to Want Me" and "Surrender" never get old. Nielsen was tossing out guitar picks by the handful, and the crowd would have loved another song or two after a 40-minute set that seemed a bit too short, especially considering a couple of new songs were thrown in. At the time, however, it was still light outside and there remained lots of rock to be played, so it all seemed OK.

In all, a fun night of classic rock - not too much, but just enough. You can't beat that.

By LA Daily News 2009.

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