St. Louis/Maryland Heights, MO - Media Reviews

Poison, Def Leppard perform at Verizon By Scott Kiefer

The summer just wouldn't be complete without a shed tour from Poison or from Def Leppard, as die-hard hair band fans return year after year to see them perform.

This year however, a light bulb went off in someone's head and decided the two groups should join up and hit the road together. The result is a night of hits by both groups that kept the very near sell-out crowd at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on their feet and singing along throughout the evening.

Def Leppard performed "Pyromania," "Armageddon It," "Photograph," "Let's Get Rocked," and many more with a nearly flawless performance.

Poison (with lead singer Bret Michaels making his third appearance in St. Louis this spring) entertained the audience with their perennial favorites as "Something to Believe In," "Talk Dirty to Me," "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," and "Fallen Angel" to name a few. Cheap Trick opened the show.

By Belleville News 2009.

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Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater By Annie Zaleski

Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick played at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater last night for an appreciative, packed house. The show was overall satisfactory and fun -- although the sheer amount of Rock on a Monday night left me a little tired. So here are my random highlights/lowlights and truisms about all three bands:

Things that were true about Def Leppard's set: The cougar-leaning ladies in the front row were much more enthusiastic than they were for Poison. (No f-f-f-foolin'.) The band's fantastic cover of David Essex's "Rock On" was an evocative, spooky hellmouth of a song, and a highlight. On the other hand, "Love Bites" - and this hurts my heart - limped like someone with a sprained ankle. A mid-set acoustic interlude with the four instrumentalists (sans drummer Rick Allen) on acoustic guitars playing "Two Steps Behind" and "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" was excellent. The set flew by, mainly because Def Lep stuck to its hits. Its harmonies were spot-on - as was its music, which snarled and stomped like a dinosaur.

Joe Elliott's voice was also lacking the muscle and husky edge of yore, but he had more juice than Michaels did - and as he proved on "Photograph," he can still wail. He also had more clothing changes than Michaels did. Phil Collen emerged onstage pre-glistened with sweat (or so it seemed). Bassist Rick Savage wore one sparkly glove the entire night (homage to Michael Jackson?).

Things that are always true about Def Leppard: The glam-metal-on-steroids quintet does not get enough credit for having cool influences (i.e., Bowie, as demonstrated on "Hysteria"). "Armageddon It" objectively contains some of the most ridiculous lyrics ever uttered - "Yeah, but are you gettin it?/(Armageddon it!)/Ooh, really gettin it?/(Yes, armaggedon it!)" -- but somehow is irresistible. The band has so many classic singles that "Pour Some Sugar On Me" doesn't even need to appear in the encore. The array of pedals and triggers that drummer Allen uses is jaw-dropping.

By Riverfront Times 2009.

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Def Leppard, with Poison and Cheap Trick Review By Brad

Putting together a summer concert package can be tricky but the pairing of Cheap Trick with Poison and Def Leppard this summer was a match made in 80's glam rock heaven. It has been more than 20 years when these bands were the rock gods, when hair metal taught kids to tease and spray their hair, when florescent pink, green and Purple were the style. You could see it in the crowd at the Verizon Amphitheater last night. With lots of 80's attire, Mullets, and some women wearing things they shouldn't. Although Def Leppard closed the show, this was definitely more of a co-headlining gig, as both Poison and Def Leppard had tons of devoted fans in attendance. When Poison was done some of the Fans actually left.

That itch was definitely scratched by Def Leppard. The songs may be old, so old my wife doesn't know some of them, but the band surely isn't. They came out ready, jamming through crowd pleasers such as "Rock! Rock! Till You Drop," "Rocket" and "Animal." Even after three decades, singer Joe Elliott still has it, hitting the right notes. Each band member had a chance to showcase his talent, including a Vivian Campbell guitar solo at the end of "Love Bites" and a bass solo by Rick Savage leading into their version of David Essex's "Rock On." Drummer Rick Allen and guitarist Phil Collen also had their time in the spotlight, including an interesting camera shot down Collen's Guitar. "Guitar Hero" enthusiasts got a lesson on how to play a real guitar. One of the best parts of the show came when everyone except Allen made their way to the end of the catwalk for an acoustic version of "Two Steps Behind," followed by Elliott, Collen and Campbell doing a majority of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" acoustically, took me back to Mtv Unplugged. On "NO!" the band fired up in full again to wrap the song.

The rest of the 90-minute set featured more classics, including "Photograph" (complete with pictures of the band over the years), "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (everyone was singing), "Rock of Ages" and an encore of "Let's Get Rocked." Their energy was so contagious, even those in the Lawn were on their feet the whole show. Rick Allen end the show in full Cardinals attire and throwing his cardinal hat into the crowd, Thanking everyone who came out. You would be hard-pressed to find another band so dedicated to its craft. You can see the passion in their art, the dedication on their faces, and the broad smiles as the crowd responds. Is Poison still nothin' but a good time? Is the Trick still Cheap and Is the Leppard still Def? Anwsers Depending on what you paid for this concert, Sort of, and Hell Rockin Yeah.

By reviewstl 2009.

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Def Leppard & Poison at VZW Amp By J Boyd

After a short change over and with much anticipation, the stage was set for the evening's main event: Def Leppard. They came barreling out of the gate with a set of old classics sure to please any fan of the boys from Sheffield, England. "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)" led the way directly into "Rocket" to start the set and Joe Elliott and the boys were just getting started. Def Leppard had a much bigger, fuller sound than did Poison so that helped the ramp up the energy for their set quite a bit. The 3 tiered LCD covered stage and big lights made a great backdrop for a night of familiar hits. There were many standout's from the set but a very strong version of "Love Bites" featured great solos from every member of the group. A deep, dark bass intro led into a cover of the David Essex tune "Rock On" which was surely a highlight of the night. An acoustic version of "Two Steps Behind" with the band gathered at the front of the stage was great. Classic Def Leppard hits closed the 90 minute set with "Hysteria", a growling version of "Pour Some sugar On Me", "Rock Of Ages" and "Let's Get Rocked" as the encore. Def Leppard showed once again last night that after more than 30 years, they still have what it takes to rock a packed house and the fans in St. Louis could not have enjoyed it more.

Fun show and a great night, go check it out if it comes to your neck of the woods. And do not forget your Aqua Net.

By Insidestl 2009.

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