Tampa, FL - Media Reviews

Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick at Ford Amphitheatre By Gabe Echazabal

Remember the days when you, a wide-eyed high school student, were starved for entertainment? Remember when going to a "rock concert" (a phrase that's sadly, never really heard anymore) was a real event? The crowd at the Ford Amphitheatre sure remembered those days. And they got to relive them for one night this past Friday.

The mostly 35-plus crowd that packed Ford Amp to near-sellout capacity all seem to be there for the same reason: to re-live their youths and to cheer on bands that have dominated their CD collections for over two decades. The rare chance to see three bands on the same bill, each with the the ability to headline arenas in their own right was a real treat. Is it a sign of the lagging economy? Or a truly righteous move on the part of the bands to treat us, the concertgoers, to plenty of bang for our buck? In any case, what was promised was surely delivered on this hot, steamy summer night.

Roadies managed to prepare Def Leppard's gargantuan stage set in record time. Exactly 30 minutes after Poison's exit, lights dimmed and AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock, We Salute You" boomed and thudded from the speakers as headliners Def Lep prepared to take center stage. A two-tiered set drenched in lights and sporting state-of-the-art video screens served as the platform for the night's closing attraction. In no way to be outshined or shown up by the preceding acts, Leppard quickly took flight with "Rock Rock ('Til You Drop)," the opening cut from their 1983 breakthrough album Pyromania. The band's 90-minute set played like a greatest hits jukebox: "Rocket," "Animal," "Rock of Ages" and "Love Bites" served as reminders of Leppard's sturdy grasp of singles and albums charts in the 1980s. The band had the luxury of being blessed with massive radio airplay and MTV airtime throughout that decade (and into the early 1990s as well). Their sales were staggering and 1987's Hysteria was the pinnacle.

All of that album's several hits were prominently featured and the crowd ate it up. All of it. Even the two-song acoustic set that found the entire band (minus drummer Rick Allen) front and center at the lip of a walkway that extended into the first few rows of seats. "Two Steps Behind" and "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" got the acoustic treatment before the latter broke back into its more recognizable full-band, electric reading. The only time the band didn't dip into its vault of well-known hits was when they performed "Nine Lives," a minor hit from their latest studio effort, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. Otherwise, the crowd got what they came for: "Photograph," "Rocket" and, of course, the band's best-known hit and pole dancer favorite, "Pour Some Sugar On Me." Admittedly, lead singer Joe Elliot (above) can't quite reach the high vocal register he was known for anymore, but no one seemed to mind. Guitarist Phil Collen (left) and bassist Rick Savage pouted and hammed it up and again, the mostly female crowd went nuts. The night came to a close with encore "Let's Get Rocked." After three strong performances during a night of solid reminders of what made attending concerts so special, the crowd surely walked away "Rocked."

By Creative Loafing 2009.

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Def Leppard, Poison, Cheap Trick rock like it's 1989 By Matthew J. Palm

The first concert I saw without my parents' watchful eyes was headlined by Def Leppard. It had everything a 17-year-old could have wanted: A sudden downpour, a muddy field, pretty girls from neighboring high schools. In an attempt to impress one of said girls, my friend Noel let her pierce his ear in the parking lot. "Ooh, your mother's gonna kill you," we said, wide-eyed.

So I carried a lot of nostalgia into the triple bill of Cheap Trick, Poison and Def Leppard at Tampa's Ford Amphitheatre on Friday night. Apparently I was not the only one. The packed venue was treated to three hours of rock -- with the latter bands staying focused firmly on the '80s.

Def Leppard was also big on thanking the audience, and frontman Joe Elliott reminded the crowd several times it was 29 years since the British group first toured the U.S. as if he could scarcely believe it himself.

At first, the sound mix wasn't too kind to Elliott's voice, which was often muffled under the wall of guitars on opening songs "Rock! Rock! Til You Drop" and "Rocket."

But by later in the set -- "Two Steps Behind" and "Love Bites" -- Elliott was holding his own with the big riffs.

As befits the headliner, Def Leppard boasted the biggest light show, with images of fire, dancing girls, old photos of the band, and a whole circus storyline playing out on the screens during a driving "Animal."

Showmanship hasn't diminished over the years, either, with guitarist Phil Collen still strutting around the stage shirtless as usual. In his early 50s, he still has the torso of a 20-something soap-opera stud. The guys are proud of their British heritage -- using guitars embossed with "London 1957," the Union Jack or St. George's cross. The Union Jack made frequent appearances on the video screens, and the 90-minute set even opened with a snippet of "God Save the Queen."

They rocked right till the end with a 1-2-3 punch of "Armageddon It," "Photograph" and crowd-favorite "Pour Some Sugar On Me," followed by an encore of "Rock of Ages."

By Orlando Sentinel 2009.

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