Toronto, ON - Media Reviews
Def Leppard / Heart By Mark Warburton
Visiting close friends and family on my regular jaunt over to Canada, I took in the first of my scheduled shows at the magnificent Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto. The weather was baking hot and it was a pleasant change from seeing Def Leppard in a mud soaked field at Download back in June. I was especially looking forward to this show as they had the wonderful Heart with them, a band I have always loved but not seen play live for the best part of 20 years.
We made our way to our seats just in time for Heart to take the stage, led by the Wilson sisters: singer Ann and guitarist Nancy, and the group ran through an outstanding 70-minute set. They kicked off with a cover version of Led Zeppelin's 'Rock and Roll' and lead singer AW in particular appeared in top form. Using virtually no high-tech gimmicks, Heart treated the crowd to several of their hits, including 'Magic Man', 'Heartless', 'Crazy On You'. The Nancy Wilson-led 'These Dreams' met with enthusiastic reaction while the always-welcome 'What About Love' and ‘Barracuda’ also gained resounding responses. One of the highlights of the set was an acoustic rendition of '80s power ballad 'Alone', which had reached the apex of the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1987.
Despite being the opening act and having to perform a 12-song set, the band still took a number of opportunities to speak to the audience. Ann Wilson referred to Toronto as "a rock-and-roll town", a description that met with cheers of agreement from the crowd, and thanked the audience members several times for their enthusiasm and support. As Heart finished their encore with a pair of covers (Zeppelin's 'The Battle of Evermore' and The Who's 'Love, Reign O'er Me'), the fans seemed genuinely sorry that they had to make way for the headliner.
The show continued after a half-hour break, and the stripped-down stage for Heart gave way to giant screens and monolithic sets of lights. Def Leppard came on to a sold out crowd and delivered a rousing rendition of 'Undefeated', one of the new tracks off 'Mirrorball'. The band kept the momentum going with high-energy performances of 'Let's Get Rocked', 'Animal', and 'Foolin'', Joe Elliott and the boys then treating the Molson Amphitheatre faithful to fan favourites such as 'Bringin' On The Heartbreak', 'Love Bites' and 'Rock On'. The band looked much like they did 20 years ago and in a nice tribute to their late band mate Steve Clark, current guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell wowed the crowd with their version of 'Switch 625', an instrumental piece that Clark wrote. Lead singer Elliott engaged the audience throughout the show thanking the fans for coming out on what would be the group's lone Canadian stop on their current 'Mirrorball' tour, at one point telling the fans in attendance that they were the best crowd on the tour to date and they should "tweet that". He also invited the audience members to become the sixth member of the group just before the band launched into an acoustic performance of 'Two Steps Behind'. Up next was the mesmerising title track from 'Hysteria' was swiftly followed by the US mega hit 'Armageddon It' before my personal favourite, the outstanding 'Photograph' had the crowd singing along before 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' brought this rousing set to a close. The band briefly leaves the stage before returning with the only encore of the night, the Def Leppard anthem 'Rock Of Ages'.
A thoroughly enjoyable evening as the Toronto stop of the 'Mirror Ball' tour proved to be a memorable affair as the British rockers along with Heart sent fans home very happy.
ByRocktopia 2011.
Def Leppard Roars Back To Life By Jason Macneil
With no truly hit rock album in ages, and recent records consisting of covers, anthologies and live releases, it was quite odd to see the hysteria Def Leppard occasionally created Tuesday night.
The longtime British rock group played to a sold-out Toronto's Molson Canadian Amphitheatre with little in the way of newness but plenty of hard rock warhorses from the late '80s. Led by singer Joe Elliott - who when he pushed himself vocally sounded far from ideal - the quintet were basically the supporting band for thousands on this night, many of who sported t-shirts from the band's heyday or Union Jack attire.
Unfortunately, the band decided to get the new material out of the way with the opener Undefeated as images of Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela and others who overcame obstacles (including Def Leppard) were shown on seven rectangular video screens.
Using a multi-level stage with steps leading to one-armed drummer Rick Allen, Def Leppard were all business after that. Whether it was on the strong instrumental Switch 625 or on Animal off their mega selling 1987 record Hysteria, the band looked much like they did 20 years ago.
However looking and sounding are two different things, and Elliott at times was stretching himself a bit thin on the power ballad Love Bites or Rocket, the latter oddly enough featuring images of rockets. When he didn't push himself on the softer material, particularly the two-song acoustic portion in Two Steps Behind and Bringin' On The Heartbreak, he sounded quite solid.
Thanking the fans for coming out on what would be the group's lone Canadian stop on their current Mirrorball tour, Elliott occasionally became conductor when not drowned out on Photograph and Let's Get Rocked. Meanwhile guitarists Vivian Campbell - the new guy with nearly two decades of service - and Phil Collen shone on several numbers, including a brief duelling section as Rocket concluded.
And while Rock On wasn't exactly spot on, the group redeemed themselves on Armageddon It and especially Pour Some Sugar On Me, proving you don't really need newbies when you have this many oldies.
Opening for Def Leppard and a very good complement was Heart. Led by the Wilson sisters in singer Ann and guitarist Nancy, the group ran through a 70-minute set that was equal parts sweet, dreamy ballads and harder, rambling rock numbers. Although These Dreams, Alone and What About Love certainly placated many, Ann Wilson's vocals were worth the price alone.
Recalling a bit of Joplin but with plenty of power and depth to belt out each lyric, the singer's pristine pipes got their workout on a two Led Zeppelin covers in Rock And Roll and The Battle Of Evermore. But she saved the best for last with a stellar rendition of The Who's Love, Reign O'er Me, a spine-tingling nugget definitely in her wheelhouse.
By The Toronto Sun 2011.
Def Leppard and Heart Bring Down the House at Ontario Place By Anthony Sin
On August 16, 2011, rock legends Def Leppard and Heart made a triumphant return to Toronto's Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. The capacity crowd that turned out for the show filled the Ontario Place venue not only with numbers but with a buzz that electrified the humid night air—even before either band took the stage. When the show began, the audience's anticipation turned to frenzy as the first notes echoed throughout the amphitheatre.
Opening the Show
Heart appeared first, bringing fans to their feet with, quite fittingly, a cover version of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll". The first line of the song, "It's been a long time since I rock and rolled" seemed not at all to apply to Heart as the venerable band showed no stage rust whatsoever, matching the crowd's energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. Lead singer Ann Wilson in particular was in top form, delivering a rendition of the Led Zeppelin classic with gusto while eliminating any doubt that her decades of performing have had any negative effects on her commanding voice.
Using virtually no high-tech gimmicks (lights and dry ice were the only notable stage effects employed), Heart treated the amphitheatre crowd to several of their hits. Numbers like "Magic Man", "Heartless", "Crazy On You", and the Nancy Wilson-led "These Dreams" met with enthused reactions while the always-welcome "What About Love" and "Barracuda" elicited resounding responses from the audience.
A Supporting Act in Name Only
One of the highlights of Heart's set was an acoustic rendition of their '80s power ballad "Alone". The number was a bravura performance in which Ann Wilson, as with several of the evening's songs, showed off her considerable vocal talent. The depth and power of the elder Wilson sister's singing voice played a large part in sending "Alone" to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1987 and her Toronto performance showed how kind time has been to her.
Despite being the opening act and having to perform a 12-song set, the band still took a number of opportunities to speak to the audience. Heart's lead vocalist referred to Toronto as "a rock-and-roll town", a description that met with cheers of agreement from the crowd, and thanked the audience members several times for their enthusiasm and support.
As Heart finished their encore with a pair of covers (Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" and The Who's "Love, Reign O'er Me"), the fans seemed genuinely sorry that they had to make way for the headliner. Given the crowd reaction, Heart undoubtedly would have been able to sell out the Molson Amphitheatre had the band been the only act performing that evening.
Starting With Something New
The show continued after a half-hour break, and the stripped-down stage for Heart gave way to giant screens and monolithic sets of lights. Def Leppard came on and delivered a rousing rendition of "Undefeated", one of the new tracks off Mirrorball.
The band kept the momentum going with high-energy performances of "Let's Get Rocked", "Animal", and "Foolin'". In keeping with the era represented by these three songs, Joe Elliott and the gang treated the Molson Amphitheatre faithful to fan favourites such as "Bringin' on the Heartbreak", "Photograph", "Rock of Ages", and five songs from Hysteria apart from the aforementioned "Animal".
Remembering a Friend
In a nice tribute to their late band mate Steve Clark, current guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell wowed the crowd with their version of "Switch 625", an instrumental piece that Clark wrote. Another nod to the band's fallen comrade was the series of photos that appeared on the giant screens as the band played "Photograph". Rather than show only current pictures, the montage featured several photos from Def Leppard's early years, a few of which included Clark.
Scoring With the Audience
Lead singer Elliott engaged the audience throughout the show—at one point, he told the fans in attendance that they were the best crowd on the tour to date, and they should "tweet that". He also invited the audience members to become the sixth member of the group just before the band launched into an acoustic performance of "Two Steps Behind".
Missing the Cut
Fans of albums such as On Through the Night, Slang, Euphoria, and X were left wanting as no tracks from those releases made it onto the evening's set list. Also slightly disappointing was that the set was like a slightly scaled down version of the one from 2005 when Def Leppard performed at the Molson Amphitheatre on their Rock of Ages tour.
The show could have benefited from a more daring mix of material, perhaps incorporating songs that Leppard has not played in a while such as "Work It Out", "Love and Affection", or "Demolition Man".
Unforgettable
Despite never deviating from safe selections, Def Leppard still managed to impress and entertain with their verve. Elliott's traditional show-ending request of "Don't forget us and we won't forget you" will undoubtedly be taken to heart by many of the fans who came out to see them.
By Suite 101 2011.
Heart and Def Leppard - Arena Rock with a Punch By T-MAK World
Tonight, the crowds gathered en masse to see two major acts of the stadium rock era. I was excited about this one. Heart with 30 million record sales and Def Leppard with 65 million were on the bill tonight. Unlike last week's Foreigner/Journey show, tonight's gig featured the original line-up of both bands from their glory days. The Molson Amphitheater was sold out once again (price reductions sure go a long way - thanks Live Nation) and the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor concert.
Let's start with Heart who in my opinion has phenomenal musical abilities. To see such a strong opener is nothing new for bands these days, in fact it's quite common - Motley Crue did it with Poison, Journey brought in Foreigner and Def Leppard played with Poison a couple of years back. Heart is made up of two sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson plus their various backing musicians. Six months ago, I saw Heart headline at Massey Hall, a much smaller venue. Check out my YouTube clip of a major highlight that night, The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me". I strongly recommend watching it to see the power of Ann's voice in a small venue. Ann Wilson is considered one of the best female rock vocalists and it is easy to hear why. Heart has been fortunate to peak twice in their careers. In the late 70's they were known for producing hard rock anthems such as "Barracuda" and "Magic Man", and the mid to late 80's was their era of power ballads with such mega-hits such as "Alone" and "What About Love".
This evening, Heart kicked it off with some Led Zeppelin to get the crowd going. Roars and cheers continued all the way through to the encore of (more) Zeppelin and The Who. I wonder if Robert Plant can still hit the notes like Ann can today...? The middle of their set was packed with all their hits and the audience applauded loudly every time a song finished.
Like Heart, Def Leppard has had an illustrious career but on a larger scale. From 1983-1992 Leppard had three massive albums - Pyromania, Hysteria and Adrenalize with a string of ten top 40 singles. Leppard's last visit in Toronto was a couple of years ago with Poison as their opener. Def Leppard came on with a bang (literally) - they kicked off the show with a new song called "Undefeated". The audience responded as well as could be expected, but then Def Lep started a relentless six song machine gun attack with mega hits like "Foolin", "Love Bites" and "Rocket". Joe Elliott and gang slowed things down a bit in the middle with a two song acoustic set (including an awesome rendition of "Bringin' On the Heartbreak") which ignited a massive sing-along from everyone in the audience. Another five songs immediately followed ("Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" were highlights) and the show concluded with "Rock of Ages" which clearly evidenced the longevity of classic stadium rock - almost 30 years later. When Joe Elliott introduced the final song, you can hear the joy in his voice at being able to sing the music he loves for so many years, and he vowed to continue for the next 20 years (which would make him 72 before he retired). His voice showed a bit of strain through the night and lacked the range of his earlier years but that did not bother anyone. The dual guitarists (Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell) nailed all the notes and had fun with alternating solos. Bassist Rick Savage, a founding member of Def Leppard along with Elliott, played his role perfectly and along with the one handed drummer Rick Allen kept the rhythm section rocking.
By T-MAK World 2011.
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