Def Leppard Saratoga Springs, NY, USA 2014 Media Reviews

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day, 5th August 2014

Saratoga Springs, NY - Media Reviews

SPAC gets KISS'd and rocked By Stan Hudy

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center was rocked and KISSed Tuesday night as the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees KISS headlined its 40th Anniversary Tour with another rock legend, Def Leppard who followed the Dead Daisies at the capacity show.

With the SPAC amphitheater, balcony and lawn area filled with a slew of fans donning KISS shirts, along with Starchild and Demon makeup; it was apparent early on that this was the Hall of Famer’s night in Saratoga Springs.

KISS, the creation of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley opened the show to a frenzied crowd with “Psycho Circus” and followed Simmons with his deep growling rendition of “Deuce”. The media mogul let his rock persona flow front and center on the stage, ripping through his bass guitar and flashing his notorious tongue for the orchestra seat fans. His demon persona was brought up close the personal on the adjacent large video screens for all to see and scream in delight.

The front four of KISS, Simmons, Stanley, Tommy Thayer (The Spaceman) and Eric Singer (The Cat) were the focus for the 85-minute show, supported by the large full stage video screen behind the stage along with front dual screens on stage consistently rotating the KISS logo in various stages. Credit Simmons for never letting the crowd forget who was the headliner Tuesday night with that reminder.

It wouldn’t be a KISS show without pyrotechnics and explosions, all fired around drummer Singer throughout the night. With video screens being the rage, KISS brings the sound, fire and eruptions front and center.

Stanley worked the crowd between songs, asking the fans that had never been to a KISS concert to raise their hands for him. He guaranteed that it would be a night that they’ll never forget and the ageless rockers delivered.

Simmons continues to be the star of the show early on, spitting fire at the conclusion of “Hotter Than Hell” on stage and then bringing out his trademark battle axe bass guitar for his theatrical bass solo, complete with “blood” flowing out of his mouth and leading into “God of Thunder”.

Stanley worked the crowd, both back and front of the stage, singing at center stage or at stage left jamming during Simmons songs and showing his black satin and sequin studded backside to the audience.

After Simmons completed his rock love statement “Calling Dr. Love”, Stanley thrilled the crowd saying “Everyone deserves a front row seat, so I’m going to come to you.”

The KISS lead guitarist jumped on a pulley system and flew over the center seats of the amphitheater to the back of the inside seating to a rotating platform to sing “Love Gun” for the crowd, igniting devil horn finger salutes from the packed lawn crowd.

There was never any doubt that the show was for the crowd and Stanley thanked the capacity audience for their support in their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. That thanks was never more evident than when Stanley reached down from his remote platform and brought up one of the youngest fans in the audience. The little boy waved to the crowd along with Stanley, sealing the deal in every fans heart.

After flying back to the main stage, drummer Eric Singer made his mark on the night with “Black Diamond” and finishing with his drum set raised high above the stage atop his intricate scissor lift.

Stanley again raised the fans appreciation, talking about ignoring the tradition of running off stage and encouraging the crowd to cheer them back for an encore. “We just want to play some more. Is that OK?”

The answer was a resounding ‘Yes,’ as the rock legends finished with their classic “Detroit Rock City” and “Rock and Roll All Night” completed with Stanley answering the cheers from the audience to smash his guitar on stage with white confetti spewing from air cannons deep in the amphitheater to close out the show.

The Hall of Fame show was set up by the return of a full-throated Joe Elliott leading stadium legends Def Leppard for a full 85-minute throwback show of 80s hits and ballads.

Last year, Elliott was suffering with a severe head cold during his SPAC performance, apologizing for his softer and shorter upper octave stints. He didn’t disappoint Tuesday night, returning in force and range.

The only new look on stage was a lockless co-lead guitarist Vivian Campbell, who’s dark, curly mane is gone after rounds of chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His July 31 Facebook post states that his cancer is in remission, but he will undergo a third round of chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant when the tour ends.

The band that MTV come to life for fans in the 80s, Def Leppard continued to provide a rock and roll visual wow. Streaming video on the full stage rear screen along with four separate screens on stage along with the side jumbo screens in the amphitheater was perfect to remind the fans who grew up with Def Leppard how young we all used to look.

Hits like “Foolin” and “Let’s Get Rocked” were intertwined with ballads like “Love Bites” and the acoustic set of “Two Steps Behind” brought the 80s back to life.

The bare chested, vest wearing Phil Collen continues to be the one of the few 50-year-old plus rockers who can show off their body and licks in style with bassist Rick Savage never seeming to age.

Every Def Leppard fan is in awe when they see one-armed drumming icon Rick Allen, continuing to pound out the beat with arm, feet and of course, heart.

Def Leppard closed out the opening set with a triple-play of “Rocket,” “Armageddon It” and rock anthem “Pour Some Sugar on Me” before returning for its encore, playing “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph.”

While we all age, some memories are too strong to forget and Tuesday nights KISS/Def Leppard show proved that the 80s are alive and well in all of us in the seats and on the stage.

By CN Weekly 2014.

Media Review - Kiss, Def Leppard By Tim Mack

It may or may not qualify as irony that, at the height of the Saratoga summer, at the midpoint between the Bolshoi Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, as the Racing City teems with the sort of high-society types who arrive at parties by boat and use the word “summer” as a verb, who should come thundering into SPAC? Kiss.

Not that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley don’t belong among the elites, financially or musically. When the 40-year veterans hit the stage Tuesday night, glammed to the hilt with makeup and bombast, set to rattle jewelry from the Dance Museum all the way to the owners’ boxes at the flat track, they were no doubt two of the richest people in the county. Having the Kiss brand slapped across countless T-shirts, action figures, lunch boxes and slot machines over the last four decades made sure of that. And as newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members with more than 100 million albums sold, their musical resume can hold its own alongside the greatest bands of all time. Just ask Simmons, he’ll tell you.

Remarkably, they were not the only 100-million sellers in the amphitheater on this night. In a double bill designed to please the high-school graduating classes of both 1978 and 1988, British rockers Def Leppard are co-headliners for this 40-date summer party. As guitarist Phil Collen put it, the two bands are so big, it’s a case where “one plus one makes three.” And the rowdy house, packed from pit to lawn, seemed to agree.

As the openers on this first-among-equals show (who would want to follow Kiss?), Def Leppard ran through a lean, mean, all-killer-no-filler set of classics in 75 minutes, touching on all their biggest hits like “Hysteria” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” but still left time for the instrumental “Switch 625” and even a Rick Allen drum solo (one arm, two bare feet) before closing with “Photograph” and a promise to return to SPAC very soon.

Then, promptly at 9:45, Kiss took the stage and the building trembled. It was a spectacle in the greatest sense of the word: explosions, fireworks, a monster lighting rig, a levitating drum kit and enough fog to ground air traffic up and down the East Coast. If it weren’t for the roof, this show would have been visible from space. You didn’t have to be a member of the Kiss Army to appreciate watching 5,000 iPhones rise as one for a shot of Simmons spitting fire during “Hotter Than Hell” or spitting blood to open “God of Thunder.” Stanley flew out over the audience to a second stage near the sound board for “Love Gun” and “Black Diamond,” making good on his promise to try and give everyone a front-row seat at some point during the night. Not bad for a band who embarked on its farewell tour in 2001. Sure, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley are long gone and Simmons and Stanley at an age best suited to the more genteel Saratoga summer pastimes, but the group and the show are razor-sharp as ever.

The fine print on the ticket does not explicitly state you’ll need two hours in a sensory-deprivation chamber to recover from a Kiss concert. Perhaps it’s implied. Either way, the band made good on their opening boast: “You wanted the best? You got the best!”

By Metroland 2014.

Kiss good, not great at SPAC By Tom Templeton

One of the thrills of live music lies in the element of surprise, when the crowd's lust for the unpredictable trumps note-perfect, album-quality repetition. By that measure, Kiss missed the mark on Tuesday night.

On a cloudy, temperate summer evening at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Kiss and Def Leppard played to a packed house and thickly populated lawn. The all-ages audience reveled, screaming along with the bands as they wound their way through the hard-rock anthems that became staples of the party soundtrack in the '70s and '80s.

Early in Kiss' set, Paul Stanley (AKA the Starchild) declared, "This Tuesday night is a night you'll never forget." I don't buy it. Despite having one of the most charismatic frontmen in the business (Stanley), the band's performance was scripted to a fault. From Gene Simmons spitting blood and fire (in addition to his notorious tongue-lolling antics) to the choreographed movements of the band as a whole, the predictability was reminiscent of the Beatles bowing after each live number per Brian Epstein's direction. But Epstein was a pioneer of the early 1960s — this is 2014 — and while fans certainly came to see Kiss in full makeup and garb, along with their usual rock 'n' roll flair, the performance wasn't nearly as electrifying as it might've been had the 40-year-old band attempted something the audience wasn't expecting.

Despite that, Kiss rollicked through some of its best work, including "War Machine," featuring pyrotechnics in flawless synch with the drumbeat; "Calling Dr. Love," which was Simmons' finest vocal performance of the night; "Love Gun," in which a boot-shaking Paul Stanley swung above the crowd; and "Black Diamond," which showcased dead-on vocal harmonies as well as Tommy Thayer's ability to shred on lead guitar. As expected, "Rock and Roll All Nite" was the biggest crowd-pleaser, if only due to its iconic status as the band's most identifiable song.

Reserved by comparison, Def Leppard's 75-minute set was equally competent. Joe Elliott's lead vocals, though lacking the effortlessness of range he (and we) once took for granted, was deliciously raspy at all the right moments. In particular, "Love Bites," "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Rock of Ages" displayed the best of the band's catalog. The Dead Daisies opened the night with a tight half-hour set, the highlight of which was a seriously well-done cover of the Beatles' "Helter Skelter."

By Times Union 2014.

KISS/Def Leppard Bring The Classic Rockin' to SPAC By Marty Weinbaum

Driving into SPAC is always a treat. The tree lined road seems so majestic, a special place. A slightly humid evening and threat of severe thunderstorms kept us under one of the elevated walkways on the lawn.

The Dead Daisies opened the show right at 7pm, with a short half hour set. Jon Stevens of INXS fame, along with Richard Fortus of Guns N'Roses and David Lowy of Mink were joined by a group of tight musicians. Their heavy metal material was loud, but crystal clear. The drummer was a showman, throwing sticks high into the air and coming down right in beat. They closer their set with a fun cover of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter>Whole Lotta Love."

Prior to Def Leppard hitting the stage, The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" played over the PA, and the crowd went wild!! During the keyboard solo, strobe lights flashed over the stage. A large Def Leppard banner was raised over the front, and, as soon as the famous Keith Moon drumming kicked in, it was pulled up to reveal the band playing along with the song. They finished it with a fervor that would make Who fans proud.

Their set opened with "Let it Go," playing right into one of their big hits "Animal." Joe Elliot sounds like he has not aged. Rick Allen puts two-armed drummers to shame. Vivian Campbell (looking quite good after another recent chemotherapy treatment to battle cancer) and Phil Collen are a great pair of guitar slingers. The band brought us back to the hair band 80's, without all the pretentious attitudes... this was just fun rock n roll. Songs like "Foolin'", "Love Bites" and "Armageddon It" brought back the enjoyment of good ol' rollicking music.

There is not much that compares to the spectacle of a KISS show, complete with fans dressed in full KISS regalia. The crowd was pumped after some Zeppelin prior to show start. And then the infamous beginning to every KISS show since the seventies..."YOU WANTED THE BEST, YOU GOT THE BEST, THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD...KISS!!!!"

Unfortunately, the one thing that let me down was that they broke into "Psycho Circus" as their opener. I have to say that it was a bit disappointing. "Deuce" was a great follow up and then "Shout it Out Loud" got the crowd whooping it up. Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer do a great tribute to Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively, but to a long time fan, they are just a copy.

They dug deep for several songs, including "War Machine" from the Creatures of the Night album, "Hotter than Hell" (Gene breathes fire) and "God of Thunder." Paul Stanley is still soaring over the crowd during "Love Gun," and Gene still spits blood during his bass solo. They even broke into "Won't Get Fooled Again" during "Lick it Up," bringing the concert full circle from the Def Leppard opening.

By Live For Live Music 2014.

SPAC gets KISSed and rocked by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers By Stan Hudy