Denver, CO - Media Reviews

Def Leppard, Styx, Tesla at the Pepsi Center By Alan Cox

The term classic rock is appropriate to the triple bill of Tesla, Styx and Def Leppard because their greatest-hits catalog has served as the soundtrack of adolescence for most in attendance at the Pepsi Center on Saturday night.

When the entire arena is singing along, they’re not just enjoying the song in the moment, they’re reliving high school memories. That alone could satisfy a crowd, but what’s at risk is whether these bands, some with fewer original members than others, could still pull off a high-energy concert that looks and sounds as good as those memories.

The no-nonsense blues metallers in Tesla launched into the night with guns blazing. Fan favorites like “C’mon Atcha Live,” “Hang Tough” and “Modern Day Cowboy” featured plenty of clean guitar leads and rocks poses from Frank Hannon and Dave Rude. Tesla was pleasantly lacking any sound or technical issues that often plague openers. Jeff Keith, whose voice might be an acquired taste for some, didn’t shy away from going after the high notes and hitting them. An acoustic version of “Love Song” offered the opportunity to expose cracks in range, but Keith delivered consistently and the crowd was with them from the beginning. Tesla delivered a short but solid performance that had no time for the encore the crowd seemed to want.

After a very short break, Styx took opened with “The Grand Illusion,” supported by a huge, bright backdrop of album artwork. It’s well known that Styx suffered a major coup when rock-oriented guitarists Tommy Shaw and James Young parted ways with the more theatrical band founder Dennis DeYoung. Lawrence Gowan stepped into those shoes in 1999, and at Saturday’s show he worked like he was still trying hard to fill them, providing showmanship by standing on top of his keyboard, leaping from platforms and playing keys with hands behind his back.

If there’s a fault for Styx, it’s that the band seems to play the same songs on every tour. But in doing so, one can’t deny they’ve polished them into diamonds and play with a confidence that’s highly entertaining. Gowan performed a solo rendition of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” in recognition of the band’s relationship with some NASA folks in attendance, touting proudly that an orbiting moon of Pluto has been named Styx.

The original rhythm section is gone, but drummer Todd Sucherman plays with such precision and intensity one can overlook the fact he wasn’t part of the original recordings. As expected, “Come Sail Away” elicited the biggest response, and the band’s encores included “Rocking the Paradise” and “Renegade,” which ended the set on a high note. Despite getting older, Styx’s professional performance was full of youthful exuberance and energy.

Then came Def Leppard, who got a boost in volume that actually made the sound muddier than the Tesla and Styx mix. Joe Elliot’s voice, while sounding surprisingly solid, was drowned out at times by the wall of reverb and guitar. But again, everyone there already knew what Elliot was singing and were happy to join along.

From “Animal,” “Fooling” and “Let It Go,” Def Leppard played with an edge and energy that catapulted the audience back to the ’80s (an edge that seemed lacking from the band’s recent studio recordings). In his age-defying habit, Phil Collen played shirtless and his toned physique was on display. The band stuck closely to predictable crowd favorites including “Rocket,” which had strong video support, and “Hysteria” which featured vintage video and photos of the band’s early days. The two unexpected surprises were a cover of David Essex’s “Rock On” and Elliot playing an acoustic guitar alone singing “Two Steps Behind,” where there was no hiding if he had voice problems. He did not.

Def Leppard has seen its share of hardship, from the death of founding guitar Steve Clark (who was displayed frequently on screen in the retro clips), to his replacement, Vivian Campbell’s recent battle with cancer, to drummer Rick Allen’s lost of his arm in a car accident. But Allen represents the band’s undying spirit well, and his one-armed, two-footed drum solo drew possibly the loudest applause of the entire show. His smile and look of joy while playing represented what all three bands seemed to bring — a sense of gratitude to still be rocking in an arena 30-40 years into their careers. The encores of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Rock of Ages” had that whole arena singing.

Announcing their upcoming self-titled new release, Elliot vowed that Def Leppard would return to Denver.

By Hey Reverb 2015.

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Def Leppard Concert Review - Pepsi Center By Ken Tomczak

The date was February 12, 1988. The venue was McNichols Arena. Def Leppard with special guest Tesla. In the round and in my face on the Hysteria tour. My first ever Leppard show and I lost my 17-year-old mind. I caught Phil Collen’s metal guitar pick and even ended up with a cameo appearance in the “Pour Some Sugar On Me” music video filmed at Big Mac that night.

Fast forward a few years (OK, 27 years) and Def Leppard’s 2015 summer tour features Tesla opening up. The more things change, the more they stay the same. This time around, Styx are also on the bill giving fans even more value for money. For me, it’s Lep show #23 (but who’s counting?)

Tesla opened up Saturday night's show with the one-two Mechanical Resonance punch of “Rock Me To The Top” and “Cumin’ Atcha Live”. Already firing on all cylinders, guitarist Frank Hannon took to the microphone and yelled, “Do you remember two nights at McNichols Arena?” Yes I do, Frank. “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)”, “Love Song” and “Modern Day Cowboy” ended their short, but flawless set.

On paper, Styx seem somewhat out of place on this bill but Tommy Shaw and the boys are much heavier in concert than they are on record and they bridged the gap to Def Leppard nicely. Opening with “The Grand Illusion,” they immediately had the audience of classic rockers in the palm of their hand.

During “Too Much Time On My Hands,” Shaw changed the lyrics to “I have dozens of friends and the fun never ends. That is, as long as my friend James Young is buying.” Vocalist Lawrence Gowan sang a piano medley of Elton John’s “Rocket Man”, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” before launching into “Come Sail Away”. Fans (like myself) may still miss original Styx vocalist Dennis DeYoung, but they ended their fast and furious set with "Miss America”, “Renegade” and “Blue Collar Man”.

The instrumental Leppard track “Disintegrate” from 1999’s Euphoria blasted through the PA as the light went down. Seconds later, the Def Leppard curtain lifted and the band opened their set with “Rock Rock (Till You Drop)” from 1983’s Pyromania followed by 1987's “Animal”.

My oldest friend in the world Brandon made the trip from San Antonio to take in the show with me. As a die-hard Steve Clark fan, he hasn’t seen Def Leppard live since the Hysteria tour. (Clark passed away in 1991 due to alcohol/drug abuse.) Brandon's fingers were crossed for some deep tracks and he was rewarded with “Let It Go” from High N’ Dry and the epic “Paper Sun” from Euphoria. The rest of Leppard’s set picks itself including hit singles "Armageddon It”, “Foolin’” and “Love Bites”.

During the title track “Hysteria,” concert footage of the 1988 McNichols Arena show and Ross Halfin images of 1988-era Lep flashed on the screen making for an emotional moment. Looking at the video screen, it was impossible for me not to mumble “I was there!”

Joe Elliott strummed an acoustic guitar singing “Altitude Sickness Blues” before playing a solo version of “Two Steps Behind”. Elliott sounded good, but not superb, his vocals buried in the mix from time to time.

“The Thunder God” Rick Allen received a huge ovation after his drum solo in “Switch 625” and hard core Lep fans were thrilled to see Allen's #Flatbird Lives tease scribbled on his drums. (A reference to the band Ded Flatbird – Google it.)

Before Saturday’s show, Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell took to Facebook to suggest they might play their brand new single “Let’s Go” for the first time in Denver. Unfortunately…

By 99.5 The Mountain 2015.

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