London, England - Media Reviews
Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Black Star Riders @ SSE Arena, Wembley (UK) By Dom
“Wait, do these guys still exist?!” – That’s a question many may have been asking upon seeing the poster for the UK tour featuring the co-headline bill of Def Leppard and Whitesnake with special guests Black Star Riders as the opening act (which basically is the latest touring line-up of Thin Lizzy). All three acts released new albums recently and all three defeated the test of time with rockin’ glory. And that was reflected in their performances on 18 December 2015 at London’s Wembley Arena.
Black Star Riders entered the stage while a Tarantino-like intro was blasting out on the PA. When Ricky Warwick, Scott Gorham, Damon Johnson, Robert Crane and Jimmy DeGrasso entered the stage, the venue was not filled up yet (understandably – it was still 6:40pm) but the reaction they received from the audience upon just entering the stage was louder than what I expected. Ricky confessed in our interview that changing the name from Thin Lizzy to Black Star Riders may have been “career suicide” but it might have been the best decision they made. Although the set included Thin Lizzy tracks (“Jailbreak”, “Whiskey in the Jar”), the Black Star Riders original material, from their two albums, was very powerful and perhaps more appropriate for this occasion because it felt like it had its own life. Their set was raw, not too polished, and powerful with the celtic-rock spirit audible (and felt!) throughout the set. Of course, sometimes it “feels like Thin Lizzy” but you can’t unmake that, these are (the latest) Thin Lizzy members, and their new material is so strong it doesn’t matter anyway. Expect more from these awesome guys.
After a short break and while The Who’s “My Generation” started playing on the PA, we all knew what was coming up as we were all waiting (and going crazy) for David Coverdale and co.’s entrance. Whitesnake started out with the Coverdale-era Deep Purple track “Burn” and what followed was classic after classic…after classic. When the Whitesnake hits were being played it felt as if we were teleported back to 1987 and with the Purple tracks we were teleported to the mid-70s. The Purple tracks (“Mistreated”, “You Fool No One”, “The Gypsy”) – off the latest Whitesnake masterpiece, The Purple Album – sounded powerful with that extra an’ spicy Whitesnake production. Performing the Mark 3 & 4 songs coincided with Deep Purple being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which Coverdale cheered to with his beer while introducing the track “The Gypsy”. “Soldier of Fortune” – which Coverdale introduced as the “one before you were born” – especially was magnificent that night in London with only Coverdale on vocals and new guitarist Joel Hoekstra on the acoustic. It is true that Mr Coverdale was losing his voice at times and the rest of the band along with the crowd had to back him up, nonetheless, during the aforementioned track, “Bad Boys” and the magnificently moving “Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” the vocals were amazing. Whitesnake is not all about Coverdale, however, and he made sure to point this out during the performance by introducing everyone. The young energy backing up Coverdale – Joel Hoekstra (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar), Michael Devin (bass) and Michele Luppi (keyboards) – was extremely tight and proved themselves on every track, whether it was through amazing guitar solos or throwing acrobatic shapes (Hoekstra especially). There is no need introducing Tommy Aldridge but his drumming throughout the gig was Whitesnake’s heartbeat. Whitesnake is a timeless band and even if it is 2015, “Here I Go Again”, “Is This Love” or “Love Ain’t No Stranger” will always be relevant. I don’t know about you but I’m looking forward to seeing the bad boys again in 2016. Here’s a song for ya!
Def Leppard were also in fantastic form. They started off with “Let’s Go” from their latest self-titled album and similarly to Whitesnake provided a “best of” with tracks such as “Animal”, “Love Bites”, “Hysteria”, “Photograph”, “Rock of Ages” and obviously “Pour Some Sugar on Me”. If one were to compare, Joe Elliot was in better form vocally than Coverdale and all songs sounded like they should as if we were experiencing Def Leppard’s glory days of the 80s when they were THE mainstream band. The whole band was in top form; drummer Rick Allen pounding the drums with one drumstick while sporting a Union Jack outfit (even the headphones had the flag colorus!) and also producing an astounding solo half-way through; Phil Collen, who was introduced to the Wembley crowd as “a 17 year old” by Elliot, was shredding the guitar looking like a bodybuilder (and also with a Union Jack scarf hanging from his guitar); Rick Savage, who together with Elliot is still in the band after 38 years, was pouncing around the stage with his bass; and Vivian Campbell, who was looking classy and less rock ‘n’ roll, produced some awesome solos and classic riffs. Similarly to Whitesnake and Black Star Riders, the Def Leppard boys were all with smiles on their faces and looked like they were having a great time on stage. It is amazing that after 38 years of recording and touring the world, these guys can still rock out with such huge smiles. It is not surprising then that they produced an amazing album this year as well. Do yourself a favour and get rocked with some Def Leppard!
All three bands brought out their best. It was a throwback to the 80s with songs like “Animal” or “Here I Go Again” but also the 70s with songs like “Jailbreak” and “Mistreated”.
By Metal Rescusants 2015.
Def Leppard | Whitesnake | Black Star Riders at The SSE Arena By Robert Sutton
Black Star Riders with Ricky Warwick (vocals) were originally formed in 2012 from the members of Thin Lizzy and just played Thin Lizzy songs. However, they have evolved and now have a new second album including their own song (The Killer Instinct) to add to their set-list. They opened up the evening’s performance with ‘All Hell Breaks Loose’, the title track from their first album. Being the opening act they only had a short set and played a total of eight songs with three of these being classic Lizzy songs. Only playing the old stuff is slowly passing, with them gradually building up their set list with new Black Star Riders songs and gaining a new fan base in their own right. The most striking thing about tonight’s performance for me, was not the performance itself, which was excellent, but "What have you done with your long hair Ricky??!!", with it being the first time I’ve seen him with very short hair.
Whitesnake performing on their ‘Purple’ tour in support of their new album ‘The Purple Album’ which concentrates on Coverdale’s time as singer in Deep Purple (Mk III and Mk IV era), they had what really was a co-headliner set time, with them playing for 85 minutes and having a setlist comprising of thirteen songs...and a drum solo...
This was the first time I’ve seen Whitesnake with their new guitarist Joel Hoekstra (ex-Night Ranger) and it was interesting to see how the ‘new boy’ fitted into the team. Well he fitted into it in a good way and gave a younger more energetic feel to the line-up that did compliment the more seasoned and experienced other members of the band.
Coverdale gave a good performance and despite losing some of the edge from his vocals over the years he is still a super front man for the band. Reb Beach (guitar) and Tommy Aldridge (drums) gave really good performances and solos..and I even liked Tommy’s drum solo …so it must have been good!! Michael Devin (bass) gave a consistent performance, as always, but he is not so much of a show man as the other members of the band.
All in all it was a good ‘all the hits’ show from Whitesnake with a little emphasis on the Deep Purple era..with them finishing with the classics ‘Is this Love’,’Fool for your Loving’, ‘Here I go Again’ and ‘Still of the Night’
Def Leppard have always been great at putting on a ‘show’ and tonight was to be no exception to this with a full back of stage screen and two smaller side viewer screens, I’m sure even those right at the back of the arena could clearly see all of the action that was taking place.
With no messing around they enter with ‘Let’s go’ the new single from their new album simply titled...‘Def Leopard’.. (Not sure why they couldn’t come up with a ‘proper’ name for the album...). Whilst it may be difficult for them to play anything other than the classic tracks from their early thirty plus year old albums ‘Pyromania’ and ‘Hysteria’, it was good to hear that they did include ‘Undefeated’ from their 2011 album ‘Mirror Ball – Live & More’ and another new song ‘Dangerous’ from the new album.
Other than this, the set was the classic super sing-a-long hits from them that everyone knows the words to. The back screen was synced to the songs and gave a great visual representation of each of the songs played. However, whilst this was superb it does tend to make a very much ‘staged’ performance with not much room for any impromptu moments that do sometimes make a show that bit more memorable.
By After Dark 2015.
Def Leppard: Welcome to the edge of your seat By Nils Van Der Linden
Def Leppard make it look so easy. Even songs from ‘Hysteria’ — an album so detailed, mixing alone took over three months — are recreated effortlessly by a band clearly having as much fun as the audience from the off.
As the curtain drops, they vault straight into a spirited rendition of new song ‘Let’s Go’ which, with its classic Leppard sound and “Welcome to the carnival, Welcome to the party, Welcome to the edge of your seat” refrain is the perfect opener for a celebratory hit-stuffed set. A ferocious ‘Animal’, showing off the twin-guitar attack of Phil “no shirt” Collen and Vivian “constantly smiling” Campbell, gives way to triumphant 2011 single (and unofficial band mission statement) ‘Undefeated’.
‘Dangerous’, a ‘Pyromania’-flavoured new arrival with a huge chorus already memorised by the diehards in the crowd, keeps the adrenaline flowing before the band launch into one giant song after another. Boasting impeccable vocal harmonies, an impassioned ‘Love Bites’ is followed in quick succession by the explosive ‘Armageddon It’, funked-up cover ‘Rock On’, and unplugged ‘Two Steps Behind’, an 18 000-person singalong conducted by Joe Elliot.
The frontman is an expert cheerleader, capable of inciting mass hysteria, but the slick big-screen visuals, no-expense-spared light show, and nonstop parade of chart-toppers — intergalactic groover ‘Rocket’, arms-aloft ballad ‘When Love and Hate Collide’, a beautifully recreated ‘Hysteria’, and seven-day weekend party anthem ‘Let’s Get Rocked’ — do make his job a little easier. So by the time they get to the hot and sticky ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ and each band member has had his moment in the spotlight — including a rapturously received Rick Allen drum solo — Elliot has Wembley Arena in his hands.
The encore — a fiery ‘Rock of Ages’ and gutsy ‘Photograph’ — seals the deal and, as the masses shuffle out of the venue, there are more than a few smiles to rival Campbell’s.
By Graffiti Punchtuated 2015.
share this page:
get def leppard news
Stay in touch with the latest updates.
explore def leppard tour history
