Albany, NY - Media Review Quotes
By Michael Eck
The latter also featured a guitar duel between fretmen Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen. While it showed off both gents' considerable skills, it was more friendly than competitive. The quintet didn't disappoint when it came time to roll out the classics.
Elliott did sound a little tired by midset, but he still made sure that all concerned had a good time.
The opening riff of "Photograph" would have made everyone jump to their feet if they hadn't already been standing for the entire show. It was the clear highlight of the night, but "Animal," "Hysteria," "Armageddon It," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Rock of Ages" and an encore of "Love Bites" were pretty fine, too.
Production-wise, the concert was surprisingly simple, with no video screens or pyrotechnics to accompany the music of a band so linked to the video age.
By The Times Union 2003.
Read the full review at - timesunion.com
By Deanna Amore
The band played songs off its latest release, "X." "Now" and "Long Long Way to Go," which was dedicated to American and British troops in Iraq, were crowd-pleasers, but it was definitely the old stuff that energized the fans.
Elliott, who seemed genuinely happy to still be performing, cracked some jokes and talked to the audience as if everyone was an old friend.
He also egged the fans on to cheer louder and louder and sing along, and he even teased them a bit with Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama."
"We're not near Alabama. Want to try it?" he asked as the crowd cheered.
By The Saratogian 2003.
Read the full review at - saratogian.com
Def Leppard goes with what it knows and the crowd responds By Jude Hanley
Def Leppard is a first rate pop band, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Def Leppard and their Amercian counterparts Van Halen blazed the path for heavy metal to get radio airplay. Kiss and Led Zeppellin were never popular on the singles charts, but are the two most popular bands of their time. I mention this because the next song is one of the best pop songs ever. "Promises" is Def Leppard's masterpiece. Hailing from 1999's "Euphoria," it had the misfortune of being released amidst America's bewildering fascination with boy bands and underaged school girls. "Promises" has blazing guitars, a huge beat, beautiful soaring harmonies, more hooks than a tackle box, and great lyrics for a change. It ignited the already warm crowd. When pop is done right it is absolutely irresistible.
Next, Elliott pulled out an acoustic guitar and sang "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd for some reason, followed by the lyrically silly "Whatever You Do I'll Be Two Steps Behind You." Why two steps? In the middle of "Rocket" the band acknowledged the true kings of British hard rock by taking a stab at Led Zeppelin's (by way of Willie Dixon) "Whole Lotta Love." It sounded great and again I was impressed by Allen's drumming. Rather than imitate John Bonham, he brought his sound to the song made it sound fresh, I only wish they'd played the whole thing. The band did a great version of "Photograph," and I found myself thinking about the girl I had a crush on in junior high school. Old songs are cool that way.
Like the recent REO Speedwagon/Styx/Journey show, Def Leppard had enough hits to keep the crowd ecstatic all night. The set list was well chosen. The final leg of the show included "Animal," "Armageddon it," "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rock of Ages." Fans pumped their fists in the air so many times, they beat the oxygen out of it. After a very short break, the Leppards came back out, and before launching into the encore, informed the crowd that they were the best crowd they'd had all tour. I've said it before, the Capital District is a rock town.
The band then played the terrible "Love Bites," a horrid power ballad that made for an even worse encore. If you play a power ballad, and you don't see lots of lighters flickering in the distance, that's a hint to drop it from the set. The supercharged "Let's Get Rocked" bludgeoned the fans, sending them home happy and deaf. The entire concert was played at a volume that would make Blue Cheer envious. Nevertheless, the fans got what they wanted.
By Troy Record 2003.
Read the full review at - troyrecord.com
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