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By Rob Williams

But there weren't as many Bics flicked as there were during the band's glory days. Perhaps not as many people smoke today as when Def Leppard were filling arenas.

Though initially plagued by a bad sound mix, the problems were worked out a few songs into the gig as the band settled down to deliver its surprisingly large number of hits from its 10 albums, along with an equal amount of up-tempo pop-rockers and ballads.

All seven of the singles from 1987's 15-million seller Hysteria were sprinkled throughout the almost two-hour set - Hysteria, Women, Rocket, Animal, Armageddon It, Pour Some Sugar On Me and Love Bites - along with the best of their material from Pyromania and Adrenalize, including Foolin', Photograph and Rock of Ages.

The band was one of the biggest-selling of the 1980s and other than a blinding light show, didn't rely on special effects or pyrotechnics to get the audience excited, preferring to let its greatest hits do the talking.

By The Winnipeg Sun 2003.

Read the full review at - winnipegsun.com

By Bartley Kives

That's what last night's crowd of about 5,000 came to hear: the tunes, starting with Let It Go at 8:30 p.m. and ending with an encore that included Love Bites almost two hours later.

In '87, at the height of Def Leppard's popularity, the band brought a state-of-the-art, 360-degree stage to Winnipeg Arena during the Hysteria tour. Last night, the Englishmen performed on a conventional stage, confronting the audience head-on with a big row of Marshall stacks.

The sound wasn't great, but the band remains tight. Drummer Rick Allen, who's been playing with one arm for almost two decades now, is impressive to the point of inspiring, and not just to people with disabilities.

Out in front of him, guitarists Phil Collen and Viv Campbell and bassist Rick Savage chugged away at light metal riffs like a trio of construction workers with jackhammers. Singer Joe Elliott was the only significant moving object, and he helped deflect attention from Collen, who had removed his shirt to reveal a scrawny body by the fourth song, the power ballad Bringin' On The Heartbreak. Mercifully, Def Leppard played just a handful of songs from X, its awful new album, leaving more room in the set for popariffic '80s nuggets from Hysteria, Pyromania and High 'n' Dry.

The highlights included a strong version of Foolin' early in the set and late appearances by Rocket, Photograph, Animal, Pour Some Sugar On Me and Rock Of Ages. Stinkers from X dragged down the middle of the show.

By Winnipeg Free Press 2003.

Read the full review at - winnipegfreepress.com

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