Vancouver, BC - Media Review Quotes
By Lord Of The Wasteland
Like all well-seasoned rockers do, Def Leppard recently collaborated with Universal Music and put together, ROCK OF AGES: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION, a two CD career retrospective of hits, album cuts and the obligatory new track at an irresistibly low bargain price that would shine on the local Wal-Mart shelf. This release, along with an upcoming "covers" collection entitled YEAH!, was the focus of Def Leppard's latest swing through Vancouver and several thousand fans were there to sing, dance and reminisce about "the glory days." And as expected, the Sheffield lads gave them exactly what they came for over the course of two hours.
ON THROUGH THE NIGHT's "Hello America" would have been a rightful way to kick off the proceedings but "Action" (a Sweet cover from 1993's RETRO ACTIVE b-side collection) was chosen instead and left a few people scratching their heads. Like Linus' security blanket, the warm and fuzzy feeling of familiarity quickly crept in, though, with the hideously dated (though loads of fun), "Let's Get Rocked." Along with the release of the ROCK OF AGES and YEAH! collections, 2005 also signifies the 25th anniversary of Def Leppard and frontman Joe Elliott commented on 1983's PYROMANIA run of dates through Canada as their first step on North American soil, later adding Canada boasts the honour of being the first country in the world for ROCK OF AGES to go double platinum. The appreciative band led the crowd in a round of applause before launching into "Foolin'" and the excitement continued.
The floor of General Motors Place was awash in fans spanning the 20-, 30- and 40-something demographic and most could be seen dancing in the aisles (much to the chagrin of security staff) and singing along to every lyric. As witnessed on "Let's Get Rocked," "Hysteria" and others, the band's signature vocal harmonies are still in place, while Elliott himself still appeared to reach the highs effortlessly. "Gods of War" remains a timeless, but little-known gem, whose lyrics seem as prudent today as they did back in 1987. "Rocket," an ode to '70s Brit rock, seamlessly followed a cover of the David Essex classic "Rock On," while the inclusion of a Badfinger cover ("No Matter What") earlier in the set helped embed YEAH! in the collective subconscious. "Rocket" also featured a chill-inducing shred-off between guitarists Vivian Campbell (ex-Dio/Whitesnake) and an incredibly youthful-looking Phil Collen, a tandem that is often left mired in the pop leanings of the band.
By Metal Rules 2005.
Read the full review at - metal-rules.com
share this page:
explore def leppard tour history
