London, England - Media Review Quotes
Def Leppard/Whitesnake at Wembley Arena By David Sinclair
Def Leppard were slicker and, if possible, even louder as they trundled through a selection of their bubblegum-metal anthems leavened with a handful of songs from their new album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. While the 'Snake remained a vehicle for Coverdale's ego trip, the boys in Leppard took a more collegiate approach. The singer Joe Elliott spoke of the group's early days playing in working men's clubs in Sheffield, while the performance was infused with a spirit of laddish camaraderie.
Combining the blow-dried arena-rock of Bon Jovi with the wily showbusiness acumen of Queen, they hammered out a string of hits including Pour Some Sugar on Me, Armageddon It and Let's Get Rocked. Engulfed by this tidal wave of heavy rock memories, the audience responded with an impressive display of clapping and chanting of its own.
By The Times 2008.
Read the full review at - timesonline.co.uk
Def Leppard @ Wembley Arena, London By Mike Elliott
That being the real point that is clear from this concert. Def Leppard are not a band going through the motions, touring for the money. They're out there because they want to be. The band hardly stand still the entire set, zipping all over the place like rabid wolverines, no one trying to dominate the spot light, each letting the band as a whole shine.
When the dust settles, and the final chords of 'Let's Get Rocked' ring out around the arena, and the band depart for the final time, pausing first for a photograph with the crowd behind them, you're left with the feeling that Def Leppard can still rock like hell, and all in all, this didn't even come across as the band at their best.
By Komodorock 2008.
By Planet Rock
From the opening drum beats of 'Rocket', Joe Elliott picked up where Coverdale left off. With a new album to promote, the Lep weren't afraid to play new material from Songs From The Sparkle Lounge alongside their standard classics. Tracks like new single 'C'mon C'mon' were lapped up by an eager crowd alongside anthems 'Animal' and 'Hysteria'.
Most surprising track of the night was their cover of David Essex's 'Rock On'. Unashamedly fabulous, Rick Savage's bass solo atop the drum riser was a real rock moment and reminded us all what Def Leppard were put on this earth to do.
By Planet Rock 2008.
Read the full review at - hellorayo.co.uk/planet-rock
By Dave Ling
For my money, despite Joe Elliott's own vocal irregularities, Leppard were by far the superior band. Just like Whitesnake they sent the sold-out Arena into waves of warm-waving, shout-it-out-loud delirium. The best part came with an acoustic 'Two Steps Behind', followed by 'Bringin' On The Heartbreak' and a bristling electric conclusion. In a consummate display of arena rock showmanship, their success was sealed with exquisite versions of 'Hysteria' and 'Armageddon It'.
By Dave Ling @ 2008.
By Nick Hasted
They open here with their biggest 1980s hits, "Rocket" and "Animal", spliced with material from redundant new album Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. The soggy 1995 power ballad "When Love & Hate Collide" makes Westlife look hardcore, the acoustic guitars for "Two Steps Behind" only making things worse.
The idea that Leppard connect to rock'n'roll's primal source, suggested on "Blue Suede Shoes"-quoting "Rock On" and others, meanwhile, seems sacrilegious. But it is not wholly wrong, as they prove when they hit this show's heart.
Singer Joe Elliott tosses the acoustic guitar to a roadie, as if to signal, "Enough of that". Then "Hysteria" begins. Elliott and bassist Rick Savage bend towards the crowd, and topless guitarists take soloing turns, to authenticate the music's layered harmonies and undodgeable 1980s synthetic punch. "Pour Some Sugar On Me" has a metallic smack shared with Sheffield contemporaries ABC, more than tonight's harder co-headliners, Whitesnake.
By The Indepedent 2008.
Read the full review at - independent.co.uk
share this page:
explore def leppard tour history
