Darien Center/Buffalo, NY - Media Review Quotes
By Gus Griesinger
Def Leppard took the stage at about 9:15pm to a mass of smoke. Both bassist Rick Savage and vocalist Joe Elliot also levitated from the stage joining the other members while they were playing "Undefeated." The entire band (especially Elliott), worked the thrust that was at the center of the stage the entire night. Much has been made on how Elliott's voice lacked the quality and punch in recent years/tours but, to me, it held strong for most of the set. In fact, I haven't seen Def Leppard in a few years and they sounded better than the last time I saw them back in 2008. Hearing "Gods of War" was the highlight of the night for me. From true Leppard fans, they said this song hasn't been preformed since the Hysteria tour. On "Make Love Like a Man," guitarist Phil Colin took the lead vocals on one of the verses. The band came out one by one for a acoustic jam at the end of the thrust, playing snippets of some of their ballads and classic songs along with a Rolling Stones cover "You can't Always get What You Want." All sitting on a road case, the band played and interacted very heavily with the crowd. The tune "Women" sounded amazing! It may have been the gem of the night. During "Photograph," old band images were displayed on the video backdrop. All in all, a great night of music for ages young and old alike!
By Backstageaxxess 2012.
Read the full review/72 photos at - backstageaxxess.com
By Joe Russo
Def Leppard's "Hysteria" album turned 25 years old earlier this month (still remember being a rockin' mullet wearin' 17 year-old and walking to Cavages in the Seneca Mall to buy the cassette) and is arguably one of the biggest albums of the 80's. It sounds as fresh today as when it was released in 1987. It was a daring project with the infusion of electronic drums, MIDI effects and pop melodies. It could have easily drove their hard-rocking fan base away, but instead catapaulted the band to legend.
Ironcially, the new sound came as a result of tragedy with drummer Rick Allen flipping his car and losing his arm. He built a new kit, had to relearn to play and electronic drums were added to help him continue to get the sounds he needed.
They could have kicked Allen out of the band after his accident, they could have called it quits after the band's original guitarist, Steve Clark, died of a drug overdose in 1991. They didn't. Allen continues to play and Vivian Campbell, a guitar legend in his own right, has been with the band no for 20 years.
By 92.9 Jack FM 2012.
Read the full review at - wbuf.com
By Joe Sweeney
Then came Def Leppard, with little fanfare other than a countdown clock. After getting their 2011 single "Undefeated" out of the way, the band rolled out the thunderous pop of "Rocket," its massive stops and starts a close cousin to Billy Squier's addictive hit "The Stroke." It was all smooth sailing from there, as the band celebrated its 35 years of existence by mixing the she-ditched-me-at-the-prom melodrama of tunes like "Love Bites" with candy-coated hard rock anthems like "Let's Get Rocked." Singer Joe Elliott didn't do much chatting, but his voice can still hit the high notes, and his glitter-spackled Chuck Taylors made me envious.
It was a more workmanlike set than Poison's - even the midset acoustic breakdown felt a bit too rehearsed - but Def Leppard still played all its hits with agility and skill, the crowd delighting in it all. I admit I personally found it hard to delight in "Make Love Like A Man," which could be the un-sexiest rock song of all time. Even when the cool kids of 2012 declare its ironic awesomeness, I won't be on board.
By Buffalo News 2012.
Read the full review at - buffalonews.com
By Joseph Suto
Leppard opened with "Undefeated" as they did the previous year, but by the third song "Let It Go" the diehards started to reap the rewards and it was full speed ahead from there. Hit after hit, "Animal", "Love Bites" and "Let's Get Rocked" the songs just kept on coming. This year Def Leppard added some gems that had fallen out of the set in recent years. Two of the more recent glaring omissions were "Women" and "Gods Of War" both found their way back in, to the delight of the Buffalo crowd.
The double power tandem of guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell received their chance to shine on several occasions throughout the night. Bassist Rick Savage seemed to be the most active member as he roamed the stage. Drummer Rick Allen stood behind his kit until the acoustic segment. It was during that time which all five members came out to the end of the center ramp as they performed a medley that started off with a Stones cover of "You Can't Always Get What You Want". Other songs included a rare play of the 2003 song "Now" and "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad", before ending with the traditional "Two Steps Behind".
By Rock Show Critique 2012.
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