Calgary, AB - Media Review Quotes
By Gerry Krochak
Following an intro of The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again, 55-year-old singer Joe Elliott and his cohorts leaned into the hard-hitting troika of Rock! Rock! (Til’ You Drop), Animal and Foolin’— all from the 1983 summer soundtrack, Pyromania — sandwiched around Let It Go from the group’s ’81 sophomore belter, High ’N Dry.
Elliott doesn’t hit the high notes as he used to, but the relaxed frontman ruled the stage at half-speed and kept the crowd mildly entertained through Promises and Paper Sun, a couple of lesser-known songs that went over well enough for those not running back to the bar … or the restroom after too many visits to the bar.
The loudest cheers were reserved for the heavy artillery of Hysteria heavy-hitters such as Love Bites and Armageddon It, but the mega-selling Sheffield veterans kept the crowd on its toes with the David Essex nugget, Rock On, and a solo-acoustic spot for Elliott with Two Steps Behind.
Bringin’ On The Heartbreak and the musical interlude of Switch 625 from the criminally underrated 1981 LP (yes, el-pee) High And Dry preceded more Hysteria barnstormers in the form of the album’s title cut as well as Let’s Get Rocked and Pour Some Sugar On Me. The crowd went bananas for the 1987-era 1-2-3 punch.
By Calgary Sun 2015.
Read the full review at - calgarysun.com
By Mike Bell
And those many probably were happy to turn that head bang to a slow nod as the band took the stage to a tamed down version of Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop), the opener from their 1983 reputation maker Pyromania and the opener for the not-even two-hour set from the veterans.
The hits that followed, from Let It Go, Foolin’ and Paper Sun to Bringin’ On the Heartbreak, Hysteria and Pour Some Sugar On Me all sticking to a steady gallop or trot, one that the band and fans could keep up with.
And even the more rocking parts of the evening — many of them due to guitarist Phil Collen, who was given plenty of opportunity to flex his muscles, both musically and physically — and the songs that stepped up above, such as their cover of Rock On and their own songs Rocket, Let’s Get Rocked and Rock of Ages (hey, nobody said there was a great deal of originality back then), were still only on the congenial side of the fist pump.
By Calgary Herald 2015.
Read the full review at - calgaryherald.com
By David Andrew Wiebe
So, in short, I was primed for this concert.
The band was probably the most relaxed that I’ve ever seen. They still rocked out without a doubt, but they didn’t really seem to have anything to prove.
Of course, we are talking about a band with a rich discography, several multi-platinum albums, and an incredible number of mainstream hits.
I think that’s the part that people often forget about DL, and when you begin to understand exactly how many recognizable hits they have, you can’t help but acknowledge their versatility, talent, and charisma; whether you like them or not.
There weren’t too many surprises throughout the show; at least not for me. Again, I think this has to do with how familiar I’ve become with the Viva Hysteria! DVD as well as their discography. Oh yeah, and I also play in a Def Leppard cover band.
There are a few moments that did stand out though.
Joe Elliot came out to sing “Two Steps Behind” all on his own, accompanied only by a lone acoustic guitar.
Rick Savage had the stage to himself for a moment while he played an interesting prelude to “Rock On”. Overall, “Rock On” works better as a live song than it does as a recording!
By Dawcast 2015.
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