St. Paul, MN - Media Review Quotes

By Katie Lauer

When it was time for Def Leppard to take the stage, the curtain emblazoned with the band’s namesake rose with a rush and their massive LED video wall announced their entrance with a shatter of glass, a nod to the cover art of the band’s new eponymous album.

There are three things there is no doubt the band loves: rock ‘n’ roll, women and England. That’s what fans come to see. They want to hear rock songs about girls sung wearing as many British flags as possible. My personal favorite Union Jack was bedazzled onto drummer Rick Allen’s earmuffs.

Frontman Joe Elliott greeted the audience — “Welcome to the carnival, welcome to the party, welcome to the edge of your seat” — with the first song, “Let’s Go.” The new track “Dangerous” sounded dangerously close to Van Halen’s “Panama.” “That one’s new but this one’s … not so much,” Elliott said. The show continued with “Love Bites,” “Rocket” and “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.”

By Twin Cities/Pioneer Press 2016.

Read the full review/1 Photos at - twincities.com

By Tamara Gruhot

Opening with “Let’s Go” from their newest album, Def Leppard, the main attraction performed a good mix of their classics and new tunes. Singer Joe Elliott’s voice held up pretty well through the evening, with only the lack of his trademark high-pitched screams and letting the band take over during many of the chorus lines an indication that he struggled with some vocal issues earlier this year. Guitarist Vivian Campbell showed no signs of fatigue despite his ongoing battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. And drummer Rick Allen proved that he can do more with one arm than many drummers can with two in a fantastically powerful solo during “Switch 625,” an instrumental showcase, after which the band had to stop for a bit to let the audience’s appreciation die down before guitarists Campbell, Rick Savage and a gloriously shirtless Phil Collen rejoined and finished the song.

Def Leppard finished off their set with a burst of energy for “Let’s Get Rocked” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” which brought the remaining seated fans to their feet. After a brief wait, the band came back out to end the evening’s with an encore of “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph.” The background visuals with “Photograph” included images of former guitarist Steve Clark, who died of alcohol poisoning in 1991.

While the crowd’s energy waned during the performances of their newest songs, and then ramped back up for the old favorites, Def Leppard never let their levels drop. It was a fantastic evening of rock.

By Power 96 2016.

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