http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=c75adab3-254e-42a4-92c2-75a3b4e86abc

Def Leppard rocks Saddledome
 
Heath McCoy
Calgary Herald

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Metal for moms. That's been Def Leppard's stock-in-trade for a long time now,
and that's exactly what the British rock band delivered Wednesday, in front of a
sold-out house at Pengrowth Saddledome.

Honey-sweet harmonies and singalong pop anthems, set to polished hard-rock
grooves. Def Leppard put that formula into motion from the start on the 'Dome
stage, opening with the friendly fist-pumper Action, followed by the mindless
fun of Let's Get Rocked, and the big-rock drone of Women, the band's ode to, you
guessed it, women.

Singer and '80s heartthrob Joe Elliott, now 46, is looking a bit pudgy, though
that face is still pretty enough. His voice was somewhat disappointing, however,
sounding rather thin and strained when compared with what you'll hear on the
records. That was especially apparent during the Lep's otherwise strong versions
of Foolin' and Love Bites.

The rest of the band have held up remarkably well. Guitarist Phil Collen, 47,
ran around bareback all night to show off his lean physique.

As for Rick Allen, 41, the band's drummer, who lost an arm way back in '84, he
really does lay down an authoritative beat. That was clear on a strong version
of the rhythmic Rocket.

The giant screen itself was a fine feature of the gig, interspersing footage of
the band in action with old video clips and a myriad of images somewhat related
to the songs. All highlighted by a flashy light show, of course.

As I see it, there are two Def Leppards. There's the pop-metal band of the early
'80s, who sounded kind of like a boy-band version of AC/DC. And, as sacrilegious
as that might sound, the Sheffield lads pulled it off with a pair of great
records in Pyromania and High and Dry. Then, along came Hysteria with its
polished power ballads and synthesized dance-metal beats. From then on, Def
Leppard was playing for teenage girls and the pop charts. My metal for moms
theory makes perfect sense. The girls have grown up, right? It's not my thing,
personally, but good for them. Moms need metal too, I suppose.

For my money though, the heavier version of Def Leppard is far superior. And,
unfortunately, that side of the band reared its head only sporadically at the
'Dome. It was there to fire up Armageddon It, but it ducked out during Gods Of
War, one of the better tunes on Hysteria.

The gentler Leps were on during the tepid Two Steps Behind. But the band pulled
out an excellent version of Bad Finger's No Matter What, to be heard on a coming
release, and the hits Animal and Rock of Ages were highlights of the evening.

Opening the show was The Tea Party of Windsor, Ont., which put on a solid
performance, though it's not the ideal opening act. Their prog rock was served
up with plenty of muscle, but it was too sombre for the Leppard vibe, which is
more about love songs and party anthems.

The Tea Party got a fairly enthusiastic response from the rockers out there, but
the metal moms didn't seem moved.
But then, they were waiting to have some sugar poured over them, and only Def
Leppard's sugar would do.
©  2005