http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060711/ENT12/60711023/1075

Journey, Def Leppard worth trip

By David Dorsey
Originally posted on July 11, 2006

A two-hour drive to watch a pair of bands that refuse to burn out — or fade
away — proved well worth it Monday in West Palm Beach, where Journey and Def
Leppard rocked a crowd of about 8,000 fans at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre.

Fans in Southwest Florida can embark on another two-hour drive today and catch 
the pair of bands at 7:30 p.m. at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa. Tickets range 
from $25 to $75 and can be purchased at the gate or at ticketmaster.com.

Each band played a 90-minute set list Monday, and each band stuck to trademark 
hits.

Journey fans take note: The five-piece band had to resort to its third-string 
singer.

Steve Perry left Journey several years ago. Steve Augeri, who sounds as if 
someone cloned Perry's vocal chords, has been battling a chronic throat 
infection.

So Jeff Scott Soto, 40, took the stage with the exuberance of a teenager. He 
waved to the crowd. He flipped his microphone from hand to hand. And he did 
what every good third-string quarterback does: He didn't mess up.

And that allowed Journey's lead guitarist, Neal Schon, to shine. Schon played 
every solo better than it sounds on the radio. He clearly stood out as the best 
of the guitarists onstage, and remains one of the most underrated of his era.

Drummer Deen Castronovo helped — he sang two songs — and Journey seemed to
improve with each song.

Songs on Journey's set list included: "Faithfully," "Ask the Lonely," "Don't 
Stop Believin'," and the obligatory power-ballad "Open Arms."

Then Journey closed with a personal favorite, "Separate Ways, Worlds Apart," 
before returning with the encore of "Lovin' , Touchin', Squeezin'."

After a 30-minute break, Def Leppard stormed the stage. It took the five-man 
British band four songs to really get rolling.

After "Hell Raiser" (a cover on their new release of 1970s cover songs, Yeah!), 
"Make Love Like a Man," and "Promises" — good songs but not Def Leppard's 
greatest — were out of the way, Def Leppard broke out many of their hits from 
the albums Pyromania and Hysteria.

Bassist Rick Savage performed a gritty solo as an introduction to "Rock On," a 
cover of the David Essex classic and perhaps the best song on the new CD. 
One-armed drummer Rick Allen — he lost his left arm in a car accident in the 
1980s — seems quite used to the foot-pedaled drum kit.

Guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell and vocalist Joe Elliott sounded as 
good as ever.

Journey and Def Leppard may be getting older, but they can still run circles 
around any of today's bands.

Copyright 2006, The News-Press.