http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=385833

Fans pack Fox Theatre for Wings' opener, Def Leppard

Thursday, 10.09.2008 / 11:52 PM / NHL Face-Off 2008
By Brian Compton  - NHL.com Staff Writer

DETROIT — KISS was right. This is Detroit Rock City.

Enough about KISS, though. This was a night for Def Leppard, a night for the 
hockey-crazed fans of Detroit, a night for rock-and-roll and this great sport 
to come together.

And boy, did they ever.

Thursday night proved to be a double-your-pleasure type of night. Those lucky 
enough to be at Joe Louis Arena at 7 p.m. had the opportunity to witness the 
fourth Stanley Cup championship banner to be raised to the rafters in the last 
11 years.

But those who were unable to nab those tough tickets at The Joe had the chance 
for the next-best thing. The historic Fox Theatre, just down the street from 
The Joe, provided the opportunity not only to watch the game on a big-screen 
TV, but to see one of rock-and-roll's most successful bands put on a live 
performance.

It all started right at 7 p.m. here at The Fox, when the lights dimmed and the 
TV cut to the "Hockey Lives In Me" promo. Immediately, the enthusiastic crowd 
begins chants of "Let’s Go Red Wings!"

And with that came Def Leppard, ready to rock the house with their new hit, 
"C'Mon, C'Mon." The crowd roared as the band began to play, with a video of NHL 
highlights playing behind the stage.

Hockey in North America was officially back, and back in an unprecedented 
fashion. Face-Off Rocks 2008 was under way.

The entire crowd stood on its feet throughout the song and stayed that way 
throughout the banner-raising ceremony. Two different venues in the same city 
were celebrating their favorite hockey team's latest accomplishment in historic 
fashion. Everyone involved was certainly in store for a special night.

Given the crowd reactions throughout the game, one would have thought we were 
at The Joe. Rock music played at every commercial break, giving fans a chance 
to get on their feet and let loose. Every scoring chance the Red Wings had drew 
oohhs and ahhs in unison.

Unfortunately for the fans in both venues, the Red Wings dropped their 2008-09 
season opener, 3-2, to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Obviously, fans were 
disappointed to see their team unable to feed off such a wonderful high that 
preceded the drop of the puck. The fans at The Joe headed home.

But for the fans at The Fox, the night was just beginning. Def Leppard wasn't 
about to send those people home disappointed, too.

After jamming out to a song from Alanis Morissette — a performance that was 
simulcast live from Montreal — it was time for the British legends to return to 
the stage. They had just one question for the fans in attendance.

"Detroit, do you wanna get rocked?"

Indeed they did. And with that, the band broke into one of their many hits, 
"Let's Get Rocked." It was time to forget that the Red Wings lost their first 
of 82 games. Def Leppard did a phenomenal job of helping the crowd do just that.

"That was kind of a bummer," said Detroit fan Elizabeth F., who declined to 
give her full last name. “When I first got Def Leppard tickets, I was kind of 
sad because I wanted to watch the opening ceremonies. But then I realized it 
was both (the concert and the ceremony), and I was very happy. It was like the 
best of both worlds. It was like a dream."

The dream continued for nearly an hour, as Def Leppard plays old-time hits such 
as "Photograph" and "Foolin," as well as hits from their latest album, "Songs 
From The Sparkle Lounge."

The highlight came at about 10:05, when everyone in attendance was treated to a 
tremendous surprise. While the band rocked out to the classic "Pour Some Sugar 
On Me," Red Wings forward Darren McCarty drove out on to the stage on a 
motorcycle. He wasn't alone, though.

The Stanley Cup — his fourth with the franchise — was riding shotgun.

"That was fantastic," Wings fan Claudio Greco said. "He's obviously a big fan. 
It was great to see him here with the Cup."

After performing a couple more hits — they concluded with the classic "Rock Of 
Ages" — Def Leppard thanked the crowd for such a memorable night. Sure, there 
are plans to make this an annual event for the Stanley Cup winner, but only Def 
Leppard can claim they were the first band to participate in NHL Face-Off Rocks.

Fortunately, they were in a city that rocks as hard as they do.

"It was an amazing show," Greco said. "It couldn't have took place in a better 
city, obviously. It was great to see the NHL step up and do something not only 
for the city and the fans of Detroit, but just for hockey in general. It was 
fantastic."

And it was incentive for all 30 NHL teams and their cities. Win the Stanley 
Cup, and you get to rock out next.

Contact Brian Compton at: bcompton@nhl.com.

© NHL 2008