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Def Leppard outplays Journey in Hershey
CONCERT REVIEW
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
BY KIRA L. SCHLECHTER
Of The Patriot-News

England might have lost in the World Cup last weekend, but it won the 
unofficial battle of the bands Monday night at Hersheypark Stadium, where 
pop-metal king Def Leppard shared a bill with American rockers Journey.

The five-piece band from San Francisco started off with the title track from 
its latest album, "Faith in the Heartland," but it was marred by a muddy, 
too-loud mix that would plague the group throughout.

Singer Steve Augeri struggled, both to be heard and to hit notes. Guitarist 
Neal Schon, however, was in fine form with his trademark clean, crisp tone and 
fiery solos.

"Be Good to Yourself" was set off by great harmonies, but again, even when 
Augeri was singing alone, he was barely audible. Schon took over for a 
blistering rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" and played with plenty of 
embellishment.

When drummer Deen Castronovo took over on vocals, things improved mightily. He 
blazed through "Where Were You" and "Keep on Runnin'," nailing high notes in a 
strong, steady vibrato without missing a drum lick. Augeri returned for the 
ballad "Lights," sounding a bit better after his break, but Castronovo 
surpassed him again on "Still They Ride."

Augeri would at last redeem himself by set's end, singing the prom favorite 
"Faithfully" sweetly if a bit roughly, and the rocking closers "Don't Stop 
Believin'," "Separate Ways," and "Any Way You Want It" with plenty of muscle. 
He was pretty much out of voice by then, but the band was so dead-on that it 
didn't really matter.

On the other hand, Def Leppard, which is known for its pristine live sound and 
obsessive attention to detail, didn't disappoint on either. Looking fit and 
honed, the five U.K. natives started with an oldie, "Let It Go," and the funky 
recent track "Make Love Like a Man."

Singer Joe Elliott was much more consistent than his Journey counterpart, even 
though he doesn't hold the screaming high ones like he used to, as evidenced on 
the playful "Let's Get Rocked."

He was solid on a lushly dramatic "Foolin'" and a stately "Hysteria," both set 
off by Phil Collen's lovely solo work. And his energy didn't flag, despite his 
questionable fashion choice of leather pants on a very hot night.

The middle of the set featured tracks from the band's new collection of 
glam-rock covers, "Yeah!" They were hardly covers, though, as Lep made them 
sound like its own, and the crowd didn't let the band down in enthusiasm.

Badfinger's "No Matter What" was bright and sparkling, and T. Rex's "20th 
Century Boy" had a terrific stomping groove. But it was the sexy, sinewy take 
on David Essex's "Rock On," kicked off by a wonderful bass solo from Rick 
Savage, that was the real highlight.

The last portion of the show drew heavily from the band's two multiplatinum 
'80s albums, "Hysteria" and "Pyromania."

Lep ended with a beefy and suitably anthemic "Rock of Ages" before coming back 
to encore with the elegant "Love Bites" (which featured a dreamy final solo 
from Vivian Campbell) and the crowd-pleaser "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

While the concert was on the eve of the Fourth of July, it was the Brits who 
shot off all the fireworks.

KIRA L. SCHLECHTER: 257-4763 or kschlechter@patriot-news.com. 

© 2006 The Patriot-News.