http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=reviewsNews&storyID=2006-08-21T021154Z_01_N20413176_RTRIDST_0_REVIEW-REVIEW-MUSIC-JACK-DC.XML

Def Leppard, Journey dig up oldies for radio fest
Sun Aug 20, 2006 10:11pm ET

By Erik Pedersen

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - You can almost visualize the guy who 
provides the voice of Jack FM -- and when he crows about the station "playing 
what we want," you want to smack that smug smile off his face.

It's been 17 months since southern California was introduced to the radio iPod 
that is the Jack format, and KCBS' inaugural concert Saturday at the Verizon 
Wireless Amphitheater showcased bands that exemplify its notion of modern 
classic rock. No, that's not an oxymoron; it's what this DJ-free, focus 
group-approved format is all about.

Jack FM targets pop-rock fans who were anywhere from grade school to grad 
school during the Reagan administration. And if this were 1984, the lineup for 
Jack's First Show could have been billed as Cal Jam III: Def Leppard, Journey, 
Billy Idol, Cheap Trick and Violent Femmes. The enthusiastic performances 
ranged from darn good to "well, that was on the radio when I was making out in 
my mom's Nova," but because this was not a radio station-as-tastemaker 
festival, the playing didn't really matter. Instead, it was an unapologetic 
seven-hour nostalgia trip on a grand summer night with short beer lines.

Absent from the bill -- and the between-set PA music -- was the '80s synth pop 
of Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, et al., which Jack famously added to the 
established classic rock format to draw a younger demo. But Jack specifically 
chose to stick with flailing guitars over keyboards because, ultimately, this 
was an attempt to re-create of the 1980s arena rawk concert experience -- and 
as such, it was an old-school success.

After a peppy and well-received opening set by Violent Femmes, Cheap Trick 
deployed its O.G. power pop, including such rave-ups as "Surrender" and 
"California Man." The crowd politely welcomed the raucous "Welcome to the 
World," which was among the smattering of new material the veteran acts 
presented during the evening.

Journey then puzzlingly took the stage to the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again," 
with founder Neal Schon striding on during the "Meet the new boss/Same as the 
old boss" line. Singer Jeff Scott Soto filled in for the ailing Steve Augeri, 
and his eager-beaver amalgam of frontman cliches made him look a runner-up on 
"Rock Star: Journey." The quintet's bland rock earned decidedly distaff cheers.

One sight during Journey's set served as a definition of Jack FM's target demo: 
the commingled glow of Bics and cell phones being held in the air during 
"Lights."

There were plenty of partied-out fans as Def Leppard closed the show with 90 
minutes of mostly mammoth hits. Singer Joe Elliott's voice is a semblance of 
what it was in its heyday, but he gamely soldiered through with a longtime rock 
star's aplomb. Criss-crossing guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell's 
fingers flew, while the original rhythm section of Rick Allen and Rick Savage 
supplied the knee-bobbing backbone. As Def Leppard moves toward its 30th year, 
its once-mighty live act has settled in for the long haul. But it remains a 
spectacle.

Sorta like Jack's First Show. There were plenty of ringing ears and aching 
heads scattered around southern California on Sunday morning -- along with 
knowing grins.

Reuters/Billboard

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