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Saturday, September 27, 2003

Def Leppard shares a 'Whole Lotta Love'

By BILL WHITE
SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

It was a rock 'n' roll reunion for the class of 1984 at Key Arena on Thursday
night, with British pop-metal icons Def Leppard performing two decades of hits
for the near-capacity crowd in the lower bowl.

With a nod to the old days before sound technology made multi-amplifiers
obsolete, the stage was back-lined with stacks of Marshall amps. Although only
stage props, they evoked the spirit of excess that was so much a part of '80s
rock.

"I was dismayed to find that you can't fish out of the Edgewater Inn anymore,"
rued singer Joe Elliot in his introduction to "Now," one of two songs performed
from the band's latest album, "X."

Although his voice has lost some of its clarity, and he is becoming somewhat
pudgy around the middle, Elliot's rock star moves were intact. Striding the
stage like a runway model, he was connected to the music and the audience was
connected to him.

The concert got off to a rocking start with a body-jolting version of "Let It
Go," from 1981's "High and Dry." One-armed drummer Rick Allen pushed the beat
through "Rock Till You Drop" and "Make Love Like a Man" until guitarists Phil
Collen and Vivian Campbell slowed the pace with a melodic intro to "Bringing on
the Heartache."

Three- and four-part harmonies added a melancholy theatricality to ballads such
as "Too Late for Love."

"If your voices are in good shape and you are game for a little sing-song, join
us on this one," invited Elliot on the acoustic "Two Steps Behind."

Thrown off by the singer's out-of-time guitar strumming, the crowd didn't quite
blow the roof off the place, as Elliot had hoped.

After a long jam on "Rocket" that briefly detoured into Led Zeppelin's "Whole
Lotta Love," the main set climaxed with three songs from 1987's "Hysteria."

The bass drum kicks and slashing guitars of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" left the
crowd screaming for more.

Elliot returned to the stage and talked a bit about the importance of Seattle in
the band's history.

Then Campbell and Collen, both shirtless, finished things up with a blazing
version of "Rock of Ages" before encoring with "Love Bites."

Ricky Warwick, ex-singer of The Almighty, whose solo release, "Tattoos and
Alibis" was produced by Elliot, opened with a half-hour of acoustic rock.
Bill White is a Seattle music writer. He can be reached at BWhi61@earthlink.net.

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