http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2005/08/07/entertainment.20050807-sbt-FULL-C3-Adams__Def_Leppard_v.sto August 7, 2005 Adams, Def Leppard vibrant at Cove REVIEW By ANDREW S. HUGHES Tribune Staff Writer SOUTH BEND - As with the concert by Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson in 2004 at Coveleski Stadium, Friday night's concert there by Bryan Adams and Def Leppard proved, to paraphrase W.P. Kinsella, if you book them, they will come. In this case, the "them" is musical acts, and the "they" are the fans. More than 9,000 people attended Friday night's concert, and, apparently, fans of each act got what they wanted. Both Adams and Def Leppard played 90-minute sets heavy on the greatest hits, and each act received ecstatic applause from the audience. Never a favorite of critics, this one included, Def Leppard gave an admirable performance powered by the energy and enthusiasm of the group's members, particularly singer Joe Elliott and lead guitarist Phil Collen. (Bass player Rick Savage deserves praise, too, just for performing. Pacific Coast Concerts owner Peter Kernan, who promoted the concert with Jam Productions, said afterward that Savage injured his back early in the day, and it wasn't clear as late as 4:30 Friday afternoon if he'd be able to perform. Savage, Kernan said, visited a local chiropractor and played despite severe pain.) It's a testament to how much Def Leppard saturated rock radio in the '80s and '90s that nearly every song the group played was recognizable, even to a non-fan such as myself. Songs such as "Promises," "Rock of Ages" and "Animal" displayed Def Leppard's brand of glam-influenced pop metal at its most successful: melodic, tightly arranged and played well. For "Photograph," everything clicked -- the melody, Elliott's vocals, the harmonies, even Collen's metal-god guitar solo -- to make it sound exhilarating live. Most of the songs in Def Leppard's set sounded better live than they ever did on the radio, in part because of the invigorating effect of hearing music played loud and in the company of thousands and in part because of Def Leppard's seasoned stage presence. Elliott's voice sounded distorted on a couple of songs early on, but that's not a reflection of his ability as a vocalist, only the sound engineer's performance. Indeed, Elliott's singing showed that he possesses a smooth but full and pleasurable voice and that he has a commanding sense of melody, particularly on Def Leppard's covers of Badfinger's "No Matter What" and David Essex's "Rock On." Def Leppard played first, and it seemed to benefit the group to play in the daylight. The members of the group appeared relaxed and appeared to enjoy themselves. As darkness descended just before Def Leppard's last song, "Pour Some Sugar on Me," however, Elliott transformed into an arena-rock performer. With the flashing green, yellow, blue and magenta stage lights now necessary in order to see the group, Elliott added staged and mannered rock star moves to his presentation, including splaying his arms in a Christ-like posture while his bandmates sang the title of the song. Adams took the stage about 9 p.m. and gave a vibrant, free-spirited and varied performance that showed he has retained that rock 'n' roll spirit -- a combination of youthful vitality, ecstatic joy and reckless abandon -- that caused him to buy his "first real six-string" years ago. Adams performed hits such as "Run to You," "Cuts Like a Knife" and "Kids Wanna Rock" with conviction and freshness, as if he felt the emotions portrayed in these and other songs right then and for the first time. "Open Road" sounded even more powerful live than on Adams' fine new album, "Room Service." "Back to You" featured Adams on acoustic guitar with his band, and the acoustic guitar brought out a breezier side of Adams and made the song sound somewhat like some of John Hiatt's songs. Adams finished the concert alone on stage with his acoustic guitar for sincere renditions of "Straight from the Heart" and "All for Love" that were every bit as electric in feeling as when his band accompanied him on the previous 16 songs. The audience played several -- and one during -- featured roles during Adams' set. He turned the vocal duties for the first verse of "Summer of '69" over to the audience, and it responded with enthusiasm, as it did again later for an extended section of "na, na, na" during "Cuts Like a Knife." For "When You're Gone," however, Adams took a big risk, and it paid off for him: He invited a member of the audience, "Diana from Houston, Texas," to join him as his duet partner. "I didn't say I can sing, but I know the song," Diana said and then turned in a credible performance, matching Adams word for word and note for note and injecting feeling into her singing. Kernan said later that a member of Adams' tour personnel said Diana was indeed plucked at random from the audience. Adams' voice still has its signature rasp to it, but it also has power and depth, and his four-piece backing band gave him expert, energetic support. In particular, Keith Scott brought to life all the hooks from Adams' hits with his guitar. Keyboardist Gary Breit, however, was mixed too low and could be heard on only a few songs. Call it a fielder's choice based on musical preference, but Adams gave the winning performance Friday night at Coveleski. Copyright © 1994-2005 South Bend Tribune