From: "Mike N. Reinemann" Date sent: Fri, 21 Jul 2000 17:56:49 -0400 Subject: Def Leppard keeps the volume high ========================= Def Leppard keeps the volume high Friday, July 21, 2000 By Roberta Fusaro TELEGRAM & GAZETTE REVIEWER Music Review MANSFIELD-- Mamas, don't let your babies grow up and join hair bands. That was the refrain in the videogenic, carefree, cocaine-fueled 1980s, when guys named Slash and Axl and Nikki and Tommy Lee played fast and loose with their instruments and with little girls' hearts. But here in the 21st century, we've got relatively safe, reunited Brit-pop metal bands like Def Leppard left to carry their torch. The band was at the Tweeter Center for Performing Arts last night to kick off the third leg of its tour to support its newest recording, "Euphoria," which was released last year and which saw the band working again with uberproducer Mutt Lange. Def Leppard, which was off the road since February, is playing an inordinate number of state fairs and county fairs this go-round -- not exactly A-list venues. But before you reduce them to parody or punch line, let it be known that Def Leppard still packs some wallop -- courtesy of its stellar rhythm section -- and a boatload of hits. At least, enough hits to make for an entertaining 90-minute concert. There were about 7,000 adoring fans on hand to see lead singer Joe Elliot, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, floppy-haired bassist Rick Savage, and one-armed drummer Rick Allen plow through a set list that dug back into the band's heady "Pyromania" and "Hysteria" days. Overall, Def Leppard was less than predatory in terms of staging: Except for the walls of stacked Marshall amplifiers, six across and three down, on either side of Allen's mammoth drum kit, the decor was spare. Sweeping spotlights and sudden bursts of strobes and white lights worked in perfect synch with the band's anthemic brand of rock. But the energy on stage wasn't as high as it could have been for a band that is just hitting the road again; the interplay between band members was almost nil, and aside from Elliot's stalking, it seemed like the lights were the only things moving up there. The arm-pumping momentum picked up mostly in the last half of the set. The heavy rhythm section demonstrated last night why it is so indispensable to Def Leppard. It would be hard to imagine, say, the pounding funk of "Pour Some Sugar on Me" or the call-and-response rockers "Armageddon It" and "Rock of Ages" without Allen's propulsive drumming to drive it and Savage's relentless low notes. The other Def Leppard trademark, Elliot's high-end wailing, was a little off at times during the evening; it was a little disappointing that he had to screech his way through the climax of "Bringing on the Heartbreak." But he also perfectly nailed the "anybody out there" line during "Foolin"' and handled the high notes of "Hysteria' -- so maybe it's a matter of getting his road chops back in order. The long-haired Elliot led the crowd through countless sing-alongs, including the "I want, I need, I love" chant that anchors "Animal." For the most part, Def Leppard showed little subtlety with the volume - - every bludgeoning beat was blasted out of the speakers at 11, which made it hard to pick out any crisp guitar solos. But the group did take an acoustic break mid-set, performing "Two Steps Behind" and the beginning of "Bringing on the Heartbreak" unplugged before giving the latter the full electric treatment. The band closed out the night with several encores, including "Let's Get Rocked." If nothing else, the band buoyantly brought the crowd back to a time before grunge, before the age of angst, when all that mattered was hot lights, good times, and a piercing guitar solo. Hard-rocking The Unband opened the show with three-chord-driven abandon, tearing through about a dozen songs in a half hour. Bassist Mike Ruffino was a sight to behold, in his wide lapels, velvet jacket, leather pants. The trio was all "big rawk" riffs and attitude -- right down to the inflatable devil-horn hand that popped up mid-set. Catch them in a club when you can. ©2000 Worcester Telegram & Gazette Thanks to Jeff Jarosz