Putting together a summer concert package can be tricky business, but the pairing of Cheap Trick with Poison and Def Leppard this summer was a match made in 80’s glam rock heaven. Although Def Leppard closed the show, this was definitely more of a co-headlining gig, as both Poison and Def Leppard had legions of devoted fans in attendance.
Cheap Trick kicked off the show with a decent mix of old and new material. Being together with a fairly steady lineup for 35 years has honed their chops and the quartet did not miss a beat. Singer Robin Zander has never sounded better vocally and the new material from their fresh release entitled “The Latest” meshed well with their older material.
Next, Poison took the stage and the “Rock of Love” wannabes went wild. Poison consistently gives solid live shows and tonight was no exception. Bret Michaels worked the crowd with his usual bravado, strutting and preening between C.C. Deville and Bobby Dall. Aside from the excessive guitar and drum solos Poison is famous for, the show rolled out the hits. Classics such as “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” brought more than a few tears and rollicking favorite “Nothing But A Good Time” closed the show.
Def Leppard finished the evening with a set filled with classic cuts. The sound for Def Leppard was definitely better than Poison’s and singer Joe Elliot’s voice could be heard all the way to the parking lot. “Pour Some Sugar On Me” saw the band still tight and using every inch of the stage to enliven the crowd. Closing the show with “Rock of Ages” as an encore, Def Leppard proved some bands are timeless. — Lois Elswick
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2009.
Def Leppard sounded better, but Poison at least gave the crowd an energy boost with their set. Def Leppard started off strong, but lost the energy when they played “Love Bites”, “Two Steps Behind”, “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak”, and “Hysteria” one after another. Those might be popular songs, but they don’t exactly keep you pumped up. Additionally, I heard the exact same songs from a group that has two Diamond Awards and an album that boasts seven singles. How about mixing it up for the fans that are shelling out $150 for a night with the Leps. It was great to see these two bands together, since I’ve seen them separate countless times. I like DL just a little more than Poison, but I wish Poison had closed the show, because I almost needed someone to pour some sugar on me to wake me up from their nostalgically boring set.
Hey, did the reviewer see the actual show? Def Leppard certainly did not play Rock of Ages as their encore. The single encore number was Let’s Get Rocked. The music for that song is ok, but I could never like it because the members of Def Leppard were well into their 30s when it came out and the opening line is “I’m your ordinary everyday kid” and they go on to sing about what a bummer it is when your dad asks you to mow the lawn! Gag!
Also, while I agree that Cheap Trick sounded great, there was no nice mix of old and new songs. They only played 5 songs, and one was new. That’s not a mix.
How about mentioning the less than 20 minutes that Cheap Trick played or the hissy fits Robin Zander was having on stage. Or the fact that Robin walked off stage during Dream Police.
We saw this show in Virginia tonight at Nissan Pavillion and Def Leppard was terrible. Trust me, I love Def Leppard, but they are just not worth seeing anymore. Joe Elliot’s mic was turned way down, as if to drown out the awful performance. They just do not bring the energy anymore.
Poison has always done a great show here (22 years and counting), and they lived up to the expectations tonight. No question they should have headlined the show. They kicked ass, as usual.
I caught ‘The Lep’ in Irvine at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre in Irvine, and I’ll have to agree that Poison far out-shone Def Leppard in terms of energy, performance and live appeal. Despitte having Lawn tickets, I thoroughly enjoyed the show, although there were a number of things that turned me off about our muc-loved headliner. Read my full review here: http://tvlesson.blogspot.com/
I caught ‘The Lep’ in Irvine at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre in Irvine, and I’ll have to agree that Poison far out-shone Def Leppard in terms of energy, performance and live appeal. Despite having Lawn tickets, I thoroughly enjoyed the show, although there were a number of things that turned me off about our much-loved headliner. Read my full review here: http://tvlesson.blogspot.com/