Def Leppard dominates Darien
The guy in the Cheap Trick T-shirt standing near the box office just prior to the commencement of Friday’s Def Leppard show at Darien Lake did not look happy. Matter of fact, he appeared to be crying.
He’d driven from Cleveland to see his favorite band, the one whose name was emblazoned on his shirt. And, upon arrival, he faced the news that that band was not going to be playing.
Cheap Trick, as it turns out, was stuck on a grounded airplane in New York City, violent storms having prohibited takeoff.
Three-quarters of a full house turned out to see Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick on Friday. But this was a Def Leppard show, and that band delivered the goods.
Sadly, Poison also performed. Calling the band’s set atrocious would be going easy on them. The band rode the wave of glammed-out pop-metal acts that seemed to be lurking behind every corner in the latter ’80s, and managed to earn a rabid audience based on its pale reworkings of classic rock and metal tunes.
Many of these were in evidence on Friday, from the moment the band aped Aerosmith with opener “Look What the Cat Dragged In,” through the Cheap Trick “She’s Tight” to “Talk Dirty To Me.” Reality TV star and frontman Brett Michaels strutted about the stage to the audible appreciation of the female portion of the audience, and grabbed an acoustic guitar to lead the band through the country-leaning ballad, “Something to Believe In.”
It was all truly awful, from the live sound, to the cheesy refried Kiss effects.
Happily, Def Leppard wasted little time taking the stage after Poison’s merciful cessation.
The band was both completely ridiculous and absolutely stunning.
Led by vocalist Joe Elliott, Leppard took the stage to one of many tunes from the mega-platinum ’80s album “Pyromania” it would play throughout the evening, “Rock, Rock (Till You Drop).” The band kicked it hard, striking every conceivable rocker pose, treading roughshod over every hard-rock cliche, and indulging in every cheesy sex-based metaphor imaginable, much to the delight of the rabid audience. Def Leppard was greeted with the sound of thunderous approval by the house, and the din didn’t let up until 90 minutes later.
At first, Elliott sounded a bit hoarse, which is understandable, since he’s long been a proponent of the “scream in tune” style. Impressively, the man can still scream in tune, and he did just that, as the group — guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, drummer Rick Allen, bassist Rick Savage — dug deep into “Pyromania” for “Foolin’ ” and “Too Late For Love,” both of which certainly qualify as mini-epics of the power-ballad variety.
Yes, things certainly did reach a fever pitch when Leppard played its anthem “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” one of its biggest hits.
It’s easy to poke fun at Def Leppard. But the band is incredibly tight, presents an exciting show and knows exactly what its audience expects.
Concert Review
Def Leppard
With Poison and Cheap Trick on Friday night at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.
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