Twelve years and 90 pounds ago. That is how long it has been since I last saw Def Leppard. I am not the only person in Nashville, Tennessee who can mark the passage of time in belt loops. Nostalgia is a bitch.
Rock critics and hipsters can make all the snide remarks they wish about a Journey/Def Leppard show, but in this era of three dollars per gallon gas and the perpetual tale of woe told by the concert industry, Journey and Def Leppard sold out the 17,000 seat Starwood Amphitheatre. Validation? Maybe not, but it does say something.
The two veteran rock acts played sets of nearly equal length on a warm, humid, breezy night at Starwood (which is, by the way, the best outdoor venue I have ever seen a show at). Journey played first with Def Leppard following.
Def Leppard is a major segment of the soundtrack of my middle school and high school life and my notes reflect it. I took two full pages of notes during Journey's set. I did not need that for Def Leppard -- I know these songs. I needed no notes to remember them. That and well...I got in that time machine Guster speaks of (you just knew Guster would have to figure in to this review at some point) and remembered the good parts of being young again. My teenage years were no more traumatic than anyone else's, yet they were not the highlight of my life. The constant joy throughout my life has been music. Def Leppard was, at one point, a significant part of that.
"Let's Get Rocked" is clearly not filled with profound life statements but I defy you to come up with a better phrase to open a show than, "Do you wanna get rocked?" Besides, the song is inspired by The Simpsons. I am not sure why "Make Love Like a Man" is still getting played at all, let alone second in the set but it still gets a big reaction. The Adrenalized song is a bit of a jokey number (some would say hokey). I never thought of this as a grand statement, but even in my youth it was a mission statement I could support! Hormones.
"Promises," from Euphoria, would have been a massive hit had it been written and released six years earlier. It is more or less a re-writing of "Photograph" but it is catchy nonetheless. It becomes clear after three songs these guys can still replicate those FM harmonies. As the piercing opening notes of early hit "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" ring out, I shudder as I wonder how many of the younger members of the audience heard this first as a Mariah Carey song.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Mat Brewster
It might have spawned a generation.
Eww. That's an image I didn't need right before bed.
One of my secret pleasures is Journey's "Faithfully"
I once tried to transcribe the lyrics to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" I thought it was about a picnic filled with sweet potatoes and southern style tea. What can I say I was but a lad and didn't understand the sacred tradition of innuendo in rock lyrics.
2 - Mark Saleski
Augeri: more than frightening vocal similarities to Perry. in fact, downright creepy, if ya ask me.
nice review. i never got a chance to see either of these bands way back when...tho i did see Journey on the Infinity tour. when they were still a pretty heavy rock band, in concert anyway.
3 - Mary K. Williams
i never got a chance to see either of these bands way back when...
Cuz you were too busy seeing every other freakin' band that existed! Grr..smarypants.
4 - Mark Saleski
at least i wasn't yakkin' during the quiet parts.
nyah!!!
5 - The Wife To Whom He Used To Be Married
Music is the constant joy in your life? Then I guess that leaves me with being the constant pain!
My work here is done! I will now diminish and pass into the Grey Havens.
TWTWHUTBM
6 - Chris Czynszak
Great review man! It was nice meeting you and your wife at the show. I hope my review turns out as good as yours. Yeah, I know. I'm a slacker.
7 - Mary K. Williams
TWTWHUTBM! NO, you're not done! There's sooo much more you can do here. Let's talk about curling, commas outside of quotes, and the NY Yankees!
Wait, I hear something...could it be the sound of Josh's blood boiling? Hurrah!
8 - DJRadiohead
Mary, believe me when I say she does not need any ideas from you or anyone else.
Chris, it was a pleasure meeting you and yours. I will fire you off an e-mail offline so you can let me know when yours is up.
9 - Tom Johnson
Jeez, great review, DJRadiohead. It almost makes me wish I was going to the show here in Phoenix. Almost (it may even shock some of my long-time readers that I have a surprisingly soft spot for Journey). I've seen Def Leppard a few times (Hysteria and Adrenalize tours) and I'm a bit frightened at the prospect of what the crowd would be like for a mixed Journey/Def Lep concert in Phoenix, to be honest. I'm envisioning a lot of tight leather on bodies that shouldn't be wearing tight leather.
10 - Mark Saleski
ewww! old people pseudo-bondage gear!
11 - Guppusmaximus
"Jeff Scott Soto, a former singer for Yngwie Malmsteen.Don't worry. It's not as bad as you think."
Not as bad as who thinks?? I'm so sick of people dissing Yngwie Malmsteen when half the guitarists that people mention here on B.C. would probably be the first to say that they like his style!!
"he has had no success as a solo artist.."
Granted Mr. Soto isn't a multi-platinum recording artist he has quite the following from his solo works. Obviously, he must be rather good considering he has worked with Neal Schon before and they asked him to fill a pretty big pair of shoes(Augeri). And, when he was singing with Yngwie, he had far better range than Steve Perry ever had.
Other than that, it was a nice review and I would've thought that Journey would headline as they are a stronger sounding band nowadays.
12 - Mary K. Williams
Mary, believe me when I say she does not need any ideas from you or anyone else.
Josh, perhaps not. I really couldn't stop myself. My cherubs are plotting my slow tortuous demise. I'm afraid it's bit warped version of Boss yells at Man. Man comes home and kicks the Dog.
Sorry Josh, you were the dog.
13 - DJRadiohead
Guppus, I hadn't stopped to consider you would have thoughts for me on this. I'm certainly not going to argue but allow me a point of clarification and a couple more opinions and then I'll bow out quietly.
My reference to Yngwie in this case was a less a slap at Malmsteen as a guitarist and more a reference to the fact that no one has really gotten famous singing for Yngwie. Malmsteen is the show. My OPINION after having listened to a few of his albums is that the singer is there to take up space between Malmsteen solos. Maybe you and others put more stock in the vocal and lyrical content of Malmsteen records than I do. Having said that, my point might not have been entirely clear.
As to Malmsteen the guitarist... he is a bit of a polarizing figure in the guitar world. He has legions of devoted fans and a lot of people who take the piss out of him. I will say this: I have never heard a faster player out there. He's not my favorite and speed is not the only game in town. Some people like his chops- I don't. And yes, I have listened to more than one of his albums but no I have not listened to every note he has played.
Yes, he worked with Neal before on an album that really seemed to go nowhere commercially (I didn't know it existed until I went and researched Soto for this review). Maybe the album was magical but I get the feeling not. That is a biased, preconceived notion- you're right. He has a decent voice but he's not a vocal lion and he has not demonstrated an ability or proven track record as a song writer. He has worked on the periphery and is a replacement for the replacement.
As for the big shoes he is filling, this statement comes from Journey's own web site:
Steve had all but given up hope of singing professionally and was working at The Gap when Neal Schon called him.
Talk about some big shoes and a major player in the industry. I wonder where Soto was working. Bath and Body Works? Sorry- that line just seemed funny to me. I am saying it in both a mocking and joking manner. Journey has not had a successful album since Perry left. Soto might in your opinion have more range but the band was clearly more successful with Perry than before or after.
I meant to mention how much better Def Leppard sounded in Nashville than they did on VH-1 Rock Honors. They still sound pretty strong live and energized this crowd more than Journey did. I disagree that Journey is the stronger sounding band but that is just an opinion- an opinion based on having seen this tour.
Anyway, Guppus, I hope I am not fanning flames and I know this response went longer than my damn review did.
14 - DJRadiohead
Tom, you should have gone. There was some definite naynay present but not everyone has aged as poorly as I have. And I was surprised at the number of younger people at the show. It was kind of cool and they still sound really good.
15 - Tom Johnson
Almost totally off topic, but if anyone wants to read some real nasty dirt on the guys in Journey, read this interview with their former manager. As he says of Steve Perry, "I wouldn’t piss down his throat if his heart were on fire." (Gotta scroll down a bit to get past the stuff about the auction to get to the good stuff. This guy pretty much hates these guys.)
16 - DJRadiohead
Those are some of the most bitter words I have ever read. DAMN!
17 - Guppusmaximus
DJR, Ofcourse I'm gonna have an opinion because I have a soft spot for both bands but more so for Def Leppard's real stuff(Pyromania,Hysteria).
I personally feel that Journey's latest direction has more "umph" but I have yet to see them live. Neither band is "up my alley" anymore so I probably wouldn't go to either concert anyways.
As for the fame concept, especially nowadays in the US I find it to be a poor benchmark for talent. Ofcourse, Malmsteen's work is all about Malmsteen considering he wrote all the bass & guitar lines as well as the drum parts on his first two masterpieces,so, that's a no-brainer but to say that no one has 'gotten' famous from singing for him is ridiculous. Mr. Soto sang on two of the most important albums in Metal History, granted he will never be super rich for that...But, Who gives a sh!t?? To work with a master of the guitar on the albums that influenced a whole legion of shredders is famous enough.
If you don't understand the appeal or feel that Yngwie's skill is noteworthy than that's your opinion BUT... Unfortunately for the fans of the Arena Rock era, Heavy Metal vocalists are the only ones left who have the range to sing such classics and the Real Metal scene is in Europe, not here.
"Steve had all but given up hope of singing professionally and was working at The Gap when Neal Schon called him."
I don't find this sad because Steve Augeri was working for a living. I find this sad because in a country that's supposed to be a land of opportunity, the only way you can make any real money in Music is to become a whore by either playing in a cover band or getting sucked into the formula trap.Personally, I think Journey is a cover band just like Def Leppard. And, your shallow thought patterns on this subject prove my point that looks and status are more important than talent. I can only say that atleast these guys had the brains to survive. I can only picture how Jessica Simpson would fall apart if she had to pump some gas for a living!!
Anyways, I could ramble on all night but I just wanna say that I like your review becaue you have a passion and an opinion, I just may not totally agree with it.
18 - DJRadiohead
G-man, differing opinions are cool. I'm very glad you read my review and took the time to offer some thoughts of your own.
19 - Mark Saleski
shallow thought patterns?
like constantly referring to Malmsteens records as "masterpieces"?
;-)
20 - The Wife To Whom He Is Married
Mary K. - Don't worry...I'm not going anywhere. I'm a sadistic little shit and Josh is just sooo much fun to tweek. If you really want to get him....mention mold and the sound of styrofoam rubbing together :) Ha Ha Ha Ha