Def Leppard
Heart
Jones Beach Theatre
Wantagh, New York
July 30, 2011
Tony Pijar

Def Leppard in 2011 is a far cry from the first time I saw them way back in 1981 when they opened for Blackfoot. They were five young pups who spearheaded the NWOBHM with vigor. They were promoting their newly released “High N Dry” album and on the brink of international stardom. Fast forward to 2011 and Lep is, arguably, the best arena band out there. As a very special treat, the band invited the legendary Heart to accompany them on their massive US tour.
Heart has been at it since the early 70s and show no signs of slowing down. Ann and Nancy Wilson remain consummate professionals and musicians. They opened, surprisingly, with Zep’s “Rock N Roll”. Of course, it is no secret that the sisters are huge fans of Plant and Page. Then, in succession, they ripped into their first international hit in “Magic Man,” and followed with “Heartless” and “Straight On.” Fast-forwarding to the 80s, a more radio-friendly Heart drafted mega hits with “What about Love”, “These Dreams” and “Alone.” “WTF”, the only new song aired from “Red Velvet Car”, rocked and is definitely the sister song of “Barracuda.” The band’s set ended with the aforesaid “Barracuda” and “Crazy on you.” The encores were splendidly stunning covers of Zep’s “The Battle for Evermore” and The Who’s “Love, Reign O’er me”.
After a 30-minute break, Def Leppard hit the stage with their brand new mega-hit, “Undefeated”, the band’s answer to Queen’s “We will Rock you.” Great song from the “Mirror Ball” live album. We got all of the billion-selling hits including “Let’s get Rocked”, “Animal”, “Love Bites” and “Foolin”. The stage set and lighting were spectacular. It is still endearing to watch Rick Allen bang away behind the kit; what he is able to do is truly amazing. Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell fit together like a glove and Joe Elliot is an uncompromising front man. It, too, is amazing to recall Elliot circa 1981 to the Elliot of today – a different beast altogether. The man is in-demand, ultra-professional, and his voice is both sultry and gruff at the same time. However, the star of the show, to me, was Rick Savage. He commanded the stage with poise, energy, and conviction. His bass playing was adequate, but anchored the band’s songs and provided that bottom-heavy groove/swagger to which Lep fans have become accustomed; after all, it’s not about the riff anymore. I really liked their version of David Essex’s “Rock on”, and it led into, appropriately, “Rocket”. Elliot, Campbell, and Collen brought out the acoustic guitars for “Two Steps Behind” and “Bringing on the Heartbreak.” The real surprise of the evening was when Collen and Campbell broke into the manic “Switch 625; simply magical!. The title track from the album that broke the band into the stratosphere, “Hysteria”, was met with an almost orgasmic cry from the crowd – massive! “Armageddon it”, “Photograph”, and “Pour some Sugar on me” concluded the set with “Rock of Ages” as the encore.
As a fan since “On Through the Night”, I wish they would have dug deep into vaults for “Wasted”, “Let it go”, etc. But, that was a long time ago and Lep of 2011 is a well-oiled, polished machine that has its feet firmly placed in the present and future.