ImaginaryEngr76
Shared on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 12:21Well, I'm exhausted. Last night I went to the Styx/REO Speedwagon/Def Leppard triple bill and I didn't get back to the homestead until about 12:30 AM. That wouldn't be so bad on the weekend, but when you've gotta get up the next morning at 5:30, you kinda drag a bit.
Anyway, overall I was impressed by the show - especially considering the vast majority of the performers are pushing 50 or more. First up was Styx, who've had so many lineup changes over the years that I had no idea who would be there calling themselves "Styx". This iteration didn't have the singer Dennis DeYoung, but luckily they at least did have Tommy Shaw. Surprisingly, Styx probably was the most energetic of the three bands that played last night - everyone on stage was running all over the place and the keyboardist was very theatrical (his keyboard was on a rotating platform). Sorry Jammer, there was no Mr. Roboto, but they played some good stuff like "Too Much Time on My Hands", "Come Sail Away", and my personal favorite, "Renegade". At the end of their set, I caught a drumstick, but I ended up giving it to this kid sitting next to me. I went ahead and gave it to him because I felt like I caught it only because I was taller than him. If that thing ends up on eBay, I'm gonna hunt his ass down.
After Styx's 45 minute set, REO Speedwagon hit the stage. Kevin Cronin (the lead singer) had a lot of energy, but damn if he didn't look ridiculous with this short, white, gelled up hair. They played a song off of their new album ("Find Your Own Way Home", which kinda sounded like generic hard rock) along with some of their big hits - "Keep on Lovin' You", "Can't Fight This Feeling", "Take It on the Run", "Rolling With the Changes", "Time for Me to Fly", and of course, "Ridin' The Storm Out". They even made a reference to "Keep on Lovin' You" being in the new "Horton Hears a Who" movie. The best part of their show was when the drummer hit the giant gong behind his drum set, and it fell off the frame. In typical Spinal Tap fashion, the roadies spent a whole song trying to put it back in place. Awesome.
The headliner, Def Leppard, hit the stage about 9:30 or so. I had never seen Leppard live before, so I had no idea what they'd sound like outside the studio. Let me just say, singer Joe Elliott's voice is truly mostly a studio creation. I'm not saying he can't sing, but as you would expect, he sounds completely different when not bathed in a chorus of a hundred Joe Elliotts via the overdubs that appear on the studio recordings. He's also getting older, so he can't hit a lot of those impossibly high notes (see "Bringin' On the Heartbreak"). I also thought the vocals in general were way to low in the mix - oftentimes you could barely hear him, and the backup vocals from the other band members were nearly impossible to hear. They did put on a high energy show, and played all the fan favorites - "Rocket", "Armageddon It", "Hysteria", (oldie but goodie) "Mirror Mirror", "Pour Some Sugar on Me", "Foolin'", and encored with "Rock of Ages". One of my favorites from the night was their cover of David Essex's "Rock On". I think they played about 16 or 17 songs in total. They did play a song off of their upcoming album called "Nine Lives" that evidentially has the band dueting with Tim McGraw, so by that fact alone it's a piece of shit. Joe even put on a cowboy hat to sing Tim's part - groan...
I was probably most fascinated by watching their drummer, Rick Allen, mainly because I wanted to see how a person with no left arm handles the drums. His kit was surprisingly small, and you could see his feet moving the whole time. I figured out that he generally plays bass with his right foot and snare with his left foot, while doing all the cymbals with his right arm. The drum parts weren't overly complex, but he held his own.
The event staff was hardcore about cracking down on cameras, but I managed to sneak a shot of Leppard while running up the steps from my seat during a beer run. Yeah, I know, my mobile phone's camera sucks.
If this bill makes it out to your city, I would recommend checking it out. It was a great show overall, and an awesome shot of nostalgia.
Anyway, overall I was impressed by the show - especially considering the vast majority of the performers are pushing 50 or more. First up was Styx, who've had so many lineup changes over the years that I had no idea who would be there calling themselves "Styx". This iteration didn't have the singer Dennis DeYoung, but luckily they at least did have Tommy Shaw. Surprisingly, Styx probably was the most energetic of the three bands that played last night - everyone on stage was running all over the place and the keyboardist was very theatrical (his keyboard was on a rotating platform). Sorry Jammer, there was no Mr. Roboto, but they played some good stuff like "Too Much Time on My Hands", "Come Sail Away", and my personal favorite, "Renegade". At the end of their set, I caught a drumstick, but I ended up giving it to this kid sitting next to me. I went ahead and gave it to him because I felt like I caught it only because I was taller than him. If that thing ends up on eBay, I'm gonna hunt his ass down.
After Styx's 45 minute set, REO Speedwagon hit the stage. Kevin Cronin (the lead singer) had a lot of energy, but damn if he didn't look ridiculous with this short, white, gelled up hair. They played a song off of their new album ("Find Your Own Way Home", which kinda sounded like generic hard rock) along with some of their big hits - "Keep on Lovin' You", "Can't Fight This Feeling", "Take It on the Run", "Rolling With the Changes", "Time for Me to Fly", and of course, "Ridin' The Storm Out". They even made a reference to "Keep on Lovin' You" being in the new "Horton Hears a Who" movie. The best part of their show was when the drummer hit the giant gong behind his drum set, and it fell off the frame. In typical Spinal Tap fashion, the roadies spent a whole song trying to put it back in place. Awesome.
The headliner, Def Leppard, hit the stage about 9:30 or so. I had never seen Leppard live before, so I had no idea what they'd sound like outside the studio. Let me just say, singer Joe Elliott's voice is truly mostly a studio creation. I'm not saying he can't sing, but as you would expect, he sounds completely different when not bathed in a chorus of a hundred Joe Elliotts via the overdubs that appear on the studio recordings. He's also getting older, so he can't hit a lot of those impossibly high notes (see "Bringin' On the Heartbreak"). I also thought the vocals in general were way to low in the mix - oftentimes you could barely hear him, and the backup vocals from the other band members were nearly impossible to hear. They did put on a high energy show, and played all the fan favorites - "Rocket", "Armageddon It", "Hysteria", (oldie but goodie) "Mirror Mirror", "Pour Some Sugar on Me", "Foolin'", and encored with "Rock of Ages". One of my favorites from the night was their cover of David Essex's "Rock On". I think they played about 16 or 17 songs in total. They did play a song off of their upcoming album called "Nine Lives" that evidentially has the band dueting with Tim McGraw, so by that fact alone it's a piece of shit. Joe even put on a cowboy hat to sing Tim's part - groan...
I was probably most fascinated by watching their drummer, Rick Allen, mainly because I wanted to see how a person with no left arm handles the drums. His kit was surprisingly small, and you could see his feet moving the whole time. I figured out that he generally plays bass with his right foot and snare with his left foot, while doing all the cymbals with his right arm. The drum parts weren't overly complex, but he held his own.
The event staff was hardcore about cracking down on cameras, but I managed to sneak a shot of Leppard while running up the steps from my seat during a beer run. Yeah, I know, my mobile phone's camera sucks.
If this bill makes it out to your city, I would recommend checking it out. It was a great show overall, and an awesome shot of nostalgia.
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Submitted by MikeTheKnife on Wed, 04/02/2008 - 13:13