Def Leppard Live At Rod Laver Arena
Sell outs. Too pop, too soft. Not metal. I've heard it all about Def Leppard and yet they remain one of my all time favourite bands. As much as I was thrilled to be seeing them again on their recent tour, the main thrill was that the Choirboys were supporting them. Being a fan of theirs since I was 9, I could barely contain myself. Before you start they do have more songs than Run To Paradise.
It was a larger gang than usual, which added value to the taxi ride in. Politics, human rights and music were all discussed passionately. To make things more interesting we had an altercation with parking staff, which had everyone fired up.
Despite lift problems and paranoia I managed to get inside in plenty of time to see the Choirboys. To get us in the mood the Judas Priest classic The Green Manalishi was played.
Choirboys came out with Talk Big, which had me going immediately. Next up was Struggle Town, the song I wanted to hear most, something I won't forget in a hurry. Then came the standards Never Gonna Die and Boys Will Be Boys, which is where my voice gave out. Surprisingly they threw in a B side, a nice song but I would have preferred Midnight Sun or Empire. Of course they closed with Run To Paradise, which was awesome. It was an extended version and the whole crowd was singing along. Without doubt one of the most special moments I've had at a concert.
A short time later Heart came on, a band I knew little about. I was quickly impressed with their music. Songs like Magic Man and Barracuda were particularly enjoyable. Strangely their set included 2 covers, John Farnham's You're The Voice and The Who's Love, Reign O'er Me, which was kind of annoying. Still Heart are a talented band I need to check out further.
After ACDC's For Those About To Rock, Def Leppard kicked off with Undefeated a new song, which was decent. Let's Get Rocked followed and I was already thinking this was not the best start in the world. Thankfully they played Animal and Foolin, which was more to my liking. However this was an up and down performance from Def Leppard. There were songs I love like Hysteria, Armageddon It and Photograph. Unfortunately there was also songs that were a waste of time like Rock On, Two Steps Behind and an inferior version of Bringin' on the Heartbreak. The set was predictable too with not one surprise. I found this frustrating because there are so many better songs they could have played. Too Late For Love, Another Hit and Run and Wasted to name a few.
It was more of the same on the way home with the language getting worse. Everyone found something to enjoy. I was exhausted by the end as it had been a long night.
While Def Leppard were not at their best this was one of the better concerts I've been to this year. I finally got to see the Choirboys, Heart were great and I came away which stories I'll never forget. All in all a top night.
Set list
Undefeated
Let's Get Rocked
Animal
Foolin'
Make Love Like a Man
Love Bites
Bass Solo
Rock On
Rocket
Two Steps Behind
Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria
Armageddon It
Photograph
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Encore
Rock of Ages
