Def Leppard puts on "The Show"
by MusicEnthusiast on 2009-07-26Molson Amphitheatre - TorontoRating: 5 out of 5It was part muscianship, part performance, part performance art; in all, one of the best shows I've been to. As soon as they hit the stage, two words came to mind: "pro outfit."
I'd never seen them before or listened to much of their music but had a cathartic experience a couple of weeks before (see below - favorite moment) and knew I had to be there.
It was obvious that the band had played together a long time as every song was just about perfect and it's fun to watch practiced professionals at work, especially in front of such an appreciative fan base. It's magic when a band and their audience work off each other. I've seen it maybe 10 times in my life and that night was one of them.
Their rhythm section - the combo of base and drums - was tight. The bassist - and I don't any of these guy's names - kept this steady but variable hum going throughout and it was the band's foundation, keeping his mates on track as well as providing them a lot of flexibility in their chords(?). I don't know the specifics of techniques affecting musical instruments, I just know what sounds good and good technique, writing (words and the music) and production appeals to me. But over-produced anything stinks.
Singer, harmonies: great, terrific. This is a band designed and built for its audience, as evidenced by an acoustic couplet performed by 3 band members on the extended stage. Here, between numbers, they shook hands and exchanged hugs with people who cherished them. It was an interactive experience and people were really, really into it.
And speaking of experience, the brilliantly colored and surrealistic videos playing off just about everything that faced the crowd created a rich, varied backdrop. That was part of the performance art.
I don't know how the production team got a camera on the guitarist's fret board but I was absolutely transfixed by the artistry and dexterity of that guy's fingers on those strings and board. That was the show part; I was just agog. And, let's not forget the happiest drummer I've ever seen. Usually, drummers are pretty intense types but this guy, the one-armed man, had this amused look on his face every time I saw him on the overhead video board.
And why wouldn't he be happy? He's playing with his buddies to 16,000 screaming and clapping hardcore fans and new ones, like me. I think it's really cool that his band didn't give up on him after he was in that car accident; they just re-arranged things: that is 'class.' The wife part of the couple behind me said there wasn't much difference in the band's sound since they became one arm short. She and her husband saw them in Winnipeg 4 years ago and I met another guy who saw them in Calgary ...I don't know when but he said it was an equally raucous gathering.
Whilst the middle band, Poison, took breaks for guitar and drum solos (which I found distracting, what with Dana Carvey from Wayne's World masquerading as the guitar player with the Flying V), when Def Leppard did them, the solos were woven into the whole tapestry of the performance so that they were accents or complements, not time-outs.
But, but, but, the singer of that band did have good stage presence and it was probably his job to get the crowd juiced and he did his job well. As I was waiting in line for a drink, I spotted hundreds of people with Poison T-shirts and ornately decorated jackets so they definitely have a following.
I missed Cheap Trick in both senses of the phrase. 'Just couldn't make it down there even though I was a big fan back in the day. Next time.
As I was driving home, I realized how good I felt, how calm I felt and re-realized that only good music has this effect on me.
The fireworks, courtesy of the Festival of Fire, was a fitting end to the 'The Show.'
