I got there just in time to hear the sound check. They were switching back and forth between Let It Go, Slang and other songs. I didn't hear them do any complete songs, it's like they'd just do a verse of something here and there. I was in the convention center lobby and it was so loud that the lights hanging from the ceiling were moving back and forth and the doors were vibrating.
The show was supposed to start at 7:30, but opening act Ricky Warwick got started about 7:15 so they kicked it off early. He was very good, doing almost half an hour of acoustic Irish rock. I will probably get his album when it comes out in July. After he was done I actually got a chance to meet him because he came out and sat down by the sound man which is right by where my seat was. I shook his hand and got his autograph, he seems like a friendly guy. I think I started a trend because I went up there and 5 more people went up there after me, and 2 of them asked if they could borrow my pen!! Vivian came on during and did one song with him (3 sides to every story), which I thought was very cool.
Def Leppard came on about 8:20, they started out playing We will rock you and rock and roll part 2 and then the lights went dark and they played "disintegrate" over the speakers as the band came out and the curtain dropped, revealing Rick's drums and the backdrop, a giant black and white X which of course is the cover of the new album. With a bunch of blinking blue lights and stuff going off they started off with Let It go, and went all the way through the first 5 tracks of the high and dry album!!! The overload during Another Hit and Run almost gave me a heart attack. I headbanged so hard I got dizzy and fell down during High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night) it was funny!!!!!!!! Of course all the lighters were flying for bringing on the heartbreak, very well performed, done "as is" rather than half acoustic as they've done many times on past tours. The lighting during "Switch 625" was extremely psychedelic and I was very impressed with it.
They then went through Foolin', Make Love Like A Man, and Hysteria. After all that they started with stuff from the new album. They dedicated long long way to go to the families of people serving in Iraq which I thought was very cool. It was a good tasteful way to acknowledge the troops while still keeping their real political opinions to themselves, and Joe even said when he introduced it that the song was "not a commentary on whether the war is right or wrong, but it's just for the families of people over there." They did Four Letter Word and the whole arena jumped up and down at once!!!! They did promises after that and I had to sit down and rest but the crowd responded really well to it and they kept jumping up and down.
Joe got out his acoustic guitar and sang the first verse of "Sweet Home Alabama" which I thought was totally awesome and then went into Two Steps Behind. Of course they did Now, the first single from the album, which came across much better as a live song than I expected to. It's not my favorite track from the new album but performed live it came across extremely well.
They did Women after that and during the first verse Joe dropped the microphone and it made a loud pop but the audience kept the song going. I had worked my way to about 4 rows back by then and I was close enough by then to see their facial expressions. Poor Phil was trying hard to keep playing without busting out laughing, it was FUNNY!!!!!!!!
They sang Rocket after that and they had the long psychedelic guitar solo, and Joe sang a verse of "My generation" before the song was over. They did Photograph and Animal back to back, and they sound really good together I think!!! They did Armageddon it and Pour Some Sugar on Me of course. He introduced Rick Allen and he got a standing ovation, and he introduced Rock of Ages, which they ended with. A couple minutes later they came back out and did the encore.
In the encore they did Love Bites and Lets get rocked, both of which sound really good live. The lighters flew all the way through Love Bites, and they ended the show with Lets Get Rocked.
Overall I was really happy to see a good mix of old stuff as well as plenty of stuff from the new album. They did 3 X songs and they did the entire "first side" of the high and dry record. It's well worth the fairly steep 40 dollar price tag, I highly recommend you catch them if you can!! That was my big complaint on the Euphoria tour, it was an awesome performance in Columbia MD (9/22/2000) but the only song they did from the Euphoria album was Promises and I wanted to hear more stuff from it!! I mean that's the POINT of touring, to promote the NEW RECORD!!!!!
I was also a bit upset that I paid 30 dollars for a baseball cap, but on the same token it's a REALLY NICE CAP!!!! All elastic all the way around, embroidered design, the works!!!
Let it Go
Another Hit And Run
Saturday Night (High ‘N’ Dry)
Bringing on the Heartbreak
Switch 625
Foolin’
Make Love Like A Man
Hysteria
Long Long Way to Go
Four Letter Word
Promises
Two Steps Behind
Now
Women
Rocket
Photograph
Animal
Armageddon It
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rock of Ages
Love Bites
Let's Get Rocked
