By: William Clark
As part of this summer’s acclaimed tour celebrating the four decades which KISS has spent filling arenas across the world, Def Leppard arrived at the Midflorida Credit Union Ampitheatre in Tampa, Florida, prepared with a fan favorite set and formidable levels of nostalgia.
A full house of energized classic rock fans was also gifted a memorable performance, from heavy metal act Kobra and the Lotus, a Canadian-based band which Gene Simmons notably discovered and, perhaps not coincidentally, serves as the “special guest” on this summer’s North American trek.
Considering the all-star bill, having a band which boasts an alternative style proved to be a good decision, as the members of Kobra and the Lotus cranked out forty minutes of non-stop operatic vocals and pick-grinding guitar work.
The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again” served as the curtain call for Def Leppard, and keeping in mind the song’s near-universal acclaim amongst rock fans, brought the entire crowd to its feet.
Our British hard rockers kept the energy blasting and as the backdrop with their DF insignia lowered, the group stormed the stage while performing a final run through the chorus.
Not wasting any time, the band immediately launched into their catalog of originals, and much to the delight of the audience, exploded into the instantly recognizable guitar riff of “Let it Go” from 1981’s High ‘n’ Dry.
Keeping in mind their short running time on the shared bill, Def Leppard kept the audience at a fevered pitch with some of their well-known anthems from Hysteria , including a crowd favorite, “Animal”.
The majority of songs which appeared during the concert were selected from Def Leppard’s diamond-certified studio albums, Pyromania and Hysteria, a classification presented when a band achieves the feat of moving more than ten million copies of one particular release. While some diehard Def Leppard fans may scoff at relying solely upon songs which happened to hit high on the charts, there weren’t any complaints as the band moved through “Love Bites” and “Foolin'”.
One particularly standout moment arrived when the members of Def Leppard sat down for an unplugged set comprised of Retro Active power ballad “Two Steps Behind” and “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak”. The latter incorporated a chilling conversion to a crushing distortion, courtesy of lead guitarist, Phil Collen, while frontman, Joe Elliott, belted out some very impressive blood curdling primal screams.
Following the final chord progressions to “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, the Floridian audience were on their feet and demanding an encore. Def Leppard was more than courteous to oblige, and returned onstage to the familiar gibberish which preludes “Rock of Ages”.
“We’ve got something to say!” Joe Elliot proclaimed, above the roars of the crowd. After a few near ear shattering cymbal crashes, the show could have easily and smartly ended. But the rock icons had more as they unleashed a second helping of “Photograph”.
The members of Def Leppard offered a standout performance during their appearance as part of this summer’s KISS 40th Anniversary tour, and that was only half the evening.
As for KISS?
They couldn’t have been any better, from the conclaves of bombastic and deafening pyrotechnics to the inclusion of such rarities as, “Hotter Than Hell”, “Calling Dr. Love” and “Hide Your Heart”.
