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20/10/05 - VERIZON AMPHITHEATRE, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA Review by Melissa Ruggieri (Times
Dispatch): This summer, Bryan Adams and Def Leppard took a cue from Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan and embarked on a tour of minor-league baseball stadiums. The response was robust the'80s mainstays packed in 8,000-10,000 fans per date and successful enough for the pair to reload this fall in amphitheaters. But don't act so surprised. The price was reasonable, topping out at a now-unheard-of $50 in most markets, and these two acts, while stylistically different, were huge enough in their day to amass more than 35 hits combined. Thursday's healthy crowd of more than 10,000 at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater overflowed with 30-something tarts reliving 11th grade and fist-pumping men in jeans and jersey T-shirts (mullets and bandanas were refreshingly absent). Though officially a double bill -- each act performed a taut 80 minutes -- Def Leppard provided the more rock-star-exciting set, leaving Adams to do what he does best -- basic, reliable raspy-voiced guitar rock. Clad in the same stage clothes he's worn since 1985, a black T-shirt and jeans, Adams and his four-piece band banged out two decades of radio staples. From the overrated "Cuts Like a Knife" (complete with boring, overlong "na na na" crowd participation) to the underappreciated "Back To You" from his more recent output, Adams never wavered. And call Adams one of those Dorian Gray rockers -- at nearly 46, he still possesses the same lithe build and close-cropped hair. He's also written songs for every emotional occasion. "Summer of'69," the breezy ode to teenage hormones; "Heaven," performed with record-perfect clarity, is the ultimate prom song; and "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)," which began and ended acoustically, has made its share of wedding appearances. With such a durable stash of hits, it's questionable why Adams would mar a blistering set (the cranking "Kids Wanna Rock" was a highlight) by including "Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You," the song that caused even his fans to make fun of him. By the time Def Lep hit the stage to the extremely loud intro of Queen's "We Will Rock You," the audience, primed by Adams, was ready to rawk. The scent of beer and perfume collided as a sharp light show jabbed through "Action" and "Let's Get Rocked," and singer Joe Elliott twirled his mic stand. The band, led by the twin guitar wizardry of Phil Collen (who apparently doesn't own any shirts) and Vivian Campbell (sporting some interesting scruff), sounded tight most of its set, the bottom ably held down by gloved bassist Rick Savage. Drummer Rick Allen is still a wonder to watch behind his bank of foot pedals and cymbals, even battering the cowbell for a haunting "Foolin'." Next to Blue Oyster Cult, has a band used the'bell to better effect? It's too bad Elliott's voice is shot because the otherwise pretty "Hysteria" fell flat under his hoarse tones. More painful were his attempts to hit the notes of "Armageddon It," which he eventually backed off of to let the other guys salvage those layered Lep harmonies. Coming next year from the band is a covers album of songs and bands that inspired them. If the two tunes performed Thursday, Badfinger's sublime "No Matter What" and David Essex's "Rock On," are any indication, Def Leppard might have a new reason to tour next year. | |||
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