Def Leppard @ NIB Stadium,Perth (15/10/11)

Mon 24th Oct, 2011 in Gig Reviews

The setting was sweet, a beautiful Perth night with some classic 80s rockers to keep us company, Heart were first up on the menu; making their first appearance ever for an appreciative Perth crowd. Nancy and Ann Wilson strolled through some of their classic rockers Crazy On You and Barracuda but it was All I Wanna do is Make Love to You that had us singing the loudest.

It has been a while since Def Leppard has graced their fans of Perth, so a lot of very excited fans of all ages flocked to NIB stadium on Saturday night, to let out their mullets and stone washed denim for a back to the future look at Sheffield’s finest soft-rock export.

Here in support of Telethon, the boys brought out all the hits and haven’t seemed to have aged since their last visit, Opening with new tune Undefeated before Lets Get Rocked and Foolin’ lifted the intensity and the audience opened up in full sing-along-glory, it was Saturday night, and we were here “to get rocked”.

Joe Elliot stalked the stage dipping back into Adrenalize for Make Love Like A Man before dropping into the softer sounds of Love Bites and Two Steps Behind. The tempo was well kept by famous one-armed drummer Phil Colleen as he battered his way through Animal before we were hit with 80s anthem Rocket, which blasted us into a cheesy, beautiful rock atmosphere – people really get lost in nostalgia at concerts like this.

The acoustic guitar came out for Bringing on the Heartache, which did test Elliot’s softer vocals a little, but the beautiful Hysteria had the crowd and Elliot back in full voice for such a classic song. Finally, Photograph took us back to when Def Leppard first graced us on a higher level.

Encore time and lights, camera, action was cued as the people of Perth, Telethon and Fans joined as one for Pour Some Sugar on Me, such an apt song for raising money for children in need. It was fun, a lot of hair, a lot of fist pumping but an all-round vibe that this band still has what it takes, plain and simple, Rock!