If you are an 80's classic rock fan, then you were in for a treat as the British band Def Leppard came to Montreal's Bell Centre this Saturday night to a packed house. Considering that the band members - Joe Elliot (vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Phil Collen (Guitar), Rick Savage (bass) and Rick Allen (drums) are all getting up in age, they put on an electrifying show. When a band has over 100 million records sold worldwide over a span of 3 decades, you know you are in for a great show with great hits. That is exactly what they did. They played pretty much all their hits from Animal, Rock On, to Let's Get Rocked and Pour Some Sugar on Me. In all they played 19 songs. Find below their play list in order:
1. Rock! Rock (Till You Drop)
2. Animal
3. High & Dry (Saturday Night)
4. Foolin'
5. Promises
6. PaperSun
7. Love Bites
8. Armageddon It
9. Bass Solo (Rick Savage)
10. Rock On
11. Two Steps Behind (Acoustic)
12. Rocket
13. Bringing on the Heartbeat
14. Switch 625
15. Hysteria
16. Let's Get Rocked
17. Pour Some Sugar on Me
Encore
18. Rock of Ages
19. Photograph
Opening Act
One nice surprise, and I had never heard of them, was the opening act, a band called Trapper. They are a 1980's inspired band out of Ontario. They really sounded good and demonstrated on a couple of occasions how appreciative they were to Def Leppard for the opportunity. They also tried to please a francophone crowd in Montreal by singing Illegal from Marjo...a huge Quebec rock hit from the 80's. You could tell that they were having the time of their lives playing in front of the Bell Centre crowd. They were very impressive and if you would like more info you can check out their biography at http://www.maplemusic.com/artists/trp/bio.asp.
Check out their performance from London, Ontario.
The Bottom Line
This was definitely a Def Leppard flashback show. You had all the hits from the last 3 decades and the atmosphere was just electrifying. The majority of the people were standing up, singing along for most of the concert. I was amazed at Trapper, they really were an unexpected treat. My only disappointment was that Def Leppard did not play Tonight, which for me is one of my favourite songs, but it is a personal taste. I have to give it to them, they did not miss a beat and played non-stop for about 1h15 minutes. The voice harmonies were excellent and just as on cue as they were 30 years ago. What gave the concert an even greater 80s field was the Encore, which many bands have abandoned in the past years.
I was also very surprised of the amount of younger people attending the concert. I have noticed this trend in the past couple of years or so. I saw the same with the KISS and Fleetwood Mac concerts. I think the younger generation is discovering rock music or maybe for them it is something new. In my opinion, this is an indication the Rock music is still alive and well despite what some might think. I would go see Def Leppard again in a heart beat, but then again I am a product of the 80s myself.
In all I give the show an 8 on 10, worth the money.
I found some footage of the Montreal Show. It will definitely give you a little taste of the show.....enjoy!!!!!!