The results are nothing remarkable-even though Def Leppard has had its share of harrowing, angst-worthy episodes, including the death of guitarist Steve Clark in 1990 from a lethal combination of alcohol and drugs, and the maiming of Rick Allen in a 1984 car wreck that left him to carry on (quite effectively) as a one-armed drummer who uses a pedal for snare sounds. The band tossed in a handful of songs from “Slang.” Rather than repeating Def Leppard’s moves from the good-time ‘80s, the new album takes a more dense, turbulent, angst-ridden approach that is sometimes akin to such ‘90s arena bands as Soundgarden. Performing on a bare-bones stage under a modest lighting design that called for little more than color-patterned backdrops and smoky beams, Def Leppard stayed true to its yeomanly nature in a set that offered no surprises and no memorable moments but served up the familiar hits in a familiar way that suited the faithful well enough. A new album, “Slang,” has been a commercial flop, and Def Leppard played to no more than a half-capacity house of perhaps 7,000 fans.
This long-running English band never has gone for metal’s most gargantuan excesses, coming off less as would-be thunder lords than as workmanlike, competent pros whose knack for a big, catchy chorus and whose luck as one of the first bands to get constant exposure on MTV ignited multiple-platinum sales through the ‘80s and early ‘90s.īut it’s twilight time for these modest, rather anonymous heroes. In an interview last month with the Boston Globe’s Sarah Rodman, Elliott discussed plans for a new record - the band’s first-ever self-titled effort - to be released this fall.Heavy metal usually begs to be taken in Wagnerian terms, so let’s think of Def Leppard’s show Wednesday night at Irvine Meadows as the twilight of the demi- semi- sorta- quasi- maybe- nah- not- really- gods. The band seems smart enough to know it won’t ever rule the rock-o-sphere like it once did, yet it finds pleasure in continuing to create. Instead, the members of Def Leppard keep working and keep writing. The band isn’t just resting on its - rather significant - laurels: Any band with two Diamond albums to its credit (1983’s “Pyromania” and 1987’s “Hysteria”) could be forgiven for sitting home counting its money, leaving only for the occasional victory lap tour of past glories. Beyond the Def Leppard font that has given that name a matching visual style, the covers for the band’s first five records are a terrific mix of excess, visual oddities and imagery that suggests rock power without overstating the band’s heft. Examples include Elliott’s cadences on the verse of “Photograph” as well as the interplay between him and his bandmates on the entrance to that song’s chorus similarly, the call-and-response on “Armaggedon It” is iconic for a reason.Īlbum art: Def Leppard’s album covers have become more generic over the years, but during the band’s heyday, its album artists crafted some of the era’s stronger offerings. But the band also was able to craft little, sometimes almost imperceptible, melodic curves that gave its songs more staying power than the average band on a power-ballad compilation. Melodic color: Like its most successful peers, Def Leppard has a bag full of big hooks that don’t require much in the way of thought or nuance. Elliott’s ability to belt big choruses to the back of an arena but also live in the melodic crannies is unparalleled among the commercial rock singers of his day. His presence remains strong his singing contains just the right amounts of bravado, lovesickness, bite and charm, allowing him to perfectly play his part and read his lines as the quintessential bad-boy waiting to be tamed. The through line of Elliott’s voice has allowed Def Leppard to maintain its voice as a band. Guitarist Phil Collen made the band in 1982, and Def Leppard’s newest member, former Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell, has 23 years under his belt, joining the lineup in 1992. Singer Joe Elliott and bassist Rick Savage have been all in since the beginning - 1977 - while drummer Rick Allen was added a year later.
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