Being a child of the 80s, I was privileged to come of age in a time of Legendary music, and prominent amongst those legends were Def Leppard and Journey. Unfortunately life did not afford me the opportunity to see either band in my youth, but providence saw fit to reward me on Saturday, July 21, 2018 at Coors Field in Denver. The weather was a bit overcast with a little rain, which sucks for an outdoor show, but the staff were very polite and professional and my nosebleed mezzanine seat was in a covered area.
I am not a fan of the Pretenders, and I endured a mercifully short set of their hits as an un-billed opening act. Thankfully, Chrissie Hynde spared us any socio-political rantings this time. Years ago I saw her roundly booed by a San Antonio crowd as the opening act for ZZ Top, when she went on about Vegan lifestyle and criticized all things related to raising cattle; not the best choice of topics in Texas. I must admit this crowd responded well, and did very much get in the mood for the headline acts.
Next up was Journey, who immediately launched into my personal favorite from them, Separate Ways (Worlds Apart). I had lost interest in Journey over the years, so it wasn't until a few days before the show that I learned that Steve Perry was no longer with the band. His replacement Arlen Pineda very clearly demonstrated a vocal tone and range that matched Perry. His only shortcoming was a lack of stage presence; he just didn't fully engage the crowd in the same way as did the other two singers of the evening. The musicianship was as expected, beautiful. Neal Schon has lost none of his guitar magic, and treated us to blistering speed and style as they pounded through the rest of their set list. A bit of anecdotal Journey history was confirmed by Johnathan Cain (sporting a custom Colorado Rockies jersey, very stylish!) as he recalled the back story of Faithfully, and there was not a dry eye in the venue by the closing notes of the song.
Journey Set List:
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Only the Young
Escape
Stone in love
Be Good To Yourself
Lights
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Who's Crying Now
Open Arms
Any Way You Want It
Only The Young
Wheel in the Sky
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
The show would have been well worth the wait just with Journey alone, but the added bonus of capping the evening with Def Leppard was almost too much; and as it turns out, it was too much for a little guy sitting with his parents in front of me. He was out like a light by this time. The staff announced a 15 minute intermission for tear-down, and at the five minute mark a huge green digital countdown appeared on the video screens at the stage. Everyone was very eager for the show to resume, so when the lights went down and the clock coloration switched from green to red at the five second mark, the response was deafening.
Def Leppard hit the stage with Rocket, and never relented throughout their entire set. Drummer Rick Allen received a heart-felt standing ovation throughout his solo; he just seems to be a likable guy, and who wouldn't admire a one-armed drummer? My devotion to Def Leppard has admittedly waned over the years, as their maturation process has taken them almost into too-tame adult contemporary offerings. To me, their defining works were High n Dry and the epic Pyromania. Sadly, the only songs from High n Dry were Bringin' on the Heartbreak and the instrumental Switch 625. And from Pyromania they only played Photograph, Rock of Ages and Foolin'. The balance were from Hysteria and later releases. For me, the best surprise was a rousing cover of the funky Rock On by David Essex.
Def Leppard Play-list:
Rocket
Animal
Foolin'
When Love and Hate Collide
Let's Get Rocked
Armageddon It
Rock On
Two Steps Behind
Love Bites
Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Encore: Rock of Ages
Encore: Photograph
Another new experience for me was the replacement of the cigarette lighter with the cellphone light for the candlelight effect. Journey tried to do this but because it was still daylight, the result was underwhelming. When Def Leppard admonished the crowed to do the same during Love Bites, the effect was much more dramatic and moving. Guitarist Phil Collen added a twist with a web-cam mounted on the headstock of one of his guitars later in the show, aimed down the fretboard so that his fingerings were visible to all. Once I got past the initial disorientation, it was a fun angle. As has been repeatedly pointed out in Social Media, Coors Field really is not an optimal place for a concert, as the acoustics are virtually non-existent and the sound system throughout the show was a bit muddy. I left with mixed feelings; I was thrilled to finally see two of my favorite bands from my youth, but at the same time the experience was almost surreal and wanting. Bucket list items accomplished.
I am not a fan of the Pretenders, and I endured a mercifully short set of their hits as an un-billed opening act. Thankfully, Chrissie Hynde spared us any socio-political rantings this time. Years ago I saw her roundly booed by a San Antonio crowd as the opening act for ZZ Top, when she went on about Vegan lifestyle and criticized all things related to raising cattle; not the best choice of topics in Texas. I must admit this crowd responded well, and did very much get in the mood for the headline acts.
Next up was Journey, who immediately launched into my personal favorite from them, Separate Ways (Worlds Apart). I had lost interest in Journey over the years, so it wasn't until a few days before the show that I learned that Steve Perry was no longer with the band. His replacement Arlen Pineda very clearly demonstrated a vocal tone and range that matched Perry. His only shortcoming was a lack of stage presence; he just didn't fully engage the crowd in the same way as did the other two singers of the evening. The musicianship was as expected, beautiful. Neal Schon has lost none of his guitar magic, and treated us to blistering speed and style as they pounded through the rest of their set list. A bit of anecdotal Journey history was confirmed by Johnathan Cain (sporting a custom Colorado Rockies jersey, very stylish!) as he recalled the back story of Faithfully, and there was not a dry eye in the venue by the closing notes of the song.
Journey Set List:
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Only the Young
Escape
Stone in love
Be Good To Yourself
Lights
Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'
Who's Crying Now
Open Arms
Any Way You Want It
Only The Young
Wheel in the Sky
Faithfully
Don't Stop Believin'
The show would have been well worth the wait just with Journey alone, but the added bonus of capping the evening with Def Leppard was almost too much; and as it turns out, it was too much for a little guy sitting with his parents in front of me. He was out like a light by this time. The staff announced a 15 minute intermission for tear-down, and at the five minute mark a huge green digital countdown appeared on the video screens at the stage. Everyone was very eager for the show to resume, so when the lights went down and the clock coloration switched from green to red at the five second mark, the response was deafening.
Def Leppard hit the stage with Rocket, and never relented throughout their entire set. Drummer Rick Allen received a heart-felt standing ovation throughout his solo; he just seems to be a likable guy, and who wouldn't admire a one-armed drummer? My devotion to Def Leppard has admittedly waned over the years, as their maturation process has taken them almost into too-tame adult contemporary offerings. To me, their defining works were High n Dry and the epic Pyromania. Sadly, the only songs from High n Dry were Bringin' on the Heartbreak and the instrumental Switch 625. And from Pyromania they only played Photograph, Rock of Ages and Foolin'. The balance were from Hysteria and later releases. For me, the best surprise was a rousing cover of the funky Rock On by David Essex.
Def Leppard Play-list:
Rocket
Animal
Foolin'
When Love and Hate Collide
Let's Get Rocked
Armageddon It
Rock On
Two Steps Behind
Love Bites
Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Encore: Rock of Ages
Encore: Photograph
Another new experience for me was the replacement of the cigarette lighter with the cellphone light for the candlelight effect. Journey tried to do this but because it was still daylight, the result was underwhelming. When Def Leppard admonished the crowed to do the same during Love Bites, the effect was much more dramatic and moving. Guitarist Phil Collen added a twist with a web-cam mounted on the headstock of one of his guitars later in the show, aimed down the fretboard so that his fingerings were visible to all. Once I got past the initial disorientation, it was a fun angle. As has been repeatedly pointed out in Social Media, Coors Field really is not an optimal place for a concert, as the acoustics are virtually non-existent and the sound system throughout the show was a bit muddy. I left with mixed feelings; I was thrilled to finally see two of my favorite bands from my youth, but at the same time the experience was almost surreal and wanting. Bucket list items accomplished.