Sweet F.A.
The concert was a hell of a lot of fun! Here’s a mini-review.
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts: We came in partway through her set, but she was great as always. I’d seen her before, opening for Foo Fighters in 2015. She pulled out all her hits and even some new material. All these years later, and she’s still got it!
Poison: Definitely a pleasant surprise! I’m not a big fan of Poison by any means, but they put on a great live show and you can tell they were having a blast on stage. Now I feel I should check out more of their stuff!
Def Leppard: This was the act I was looking forward to the most, and they did not disappoint. I’m more convinced now than ever that Rick Allen is one of the best drummers ever, pounding those beats with one arm. And everyone else was great, too–Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell shredded through the set–plus there was a nice choice of songs. They got a few deep cuts in, like “Excitable” and an acoustic version of “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad.” Unfortunately, Joe Elliott sadly announced that they had to end two songs early because of a sudden thunderstorm and flash flooding, so we didn’t get “Rock of Ages” or “Photograph.” It was kind of looking like the show would end early, and we wouldn’t get the headlining act, until…
Mötley Crüe: They more than made up for Def Leppard’s shortened set. The setlist had a nice selection, too—stuff from their first five albums, plus some newer cuts, including the title tracks of The Dirt (2019) and Saints of Los Angeles (2008), as well as “Primal Scream” from 1991, my favorite song by them. It was also really good to see that Vince Neil has gotten back in shape and can actually sing decently well again. His weight and singing struggles had been memed on the internet for a while. Although Tommy Lee had to bail after three songs—he handed out beers and ribs to the front row and joked, “For those who don’t know, here are some ribs that AREN’T broken!”—Tommy Clufetos did a good job replacing him on drums, and Lee also rejoined them for “Home Sweet Home.” The backup singers/dancers helped with the aesthetic, and of course Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars were on point in their musicianship.
Overall, it was a great evening/night of fun, four great bands just having a blast, only with a minor weather interruption. Would recommend!