Def Leppard & Motley Crue - Sheffield Arena 13th December 2011

Def Leppard/Motley Crue/Steel Panther
Sheffield Motorpoint Arena 13th Dec. 2011

A triple bill at Sheffield Arena promised a good evening's entertainment with two blockbuster bands on one billling,  we were not disappointed....

We arrived at the arena a little later than anticipated due to traffic off the M1, but it was an early start of 18:30. By the time we found our seats, Steel Panther were already over half way through their short half hour or so set.

We settled into our seats in block 119, which were fantastic seats, to the right of the stage and close to the action.

Steel Panther

Steel Panther were incredibly funny. Their music style is Motley Crue/ Poison, but with a very funny comical twist to notions that any of that type of band should take themselves seriously (Just listen to the lyrics and song titles!) Much banter between songs, and strange dancing/stage moves, and inviting certain female members of the audience to bare all for rock and roll! (some did and took up the invitation to the stage to display their chests).

Steel Panther Set List

1. Supersonic Sex Machine
2. Tomorrow Night
3. Asian Hooker
4. Just Like Tiger Woods
5. Guitar Solo
6. Gold-Digging Whore
7. Community Property
8. 17 Girls In A Row
9. Death to all but Metal

Motley Crue

Before long the stage was cleared and a backdrop erected to hide the drum kit rollercoaster we all knew Motley Crue had lined up for us. The house lights remained down throughout, and with a very loud explosion and curtain drop Vince Neil bounded out on stage and Motley Crue got stuck straight into Wildside. Pyrotechnics, wild light show, and drum rollercoaster centre stage it was a feast for the eyes.

Musically, Motley Crue may not be the best band on the block, but the stage show was very entertaining, and Vince Neil interacted with the crowd, getting amongst it via the stage runway out into the front.

There was fire, there were pyro explosions, there was a rollercoaster drum kit, there was Vince Neil running stage left, stage right and out into the crowd stage centre. The music wasn't half bad either with many of the older classics being aired rather than the newer perhaps less- known material.

The mood slowed with the appearance of a piano on the runway, and Tommy Lee getting down from his drum kit greeted the crowd with "Hello F***rs" and took the piano to begin the opening bars of "Home Sweet Home". The rest of the band joined him around the piano, with Vince re-appearing on stage to join the crowd in singing the intro. Tommy then ran back to take the drum kit as the number kicked up a notch, before once again sliding from his rollercoaster ride, to run back to the piano to finish the song out on that. Good stuff!!

With little or no warning , the mellow bars swapped to loud rock once again and the Crue turned it up a notch and another gear, going through "Shout at the Devil", "Girls,Girls,Girls" and other classic fare.

We were then treated to Mr. Tommy Lee taking a rollercoaster ride on his drum kit, drumming a solo upside down, and then taking a competition winner, on the same ride. "When did you last take a s**t?" he asks the lucky winner.

Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars took a lesser part in the proceedings overall, but offered some half reasonable guitar solos, though nothing massively impressive.

The evenings set drew to a close with "Kick Start My Heart", a good crowd pleaser, and the Crue finish by taking their leave and throwing buckets of fake blood over the crowd. Something to remember them by (if not the pyrotechnics and stage show overall)

Motley Crue Set List

1. Wild Side
2. Saints of Los Angeles
3. Live Wire
4. Shout at the Devil
5. Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)
6. Primal Scream
7. Home Sweet Home
8. Looks That Kill
9. Drum Solo
10. Guitar Solo
11. Dr. Feelgood
12. Mutherf**ker of the Year
13. Girls, Girls, Girls
14. Smokin' In The Boys Room
    (Brownsville Station cover)
15. Kickstart My Heart

Def Leppard

A half-hour to clear the stage and set up for Def Leppard.
The stage lit up to reveal a fairly spartan set, but with bright lights, raised drum riser and walkway,  huge images projected at the back and the screens left and right stage.
The band kicked off with their new track "Undefeated", one of the few studio tracks from their recent "Mirrorball" live album.

The band seemed in fine form and presented as expected a slick, no frills set based upon musical excellence rather than pyrotechnics and imagery. They played their classic, most popular, tracks as well as a couple of slightly different versions of old favourites.

Joe Elliot's vocals may wander off track sometimes from perhaps when we have seen the band just a few years ago, but overall still a fine perfomance. When he is good, he is good, but.....

My highlights were the vocally excellent "Bringing on the Heartache" followed by musical excellence of "Switch 625". "Pour some Sugar on Me" was excellent as well as "Armageddon it". Too many highlights actually!!

The crowd lapped it up, the band interacted well with the crowd, Elliot taking much time and opportunity to strut out on the runway and face both sides and front of the audience regularly.
Before long the evening was over as the last song finished and Def Leppard left the stage with the crowd calling for more.

Having seen this band on five occasions now we elected to leave and beat the rush, but could hear the anthemic "Love Bites" reverberating around the arena as the band returned to encore.
The set finished with "Lets Get Rocked."

We certainly had been tonight!!

1. Undefeated
2. Rocket (Mirror Ball Version)
3. Action
   (Sweet cover)
4. Make Love Like a Man
5. When Love and Hate Collide
6. Slang
7. Women
8. Two Steps Behind
9. Bringin' on the Heartbreak
10. Switch 625
11. Hysteria
12. Animal
13. Armageddon It
14. Photograph
15. Pour Some Sugar on Me

Encore:

16. Love Bites
17. Let's Get Rocked

Our Band Scores:

Steel Panther: 6.5/10 (Comedy Value!)

Motley Crue: 7.5/10 (Visual/Pyro Value)

Def Leppard: 8/10 (Musical Value)

The Night Overall : 8/10 (Value, Value!)

 

Alter Bridge MEN Arena 24th November

AlterBridge, Black Stone Cherry, Theory of a Deadman
MEN Arena, Manchester 24th November 2011

Having spent a few hours at Cheshire Oaks shopping centre (near Chester) we had pretty much finished the Christmas shopping. We checked into Manchester West Holiday Inn Express around 15:30, have stayed here a few times before as it is only a short taxi ride to the arena and relatively good value.

The arena was not that busy when we arrived, about 6pm, and we took our seats on Block 102 with a quite near view of the stage. We noticed they had the second tier curtained off (ie lots of seats not sold), but then its hardly chart topping bands is it?

This tour for Alter Bridge would be their first arena headlining, only last year they were playing the likes of Rock City, and O2 Academy venues. Similar for the other bands of course.

Theory Of A Deadman

Theory of a Deadman came onto the stage around 19:10 after a short intro, and went straight into "Gentlemen" from their newish album. The floor and arena had started filling up now, with the floor around half full.

This group are very much like Nickelback, and have supported them and have been assisted in the past by said band. Their music is a mix of anthemic ballads, softer style rock and some, it has to be said, cliched and at times "make you laugh" lyrics. Their set was very good, with excellent sound throughout and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

We even got a cover of Eric Clapton's "Cocaine" and a teaser intro of Guns and Roses "Paradise City". C`mon guys do the whole song next time!
  

Theory Of A Deadman Set list

Intro

(Blame Canada)

1) Gentlemen

2) So Happy

3) Lowlife

4)  Bitch Came Back

5) Cocaine

(Eric Clapton cover)

6) Hate My Life

7) Paradise City (riff)

8) Bad Girlfriend

Black Stone Cherry

Now these guys we had seen twice before. Once at the Download festival, and once supporting Whitesnake and Def Leppard on their arena tour a few years ago. We came away with a view they were okay but nothing "wow" but it seems times have now changed!

With their album this year (Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea) they have reached even higher acclaim and the album having more of a commercial edge than the previous two albums.

To be honest, the new album has hardly ever not been played most weeks on my iPod (or days even!) and I really rate it, and the older material has definitely grown on me more.

We were not disappointed.. wow.!........ great sound, great gravelly vocals, with both heavy rock tracks and slower harmonies, this guy can REALLY sing with attitude. They hit the stage with a belter, straight into "Change" , a hard hitting older track with plenty of edge.

The crowd now filling the Arena floor went mad for it, the band's guitarists leaping around the stage from one side to the other. Fantastic stuff.

Before long the pace dropped and the ballad "In My Blood" from the new album was aired, showcasing that voice. The tempo was picked up for "Rain wizard" and then "Things My Father Said", the live version of this ballad seemed even better than the album version, the vocals so clear and echoing around the arena.

The crowd went mad for "White Trash Millionaire" the ringing guitar urging the crowd front stage to surge backwards and forwards like a wave.

  

After a short blues medley, the anthemic "Peace is Free" saw the crowd singing along loudly, and it was not long before the even more anthemic and sing-a-long "Blame it on the Boom Boom" reverberated around the arena.

The show came to a close with everyone on their feet to "Lonely Train" and the band left with a message that they would be back in the UK in March 2012.

No doubt we will be there!! Stunning!

Black Stone Cherry Set List

1. Change 

2. Blind Man
3. Yeah Man
4. Soulcreek
5. In My Blood
6. Rain Wizard
7. Things My Father Said
8. White Trash Millionaire
9. Blues medley
10. Peace is Free
11. Maybe Someday
12. Blame It On The Boom-Boom
13. Lonely Train

Alter Bridge

Myles Kennedy and Alter Bridge have gone from strength to strength in 2010/2011, particularly since the release of their epic Alter Bridge 3 album, which received very positive acclaim all over the world. Along with appearances with Slash on his recent album and tour, it seems Myles Kennedy can do nothing wrong.............................. Till tonight!

After about a 30 minute short wait, Alter Bridge came on stage to the atmospheric intro bars of "Slip to the Void". This promised to be good....................!!

All was well with the slow building introduction with Myles silhouetted on stage as he sang the intro, then the band came in............ Oh, what a disappointment...

Overloud, distorted drums and bass masking Myles' unique voice, the lead guitar master Mark Tremonti also cutting too deep and overpowering everything...... it was A MESS!!

The packed floor crowd appeared to be lapping it up, surging back and forth, security pulling many out who had either passed out with the heat or crush.

"Ghost of Days Gone By", the melodic anthem, was hardly recognisible through the distorted mess, and most songs merged into one.
Still the band and crowd were lively, but thats about all that can be said positively!

It was only when the band finally started the intro of "Blackbird" that things seemed to improve a little, and this extended version was the highlight of the otherwise messy set.

 Myles finally brough out his stool, slowed down the pace, with a reasonable version of "Wonderful Life" and "Watch Over You". This was more like it. Before long though it reverted back into the distorted sound when the band rejoined the proceedings. 

We left just before the encore, having endured enough, we were not the only ones!!


Alter Bridge Set List

1. Slip to the Void
2. Find the Real
3. Ghost of Days Gone By
4. I Know It Hurts
5. Come to Life
6. Brand New Start
7. White Knuckles
8. Coeur D'Alene
9. Metalingus
10. Broken Wings
11. One Day Remains
12. Blackbird
    (Blackbird - The Beatles Intro)
13. Wonderful Life
    (Myles solo acoustic)
14. Watch Over You
    (Myles solo acoustic)
15. Ties That Bind
16. Isolation
    Encore:

17. Open Your Eyes
18. Dueling Guitar Solos – Mark and Myles
19. Rise Today

Overall a VERY entertaining evening, but marred by the rubbish distorted sound for Alter Bridge. Black Stone Cherry should have been the headliners by a country mile!!

Our gig Scores:

T.O.A.D. - 7/10

Black Stone Cherry - 8.5/10

Alter Bridge - 5/10 (Would be lower were it not for Blackbird)