Review: Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Journey and Tesla
The O2, Dublin
Joe Elliott from Def Leppard Photo: Getty Images
Tuesday June 16 2009
Another week, another gig set firmly down memory lane.
The O2 predictably hosts a crowd pushing on middle-age, fans who are recapturing their youth. Some have even been brave enough to bring the kids with them, albeit only the ones who are too young to find shame in the uncharacteristic attire of their parents.
Following a resurgence in popularity, thanks largely to the use of 'Don't Stop Believin'' in 'The Sopranos' series finale, Journey seem to be the crowd-pleasers of the night. Energetic, they garner some fine singalongs as the evening swings into motion.
Whitesnake, on the other hand, play the sort of rock usually reserved for those who wish to parody rock.
It's completely inaccessible to the audience, at one point going so far as to contain a 10-minute guitar solo. And that's not an exaggerated, figure-of-speech 10 minutes. This is 10 actual minutes, with nothing happening on stage other than disgustingly self-indulgent muck.
"Here I Go Again", the band's signature tune, brings the crowd back into the affair. But the constant shouts of "Make some f**king noise!" put the nail in the coffin and consign the performance to bottom of the night's pile.
Def Leppard emerge to a graphic of the Union Jack in green, white and orange. Amhrán na bhFiann plays in the background, stopping suddenly as the flag reverts to its normal colours of red, white and blue. Wow. What a brave move to pull in Dublin.
The headline act aren't as over the top as Whitesnake or as fun as Journey. But they certainly show that their place in the annals of rock is justified, as Joe Elliot leads an exciting if not mind-blowing set with all the usual frills attached. Meanwhile, one-armed drummer Rick Allen shows himself to be one of the wonders of the ancient rock world.
You just can't take this stuff seriously, and in fact you're not supposed to. Once you've realised that, though, you're left with quite an evening.
- Aidan Coughlan
