The heatwave continues . After yet another day of scorching heat, we find ourselves looking forward to the perfect accompaniment with some summery, commercial '80s rock. The queues to get in are pretty lengthy though with some people reportedly queueing past the Etihad to get in.
'Decadence Dance' is a great energetic opener for Extreme. The band sound great and Gary Cherone is in decent voice too. The hard rocking 'REBEL' follows and, to no-one's surprise, Nuno Bettencourt shreds like his life depends on it. The 'We Will Rock You' intro leads into the explosive 'Play With Me' which features another incendiary guitar solo. The acoustic country-blues stomp of 'Hole Hearted' is terrific fun and the whole crowd ends up clapping and singing along.
Let's be honest, Nuno is and probably always will be the main attraction and Nuno's solo spot is as mindblowing as ever. No matter how many times you've seen them, it still impresses. He is in fine form throughout but you wouldn't expect anything else from arguably the world's greatest guitarist. He is also really funny when he interacts with the crowd.
'More Than Words' is probably the bigggest hit played tonight (including the headliners) and it is spine-tingling. The fret-tapping extravaganza that is 'Flight Of The Wounded Bumblebee' is incredible whilst 'Get The Funk Out' is a big crowd pleasing number. 'RISE' is another hard and heavy rock song, and the solo is unbelievable. Still riding off the acclaim Nuno got following the Back To The Beginning concert last July, the band play an excellent Ozzy medley, and seeing Nuno playing those Randy Rhoads solos is truly emotional. I've seen Extreme a number of times but this is probably the best time I've seen them.
Def Leppard open with the latest single 'Rejoice', and it is classic Leppard with that bass throb they've been using since 'Rock Of Ages,' along with wailing guitars and a solid chorus. 'Animal' is driving and powerful yet is anthemic as hell. As cheesy as it is on record, 'Let's Get Rocked' becomes an absolute anthem in the live arena. Their cover of Depeche Mode's 'Personal Jesus' is decent but does seem to suck the life out of the venue. Their cover of 'Rock On' by David Essex makes much more sense, driven by Rick Savage's groovy bassline whilst Joe Elliott sings amongst the crowd, up in the Gods.
The 'High 'N' Dry' one-two of 'Bringin' On The Heartbreak' and 'Switch 625' is as far back as the band go. The former is a great power ballad whilst the latter is a killer NWOBHM instrumental. Joe Elliott still looks the part (although his sparkly jacket is giving 'mother of the bride' vibes) and he soaks up the adulation as 19000 fans sing the majestic chorus of 'Rocket' back at him. The progressive 'White Lightning' allows guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell to stretch their wings. As if two world class guitarists isn't enough, Nuno Bettencourt joins them for the funky, hip hop influenced 'Slang' which is great fun.
Def Lep's career has been built on fantastic vocal harmonies and they can still nail them, as demonstrated by the fantastic acapella intro to 'Promises'. Of course, it's the tracks from 'Hysteria' and 'Pyromania' that everyone wants to hear, and the run of songs that goes from 'Armageddon It' to 'Love Bites' to 'Rock Of Ages' and finally on to the closing 'Photograph' is stunning. It really is hit after hit, The encore sees them play two killer ballads in 'When Love And Hate Collide' and 'Hysteria' before closing with the triumphant 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. Def Leppard may not be fashionable these days but they are still clearly popular and tonight is a fantastic demonstration of what once made them one of the biggest bands in the world.
Def Leppard ****
Extreme *****
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