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Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Written By: Gary Crouthamel
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Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Tommy Shaw
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
James Young
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Todd Sucherman
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Ricky Phillips
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Dave Amato
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Kevin Cronin
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Bruce Hall
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Bryan Hitt
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
REO Speedwagon
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Styx
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Styx
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Joe Elliott
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Rick Savage
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Phil Collen
Styx, REO Speedwagon, Def Leppard
Vivian Campbell
    I can’t think of any nicer way to wrap up a real vacation in sunny south Florida than with a great sold-out triple bill concert featuring Styx, REO Speedwagon and Def Leppard, at a very small and intimate 5500-seat venue at the Seminole Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla. You gotta love walking into a show these days without any searches/metal detectors. Felt like it was the 1980’s all over again: drunk guys spilling their beer and pretending to dance while women wearing low-cut blouses shook their assets and the scent of illegal substances wafted over the crowd. There’s no better way to recapture your youth than at a concert with the bands you listened to back when you were young enough not to know better.
    Up first on the bill was Styx, fronted by guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw and James Young with Lawrence Gowan on keyboards, Ricky Phillips on bass and Todd Sucherman on drums. They gave a dead-on impression of their younger days by opening with “Blue Collar Man” and “Grand Illusion.” Without Dennis DeYoung to drag them down into the maudlin (Lady) or the hokey (Mr. Roboto), singer/keyboardist Gowan danced with his pedestal’ed keyboard, even playing it backwards to other classic hits like “Too Much Time,” “Fooling Yourself,” “Miss America,” “Come Sail Away” and the encore “Renegade.”
    Next up was REO Speedwagon, with Kevin Cronin still on vocals, Dave Amato on guitar, Bruce Hall on bass, Bryan Hitt on drums and the original band member Neal Doughtry on keyboards. The band’s sound hasn’t changed a bit. It’s still about Top 40 Pop and all about lost love and broken dreams. Opening with “Don’t Let Him Go” and “Take It On The Run,” the band ran through a parade of hits including “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Time For Me To Fly,” then it was back to the hits of the 70’s with “Roll With The Changes” and the encore “Ridin’ The Storm Out.”
    And last, experienced Def Leppard fans know what’s coming when the PA system starts playing AC/DC’s “For Those About To Rock” (We Salute You). It’s a heads-up, we are about to rock. With lights out, the massive diamond screen behind the stage blazed a British Union Jack as Def Leppard took the stage to thunderous applause and the floor shook with shrieking guitars, drums and a heavy bass. Singer Joe Elliott might look a little worse for wear but his scratchy and harsh voice (for only the second stop on the tour) still managed to hit the heights when he had to. The rest of the band: Rick Savage on bass, Rick Allen on drums, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell on guitars.
    They opened their set with “Rocket” and “Animal” and ran through such hits as “Let’s Get Rocked,” “Foolin’,” “Mirror Mirror” and “Love Bites.” Then Rick Savage starts a lengthy bass solo that runs right into a hard-rocking cover of David Essex’s “Rock On.” They unveiled a new song, “Nine Lives,” from their new CD, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, that came out April 29th. Then they stripped down to acoustic guitars for “Two Steps Behind” and half of “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” before plugging back in for “Hysteria” and “Armageddon It,” all vintage Def Leppard songs; but the true-vintage Def Leppard of “Photograph” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me” had the audience rockin’ on their feet before the final encore of “Rock Of Ages” that had them rockin’ up on their seats with all the cell phones waving in the crowd like it was the bic lighters of yesteryear. I remember those days! For those of a certain age, that Saturday night concert was a rocking trip down memory lane. NO rocking chair needed. And like a great classic ride at Disney World, just up the Florida Turnpike, you get off and run as fast as possible to get back in line and ride it again.
– Gary Crouthamel Photographer & Concert Correspondent
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