Saturday, July 21, 2007 at Sarnia Bayfest, Ontario [Photos]
And the trilogy plus one of Bayfest concert posts is closed with Def Leppard.
My brother and I trekked over to the line up at around 4:30 PM. Doors would be opening at 5:00 this time, since there were four opening bands. Turns out we could've came halfway through the opening bands and still been in the same spot, but, oh well.
I didn't buy a t-shirt this time, as I had at Aerosmith, as there were none that I really loved, you know? Other than the Union Jack one, but that was $60, so, thanks, but no thanks. I'll probably buy one on eBay soon enough though. After my brother bought his shirt and we bought a water, into the VIP area we went.
It appeared that there were very few people in the licensed area, so I came to the conclusion that most Lep fans aren't drinkers. But, when Def Leppard were on and I looked over, it was packed. So, Def Leppard fans are not only drinkers, but they are late.
Now then, the opening bands. I actually remember nothing. Maybe because so much time has passed (I mean, considering that the other reviews I wrote were only a day or two after the concert), or maybe they were just lame. I do remember there was one group where the lead singer had long blonde hair and no shirt and my dad came over to where my brother and I were standing and said that my mom wanted a picture of him. Which I never took, because I was being careful with the camera. My rule is wait until someone else takes a picture, and if they're fine, then snap snap away. Which really, I knew it would've been no problem, because as we were going in the ticket takers were talking about cameras and one said "don't be anal about it, just no professional cameras".
So, our seats, good as they were for Aerosmith. We actually got a railing this time, which was cool, but didn't help as much as I thought it would. Best seats in the house, as always, are front row, but I noticed something this time. The catwalk came out to a smaller stage… hmm, that wasn't there before, now was it? And since the stage was bigger, there were also "seats" right in front of the catwalk, which would have been perfect, right up close with no one blocking your view. But, I can't complain too much about where we were.
I believe the set list for this show is the same as it is for all Def Leppard shows, and my brother tells me they never change their set list, which is a shame. But nevertheless, here it is.
SET LIST
- Rocket
- Animal
- Excitable
- Foolin'
- Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
- Another Hit And Run
- Love Bites
- Rock On
- Two Steps Behind
- Bringin' On The Heartbreak
- Switch 625
- Hysteria
- Armageddon It
- Photograph
- Pour Some Sugar On Me
- Rock Of Ages
Sitting down in between acts was a really great idea, because my back definitely wasn't hurting as much as it did at Aerosmith and Nickelback. And since we were at the end of the catwalk, there were Joe Perry sparkles all over the ground still. I put some in my sock. That's not weird… is it?
But sitting down, not always good. After the last band finished, it was around 10:00, and on the radio earlier we'd heard Lep would go on at 10:30. I must've decided not to sit down though, because at 10:15 almost on the dot, the lights went down and the cheers began, and I know I was already standing. So that was strange but cool. I mean, since when do rock concerts start early?
I'm really only a recent Def Leppard fan, and I feel bad about that. I feel bad when I don't know all the words and whatnot. I also feel bad when I know the words or the riff or whatever, but can't remember the song name, which is how it is with many Lep songs. As "Animal" ended, I could just tell that the next song would be… would be… err, "Bringin' on the Heartbreak"? No, no! "Foolin'"! That's it. I mean, I knew it, but I just… brain fart, that's the technical term, right?
Anyway, I did make a point to listen to all the songs I knew they'd be playing previously, as I do in preparation for any concert I go to nowadays, but couldn't get my hands on a copy of "Another Hit and Run". During which song, Joe Elliott came down the runway (as he had previously), but this time, this time was different. This time, he looked right at me. With disgust. How could I not know this song? HOW? He knew it. He knew that I didn't know it. And then he stomped off in the other direction.
And now, now is the time to use the mini stage. Everyone (sans Rick Allen, the drummer), comes on down the runway to meet us. I would assume it was Joe who explained that they wanted to be out in the crowd because that way they could hear us better. You know the drill, if you know the words, sing along.
Okay. I've never sang along. Not with "Yellow Submarine", not with "Hey Jude". Not with the greatest audience sing-a-long songs in the history of audience sing-a-long songs. Why would I start now?
"Two Steps Behind". Oh, how I love that song. Okay, just a little. But I still love it. It's like a flashback to Aerosmith, coming out, up close to ME, to sing MY favourite song! Well, at least, my favourite song that they do live. I think this was partly why I felt so badly the other day. I should've sang along. I mean, god damn, I did know all the words! Not just "whatever you do", I knew it ALL.
So why didn't I feel guilty at Paul McCartney when everyone else was yelling out "JET!"? Well, besides the fact that I didn't know the song. The fact is, they were there, mere metres in front of me. They could see my little green hat if they so wanted to, they could see my little mouth not moving. I guess that's why.
But you know, it was asking a lot of me. Aerosmith was really the first concert I've really bopped my head around and gotten into it, and the same at Def Leppard. Not even for The Who — well, maybe a slight nod here and there. But seriously, I've made major progress. Maybe next time, next time…
For "Bringin' on the Heartbreak", they stayed out and continued with the sing-a-long. Except, when it came time for the chorus, they stopped playing and expected us to continue singing. Not so. We all were a little confused and started whooping and clapping. I mean, come on, we need a little guidance here.
So, having the four guys all up close should've provided some prime snap snap time, except for the BLINDING LIGHTS! By the time "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" was over, I got the bright idea to mess with the exposure, which did help a little, but by that time, they were leaving.
I have to say that Sav (which, by the way, is Rick Savage, as those in the know call him to keep from mixing him up with Rick Allen, and also to sound cool) was really not givin' the love to us by the runway. He came maybe halfway down once or twice, but other than the acoustic set I mentioned above with TSB/BOTH, I had no real opportunity to get nice pictures of him.
Joe, being the singer, was good about it, as was Phil (who was shirtless by probably the second or third song), though a few times both would turn away a little quickly, preventing me from getting a good shot. Vivian (who was also shirtless, though not as quickly as Phil) didn't seem to come down as much, but still much better than Sav. And Rick, it's expected, as he's the drummer, that he wouldn't be seeing us. But at least at the very end he might've taken a little stroll, you know? He came about halfway down and turned around, and 'twas all.
Now that I think about it though, I think only the three boys from Aerosmith came to see us too. But I think with Aerosmith it's all about Tyler and Perry, where I personally would say Def Leppard is really all of them, you know?
Honestly, I was a little tired by the time Def Leppard came on. It was the end of the week and the end of the day. I'd been standing around outside, where it was really hot and then fairly cool, for six hours. And since I was right by the railing, I was taking all the pictures this time, which kind of distracts from actually enjoying the music. So, in that way, it was disappointing, but by no fault of the band themselves.
At some point near the end of "Pour Some Sugar On Me", I don't know how to describe it, but it just rocked. There was a point like that way back during The Stones concert, and it was just one second where everything was perfect and beautiful. I thought back to the Nickelback and Toby Keith concerts, and maybe even Aerosmith. They never had this "moment". Nickelback and Toby Keith just didn't "rocket", so to say.
