Summerfest - Day 6 July 5th, 2011

To the girl at Def Leppard tonight, sitting in Section 3 Row R Seat 12, there by yourself, with your hair pulled back and wearing a white shirt with pink stripes, I think I love you. And I'm willing to overlook the fact that you were texting during the entire Heart set.



Anyways......



After a unprecedented day off on Monday, the fest re-opened. From a report in the local paper, at least a dozen people still went down to Summerfest on Monday, expecting it to be open. They then went back to their rocks.

Tonight's main event was Heart and Def Leppard at the Marcus Amphitheater. At the start time of 7:30 some unannounced guy came out with an acoustic guitar and did a couple of boring songs, allowing us to grab another beer before Heart. While the crowd wasn't as big as the one for Sheryl Crow and Kid Rock, it was still impressive for a Tuesday night, and it filled up even more by the time Leppard hit the stage.

Heart always has been, and always will be Ann & Nancy Wilson. Other members have come and gone, but if one of them were no longer in the band, there would be no Heart. The sisters work so well together, and they proved it again tonight with Ann sounding as good as ever with that powerful voice of hers still intact, and Nancy throwing out here signature guitar riffs on electric and acoustic guitar.

For some reason, Heart either weren't allowed to use the video screens, or chose not to, but they did have a state-of-the-art video presentation. State-of-the-art if it's 1971 and you are Englebert Humperdink! They had 4 panels of bulbs that did absolutely nothing except change colors, and it actually detracted somewhat from the show. If they weren't going to do video, they just should have used a giant Heart banner behind then.

At least the set list had a little something for everyone. Their new album Red Velvet Car came out last year, but they only did one song off it, the crunching "WTF." If you were there for the old stuff, you got it with "Magic Man," "Crazy On You," and Barracuda." Fan of the '80's comeback era? You got to hear "Alone," "Never," "What About Love" and "These Dreams." And if you are like me, and wanted to hear some of the more obscure songs, they did "Cook With Fire," "Heartless" and their version of "You're The Voice." A cover of Led Zeppelin's "What Is, And What Should Never Be" finished off a tight, hour-long set.

Following a short intermission, Def Leppard opened with their great new single "Undefeated," one of the studio songs on the new live Mirrorball cd. I've seen the band at their biggest, back in the Hysteria days, and at their lowest, playing our State Fair and having the power go out in the area after only a couple of songs. I've seen them at the top of their game, and I've also seen them get blown off the stage by their opening act (Journey with Jeff Scott Soto). Tonight was kind of in the middle for me. They weren't awful, they just weren't great. It was a nice, safe show, playing the hits. Luckily they have plenty of them.

Leppard used the video screens on either side of the stage for live shots, but the large video screens behind the stage and on the risers detracted from their show just like Heart. A lot of the stuff, except for the rare instance during "Photograph", had nothing to do with the song at the moment. I found myself looking at the side screens (and the girl in the row in front of me) more than at the stage. If you are going to have a large video presentation, spend some money and make sure it enhances the music, and doesn't provide a distraction.

The music and performance itself was good though, especially on songs like "Foolin'" and "Animal." They guys gathered at the end of a ramp that went out into the seating for an acoustic "Two Steps Behind" that led into an acoustic/electric "Bringing On The Heartache." Except for the instrumental "Switch 625," it was pretty much what you'd except in terms of songs. They finished up their 90 minute show with "Photograph," "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rock Of Ages."

By the time we made it out of the Marcus, both other acts, Cinderella and Paul Rodgers were already done, having started their shows at 9 and 9:30 respectively. Whoever booked Cinderella and Def Leppard on the same night wasn't thinking, as they both appeal to a similar fan base.

Tomorrow night, it's Peter Frampton doing the entire "Frampton Comes Alive" in it's entirety!