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Written by Jim Campbell Monday, 07 August 2006 03:14

Rock legends Journey and Def Leppard joined forces this summer in a unique pairing that brought two generations of fans together for one night of sensational rock music.

 

Rock legends Journey and Def Leppard joined forces this summer in a unique pairing that brought two generations of fans together for one night of sensational rock music. The fact that 550,000 St. Louisans had been dealing with a massive weeklong power outage made this concert even more enjoyable-treating many power-deprived concertgoers with a well-deserved, fun night out.

Missing in action was Journey's lead singer (and replacement for original member Steve Perry), Steve Augeri. Dealing with a chronic throat infection, tonight Augeri was replaced by Jeff Scott Soto. This was a letdown, as Soto's vocals were no match for the powerful rock band's enormous sound. He may have tried his best, but on songs like "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" and "Don't Stop Believing" Soto's vocals were washed out and easily forgettable. 

Thankfully, Soto's vocals were not the main draw for Journey fans - that would be the band's vast catalog of radio classsics - and the rest of the band kicked up the entertainment several notches by turning in flawless performances of their biggest hits. The insanely rowdy crowd ate up every note of "Wheel in the Sky," "Faithfully," and "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)." The sold out crowd was so enthusiastic and crazy that images of a similar crowd at an infamous 1991 Guns N' Roses concert - at this very same venue - breezed through my mind. I nervously scanned the crowd for any signs of riotous behaviors, but thankfully St. Louis came to the UMB Bank Pavilion just to have a good time. 

It was startling to witness the crowd's transformation between Journey and Def Leppard. While Journey fans had been rocking out and screaming their asses off, the crowd returned to their typical golf clapping shenanigans once Joe Elliot and company kicked off Leppard's set with the lame-o "Let's Get Rocked." Everything was different-the energy, the mood, and even the weather calmed down.

Had Def Leppard kicked out only the jams, St. Louis would have eaten it up. But the band's set list of kick ass rock tunes was too often derailed by the inclusion of a few too many clunkers. While the crowd appreciated such early ‘80s monster hits like "Foolin'," "Rocket," and "Rock of Ages," they were definitely heading for the hot dog stands during an uninspired performance of Euphoria's "Promises" and a boorish cover of David Essex's "Rock On."

Nevertheless, Def Leppard's music is just as powerful and exciting as it was back in the ‘80s. The band eventually picked up steam by ramping up the energy on some crowd favorites like "Armageddon It" and "Animal." Coupled with a slick stage production, Def Leppard managed to win over the crowd by wrapping up their performance with two of their biggest hits - the sensitive power ballad "Love Bites" and the chart busting "Pour Some Sugar On Me."

St. Louis may have been dealing with some heavy problems all week, but both of these bands came to town and did what they do best-entertain. And for that reason, this concert was worth its weight in megawatts.

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