via Boston Herald
The kids wore Def Leppard t-shirts. The adults wore Journey shirts.
These fashion choices at Fenway Park on Monday night weren’t absolute, but they outline a clear trend.
Buried deep in a recent press release about the current Def Leppard tour, the band announced the “18-44 demographic that now represents 58% of their fanbase.” This claim seems both absurd and obvious.
The rock fans of 2024 don’t have a modern artist with Def Leppard vibes to latch on to so they have latched on to the actual Def Leppard. The group is fast approaching six billion streams in less than six years and the visceral proof was heard on Monday in the shouts of the kids in their shirts.
The Fenway show was basically a classic rock festival, a triple headlining bill of Lep, Journey and Steve Miller Band.
Steve Miller captured a couple generations with immortal rock ‘n’ roll nuggets. Go see him at a headlining gig next summer. He does his hits with reverence and joy. But he can’t capture the 18-44-year-olds at 6 p.m. on a Monday.
Thanks to “Don’t Stop Believin’,” everybody loves Journey. Well, everybody but the guys in the band as once again members Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain are fighting in court while still sharing the stage. They can still play (see a scorching “Stone in Love”) and singer Arnel Pineda’s story is as inspiring as his voice, charm, energy, and charisma — next to nobody can do “Separate Ways,” “Believin’,” “Any Way You Want It” as a back-to-back-to-back sprint like he does.
But Def Leppard dominated the night. On its diamond LPs of the ’80s, the band found a unique space by chasing perfection while having fun. In concert, that chase still glitters.
On a night when Joe Elliott apologized for his voice as he battled an upper respiratory infection, he mostly sounded great. Behind him, the band locked into place — guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, bassist Rick Savage, and drummer Rick Allen somehow kept time like a Swiss watch while swinging like a bar band.
There were lot of “somehows” to Def Leppard’s show.
“Foolin’” was heavy and somehow melodic. “Animal” had both a toughness and tightness. “Just Like ’73” managed to be a new song that could have been a “Hysteria” b-side. Fans of all ages get something from these delightful contrasts.
After nearly an hour of hits and deep cuts — the show spent a lot of time celebrating the 40th anniversary of “Pyromania” — Def Leppard closed with the triple shot of “Photograph,” “Hysteria,” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” The trifecta triangulated what makes Def Leppard so damn popular: perfect Top 40 hooks baked into hard rock swagger and glammy. Just ask the kids.