Def Leppard, Whitesnake and special guests Black Star Riders have kicked off their U.K. and Ireland tour, with a string of dates that have been hitting some of the biggest venues across the British Isles. Billed as 'Let's Get Rocked In The Still Of The Night II', the three band bill arrived in Dublin to kick off the tour.
By Eamon O'Neill on 12 December 2015.
Billed as ‘Let’s Get Rocked In The Still Of The Night II’, Def Leppard and Whitesnake have kicked off their U.K. and Ireland tour, with a string of dates that have been hitting some of the biggest venues across the British Isles.
The spectacle, which also features Thin Lizzy offshoot Black Star Riders on the bill, has been making its way around the country with dates taking place in Belfast, Glasgow, and Newcastle so far.
Kicking off at Dublin’s 3Arena on Sunday night (6th Dec 2015), the three band package has been a real treat for fans of classic rock.
With sets featuring some of the best-known tracks from the annals of hard rock, the nights have seen material gleaned from over four decades of music history.
Led by guitarist Damon Johnson and frontman Ricky Warwick, the opening night saw a high energy set from Black Star Riders. Featuring modern day anthems such as ‘Finest Hour’ and ‘Bound For Glory’.
With former Lizzy six-stringer Scott Gorham in the band, it was the likes of ‘Jailbreak’ and ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ that appropriately raised the roof on the 3Arena, delighting the Dublin crowd.
Fulling embracing and celebrating his Deep Purple history, meanwhile, David Coverdale and Whitesnake performed a set that was positively bursting with wall to wall classics.
Opening with his customary “’ere’s a song for ya!” battle cry, Coverdale and co. burst into life with ‘Burn’, the title track from his 1974 debut with the hard rock pioneers.
In a parallel with Black Star Riders, what followed was a romp through two distinct periods; as the likes of Deep Purple’s ‘Soldier Of Fortune’ mixed with Whitesnake material like ‘Is This Love’ and ‘Here I Go Again’. With a tight young band behind him, Coverdale was in rousing form.
Headliners Def Leppard may have had a difficult task to follow, however, the Sheffield natives put on a show-stopping performance.
Led by frontman Joe Elliott, who now lives in the city, the singer said that he was glad to be back performing in Dublin; “Welcome to Dublin Ireland, my adopted hometown / country gig at the 3Arena,” he said on a streamed Periscope posting.
Ripping through the hits ‘Animal’, ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Love Bites’, special mention was given to Irishman Vivian Campbell, the guitarist who has been battling lymphoma for the past few years. “He’s certainly living a bit”, quipped Elliott during the introduction to ‘Armageddon It’.
Ending with a euphoric ‘Photograph’, the Lepps closed what had been a phenomenal night of hard rock.
The ‘Let’s Get Rocked In The Still Of The Night II’ tour continues across the U.K. for the next week with dates in Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Cardiff, and London.
The tour concludes on the 19th Dec 2015 at Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena.
DEF LEPPARD / WHITESNAKE 2015 U.K. TOUR DATES:
12th Dec – Birmingham, Genting Arena
13th Dec – Nottingham, Capital FM Arena
15th Dec – Manchester, Arena
16th Dec – Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
18th Dec – Wembley, SSE Arena
18th Dec – Sheffield, Motorpoint Arena
First published on gigsandfestivals.com, 12 December 2015.
Billed as ‘Let’s Get Rocked In The Still Of The Night II’, Def Leppard and Whitesnake have kicked off their U.K. and Ireland tour, with a string of dates that have been hitting some of the biggest venues across the British Isles.
The spectacle, which also features Thin Lizzy offshoot Black Star Riders on the bill, has been making its way around the country with dates taking place in Belfast, Glasgow, and Newcastle so far.
Kicking off at Dublin’s 3Arena on Sunday night (6th Dec 2015), the three band package has been a real treat for fans of classic rock.
With sets featuring some of the best-known tracks from the annals of hard rock, the nights have seen material gleaned from over four decades of music history.
Led by guitarist Damon Johnson and frontman Ricky Warwick, the opening night saw a high energy set from Black Star Riders. Featuring modern day anthems such as ‘Finest Hour’ and ‘Bound For Glory’.
With former Lizzy six-stringer Scott Gorham in the band, it was the likes of ‘Jailbreak’ and ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ that appropriately raised the roof on the 3Arena, delighting the Dublin crowd.
Fulling embracing and celebrating his Deep Purple history, meanwhile, David Coverdale and Whitesnake performed a set that was positively bursting with wall to wall classics.
Opening with his customary “’ere’s a song for ya!” battle cry, Coverdale and co. burst into life with ‘Burn’, the title track from his 1974 debut with the hard rock pioneers.
In a parallel with Black Star Riders, what followed was a romp through two distinct periods; as the likes of Deep Purple’s ‘Soldier Of Fortune’ mixed with Whitesnake material like ‘Is This Love’ and ‘Here I Go Again’. With a tight young band behind him, Coverdale was in rousing form.
Headliners Def Leppard may have had a difficult task to follow, however, the Sheffield natives put on a show-stopping performance.
Led by frontman Joe Elliott, who now lives in the city, the singer said that he was glad to be back performing in Dublin; “Welcome to Dublin Ireland, my adopted hometown / country gig at the 3Arena,” he said on a streamed Periscope posting.
Ripping through the hits ‘Animal’, ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Love Bites’, special mention was given to Irishman Vivian Campbell, the guitarist who has been battling lymphoma for the past few years. “He’s certainly living a bit”, quipped Elliott during the introduction to ‘Armageddon It’.
Ending with a euphoric ‘Photograph’, the Lepps closed what had been a phenomenal night of hard rock.
The ‘Let’s Get Rocked In The Still Of The Night II’ tour continues across the U.K. for the next week with dates in Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Cardiff, and London.
The tour concludes on the 19th Dec 2015 at Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena.
DEF LEPPARD / WHITESNAKE 2015 U.K. TOUR DATES:
12th Dec – Birmingham, Genting Arena
13th Dec – Nottingham, Capital FM Arena
15th Dec – Manchester, Arena
16th Dec – Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
18th Dec – Wembley, SSE Arena
18th Dec – Sheffield, Motorpoint Arena
First published on gigsandfestivals.com, 12 December 2015.
