Sep 9

Sep 9 Show Review: Def Leppard, Mötley Crüe Bring "Stadium Tour" to San Francisco

Def Leppard
Mötley Crüe
’The Stadium Tour’
w/ Poison, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Classless Act
Oracle Park
San Francisco, CA
September 7th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

The Stadium Tour
Def Leppard
Motley Crue
w/ Poison, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Classless Act
Oracle Park
San Francisco, CA
September 7th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

It was a particularly hot Wednesday afternoon, as California continued to deal with one of the biggest heatwaves the state has ever seen. Even with the heat and the show beginning at 4 PM, fans flocked from all over Northern California to see one of the biggest stadium shows of the year, which found Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe on one of the most highly anticipated rock shows of the year. The buzz was around Crüe in particular, as they had announced that they were officially breaking up at the end of 2015, even going as far as to sign a contract stating that they will never perform together again. A video released at the beginning of 2020 saw that contract blown to smithereens. Along with a bill rounded out by Poison, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and newcomers Classless Act, 80s rock fans could rejoice knowing that they were about to be well taken care of for the evening.

As people began to dwindle into the iconic stadium that houses the San Francisco Giants, Classless Act took the stage for a highly energetic and enthralling rock show to kick off the evening. It’s a damn shame that the crowd was pretty small at this point in the day; they were a lot of fun to watch, and they’re one of rock’s most promising new acts. Their style is evocative of the music that was coming out of Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip in the 80s, but in a way that’s entirely their own. The legendary Joan Jett and the Blackhearts took the stage for a hit-filled performance that found the rocker playing through a series of hits like “Bad Reputation”, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, and even classic songs from her time in The Runaways like “Cherry Bomb” and “You Drive Me Wild”. It was a bit odd to see someone as legendary as Joan Jett playing so low on the bill, but she was given a longer set than a typical opening act so fans definitely got their money’s worth.

One of the standout acts of this tour was Poison. I was genuinely surprised at not just how great they sounded, but at how much fun they were having. Brett Michaels is such an engaging frontman, guiding the band and the crowd through hit after hit. After a special Bay Area introduction from none other than the Mayor of Flavortown himself, Guy Fieri (no, really), the band powered their way through “Look What The Cat Dragged In”, “Ride The Wind”, and “Talk Dirty To Me” in rapid-fire succession. Michaels runs around the stage with such excitement, while guitarist C.C. DeVille, bassist Bobby Dall, and drummer Rikki Rockett help shed the image that the glam metal act are more than capable of shredding. There was definitely a stigma in the 1980s that the glam metal fad was merely a beauty contest, that the musicians playing these shows were not actually accomplished musicians. This couldn’t be further from the truth; C.C. DeVille may be one of the best guitar players I’ve seen in a live setting.

The highly anticipated co-headlining set from Mötley Crüe was met with thunderous applause as a massive cloud of red fog filled the stadium. The band, along with three dancer/backing vocalists, took the stage and launched into “Wild Side” and the band’s iconic “Shout at the Devil”. Here’s the thing: Crüe is made up of excellent musicians. Unfortunately, Vince Neil’s vocal performance isn’t what it once was. As people get older and bands evolve, you’ll generally find musicians transposing the songs into different keys, different vocal patterns, ways that they’re able to perform the songs today, maybe thirty years later. Neil hasn’t done this, and in my opinion, the performance suffers a bit. With that being said, the band later performed “The Dirt”, taken from the biopic film that released through Netflix. This was the band’s first song back, recorded specifically for the release of the movie. It was the band’s best performance of the evening, quite simply because they wrote it for their capabilities today. It makes me hope for a new album from the band; I think it would sound terrific.

With that criticism aside, they’re still a highly entertaining band to watch, and it’s exhilarating to hear the opening riffs to tracks like “Dr. Feelgood”, “Kickstart My Heart” and “Live Wire” brought to life before a stadium crowd. This excitement is only furthered by Def Leppard, who easily gave the best performance of the evening as the headliners. I noted in our review how “Take What You Want”, the opening track from the band’s newest album Diamond Star Halos, would be an excellent opening track for this tour, and it was great to see them kick off the set with it. It roars to life in a stadium, and they’re a band built for shows like this. Songs like “Foolin’”, “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, and “Rock of Ages” proved to be massive highlights of the evening, and the band gave a stellar performance through their nearly twenty-song performance. Def Leppard closed the evening with “Photograph”.

The gigantic spectacle that was the “glam metal” era is no longer what it once was. There’s no large displays of pyrotechnics, no elaborate costumes, no need to dress up and show off in brightly colored outfits and stage makeup. What remains is the music itself (along with a flair for the theatric), which is still pretty damn good all these years later.

Def Leppard Set List
Take What You Want
Let It Go
Animal
Foolin’
Armageddon It
Kick
Love Bites
Promises
This Guitar
Two Steps Behind
Rocket
Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Hysteria
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Rock of Ages
Photograph

Mötley Crüe Set List
Wild Side
Shout at the Devil
Too Fast For Love
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Saints of Los Angeles
Live Wire
Looks That Kill
The Dirt (Est. 1981)
Medley (Rock and Roll, Part 2/Smokin’ In The Boys Room/White Punks On Dope/Helter Skelter/Anarchy In The U.K)
Home Sweet Home
Dr. Feelgood
Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)
Girls, Girls, Girls
Primal Scream
Kickstart My Heart

Poison Set List
Look What The Cat Dragged In
Ride The Wind
Talk Dirty To Me
Your Mama Don’t Dance (Loggins & Messina cover)
Fallen Angel
Unskinny Bop
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Nothin’ But A Good Time

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts Set List
Victim of Circumstance
Cherry Bomb (The Runaways cover)
Oh Woe Is Me
Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) (Gary Glitter cover)
You Drive Me Wild (The Runaways cover)
Fake Friends
Everyday People (Sly & The Family Stone cover)
Crimson & Clover (Tommy James & The Shondells cover)
I Hate Myself for Loving You
(I’m Gonna) Run Away
I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll (The Arrows cover)
Bad Reputation