Imagine spending decades listening to Def Leppard, waiting for another opportunity to see them live, and then discovering that the big arena tour pairs them with the Goo Goo Dolls.
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Would you still buy a ticket?
On THE CLASSIC METAL SHOW, Chris Akin and Neeley ask the question that apparently nobody involved in putting this tour together bothered to answer: WHAT THE HELL DO THESE BANDS HAVE IN COMMON?
Def Leppard built its reputation with massive guitars, arena-rock anthems and albums like Pyromania and Hysteria. The Goo Goo Dolls became known for an entirely different brand of radio-friendly rock. Now they’re sharing an arena-tour bill with The Struts also involved.
Chris isn’t buying it.
After initially considering using his recent interview connection with Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen to attend the Ohio show, Chris completely changes his mind when he discovers the lineup.
But the bigger question isn’t simply whether these bands belong together.
Could Def Leppard actually change its performance to fit the audience?
Chris wonders whether songs like “Love Bites,” “Two Steps Behind” and “Miss You in a Heartbeat” might become more important to a setlist designed for fans who came to hear “Iris.”
Neeley brings another possibility into the discussion: maybe the teenagers who loved Def Leppard in the 1980s became Goo Goo Dolls fans in the 1990s. Maybe the pairing makes more sense commercially than it does musically.
The hosts also revisit the days when Pyromania was selling so quickly that record stores couldn’t keep it stocked, question whether this unusual lineup can fill major arenas, and take another shot at the modern ticketing business for making concert prices unnecessarily difficult to determine.
And Chris reveals why he’s willing to pass on a potentially valuable concert opportunity rather than waste a favor on a show that doesn’t interest him.
Are Def Leppard and the Goo Goo Dolls a surprisingly smart combination, or has arena-rock touring officially become a game of throwing unrelated bands together and hoping people buy tickets?
Hear the argument, then tell us whether you’d pay to see this tour.
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