Live Review: Mötley Crüe & Def Leppard - Mönchengladbach 2023

Sparkassen Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany
25th May 2023
Mötley Crüe & Def Leppard - The World Tour 2023

With MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD, two of the most famous Rock bands of the 80s went on a world tour in 2023. MÖTLEY CRÜE are known for their offensive lyrics and music videos, often featuring half-naked girls.


Def Leppard

Unfortunately, we as editors and photographers were only allowed to be front of stage during the last songs of DEF LEPPARD. The mood of the audience could already be felt outside the venue, but inside was clearly more visible. When we were finally allowed to enter the photo pit, we could feel the atmosphere in the almost sold-out Sparkassenpark. The way singer Joe Elliott walked across the stage and used his rocking voice in a perfect way - you couldn’t tell his age. His long blond hair has turned silver-grey in the last years though. But also, the guitar players Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell as well as bassist Rick Savage ran across the stage. Unfortunately, drummer Rick Allen was quite rarely seen behind his big special drum kit. This drum set was commissioned by the band after Rick lost his left arm in a traffic accident in 1984.



At the end of the performance and as a farewell, all band members of DEF LEPPARD stepped to the front of the stage. https://www.defleppard.com / https://www.facebook.com/defleppard

Setlist
01. Take What You Want
02. Let’s Get Rocked
03. Animal
04. Foolin’
05. Armageddon It
06. Kick
07. Love Bites
08. Promises
09. This Guitar (Semi acoustic with band introductions)
10. When Love and Hate Collide (Short acoustic / electric version)
11. Rocket
12. Bringin’ on the Heartbreak
13. Switch 625 (with drum solo)
14. Hysteria (with extended outro)
15. Pour Some Sugar on Me
16. Rock of Ages
17. Photograph

Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Light: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10

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Mötley Crüe

After a 20-minute break, a requiem by W. A. Mozart started as an intro from the loudspeakers. When a news programme with breaking news started on the large led screens, the audience got louder and louder. Singer Vince Neil appeared in a headband, sunglasses and a sleeveless long jacket. with their long manes of hair, made-up faces and colourful leather outfits, the pioneers of 80s Glam Rock showed what they still had with the opening song ‘Wild Side’. Since the boys are known to like to surround themselves with lightly dressed young ladies, the band has enlisted the help of two girls. The two beauties were not only pretty to look at, but also danced in the background or took over the vocal parts. During the song ‘The Dirt’, a song from the documentary of the same name about the band in the 80s, clips from the film played in the background. This was followed by a long guitar solo by John S. which then led into a medley of cover songs. Here one heard, among others, versions of ‘Rock and Roll, Part 2’ / ‘Smokin’ in the Boys Room’ / ‘Helter Skelter’ / ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’ / ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ in the typical style of MÖTLEY CRÜE.



The band showed that MÖTLEY CRÜE can also play quieter tones on the song ‘Home Sweet Home’. During this song, a piano was pushed onto the stage and drummer Tommy Lee addressed the audience in Mönchengladbach several times with “hello Düsseldorf”. When he asked if he saw any beer in the audience, he was immediately met with beer cups from the fans. When Tommy asked for naked female torsos, some female fans really lifted their tops. The cameras at Sparkassenpark didn’t miss this and showed the ladies directly on the large LED screens next to the stage. After this, Tommy sat down at the piano and played the song, which was gradually joined by the other band members. The large LED wall in the back of the stage was often used for very special animations, like in the well-known hit ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’. Until the end, the guys put on a huge show and showed what the “older generation” still has to offer. https://www.motley.com / https://www.facebook.com/MotleyCrue



Setlist
01. Requiem in D minor, K. 626 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart song)
02. Breaking News
03. Wild Side
04. Shout at the Devil (With ‘Immigrant Song’ by Led Zeppelin snippet)
05. Too Fast for Love
06. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
07. Saints of Los Angeles
08. Live Wire
09. Looks That Kill
10. The Dirt (Est. 1981)
11. Guitar Solo
12. Rock and Roll, Part 2 / Smokin’ in the Boys Room / Helter Skelter / Anarchy in the U.K. / Blitzkrieg Bop
13. Home Sweet Home
14. T.N.T. (Terror ‘n Tinseltown)
15. Dr. Feelgood
16. Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)
17. Girls, Girls, Girls
18. Primal Scream

Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 9
Light: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10

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All Pictures by Andreas Klüppelberg