2008年 11月 本家の来日を機に結成。
2024年 1月 『MUSIC LIFE CLUB presents
3月 『★Batch Presents "Hungry For Rock Festival 2024"』 40
1. Pour some sugar on me
2. Stagefright
3. Women
4. Animal
5. Promises
6. Photograph
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行って参りました、沼袋 SANCTUARY!
Love Leppardの出演は19:40からの予定で、実は大幅に道に迷った私はかなりぎりぎりに到着したのですが、既にフロアは一杯で、「うわあ、ステージ見 えないかも…」と不安になる盛況ぶりでした。ビールを片手に前の方ににじり寄って無事に場所を確保しながらも、お客さんの多さにわくわく感を一段と煽られます。そして、ほぼ時間通りに彼らが登場!
1曲目からがつんと、「Pour some sugar on me」で盛り上がる!なんだか今日は、序盤からメンバーの笑顔が目立つ気がしますよ。2曲目の「Stagefright」、実は私はあまりディープなDef Leppardのファンではないもので(そんな人間が身の程知らずにライブレポートなど…すみません…)、この曲はあまり馴染みがなかったんです。でも、ライブで聴くとカッコイイなー!と目から、いや、耳から?鱗。「ハードロックだ!どうだ!」というストレートな勢いが、ライブだとさらに際立ちます。わーい、こういう発見があるから、Love Leppardのライブは楽しみなのです。いつもの、盛り上げ上手な関西人TakuさんのMCを経て、3曲目は「Women」。独特のうねり感が、ライブハウスの客席にいい感じに馴染んでいきます。そして4曲目の「Animal」は元気一杯。そろそろお客さんも一緒に歌い出す頃。こういう昔からよく聴いている曲で、ごくさりげないけどとても好きな ワンフレーズとかが、自分の耳に馴染んでいる通りにぴたりと決まったりすると、すごく気持ちいいのです。こういうところが、さすがトリビュートバンド、と 軽く感動。再度短めのMCを挟んで、5曲目は「Promises」…この曲、個人的にものすごく好きなんです。特に歌詞が。普段はあれこれ深読み&妄想しながら聴 くんですが、Love Leppardのライブでは、もちろんしみじみ聴いている場合ではなく。とにかく演奏に身を委ねて楽しむ!歌う!!大好きな曲を、こんな風に全身で楽しめるから、ライブって贅沢だ、と思う瞬間です。そして、名残惜しい最後の曲は「みんな知ってる」「Photograph」。Def Leppardをよく知らない人でも、Love Leppardのこの演奏は一度聴いてほしいなーって思います。そのくらいカッコいい。メロディアスだけど、ちゃんと「hard」に「rock」してるこの雰囲気が、やっぱりDef Leppardいいな、って私のようなド素人にも思わせるのです。なんだか、いつもにも増してあっという間の6曲でした。Love Leppardの皆さん、いつも素敵な時間をありがとう!そして、帰りの電車の中で、やっぱりDef Leppardを聴いてしまう私なのでした。うん、今日の1枚は「Pyromania」にしよう。
-ライブレポート Natsuko Sawasaki
Yes! I went to see “Hard Rock Club. TRIBUTE BAND LIVE 2015” at Nubabukuro Sanctuary!
I lost my sense of direction on the way to the concert so I arrived there just before Love Leppard’s show which was to start at 7:40pm. By the time I got to the venue, it was already packed with people. I was worried whether I would be able to see the stage properly.
Anyway, I managed to approach to the stage and secure my spot while holding a glass of beer in my hand. My excitement grew even more when I witnessed how busy the place was, and the band appeared on the stage as almost as scheduled!
The very first song they played was “Pour Some Sugar on Me”, which was walloping from the beginning!
You could clearly see how happy the band were that evening since their smiles were quite noticeble from the start, which I found a bit special.
Well, I had to confess that I may not be one of the world’s most committed or “deep” fans of Def Leppard - it might be overachieving for me to write these live reports. Pardon me if I have offended anyone by that. Gomen-nasai - as I was not very familar with the second song they played which was “Stagefright”.
Despite my unfamiliarity with the song, it was still stunning to listen to. That was really something. I felt as if the scales had fallen from my eyes - oops, it should be “from my ears”, I suppose. The atmosphere was amazingly powerful where you could feel the direct Hard Rock force they brought to us. It was especially outstanding in a live setting. This is why I love the Love Leppard live - you can always look forward to the fact that that you can discover something new by seeing them live, no matter how well you know the songs.
“Woman” was played as the third song after an intro by usual compere Kansai native Taku, who is good at arousing the audience to enthusiasm.
The vibes generated by the band lock into the rhythm of the audience.
Then, the fourth song, “Animal”, was played with lots of spirit. The audience had started singing by now.
It makes me feel fantastic when those old favorite songs I used to listen to all the time are played, especially when my favorite lyrics, which are not obvious but I love them fit exactly in the way they are stuck in my head. This is what I am quite impressed about with this tribute band.
Again, after another brief intro, the fifth song was played: “Promises”. Personally, I love this song very much, especially the lyrics.
Normally, I imagine and dream things at the same time as I listen to this song but, of course, a live concert isn’t the right place to do so. Simply surrender yourself to the music and enjoy yourself as you like and everyone sings along together!
This is the moment I feel just how wonderful concerts are, as you can enjoy listening to your favorite songs in a kind of entirety, not just emotionally but also physically.
Sadly, the last song came, the song supposedly “everybody knows” - “Photograph”.
I really think that it would be great to listen to this song as played by Love Leppard even for those who aren’t very familiar with Def Leppard. Why? Just because! Not only for the song’s melodiousness but also that the band rock hard, which I find is one of the greatest characteristics of Def Leppard. I am not a professional musician, but I could easily tell.
The concert was rather over in the blink of an eye specially this evening but I must say I certainly enjoyed the performance. Thank you for providing us with such a lovely time always!
Then, of course, I chose something by Def Leppard to listen to on the train on the way home. I think I’d like “Pyromania” on my iPod tonight.
- Translated by Mina Takizawa