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Ottawa Citizen

Bluesfest Day 5: Def Leppard dishes out the hits, Tom Morello urges resistance

Article content Def Leppard sent the Ottawa Bluesfest crowd back to the 80s during the hit-packed main-stage concert that kicked off the festival's second week with the city still under a heat warning. Article content The English rockers dished out a full platter of rock-centric radio hits, including Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop), Rocket, Let's Get Rocked, Rock of Ages and more, endearing themselves to the multi-generational crowd of thousands on the plaza in front of the Canadian War Museum at LeBreton Flats Park. Article content Article content Article content Although a steaming mass of humanity packed the front of the stage, conditions further back were tolerable after the sun set and a breeze wafted through the air. Article content Article content On stage, singer Joe Elliott, who's 65, was in fine form, pleased as punch with the turnout to the geezer band's first Bluesfest appearance. He looked over the vast crowd, and gave a wow of amazement. 'Thank you, Ottawa,' he said. 'Thank you very much.' Article content The anthemic crunch of Foolin' was a highlight, partly because it prompted Elliott to recall playing it on their 1983 tour of Canada, when it probably sounded a lot the same as it did Wednesday. The band clearly hasn't lost its polish. Of course, much of that is due to the chemistry of the musicians, who have been together playing the same songs for decades. Singer Elliott and bassist Rick Savage are original members, joined in the 1990s by one-armed drummer Rick Allen, guitarist Phil Collen and guitarist Vivian Campbell, who looked to be in good health after a bout of cancer. Article content Article content Another notable moment was a guest appearance by Tom Morello, who had played an opening set earlier in the evening. He was also the musical director of the recent mega-celebration of Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne, which included a contribution from Def Leppard. To mark that connection, Leppard invited their new pal, Morello, to join them for a high-octane spin through Just Like 73. Article content With Def Leppard topping the bill and Morello warming up, it was one of the festival's biggest nights so far in 2025, and a must-see for classic-rock fans. Article content Perhaps the only disgruntled voice of the evening belonged to Colin Meloy, singer of the Portland, OR indie folk-rockers Decemberists. He feared for the quality of the sound on the River stage. Article content 'We're going to do our best to compete with Def Leppard,' he said, referring to the potential for sound bleed from the main stage. For the capacity crowd, sound bleed turned out to be a minor issue during the enjoyable set, although another technical glitch came up and the show was paused to take care of it.