Columbus Dispatch

You know, it never fails to astound me the sheer lack of decency and disrespect some of these reviewers have when it comes to reviewing a concert. They go there simply to hate the band, they have no intentions of giving them a good review, not the one's I've read lately, with the exception of Lumina magazine but then there is a difference in what kind of review it is and who gives it.

There seems to be some mild sparks of perhaps spite and jealousy because almost every review I have come across, Def Leppard is reviewed in a bad light done by critics who were never fans in the first place. Is the person who is a fan objective enough or are they too close to provide an objective outlook or does the reviewer who attends these shows, obviously not a fan of their music, a little too objective?

I'm fair, I'm objective but I am also respectful and I would never insult the band or like this guy, insult the fans in any review I do. In the past four days, I have read reviews with only one, excuse me two that have had to say anything postive about them. This guy says that Joe sang off key the whole night, was insulting at best and that Phil and Viv aren't the best guitarists, fine, he's entitled to his opinion but how much effort does it take to be respectful about it?

Is the strain too much for him? Is he possesssed by an uncontrollable urge to see how many people he can piss off or how many letters he can get from fans who would disagree with him or does he honestly believe that his opinion is going to make a difference to the band or the fans? I believe in giving an honest opinion when it comes to giving a review but let's be mature about it and not add insult to injury by being disrespectful.

The critics who have nothing better to do than provide their opinions that they think are objective and fair and try to make Def Leppard or any other band feel belittled by saying they sing off key or Phil and Viv are not good guitarists, should really find something else to do because I'm sure that they can't sing a lick. It's kind of like putting a Fox in charge of the chicken coop, the chickens won't stand a chance and the fox gets fat off their meat when they kill the chickens or in this case, when the critic gets fat off the flesh of his vicitms when he digs his pointed fangs deep into the throats of Def Leppard in hopes of virtually severing the vein of their careers, leaving them lifeless and deserted in an isolated field.

Do all these guys get together and compare notes to see who can come up with the best insulting reviews? Okay, in all fairness, they are honest in their opinions BUT they don't literally have to be so insulting. As a journalist, I tend to get a little passionate about the bands I like and even the bands I don't but when I don't like something, I don't write a review saying they stink or can't sing and in my review of two reviewers so far, they are deserving at best MY honest opinon of what I think about their reviews because there is absolutely no reason to give a review like that.

If you don't like a band, don't go see them in concert, that simple and if you do, be fair and objective. If you are a critic and are paid to see bands like Def Leppard and give reviews, again, be fair and objective and do it without the insults, it's not hard but maybe these critics like to be insulting, it gives them more ratings kind of like Howard Stern gets more ratings by being a shock jock.

Maybe the bands should critique the critics for a change and see what happens when the shoe is on the other foot. To read this lovely and I use that term loosely, review, click here. Columbus dispatch