Def Leprechaun Bring The Rock!

For the first time in my drinking life I went out on St. Patrick's Day. As rule I always try to avoid drinking holidays with the exception of New Year's, but so-called holiday's like St. Paddy's, Mardi Gras, and Cinco De Mayo are a no-go for me. But this year I was drawn out of my boycott by the specter of a band called cover band called Def Leprechaun playing at the Sunset Tavern mere blocks from my Ballard home. Would this mean a tiny Joe Elliott impersonator? One could only hope!

I was joined by my friend and former co-worker Layne. Layne is a legitimate metal fan not a trader in metal nostalgia like myself. The first album Layne ever purchased was Def Leppard's Pyromania, while my first album was either Lionel Richie's All Night Long or Wang Chung's Mosaic. The man knows his metal.

It was weird being out on such a busy night. There were a lot more people on the street. All the bars on Ballard Ave were packed and there were a lot of people completely blotto at 9PM. "Amateur night" indeed!

The show itself was pretty close to awesome. Layne and I both expected Def Leprechaun to be dodgy at best. And I was well prepared to suggest getting drinks elsewhere a few songs if they sucked. But they started off with a double shot of Loverboy with "Working For the Weekend" and "The Kid is Hot Tonite" back-to-back I knew we'd be staying.

There were no little people in the band which was good because the Sunset has a very low stage; just guys in silly wigs and fake beards. The Loverboy double shot was followed by some great songs by the likes of Journey, Cheap Trick ("Surrender"!), Styx, The Cure, Night Ranger, Kiss, and of course Def Leppard ("High & Dry" and a surprisingly awesome version of "Pour Some Sugar On Me").

Towards the end of the set a few Seattle Fireman started roaming around to make sure everything up to stuff and not overcrowded. The Firemen were clearly digging the set and waited until the end to leave. They closed with a back to back Van Halen tunes "Jump" and "Panama". I left totally impressed with the band. They played together pretty tightly and had some real chops; not the amateur stuff I was expecting. They rocked Ballard hard tonight.