East Rutherford, NJ - Media Reviews

Def Leppard @ Brendan Byrne Arena By Hackensack Record

Last October's show was a triumphant return for Def Leppard.

Plagued by accidents, illnesses, and production problems, the group had been away from the concert stage for nearly four years.

All those troubles seemed like ancient history Wednesday.

The two-hour show was a triumphant return to form for the hard-working British quintet.

From the first blistering guitar chord to the last thundering drum beat, the band was on.

Performing on a stage in the center of the arena which allowed every one of the 21,000 fans a clear view of the proceedings the group mixed songs from its current album 'Hysteria', with old hits.

Joe Elliott seems to mature as a vocalist with each performance.

Where he once relied exclusively on his voice's high range, he now makes use of its lower registers.

Which served to enrich 'Gods Of War' and the title track of 'Hysteria'.

Solid musicianship was also the order of the night.

The tandem of Phil Collen and Steve Clark provided the guitar muscle for 'Photograph', ''Gods Of War', and 'Women'.

Their prowess was beat displayed on 'Bringin' On The Heartbreak' which was re-arranged from a powerhouse ballad to a delicate one.Solidly anchoring the instrumentals were bassist Rick Savage and drummer Rick Allen

Allen is one of rock's best success stories.

After an accident severed his arm, he taught himself to play on a redesigned drum kit that allows him greater use of his feet.

Performing on a revolving drum stand in the center of the stage, Allen never missed a beat as he tapped out the punchy rhythms of 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and 'Animal'.

Not only has Allen's return been a unifying musical force for Def Leppard, it appears to have emotionally united the band into a tight-knit group.

And that can only bode well for the next time around.

By Hackensack Record 1988.

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