Pittsburgh/Burgettstown, PA - Media Reviews

Def Leppard, Poison put on a fist-pounding show By Ken Fibbe

At one time, a hair flair rock show required a superfluous degree of caked on eyeliner, an endless barrage of fishnet stockings and enough pre-concert hairspray to put a hole in the ozone worthy of making Al Gore dry heave.

And while Def Leppard and Poison -- as well as many of their fans -- have ditched a lot of the big hair glam, when they performed last Friday at the Post-Gazette Pavilion in Burgettstown, they still sported the burly tight clothing and gritty rock music that echoed the ambiance of an '80s ride 'em, grind 'em, fist-pounding show.

Cheap Trick kicked it off with an early performance of "I Want You to Want Me," and followed with a healthy, but forgettable, mix of new and old tunes.

When Poison went on, Butler County native Bret Michaels professed his love of Pittsburgh and paced the stage, dishing out front-row high fives while the crowd greased down to party classics like "Unskinny Bop" and "Nothin' But A Good Time." And as the packed house of half-dressed, middle-age "Rock of Love" women screamed for a shot at backstage, he silenced and crooned to them, as usual, with "Every Rose has a Thorn."

Enter the British heavy metal veterans Def Leppard, who were perched at various spots on their characteristic, multiplatform, fire-spouting stage. A shirtless Phil Collin performed gripping electric guitar solos while crushing vocals were handled by frontman Joe Elliot, who proved he is still in 1981 form.

They spliced the 90 minute set with a mid-show acoustic break, with the songs "Two Steps Behind" and "Bringin' On the Heartbreak," but gradually pinnacled with scores of explosive head-bangers like "Rock of Ages" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me." The rollercoaster night ended with a crowd-pleasing cliffhanger from Elliot who professed: "We love to come back here and play. And trust me, we will be back!"

By Tribune-Review 2009.

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