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Tuesday, 2nd May 2017
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Tuscaloosa, AL - Media Reviews

Def Leppard and Poison pack Tuscaloosa Amphitheater, rock the place By Ben Flanagan

A packed Tuscaloosa Amphitheater got rocked on Tuesday night, courtesy of Def Leppard, Poison and Tesla on a gorgeous night in the Druid City.

Following Mary Mary and Jaheim, this marked the third show of what already promises to be another memorable season for the venue, including a huge week they kicked off last night.

A 3-act show will typically see crowds gradually filing in until the headliner gets set to go, but the Amp filled up pretty quickly as Tesla started things off at 7 p.m. on the dot.

They brought a lot of energy, playing a bit more than 30 minutes and treating big fans (including Mayor Walt Maddox) to their brand of heavy metal with hits like "Signs."

Poison would then start at about 8 p.m., getting a headliner's welcome with fans squealing for the band's biggest hits and singing every last word.

Led by hyper-positive frontman Bret Michaels, who spent much of the set graciously praising the fans for making the trip out, Poison delighted the venue with familiar tracks like "Something to Believe In," one they dedicated to veterans and active military members.

They'd even throw it back to pay homage to some rock before their time, rocking the Loggins and Messina 1972 hit "Your Mama Don't Dance," as lead guitarist C.C. DeVille crushed solos, even giving an arena rock spin on "In the Hall of the Mountain King."

Michaels often walked down the runway stage to high-five fans, frequently bantering and asking fans to light up the house with lighters and phones for a "backyard barbecue" as they serenaded the Amp with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and closed with "Nothing But a Good Time" just shy of 9 p.m.

Twenty minutes later, headliners Def Leppard would rip into their set, opening with "Let's Go," "Animal" and "Let It Go" before frontman Joe Elliott greeted the crowd to thank them and point out this marked the band's first visit to Tuscaloosa.

They then played "Dangerous" from their self-titled 2015 album before taking it back to 1983 with "Foolin'" from the album "Pyromania."

Elliott would introduce the band and tell the crowd, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance" a few songs in.

This led to a string of hits lke "Love Bites," "Let's Get Rocked" and the set closer "Pour Some Sugar On Me," before the group returned to stage to encore with "Rock of Ages" and "Photograph."

The hard rocking trio kicked off a busy week at the venue, setting a perfect standard for Wednesday night's performers Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds and Saturday's Soundgarden.

By AL.com 2017.

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