Cedar Rapids, IA - Media Reviews

Def Leppard @ Five Seasons Center By Cedar Rapids Gazette

The band's in-the-round 'Hysteria' tour stage was the best rock stage set-up ever attempted in the Five Seasons Center.

The arena became a much more intimate venue, with front rows on two sides and balconies in the middle closing in on the stage.

People had a good view of the drummers in both Def Leppard and the opening act, a cocky northern California pop-metal group called Tesla.

Def Leppard has a good grasp of its relatively restricted language, heavy metal, and manages to speak more fluently than much of its competition.

Its textures are starker, its melodies a bit catchier.

The group saved two of its best known hits for the finale of the set and the first encore.

'Rock Of Ages' its hymn to rock 'n' roll precipitated a shouting match between four quadrants of the arena, with the 8,800 people singing 'I want rock 'n' roll' in response to lead singer Joe Elliott's question, 'What do you want?'.

'Photograph' also from the group's hugely popular album 'Pyromania' led the encores.

By Cedar Rapids Gazette 1987.

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