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By Candace Horgan

Whereas Kiss delved into some more obscure songs, Def Leppard’s set was all hits, all the time. Union Jacks were everywhere, including on the drum kit, on drummer Rick Allen’s headphones, on the bandanas that guitarist Phil Collen had hanging from his belt loop, and on the bandanas draped off singer Joe Elliott’s microphone stand. The last song cranked on the PA before Leppard started was The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.” As the famous combination of Pete Townsend’s crashing guitar chord and Roger Daltry’s “YEAHHH” was about to hit, the huge curtain on the stage with “Def Leppard” written on it fell away and the band played the rest of The Who’s hit, then launched into perhaps its only obscure tune of the night, “Let It Go,” a fantastic rocker from its second album.

The only other possibly obscure song to non-fans was the instrumental “Switch 625,” which like on the album was played out of the hit power ballad “Bringin’ on the Heartache.”

Elliott also gave out plenty of kudos to Denver, introducing “Foolin’” by dedicating it to “1987 and McNichols Arena, where we filmed this for ‘In Your Face, In the Round.’”

Otherwise, guitarists Collin and Vivian Campbell were in fine form, dishing solos on classics like “Animal” and “Armageddon It” like the ’80s weren’t 30 years ago. Elliott’s voice may not be able to hit the high notes anymore, but the harmonies are still there, and more often than not, Elliott recaptured the band’s heyday with his singing. During the set-closing “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” the screen behind showed images from the “Hysteria” tour, and it made me wonder whether Collen went for laser treatment on his formerly abundant chest hair or whether he waxes.

By Hey Reverb 2014.

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