Dayton, OH - Media Reviews

Leppard cranks through old, new By Tiffany Bentley

Eighties-famed band Def Leppard played to a group of lively and loyal fans Sunday evening at the Mohegan Sun Grandstand at the New York State Fair.

For a night, it was about remembering the fun. This may have resulted from the vibe that Def Leppard put off.

The band kicked off with "Rocket" and "Animal," and kept cranking through an all-star set for almost two hours. They also played some new material.

Lead singer Joe Elliott exclaimed, "New music keeps us fresh." This particular show was the last of the American leg of the tour promoting their new album, "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge," but was by no means a send off. "We may be back," Elliott said.

The band's resistance to changing music trends could be heard in their power ballads of hair-metal fame. The screeching guitar sound and raspy voices that have signified the Def Leppard sound were just as strong as they were on many of the cassette tapes that audience members listened to and may still have around.

Resiliency in the industry and the band's commitment to rocking could be heard most in the one-armed drum playing of Rick Allen. Without the flashes of Allen on projection screens, you'd almost forget that he was using one less tool than musicians in the industry offering lesser drum rolls.

Acoustic renditions of "Bringing on the Heartbreak" and "Two Steps Behind" induced crowd sing-alongs and offered a more romantic compromise to many couples in attendance who were singing to each other and remembering days of when many may have met.

The rain held off until the band's power track, "Pour Some Sugar on Me," but didn't pose an issue, since the short burst only lasted for the last few songs. Attendance may have been somewhat affected by the threat of rain by forecasters all week, but this crowd seemed to be unscathed and would've rocked through the show regardless.

Either way, as fans agreed after Elliott flipped off the sky, "It was only water," and it "couldn't dampen the night."

The show was too secure to be threatened by anything, especially change. Secure in their music, the past and its influences, musicians and audience shared in a common life experience of rocking in their own skin and liking it.

By Tiffany Bentley @ The Post-Standard 2008.

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