Detroit/Clarkston, MI, USA - Media Reviews

Def Leppard pours some sugar on at DTE By Eric Steingold

Halfway through a soaring 90-minute set Friday night, July 15, at DTE Energy Music Theatre, Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott reminded the crowd that, “We’ve been a band for 39 years, and we’ve been coming to this venue for 36 years, and this is our favorite place to play!”

And, judging by the spectacle that was on display – complete with a set of video cameras for a future concert film of the show -- the glam metal icons truly meant it.

Performing Friday alongside ‘80s rock favorites Tesla and long-lived REO Speedwagon for support -- both of whom turned in fiery performances as the late-arriving crowd shuffled in – Def Leppard took the stage to the sounds of AC/DC and the Beatles piped over the house speakers before the British quintet hit the ground running with “Let’s Go,” winking to the crowd with the apt lyric “The heat goes up as the lights go down/The beat goes on when we hit your town.”

Though the band played a handful of newer songs, it clearly knew what the crowd yearned for and certainly delivered, ripping through vintage anthem after vintage anthem, including the galvanizing “Animal,” the lush “Love Bites” and the propulsive “Foolin’” in the early portion of the set. And for anyone who may think the band is getting a bit long in the tooth, they need look no further than 58-year-old guitarist Phil Collen who -- clad in nothing more than a pair of skin-tight leather pants and a boastful grin -- shredded solo after solo while scuttling around the stage all night long, as if he were a sprightly young lad.

When the crowd finally settled down after the initial shock and awe of seeing Def Leppard in the flesh, it quickly became apparent that the group would not take its foot off the metaphorical gas, offering its blend of heavy metal and hook-laden harmonies in “Armageddon It” and a swinging “Rocket” before closing out the main set with the fan favorite “Pour Some Sugar On Me.” It closed the night with a high-octane tandem of “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph.”

Naysayers may write off Def Leppard as a nostalgia act. a group whose popularity -- not unlike contemporaries Quiet Riot or Van Halen -- quickly fizzled out once rock radio moved on to indie and grunge sounds during the early ‘90s. But Def Leppard is still selling out the big venues, still exhibiting a zeal that will make it welcome in the metro area for as long as it wants to keep coming.

By The Oakland Press 2016.

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