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By Mike Kondracki

Def Leppard kicked off its 90-minute set with a new tune, a tricky move for a band whose heyday was decades ago. The song, Undefeated, was accompanied by large-screen images of triumphant sports legends such as Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan and others. The visuals provided support for the spirit of the song. The crowd's approval was impressive, but the fellows then moved on to their greatest hits.

The band quickly jumped into Let's Get Rocked (1992's Adrenalize), Animal (1987's Hysteria) and Foolin' (1983's Pyromania) to the delight of the fans. Elliott often encouraged folks to sing for him, prancing out on a part of the stage that jutted out into the crowd and extending his microphone as a signal that it was time to turn up the volume. He got the most vocal audience support on Rocket and Pour Some Sugar on Me (both from Hysteria) and the encore, Rock of Ages (Pyromania).

Elliott seemed to struggle at times hitting high notes on some of band's hits, but he didn't appear to shy away from trying to get there. Still, at 52 years old, he remains a solid and charismatic frontman.

One Elliott glitch came near the end of the song Photograph. As he removed his jacket, he knocked over his microphone and stand, which produced a loud thud when it hit the stage. Considering the heat, it was odd Elliott was wearing the jacket at all. Guitarist Phil Collen was shirtless the entire set, as he usually is, but that was a particularly wise choice on this steamy evening.

Def Leppard left the stage briefly after playing Pour Some Sugar on Me from Hysteria. They returned for the one encore song, and then it was time to move on again, which, of course, is no problem for this band.

By Mike Kondracki @ Dallas News 2011.

Read the full review at - dallasnews.com

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