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By Alan Cox

Then came Def Leppard, who got a boost in volume that actually made the sound muddier than the Tesla and Styx mix. Joe Elliot’s voice, while sounding surprisingly solid, was drowned out at times by the wall of reverb and guitar. But again, everyone there already knew what Elliot was singing and were happy to join along.

From “Animal,” “Fooling” and “Let It Go,” Def Leppard played with an edge and energy that catapulted the audience back to the ’80s (an edge that seemed lacking from the band’s recent studio recordings). In his age-defying habit, Phil Collen played shirtless and his toned physique was on display. The band stuck closely to predictable crowd favorites including “Rocket,” which had strong video support, and “Hysteria” which featured vintage video and photos of the band’s early days. The two unexpected surprises were a cover of David Essex’s “Rock On” and Elliot playing an acoustic guitar alone singing “Two Steps Behind,” where there was no hiding if he had voice problems. He did not.

Def Leppard has seen its share of hardship, from the death of founding guitar Steve Clark (who was displayed frequently on screen in the retro clips), to his replacement, Vivian Campbell’s recent battle with cancer, to drummer Rick Allen’s lost of his arm in a car accident. But Allen represents the band’s undying spirit well, and his one-armed, two-footed drum solo drew possibly the loudest applause of the entire show. His smile and look of joy while playing represented what all three bands seemed to bring — a sense of gratitude to still be rocking in an arena 30-40 years into their careers. The encores of “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Rock of Ages” had that whole arena singing.

Announcing their upcoming self-titled new release, Elliot vowed that Def Leppard would return to Denver.

By Hey Reverb/Denver Post 2015.

Read the full review at - denverpost.com

By Ken Tomczak

The instrumental Leppard track “Disintegrate” from 1999’s Euphoria blasted through the PA as the light went down. Seconds later, the Def Leppard curtain lifted and the band opened their set with “Rock Rock (Till You Drop)” from 1983’s Pyromania followed by 1987's “Animal”.

My oldest friend in the world Brandon made the trip from San Antonio to take in the show with me. As a die-hard Steve Clark fan, he hasn’t seen Def Leppard live since the Hysteria tour. (Clark passed away in 1991 due to alcohol/drug abuse.) Brandon's fingers were crossed for some deep tracks and he was rewarded with “Let It Go” from High N’ Dry and the epic “Paper Sun” from Euphoria. The rest of Leppard’s set picks itself including hit singles "Armageddon It”, “Foolin’” and “Love Bites”.

During the title track “Hysteria,” concert footage of the 1988 McNichols Arena show and Ross Halfin images of 1988-era Lep flashed on the screen making for an emotional moment. Looking at the video screen, it was impossible for me not to mumble “I was there!”

Joe Elliott strummed an acoustic guitar singing “Altitude Sickness Blues” before playing a solo version of “Two Steps Behind”. Elliott sounded good, but not superb, his vocals buried in the mix from time to time.

“The Thunder God” Rick Allen received a huge ovation after his drum solo in “Switch 625” and hard core Lep fans were thrilled to see Allen's #Flatbird Lives tease scribbled on his drums. (A reference to the band Ded Flatbird – Google it.)

By 99.5 The Mountain 2015.

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