Charlotte, NC - Media Review Quotes

By Théoden Janes

Def Leppard opened what would wind up being a 3-1/2-hour show with a pair of Top-5 tracks off 1987’s “Hysteria” — “Rocket” (supported by visuals of vintage TV sets showing old-school rocket launches) and “Animal” (which saw the stage lit up by a sea of fake neon signs) — then continued with “Foolin’,” “When Love and Hate Collide,” “Let’s Get Rocked” and “Armageddon It.”

It wasn’t until 30 minutes in, when the band broke into their cover version of David Essex’s “Rock On,” that fans appeared to deem it safe to make a run to the bar or the bathroom for the first time. And most of those who ducked out didn’t make it back in time to catch another monster hit: “Two Steps Behind,” which Elliott sang on the catwalk as his three guitarists went acoustic.

These days, the 58-year-old Elliott has to concentrate harder and dig deeper than he used to to re-create the raspy elasticity of his heyday, but he mostly found his way — and the band mostly made up for any vocal shortcomings with solid rock-star showmanship. Elliott twirled the microphone stand adorned with his trademark British flag scarf. Collen muscled his way through iconic guitar riffs while sporting his iconic shirtless upper body. Allen banged away on his custom-made drum kit with just one arm and two very quick feet.

By Charlotte Observer 2018.

Read the full review/4 photos at - charlotteobserver.com

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