From: "Mike N. Reinemann" Date sent: Sat, 26 Aug 2000 22:26:36 -0400 Subject: Def Leppard brings 'Rock of Ages' to state fair Def Leppard rocks Twenty-one years ago the young Def Leppard plodded through half-written songs and basically got by on bravado, enthusiasm and volume. Now an old Def Leppard is getting by on extremely well-written songs and veteran savvy. The enthusiasm part remains to be seen, however, until the band performs today in Cardinal Stadium at the Kentucky State Fair. ----------------------------------------------- Def Leppard brings 'Rock of Ages' to state fair By JEFFREY LEE PUCKETT © The Courier-Journal Aug. 26, 2000 Def Leppard's first full-length album, "On Through the Night," came out in 1980 to a small, but significant, wave of hype. The group was heralded as defining a new movement in British heavy metal, along with bands like Iron Maiden. It was a very big deal then, but listening to "On Through the Night" now makes you wonder why. The young Def Leppard plodded through half- written songs and basically got by on bravado, enthusiasm and volume. Twenty-one years later, an old Def Leppard is getting by on extremely well- written songs and veteran savvy. The enthusiasm part remains to be seen, however, until the band performs tomorrow in Cardinal Stadium at the Kentucky State Fair. Def Leppard is touring behind "Euphoria," an album that most fans rate with the band's benchmark records, "Hysteria" and "Pyromania." Reviews of the tour have been strong, and set lists have included generous helpings of the songs that made Def Leppard an '80s icon of pop metal -- "Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Animal." These are the anthems that fueled a thousand skating rinks and played in the background of a thousand first beer drunks. You couldn't turn on the radio without hearing the band's meticulous productions, the layers of vocals laid over extra-thick guitars and dense arrangements. For a while, Def Leppard wasn't just a guilty pleasure, but a genuine pleasure. Perhaps it can be so again tomorrow (Aug. 26). Finding out costs $22.50, plus admission to the fair and $3 parking. Showtime is 8 p.m. Copyright 2000 The Courier-Journal.