http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/living/5946903.htm

Posted on Mon, May. 26, 2003   

Hard-working Def Leppard still a powerful crowd-pleaser
By J. Taylor Rushing
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

GRAND PRAIRIE - Def Leppard is no stranger to casualties, with a pile of
personal and professional losses in its 25-year history. But the band has
not lost its audience, nor its ability to reward it with tight and
powerful musicianship.

Before a sellout crowd of 6,000 at Grand Prairie's NextStage theater
Sunday night, the British quintet reminded its fans why it was one of the
most formidable acts of the 1980s.

Singer Joe Elliott, guitarists Phil Collen and Viv Campbell, bassist Rick
Savage and drummer Rick Allen also gave a solid demonstration of how to
give fans their money's worth.

At a time when many bands charge hundreds of dollars for lackluster 
performances, Def Leppard charges its audience a maximum of $53 per seat
and gives them what they want -- a blast of '80s power-pop complete with
all the frills.

They also used some nifty tricks, such as arranging their set list
chronologically. Starting with 1981's High and Dry album, they ran through
cuts from 1983's Pyromania and 1987's Hysteria before getting to their
newest, 2002's X, some 45 minutes into the show.

The group's harmonies -- always one of its biggest features -- still sound
note-perfect, and Collen and Campbell can still shred a fretboard with the
best of them.

Allen, who lost his left arm in a car crash on New Year's Eve 1984, also
performs as well as ever, thanks to a specially designed drum kit that
allows him to play with his left foot.

Yes, there were glitches Sunday night, most notably a lead microphone that
wasn't working when the band took the stage. But Def Leppard more than
recovered. The band hit particularly noteworthy peaks with Bringin' on the
Heartache, Foolin' and Hysteria.

Opener Ricky Warwick offered a strong but bland half-hour of solo acoustic
material. One of the founders of the British band The Almighty, Warwick
came across as a step between Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen -- not bad
legacies to follow, but better left in more capable hands.

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- J. Taylor Rushing, (817) 548-5411
jtrushing@star-telegram.com