http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story148255.html

Friday, April 18, 2003

Leppard can still whip up hysteria

The heavy-metal heroes' melodic flair and irresistible hits kept 3,656
fans well entertained Wednesday night at the Roanoke Civic Center.

By RALPH BERRIER JR.
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Let's answer a few of the most pressing questions you probably had going
into Wednesday night's Def Leppard concert. Yes, they still have a
one-armed drummer, the valiant Rick Allen. Yes, lead singer Joe Elliott's
signature screech still peels paint off the walls. Finally, yes, yes, yes,
the one-time conquerors still play their hard-rock hits as if the 1990s
never happened.

Def Leppard unsheathed its entire 1980s arsenal of hits, much to the
delight of 3,656 heavy metal diehards at the Roanoke Civic Center. More
than half of the 20-song set was taken from the band's two biggest albums,
"Pyromania" (1983) and "Hysteria" (1987), a pair of '80s pop-metal
classics.

Ostensibly, Def Leppard is touring in support of its new album, "X," which
sounds like such a throwback you almost wonder if it's leftover material
from the "Hysteria" sessions. Some of the new stuff they played Wednesday,
especially "You're So Beautiful," sounded like it could have been a hit in
1987. We'll see how it fares today.

Really, though, the highlights were the oldies: "Bringin' on the
Heartbreak," "Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Foolin'," "Hysteria," "Pour
Some Sugar on Me" ... need we continue? After a half-dozen songs from
"Hysteria," you began to wonder, "Was EVERY song on that album a hit?"
Yes, apparently.

The stage was surprisingly and smartly free of excessive frills and 
pyrotechnics. Even though it's easy to lump Def Leppard in with other '80s
hairbands that softened metal to make it malleable for the pop charts, the
Leppard boys always had a little more edge and a little more melody about
them.

Even those who couldn't stand hard rock in the '80s probably will admit to
having liked at least a Def Leppard song or two. Vivian Campbell's and
Phil Collen's retro guitar licks and Rick Savage's rumbling bass were on
full display, and the multi-vocal shout-it-out-loud choruses reminded us
why Def Leppard was heroic to its fans, a guilty pleasure to most everyone
else.