From:           	PrsnlPrpty@aol.com
Date sent:      	Wed, 25 Aug 1999 12:22:07 EDT
Subject:        	Saginaw Show:  The Review

The Metal Crunch Goes On
Def Leppard still roars rock'n'roll.

by Sue White
The Saginaw News

Phil Collen was right.  When Def Leppard hit the Wendler Arena stage 
Tuesday, it was pure fun, just as the guitarist had promised in an earlier 
interview.  A close-cropped, Joe Elliott still has the swagger, giving the 
band's brand of arena rock'n'roll its raucous credibility.

Collen and Vivian Campbell fired off a twin-attack, taking a tag-team 
approach in the light of the blazing guitar.  Rick Savage proved an able 
sparring partner on bass, and Rick Allen, well, once again, the one-armed 
drummer proved anything is possible when you set your mind to it.  
Performing for a crowd of some 4,000 - many of them fans from the  band's 
"Pyromania" days - the group banged away like teen-agers in a garage band. 
 The struck the pose, and it rang true.  They trotted out the cliches and 
made them seem new again.  And throughout the night, it was impossible to 
see who was having more fun.  Suffice it to say the fans weren't the only 
ones to go home with no voice. Yet this is not to say the British band 
that put melody back in metal has crossed to the dark side.  The 
hoarseness came honestly, Elliott giving fans his all for more than two 
hours.  Or maybe it was trying to get heard above the thunderous response 
of an appreciative audience.  Style aside, the night proved more than 
anything the power of a good song.  Out came numbers popular "back when 
MTV played music," Elliott quipped, drawing murmurs of approval.  
"Photograph," "Foolin'" and a killer version of "Rock of Ages" found 
Elliott in fine voice, a legion of air-guitarists accompanying his every 
phrase. 

More than two decades in the business gives a band a lot of material, and 
Def Leppard came prepared, dusting off "Armageddon It," "Love Bites" and 
"Rocket."  There were the newer numbers, a sampling of the latest album, 
"Euphoria," and the crowd favorite, "Pour Some Sugar on Me."  By the time 
Elliott and company beckoned the crowd with "Let's Get Rocked," the deed 
was done.  "You really know how to make someone feel wanted around here," 
he said.  "We appreciate that."

That isn't to say the night didn't have the occasional omission.  Where 
were the support musicians so many groups drag along these days, fresh 
talent to buoy up their own sagging skills?  The night was also stripped 
of the usual high-tech fanfare accompanying Def Leppard; the group is 
stretching its legs, Collen explained, with the more elaborate stage set 
still a few months ahead.  Instead of the usual lasers and exploding 
pyrotechnic props, a bank of overhead lights played off a huge Union Jack 
and smaller Irish show of colors.  Yet in both instances, the sparsity 
only showed Def Leppard is more than a fluke, more than a spectacle.  It's 
refreshing, said one concertgoer, to see a band play that really knew how 
to play.

The only distraction Tuesday came with a sound system that at times made 
the music sound as if it were filtered through a thick quilt.  Elliott 
must have realized it as well; he took a detour to the backstage area and 
came back with a sound that cut through the arena like a knife.  Almost 
seven years to the day after their last Saginaw appearance, Def Leppard 
again left a house hungry for more.  Hopefully, it won't take another 
seven before they serve up a second helping.  Tuesday's show opened with a 
pleasant surprise, the band Moon Dog Mane with guitarist Frank Hannon 
of Tesla fame.

"I remember playing here before," Hannon said backstage.  "It was right 
after the circus and even though they had cleaned things up, you could 
still smell the animals."  His new group didn't hold it against Saginaw, 
delivering a solid set fueled by, you guessed it, some razor-sharp guitar.  
Fans can catch both bands in action again tonight at the Michigan State 
Fair in Detroit.  Admission to the concert is included in the fair's gate 
fee.