http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/concert/story/0F4F3D5910497CE0862571B3006AA7F5?OpenDocument Def Leppard/Journey By Daniel Durchholz SPECIAL TO THE POST-DISPATCH 07/22/2006 When Def Leppard recorded "Rock of Ages" back in the early '80s, they did it as a young band celebrating the hard rock music they loved, though in years previous it had lost momentum to dance music and other, more superficial sounds. They couldn't have known then that the song, which claims that rock is "still rollin'," was ultimately an oath, a promise they'd continue to fulfill more than two decades later. In that time musical trends have come and gone, but no one has surpassed the British quintet's ability to deliver energetic, high-harmonied pop metal with bombast, swagger and pure, adrenalized escapism. Def Lep played before a sold out crowd at the UMB Bank Pavilion on Friday night, concertgoers might have been tempted to check their calendars. For though the group still looks great and sounds great, it was the hits of the past - their own and those by others - that were the focus of the show. Def Lep's latest album, "Yeah!" is a set of covers of '70s tunes by bands that influenced their own sound. It's a terrific effort, but of the album's 14 cuts, the band only featured two in concert - David Essex' "Rock On" and Badfinger's "No Matter What." Beyond that, the 80-minute set was mostly filled with essential Leppard hits such as "Foolin'," "Hysteria," "Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me." Singer Joe Elliott led the band's still-impressive vocal attack, while guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell played with masterful economy. And watching drummer Rick Allen - who lost an arm in a car accident years ago - is still an inspiring treat. Co-headliner Journey has had a more recent hardship to deal with. Vocalist Steve Augeri was sidelined earlier this month by a chronic throat ailment. Jeff Scott Soto, who has worked with Journey guitarist Neal Schon's side project Soul Sirkus, is sitting in with the band for what Soto called "the best summer of (his) life." Soto made the most of his opportunity, gamely singing such Journey staples as "Anyway You Want It," "Lights," and "Separate Ways." But he is less pop singer than metal dude in voice, dress and gesture. As it turns out, the best replacement for Augeri - who is himself a look- and soundalike of longtime Journey frontman Steve Perry - may be drummer Deen Castronovo, whose vocals soared on "Who's Cryin' Now," "Open Arms" and "Faithfully." Journey's set was fine, though, thanks in large part to Schon, who opened the show with a shred-filled version of "The Star Spangled Banner." But overall, it's Def Leppard who can be counted on to keep the "Rock of Ages" rolling into the future. Copyright © 2006 St. Louis Post-Dispatch L.L.C.