http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/entertainment/12261027.htm Posted on Sat, Jul. 30, 2005 A Def touch BY ROSS RAIHALA Pop Music Critic An '80s band with staying power, Def Leppard plays with confidence, polish and undeniable pop-metal muscle in a doubleheader with rocker Bryan Adams. With Mötley Crüe enjoying its most prosperous year since the first Bush administration and the reunited Iron Maiden and Judas Priest also doing big business, '80s metal bands haven't had it this good since, well, the '80s. But even though they indulged in the hairspray and tight trousers, Def Leppard always was a different beast. Less threatening and more melodic, band members were more the children of Bowie than of Sabbath. Plus, girls liked them. Def Leppard also never really went away. The band's lineup remains essentially the same as for 1983's breakthrough "Pyromania," minus deceased guitarist Steve Clark and drummer Rick Allen's left arm. Yeah, they don't draw like they once did, but the band always has managed to maintain arena-sized audiences somewhere in the world. That's why they played Friday's night concert at Midway Stadium, in front of about 13,000 ecstatic fans, with confidence, polish and undeniable pop-metal muscle. Only lead singer Joe Elliott's voice showed any serious signs of age, but given the unsubtle material — "Let's Get Rocked," "Rock On," "Rocket" — it was easy to forgive. The amiable crowd certainly didn't care. The breezy, warm evening helped foster the good vibes, too, as did the loose, chummy feel of the outdoor baseball stadium. This was an audience ready to remember, not necessarily relive, their wild youth. Save for a few selections from the band's coming album of covers — like Badfinger's likable classic "No Matter What" — Def Leppard stuck to the hits. The ballad "Love Bites" may well be the definitive power ballad, and crunchier songs like "Foolin'" and "Photograph" hold up remarkably well. The band is sharing the tour with Bryan Adams, another '80s rocker with a largely female following. He was on first — they swap headlining duties each night — and played all the numbers the fans wanted ("Cuts Like a Knife," "Heaven") and a few they didn't, which was anything from his new album. Along the way, Adams invited a few fans onstage to sing with him — a cue for many to hit the endlessly long beer and portable toilet lines. He also told an amusing, and probably apocryphal, story about how an unnamed Twin Cities rock critic trashed his teeth-grindingly awful ballad "(Everything I Do) I Do it for You" in a live review 15 years ago, just before the song went on to become his biggest hit. Oh Bryan, I bet you say that to all your crowds. Ross Raihala can be reached at rraihala@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5553.