Leppard can still whip up hysteria
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.