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YOUNGSTOWN – With a setlist that included “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop),” “Rocket,” “Let’s Get Rocked,” “Rock of Ages” and a cover of David Essex’s “Rock On,” there’s no question what Def Leppard was serving up at the Covelli Centre Wednesday.
One of only a handful of bands with two albums that sold more than 10 million copies (1983’s “Pyromania” and 1987’s “Hysteria”), Def Leppard was another big get for the arena. The band’s tour with Tesla (and Styx on most other dates) is playing amphitheaters three times the capacity of the Youngstown venue this summer, and it was no surprise when the show sold out.
And judging by the crowd reaction, the band didn’t disappoint.
The 90-minute set was heavy on hits, and Def Leppard – Joe Elliott, lead vocals; Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, guitars; Rick Savage, bass; and Rick Allen, drums – still does an impressive job recreating the epic-sized Mutt Lange-produced songs live.
Elliott took a few vocal shortcuts – most noticeably on “Foolin’,” where that soaring “Is anybody out there?” line was dropped an octave – but his voice was strong, whether it was wailing over the guitars on “Love Bites” or more subtle phrasing on the acoustic “Two Steps Behind.”
Collen, buff and shirtless with a Union Jack dragging from the back of his guitar, and Campbell, who looked surprisingly healthy for someone undergoing treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, traded guitar solos throughout the evening.
Savage took a bass solo to lead into “Rock On.” And Allen, who lost an arm in auto accident in 1984, was showcased on “Switch 625.” The massive video screen at the back of the stage allowed the crowd to see how he uses a set of foot pedals to help work his kit.
The screen was used to project vintage photos of the band during “Hysteria,” and a barrage of statistics during “Armageddon It,” such as the number of deaths annually caused by smoking.
Speaking of smoking, I’ve never seen the outdoor smoking pen at the arena more packed. Chickens in factory farms are less crowded. No wonder the band is including smoking stats on stage. It’s worried about its fan base dying off early.
By arena rock spectacle standards, the stage set up was effective, but nothing special, although the lighting effects complemented the music well, such as the flashes of light to the beat of the hand claps on “Animal” and the dramatic blackouts that came when the music stopped.
Without Styx playing, Tesla probably got a longer time slot than when there’s a triple bill, and the group was well received for a set dominated by its late ’80s / early ’90s output. And there were plenty of folks in the crowd willing to help out lead singer Jeff Keith on “Signs” and “Love Song.”