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Def Leppard surprises no one, thrills thousands at Dallas show

By Darryl Smyers, Special Contributor

Snarling traffic engulfed Fair Park on Friday evening as approximately 20,000 people made their way to Gexa Energy Pavilion to catch a triple bill of aging rock icons Tesla, Styx and Def Leppard.

Many missed all of Tesla's opening set and a good majority of Styx's. Once they were able to figure out a bit of parking chaos, concertgoers could be seen running toward the venue just to catch a glimpse of the first two bands.

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Yet when Def Leppard hit the stage at around 9:30 p.m., it was clear who most were there to hear. The legendary British pop-metal band didn't disappoint as it played hit after hit of empty-headed, gentleman's club-ready '80s rock for the crowd of 40-, 50- and 60-somethings.

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Beginning with "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)," lead singer Joe Elliot and crew proved that simplicity is the key when connecting with an audience content to remember their glory days in high school and (maybe) college. This was beer-drinking music of the highest order as fans reveled in power chords and playful sexual innuendo of "Animal," "Foolin'" and "Love Bites."

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, who apparently doesn't age. (Jason Janik/Special...
Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen, who apparently doesn't age. (Jason Janik/Special Contributor)

No one comes to a Def Leppard concert expecting intellectual discourse. It was easily digestible, processed and polished to utter perfection. There were no sour notes and nothing was sung even remotely off key. Def Leppard's music is the definition of "made for mass consumption," a heaving plate of family-filtered lust that rested comfortably alongside the slightly more progressive fare of Styx and Tesla.

In a way, Def Leppard is the aural equivalent of Hooters.

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Yet, by the time Def Leppard got around to "Rocket," "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me," the band had descended into that rather comfortable niche that separates the friendly from the profane. Even though countless exotic dancers have plied their craft to these very songs, fathers, wives and daughters danced gleefully into the August night, seemingly oblivious to the very nature of the songs themselves.

Perhaps such is the key to understanding the continued popularity of Def Leppard. Even after almost four decades, the band connects with an audience at the most basic level.

By the time those blissful power chords of "Rock of Ages" and "Photograph" had echoed into the (relatively cool) summer night and fans had made that lengthy trek to the scattered parking areas, it was obvious that the band had provided all the innocuous, illicit thrills that the audience had come to expect.

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Darryl Smyers is a Dallas freelance writer.