Back to the future with Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick

Def Leppard

August 24, 2009

Chilly rain kept most of the fishnet stockings and shredded tank tops under wraps Monday as three of the '80s greatest bands made a triumphant return to Denver, but the party raged on regardless. Judging by the sea of screaming fans — many of them women who were in diapers the last time Def Leppard, Poison and Cheap Trick were packing amphitheatres — anyone could have been forgiven for thinking "Top Gun" was still in theaters.

From the security guard-taunting antics of Cheap Trick to the lady-killing posing of Poison's Bret Michaels, it was almost creepy to see how easily the bands slipped back into full-blown rockstar mode. And when the iconic one-armed silhoutte of Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen finaly appeared in front of an enormous bank of LED lights toward the end of the night, the crowd went nuts — Just more proof that being stuck in the '80s isn't always a bad thing.