Def Leppard leads hectic, headbanging hair metal reunion at JMA Dome, but Motley Crue steals the show (review, photos)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Leather and lasers enjoyed a revival as three rock legends competed for the hardest rocking performance Saturday night at the JMA Wireless Dome – and the clear winner was the audience.

Alice Cooper kicked off the marathon show at 5:45 p.m., showcasing hits like “Eighteen,” “Feed My Frankenstein,” and “Billion Dollar Babies.” The eclectic singer, renowned for his bizarre onstage antics, capped off his set with a stellar rendition of his mega-hit “School’s Out,” and surprised fans by incorporating Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. II.” Ever the dark horse, Cooper finished by tossing his tophat into the ring of the presidential race with an over the top performance of “Elected.”

At 7:16 p.m., the notorious, leather-clad bad boys of Mötley Crüe surged onstage with “Wild Side,” which rocked the Dome to its core. The Crüe was the true highlight of the night – the band played like their rent was overdue. Ripping through hits like “Shout at the Devil,” Live Wire,” and “Dr. Feelgood,” the band featured short teasers of other classic hits like Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” and a Jimi Hendrix-inspired “Star Spangled Banner.”

Vocalist Vince Neil hit all the high notes and plenty of primal screams, while touring guitarist John 5 filled in for retired founding member Mick Mars – and then some. Not to be outdone, the ever-provocative drummer Tommy Lee left the drumset to come centerstage and engage the audience in an NSFW call to action before playing the piano intro of “Home Sweet Home,” eventually returning to his station to join in the solid delivery of a classic hit. Another high point of this performance saw the band play a medley of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter,” the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the UK,” the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and the Beastie Boys’ “Fight For Your Right.” The Crüe saved the best for last, though, leaving the stage with a heart-stopping performance of “Kickstart My Heart,” topped off with eardrum-shattering fireworks.

Headliners Def Leppard kicked off at 9:15 p.m. with a set featuring echoing vocals, pinch harmonics galore, and truly thunderous drums. The English rockers didn’t hit the stage with the same in-your-face energy as Mötley Crüe, and chose to start with “Take What You Want” and “Let’s Get Rocked,” which nonetheless showcased shimmering lights and glimmer guitar riffs. Joe Elliot’s vocals were strong, but suffered from a bit too much echo effect, resulting in muddied sound for the first three songs. Lead guitarist Phil Collen, however, had the perfect amount of echo, delivering the sharpest guitar performance of the night, which is saying something given the talent of the opening acts.

The mix was far better when the band played “Foolin’,” and the audience responded with tremendous energy that carried through the set, even as the band played unfamiliar songs from their new record – the most memorable being “This Guitar.” About an hour in, Def Leppard launched into the hits that people came to hear, such as “Rocket.” After a fun instrumental that included a crazy guitar solo and a short but rollicking, one-armed solo from drummer Rick Allen, the band rocked the house “Hysteria,” “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” and “Rock Of Ages,” all complemented by mesmerizing laser light shows.

The whole crowd sang along as Def Leppard finished their set with a perfect performance of “Photograph,” and gave deafening cheers as Joe Elliot promised, “Until next time – and there will be a next time!”

In this hard rock shootout, Mötley Crüe may have edged out their co-performers for the most razor-sharp set of the night, but Alice Cooper and Def Leppard put on sets that contributed to a rock show for the ages.

Mötley Crüe setlist:

Def Leppard setlist:

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