It is not good to be staring at the Bryce Jordan Center stage before showtime, imagining all the cheesy hair metal clichés that might fill the venue when the concert finally begins.

And it's not good for audience members discussing how long the show might last to speculate an early 9:30 bedtime for the band.

"They are getting old," one fan was heard saying.

But once Def Leppard had full reign over the stage, the clichés and predictions no longer mattered. In spite of more than a decade since its real heyday, the group proved Friday night that incredibly catchy, adrenaline-fueled pop rock is enough of a pick-me-up to keep even the veteran fan's fist pumping.

The show began with a short but animated set by Belfast-born singer Ricky Warwick. With a few menacing tattoos and some scruffy clothing, he gave the appearance of a badass Bruce Springsteen, a prison escapee, or maybe a folk-singing gas station attendant with an attitude.

"This song's about drinking beer, waking up with a dirty hangover and then drinking more beer," he announced at the start of his performance, preaching appropriately to the local crowd, only hours before the first tailgate of the year.

But before the Big Ten hit the fields, the big hair hit the stage. As Def Lep plowed into a vigorous "Animal" opener, everything seemed straight from the early days of MTV -- and that was just right.

Vocalist Joe Elliott pranced around the stage, brandishing his white microphone stand as if it were the most powerful weapon in rock, beckoning the audience with what must be the international signal for, "Does anyone out there want to rock tonight?"

Guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell had no less than eight amps apiece and what seemed like just as many wailing, whammy-bar-enhanced solos per song. By the end of the show, they were both shirtless.

Bassist Rick Savage showed no regrets of having been one of the biggest bands of the 80's with the group's fluffiest haircut and a fingerless glove on his picking hand.

The man harmonized into his wireless headset mic as if it were even more threatening than Elliott's.

The end result was a strangely refreshing satisfaction in seeing artists that have found no need to update their sound just because the power ballad isn't so hot anymore.

The crowd went ballistic as the band ripped through hits such as "Photograph," "Let's Get Rocked" and, of course, "Pour Some Sugar On Me." The entire show sounded very much like an extremely well-produced, feel-good, greatest hits compilation. It's no wonder these guys have gained such recognition over the years.

But the group's unsung hero had to be drummer Rick Allen, whose infamous one-armed playing was a fascinating sight to witness.

Allen's indescribable performance was a true highlight that held up throughout the entire hour and 45 minute set.

As fun as it was for some time, the set seemed to drag on for too long by the end. Still, most of the fans seemed pleased with the group's perpetually strong level of energy and talent.

"They're probably the greatest rock band," Leppard fan Greg Reigle said. "As far as musicianship, I would say they're probably top notch."

"They're better now than they ever have been," added Dustin Pollock, a fan of the group since 1983.

For a band that hasn't really had a massive single in over ten years, Def Leppard endured impressively throughout the show as if every song was the best it had ever played.

In fact, the only time Elliott showed any sign of weakness or age was upon noticing the sexually suggestive sign of one disturbingly excited female fan in the audience.

"Frankly, that's too much information for me," he said.