Review: A Def Leppard, Journey, and the Steve Miller Band triple bill at Citizens Bank Park

Nostalgia makes a strange bedfellow. Beyond the fact that each boasts a catalog stuffed with hits, there’s nothing on the surface that unites Def Leppard, Journey, and the Steve Miller Band, who shared an uneven bill at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday.

Def Leppard and Journey are roughly contemporary, both forming in the mid-’70s and achieving their greatest success in the ‘80s. They’ve co-headlined several tours dating back to 2006, but in their heydays, Leppard’s hard-rock fan base may have looked askance at the softer pop leanings of Journey — and vice versa.

Now 80, Steve Miller is a generation older, his biggest ‘70s hits already relegated to classic rock stations by the time his now-tour mates were at their pinnacles. All three are now firmly ensconced in that domain, as evidenced by Tuesday’s nearly nonstop sing-along. Distinctions of era and style have long since been blurred to irrelevance by radio ubiquity.

Miller took the stage at 6 p.m. sharp with much of the audience yet to arrive or simply unwilling to take their seats under the still-blazing sun. He kicked off his unassuming hour-long set with a 10-minute “Fly Like an Eagle” that served as a showcase for his skilled band, a five-piece that included keyboardists Joseph Wooten and longtime bassist Kenny Lee Lewis. Their 11-song set included a “Guess who’s back” intro for “Abracadabra,” acknowledging Eminem’s sampling of the song for his recent hit “Houdini,” and a special emphasis on the “Philadelphia” name-drop in “Rock’n Me.”

Journey’s Jonathan Cain was more blatant in his pandering to the crowd, citing the Phillies’ two World Series titles as he gestured toward the ballpark while introducing “Faithfully,” which he then dedicated to the country’s armed forces. Later in the set he reappeared sporting a City Connect jersey.

The band was ostensibly celebrating its 50th anniversary, though only guitarist Neal Schon remains from that initial lineup, with Cain arriving in 1980, in time for most of their biggest hits. Besides them the longest-tenured member would be drummer Deen Castronovo, who joined in 1998 but whose term has been far from continuous. In recent years they’ve spent nearly as much time together in courtrooms as on stage, as lawsuits have flown back and forth between members both current and past.

Perhaps that explains some of the disconnect in Tuesday’s set, where the vastness of the stadium stage translated to a palpable distance between the bandmates. Singer Arnel Pineda, still sounding uncannily like predecessor Steve Perry after almost 17 years in the band, infused what energy he could by racing around the three-pronged ramp that extended deep into the outfield. But his perpetual motion couldn’t make up for the by-the-numbers music. The incompatibly extended to their wardrobe — Pineda wore a leopard-print shirt over purple prints, Schon was leather-clad, and Cain was decked out in a white sports jacket, each looking like they were in a different band and sounding like they wished they were.

Hits like “Be Good to Yourself” and “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” and especially ballads like “Open Arms” and the aforementioned “Faithfully” were warmly received, though momentum was continually interrupted by extended, indulgent solos by Schon and Cain. The 80-minute set perked up in its final minutes with an energetic run through “Separate Ways,” “Any Way You Want It,” and finally the undeniable “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

Two years ago at Citizens Bank Park, Def Leppard far outclassed co-headliners Mötley Crüe, and the same held true on Tuesday. Where Journey felt like a contractual obligation, Def Leppard felt like a band. The enormous set had felt largely empty earlier in the evening, but with the British rockers’ swaggering vitality it seemed to shrink to nightclub size.

Midway through, the five members gathered at the front of the ramp for a brief acoustic interlude. Silver-haired vocalist Joe Elliott began alone, leading the audience through an abbreviated version of “Two Steps Behind.” The rest of the band — drummer Rick Allen on shaker — for “This Guitar,” a rare delve into more recent material, then started “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” before shifting back into electric mode for the song’s explosive finale.

Most of the set was identical to that 2022 concert, though this year’s celebration of the 40th anniversary of Pyromania gave the night a jolt with several additional songs from that breakthrough album. Those included the high-voltage opener “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop),” hits like “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages,” and welcome deep cuts like “Comin’ Under Fire.” Nearly as many songs were included from 1987′s Hysteria, with the title tune and the inevitable “Pour Some Sugar on Me” making up a brief encore.