Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett rock a rowdy PNC Park

PITTSBURGH − You'll never see anyone happier on stage than Bret Michaels was Friday at PNC Park.

Catapulting from behind the curtains, like he was shot out of a cannon, The Butler Kid waved his Terrible Towel, flashed a triumphant grin, and got down to the business of entertaining nearly 40,000 spectators.

Launching with "Look What The Cat Dragged In," Michaels and his famed hair-metal band Poison played a hyper-energetic, well-received, hour-long set in the late-afternoon sun, as the third-billed of a four-band smorgasbord also offering Motley Crue, Def Leppard and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts.

Jutted into the crowd was a chunk of stage, and that's where Michaels spent most of his time, slapping high-fives and making eye contact with fans, pointing at the ones who looked to be as ecstatic as he was.

"I can't stop smiling on stage. It's ridiculous," Michaels said, as part of a western Pennsylvania-themed performance with a large Pittsburgh Pirates flag on stage; Poison drummer Rikki Rockett wore a "Yinzer" Pirates T-shirt from the ballpark's gift shop. Michaels named-dropped Beaver County rock star Donnie Iris and twice mentioned Route 8.

Michaels' engaging performance was backed by blistering guitar pyrotechnics from the also oft-smiling C.C. DeVille, whose most dazzling solo included a snippet of "The Munsters" theme (right up to the part Fall Out Boy uses in "Uma Thurman"), and a spot-on recreation of Eddie Van Halen's hallowed "Eruption."

Poison's hit parade included "Talk Dirty to Me," "Your Mama Don't Dance" and "Nothin' But a Good Time."

Calling this "one of the greatest days of my life," and repeatedly thanking the hometown crowd for its decades of support, Michaels said, "I feel like I'm back in Butler at a backyard barbecue." Michaels said that meant it was time for "big drunk karaoke," and the well-oiled crowd responded, belting out the words to power ballad "Ev'ry Rose Has Its Thorn."

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts kicked off the concert robustly with their gritty, punky, attitude-driven brand of rock.

Two songs in, Jett did her Runaways classic "Cherry Bomb." Her toughness, defiance and seen-it-all demeanor are always a treat. The hook-laden songs included the autobiographical "Fake Friends," written about how the record industry initially scoffed at a band led by an electric guitar-wielding woman.

Jett and her bandmates did a fine job covering "Everyday People," Sly and The Family Stone's song promoting inclusion, unity and peace for all people. It earned a hearty cheer.

Jett and The Blackhearts also shined on their trusty cover of Tommy James and The Shondells' "Crimson and Clover."

Like a jukebox with a freshly inserted dime, the crowd lit up for 1981 chart-topper "I Love Rock and Roll," and the NBC "Sunday Night Football" theme "I Hate Myself For Loving You."

Jett and The Blackhearts ended with "Bad Reputation," which sounded so good.

Def Leppard hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. delivering 90 minutes of British metal with pop sheen.

The two years off seemed to strengthen singer Joe Elliott's voice. His bandmates helped with harmonies, and Elliott didn't do the vocal shredding of his youth, but he climbed and nailed the pivotal moments, like the "it's bringing me to my knees" part of "Love Bites," and the dramatic bluster of "Foolin'."

Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell shared lead guitar duties. Highlights included Collen's explosive intro on "Bringin' on The Heartbreak" and Campbell's thick riffs on "Armageddon It."

Elliott reminded the crowd that Def Leppard has released a new album, and so the band was going to play a few of its tracks. That earned polite applause; far less enthusiastic than the roar of approval 23 hours earlier at PNC Park when Billy Joel told fans he had nothing new to play.

More:Billy Joel delivers an amazing performance

One of Def Leppard's new songs, "This Guitar," talks about the life-saving abilities of rock's most cherished instrument. The band, including powerhouse drummer Rick Allen, sporting Union Jack headphones, performed it clustered on the farthest reach of the stage.

The audience went bonkers when they heard the opening guitar blast of "Pour Some Sugar on Me." That song's epic start-and-stop hook made bodies wriggle and dance, igniting a crowd-pleasing finale with "Rock of Ages" and "Photograph."

Headliners Motley Crue heightened the anticipation with an anarchistic-themed video before the legendary glam-metal band took the stage. The all-original lineup of Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Vince Neil and Mick Mars were joined by three female dancers − two blondes and a brunette − initially wearing Daisy Dukes before switching to something skimpier and leathery.

Neil's vocals were labored, especially having difficulty keeping pace with "Shout at The Devil." You know a singer's lost some vocal zip when on multiple occasions they point the mic outward and have the crowd sing, as Neil did a few times on "Home Sweet Home." Fans lit up the stadium with cellphone lights for that power ballad.

Mars, Sixx and Lee conjured the Crue's greasy grit on lively oldies like "Live Wire" and "Looks that Kill."

Cleveland rap star Machine Gun Kelly made a video appearance to accompany the band on 2019's "The Dirt."

Motley Crue did a medley of favorite covers including "Smokin' in The Boys Room," The Tubes' "White Punks on Dope," "Helter Skelter" and the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in The U.K." (with Neil changing the lyrics to "the U.S.A.")

A tender moment came early in the set, when Sixx ventured to a back corner of the stage for a quick moment as the video screens showed him smooching his 3-year-old daughter Ruby.

Dressed in all-black, Sixx later tossed a towel to a young woman in the crowd who had begged him to. Sixx remarked he'd probably thrown a similar towel to that woman's mother at a 1987 show.

Madman drummer Lee took it a step further, strolling to the edge of the stage and commenting this couldn't be Pittsburgh because no fans had flashed him. On cue, a few women − and at least one guy − lifted their tops. One of the braless female flashers ended up on the video screens.

No, Motley Crue hasn't mellowed.

Nor have their fans on a night of double-fisting beverages and loudly singing along to the hits.

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett rock a rowdy PNC Park