A double bill of superannuated heavy rock groups with a zoological theme may not be everyone's idea of a great night out. But boy, these two bands went for it in no uncertain terms. With the smoke machines on overdrive and the air-conditioning turned off (for a while) it didn't take long to create an authentic 1970s-style fug inside the densely packed arena.

The time-warp factor intensified as David Coverdale led the latest incarnation of Whitesnake into action. Preening, waving, banging his chest, blowing kisses and performing unspeakable acts upon his microphone stand, the 56-year-old, second-tier rock god was rampant. “Bad luck and trouble/ Every day of my life/ Every lonely, lonely night/ Like a cold-hearted twist of the knife,” he sang in a voice that creaked and squeaked like a pair of old boots, while behind him the rest of the band cranked out a colossal racket.

Although they had a new album, Good to be Bad, to promote, Coverdale informed us that we were there to celebrate “30 years of the 'Snake”. And since new songs such as Lay Down Your Love, with its recycled Zeppelin-isms, were very much of a piece with the one-track theme of old numbers including Fool for Your Loving, Is This Love? and Love Ain't no Stranger, the join with the distant past remained seamless. Coverdale served up the ham with a generous sense of humour, stumbling under the sheer weight of “emotion” during an acoustic version of The Deeper the Love, and barging his way through an explosive finale of Still of the Night with a bold, priapic flourish.

Def Leppard were slicker and, if possible, even louder as they trundled through a selection of their bubblegum-metal anthems leavened with a handful of songs from their new album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge. While the 'Snake remained a vehicle for Coverdale's ego trip, the boys in Leppard took a more collegiate approach. The singer Joe Elliott spoke of the group's early days playing in working men's clubs in Sheffield, while the performance was infused with a spirit of laddish camaraderie.

Combining the blow-dried arena-rock of Bon Jovi with the wily showbusiness acumen of Queen, they hammered out a string of hits including Pour Some Sugar on Me, Armageddon It and Let's Get Rocked. Engulfed by this tidal wave of heavy rock memories, the audience responded with an impressive display of clapping and chanting of its own.

Tour continues at Cardiff International Arena, July 14; Echo Arena, Liverpool, July 15; Nottingham Arena, July 17.

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