Either individually or collectively, Def Leppard and Journey are always some of the summer’s hugest concert draws, which meant it was only a matter of time before they returned together to Wrigley Field, alongside a major bonus in the Steve Miller Band.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature wasn’t on their side, so organizers were faced with the double-edged sword of postponing or suddenly announcing an earlier start, ultimately deciding on the latter less than an hour before the first act began, even though a significant amount of concertgoers had yet to arrive.

Nonetheless, by the time Def Leppard launched into “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop),” “Rocket” and “Foolin’” during the final slot, all the weather-forced fluidity seemed to be forgotten, at least by those who made it in the door, and a mere Monday in the daylight felt like a full-fledged weekend at “The Friendly Confines.”

That’s because front man Joe Elliott, guitarist Phil Collen, bassist Rick Savage, additional axe-slinger Vivian Campbell and drummer Rick Allen operated like clockwork, cramming much of the mammoth “Pyromania” and “Hysteria” projects with all the stadium-sized special effects into about 80 breathless minutes.

They included perennial fist raisers “Armageddon It” and “Animal,” the melodic mellowness of “Love Bites,” the brand new balls to the wall rocker “Just Like ’73,” and of course, a closing stretch starring “Rock Of Ages,” “Photograph” and “Pour Some Sugar On Me.”

The same could be said about Journey throughout 75 briskly moving minutes, who are currently comprised of guitarist Neal Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, drummer Deen Castronovo, lead singer Arnel Pineda, second keyboardist Jason Derlatka and bassist Todd Jensen, all of whom were firing on all cylinders.

“Only The Young,” directly into one of Schon’s solos, sent the swelling crowd straight to their feet, where they remained for “Stone In Love” and “Escape” as Pineda flexed his powerful, Steve Perry-honoring pipes.

Ballads were plentiful as well, such as “Faithfully,” “Open Arms” and “Lights,” though it was the “Stranger Things”-revitalized “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” “Any Way You Want It” and “Don’t Stop Believin’” that cemented Journey’s immortality.

To begin the abbreviated evening, the similarly enduring Steve Miller Band brought an all too brief but blockbuster half-hour of ageless oldies, including “Fly Like An Eagle,” “Swingtown” and “Abracadabra,” which is also earning a seismic resurgence as of late after being sampled in rapper Eminem’s comeback smash “Houdini.”

In fact, it was hard to believe the fearless leader is now 80-years-old, not only because he sounded exactly like the original albums, but because “Take The Money And Run,” “The Joker” and “Jet Airliner” keep finding continued relevance right next to his anthemic co-headliners.

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For additional information on Def Leppard, Journey and Steve Miller Band, visit DefLeppard.com, JourneyMusic.com and SteveMillerBand.com.

For a list of upcoming AEG Presents concerts, visit AEGPresents.com.

Upcoming concerts at Wrigley Field include Green Day (Aug. 13); Luke Bryan (Aug. 25) and Pearl Jam (Aug. 29 and 31). For additional details, visit MLB.com/Cubs/Tickets/Concerts.