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Three years after performing in monsoon-like weather a few miles along the road for a rare outdoor show in Scotland, Def Leppard are back in more familiar surroundings with a packed-out arena.
Three years ago, it was a co-headliner with Mötley Crüe on the UK leg of the mega-successful stadium tour that criss-crossed America, tonight though, it’s all about Def Leppard. And in an age where the use of AI and backing tracks in music is on the increase, this show is a beacon for those who like their music played…what’s that word again…oh, yeah…live. A lighthouse in the choppy waters of fan-filmed footage of artists either lip-synching or needing a little assistance from six backing vocalists on stage.
Def Leppard will always go the extra mile with their choice of tourmates, and the inclusion of Billboard-topping Boston quartet Extreme as special guests is a wise choice. Sure, sticking a young, fresh-out-of-the-gates act on the bill for even a 25-minute set would have been a nice touch and made it a killer triple-bill, but looking at the huge productions that both Extreme and the headliners have, logistically, that seems impossible. Plus, Extreme get more than the usual 40 minutes that most special guests are allotted. Admiration and respect from the headliners are in abundance.
With their first studio album in 15 years, 2023’s ‘SIX’, rightfully gaining them plaudits aplenty, Extreme are on a bit of a roll, and the fire is still burning brightly. No dialling it in, or going through the motions. They are enthused from the off. It helps that they are all still in great shape, and if you could harness the energy crackling off vocalist Gary Cherone, then it wouldn’t matter if the ever-changing open-closed Strait of Hormuz was open today or not. Damn, he looks in fantastic shape, and after an initial reluctance to use the ego ramp, he is a blur of activity, and still moves and commands the stage in the same manner that he first did all those decades ago.
Perhaps it’s always been the case, but most of the chit-chat tonight comes from guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, with Cherone happy to take a step back. His vocals seem lower, in a different register than usual, so perhaps he is a bit under the weather; either that, or the infamous Hydro muddy sound is to blame. Total sidebar, but simply referring to Nuno Bettencourt as a “guitarist” is akin to just calling Lionel Messi a “footballer”.
A few things particularly stand out during the well-received set: the first is the Bostonians’ reluctance to simply go with the hits. ‘SIX’ is a great album, and rightly so, the band spits out a few new bangers in the guise of ‘#REBEL’ and ‘RISE’, all caps for a reason: they slap. Slotting in perfectly alongside such classics as ‘Decadence Dance’, ‘Play With Me’, ‘Hole Hearted’, and of course ‘More Than Words’ and ‘Get the Funk Out’. Another would be the impact of drummer Kevin Figueiredo, who has been part of the band for almost 20 years now. Jeez, this guy can hit. Lastly, the camaraderie between the band members is there for all to see. Rarely will you see a band as in tune with each other as these guys, and they are constantly crowding round each other, playfully acting up for the cameras (bassist Pat Badger is having a blast) that have lit up the Hydro.
Special mention needs to go to the closing tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, with Nuno Bettencourt talking passionately about how much it meant to him to perform at the Black Sabbath ‘Back to the Beginning’ gig last summer. The medley of ‘I Don’t Know’ / ‘Bark at the Moon’ / ‘Crazy Train’ has the place jumping. An hour’s entertainment that flew past in the blink of an eye. Not bad for a bunch of pasty-faced white boys.
Def Leppard are old hands at this, and recognise that there will be many here tonight who would also have been in attendance in the pouring rain three years ago, and also when the band last played this venue back in 2018 on the ‘Hysteria’ anniversary tour. So, they have mixed it up here and there. And like Extreme before them, Leppard also has some new music, and it’s the recent single ‘Rejoice’ that opens the show. The tribal drum loops give way to wailing guitars as the stage explodes to life, and the band appears to thunderous applause. Def Leppard are in town and are making their presence felt.
Any band that can casually throw in bona fide belters such as ‘Animal’ and ‘Let’s Get Rocked’ in the opening three songs are onto something, and one of the best jukeboxes in Rock history kicks into overdrive. Casually slotting in before a powerful rendition of ‘Bringin’ On the Heartbreak’ is a dark, grungier, gnarly cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘Personal Jesus’, which was the lead single off the compilation album ‘The Story So Far – The Best of Def Leppard’, and with the huge screens behind the band and on either side linking up to great effect, it makes for a visually stunning few minutes. The production is incredible. Way more than just a massive jumbotron screen behind the band, the gradual, phased way that they flicker to life and join together is highly effective. Couple that with moving lighting rigs, and it’s a retina-blitzing production.
‘Switch 625’ is a powerful moment. The instrumental from 1981’s ‘High ‘n’ Dry’ begins with lead guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, along with bassist Rick Savage, down on the ego ramp, riffing away while Rick Allen pounds his drum kit from atop the drum riser. After a few minutes, the three guitarists retreat to the riser and face Allen before leaving the stage and letting the drummer take over. Thanks to a remote camera on a circular track around the drum kit, the audience gets a 360-degree view of the footwork that Allen puts into operating his kit, and it has to be said that even to a layman, it is cool. With the crowd already in a heavy, percussive state of mind, the glam stomp of ‘Just Like ’73’ follows on and gets the blood pumping, with Joe Elliott down at the front of the ramp acting as ringmaster supreme.
Elliott disappears at one point, and reappears upstairs in the seated audience section for a steamy cover of David Essex’s ‘Rock On’ (Phil Collen wailing away on the whammy bar) with the spotlight on punters in the front row (thankfully no reoccurrence of the infamous Coldplay kiss-cam incident that launched a million memes). Before this, though, Elliott takes time out to mention how much the band appreciates still being able to do this 49 years after forming. He talks about how none of that would have been possible without Rick Savage and calls the bassist forward to take a bow, followed by a short solo while Elliott nips upstairs. Mr. Savage, though, perhaps might have had a late night the night before, as he gets his cities and countries mixed up and shouts “Thank you, Belfast!” It happens to the best of us, Rick…
After a jaw-dropping version of ‘Promises’, which begins with an a capella intro from Savage, Campbell (who, it has to be said, looks amazing), and Collen on backing vocal harmonies, the band storms through a closing 30 minutes or so that would be the envy of most Rock bands: ‘Armageddon It’, ‘Love Bites’, ‘Rock of Ages’, ‘Photograph’, ‘When Love and Hate Collide’, ‘Hysteria’ (gorgeous bass intro from Savage while the moving lighting rig drops down behind the band), and what else but ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ to end the show.
A genuine triumph, you would have to have a cold, dead heart not to enjoy this show. But one question remains: 2027 is Def Leppard’s 50th anniversary – what small, low-key events do they have planned to celebrate such a milestone?
Def Leppard UK & European dates continue through Sheffield, London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Paris before ending at Wacken Festival in Germany. All dates can be found HERE.
Def Leppard’s ‘Greatest Hits’ is available now on CD & LP, more information HERE.
All images – Callum Scott
