Def Leppard: ‘London To Vegas’
DEF LEPPARD
LONDON TO VEGAS
Released on May 29, 2020 (Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Review:
I don’t think that I had ever started a review of an album or CD/DVD talking about the packaging but this is exactly where I will start for Def Leppard‘s latest release — the 2DVD/4CD London To Vegas. I guess I didn’t know what to expect but I certainly wasn’t anticipating receiving a package almost the size of a double vinyl album with two hard cover booklets. One contained the two DVDs and four CDs while the other was a quality and spectacular looking booklet showcasing the five band members that we presumably all know and love — frontman Joe Elliott, guitarist Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, bassist Rick Savage and drummer Rick Allen. Clearly, Eagle Rock Entertainment and Def Leppard went to town on the packaging for London To Vegas, which is much nicer than what you got with Def Leppard‘s Viva! Hysteria: Live At The Joint, Las Vegas, which dates back to October 2013.
Speaking of the latter, I have to say that I wondered why Def Leppard were releasing London To Vegas given that it seemed at first glance that Viva! Hysteria: Live At The Joint, Las Vegas would have covered both the Hysteria album in full performance and the Las Vegas residency. My question was answered while viewing the bonus feature segment Hysteria: Then And Now of the DVD Hysteria At The O2 where Elliott explained that Def Leppard planned on bringing their Hysteria album performance to England once they did it in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA more than six years ago. That of course makes sense since Def Leppard originate from the UK and have seemingly always been proud wavers of the UK flag. Obviously, the track list for the Hysteria performances on both Hysteria At The O2 and Viva! Hysteria: Live At The Joint, Las Vegas is pretty much the same with the former having a few extra tracks such as the oldie but goodie “Wasted” and the easy to sing along to “Let’s Get Rocked.”
While listening to Hysteria: Then And Now, I got an even bigger appreciation for how Hysteria was such a groundbreaking album. I confess that I wasn’t happy with Def Leppard when they first came out with Hysteria given that I enjoyed the harder rocking tunes on Pyromania way more, but over time, I have come to appreciate what an amazing album that Hysteria really is. While most hard rock / heavy metal bands that softened their sound quickly went back to a heavier sound in the late ’80s, Def Leppard never returned to their harder edged music showcased on such albums as High ‘n’ Dry and Pyromania. Sure, there are many that lament this musical direction (including myself) but when you really think about it, why would Def Leppard have returned to their harder musical ways after delivering with Hysteria what will always be viewed as their masterpiece and this despite Pyromania also being certified at the Diamond level in the USA.
The Hits Vegas portion of London To Vegas cements why Def Leppard kept going in the more melodic, almost pop rock vein with their albums following Hysteria. I was surprised by how well I knew the songs “Slang” and “Promises” as I was singing along to them even though I didn’t find myself a “fan” of those songs or the albums from which those tracks originate from. That’s the beauty of Hits Vegas as it really showcases just how many hits that Def Leppard have had to date in their career. The bonus feature segment Behind The Scenes for Hits Vegas is also quite instructive as Elliott explains that the band knew that it had to compete with all of the other groups that have done Las Vegas residencies. In addition, since there was no need to take down the stage after each performance in Vegas, Def Leppard wanted to deliver ten times the spectacle that they would normally do with their standard “rock rig” (which is spectacular in itself if you’ve ever caught a Def Leppard live performance in recent years). Clearly, Def Leppard are intent on delivering the best possible show to their fans.
Hits Vegas gives a good overview of Def Leppard‘s discography with four songs played from High ‘n’ Dry (1981), seven from Pyromania (1983), seven from Hysteria (1987), two from Adrenalize (1992), one from Retro Active (1993), one from Slang (1996), two from Euphoria (1999), two from X (2002) and two from Def Leppard (2015). Only the albums On Through The Night (1980), the covers record Yeah! (2006) and Songs From The Sparkle Lounge (2008) are not represented. “Wasted” from On Through The Night (1980) and “When Love & Hate Collide” from Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995) do get featured on Hysteria At The O2. The DVDs themselves are very good in terms of the quality of the video footage and sound. What struck me pretty much right off the bat was how good the background vocals / harmonies sounded, which really helps Elliott whose voice is not quite as strong as back in the day. Then again, there are really only a handful of singers from the ’80s era that you can legitimately say their vocal chords sound the same or better than they were back in the ’80s.
Out of the four Def Leppard live releases — the other two being Mirror Ball – Live & More (2011) and And There Will Be A Next Time… Live In Detroit (2017) — I find that London To Vegas is the definite live release from the band and a must buy if you’re a Def Leppard fan.
Disc 1 – Hysteria At The O2 [DVD]:
01. Women
02. Rocket
03. Animal
04. Love Bites
05. Pour Some Sugar On Me
06. Armageddon It
07. Stephen Clark Tribute
08. Gods of War
09. Don’t Shoot Shotgun
10. Run Riot
11. Hysteria
12. Excitable
13. Love And Affection
14. Wasted
15. When Love And Hate Collide
16. Let’s Get Rocked
17. Rock of Ages
18. Photograph
Bonus Feature:
19. Hysteria: Then And Now
Disc 2 – Hits Vegas [DVD]:
01. Die Hard The Hunter
02. Animal
03. Excitable
04. Foolin’
05. Too Late For Love
06. Billy’s Got A Gun
07. Slang
08. Promises
09. Paper Sun
10. Let It Go
11. Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
12. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
13. Switch 625
14. Let Me Be The One
15. We Belong
16. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
17. Two Steps Behind
18. Now
19. Rocket
20. Let’s Get Rocked
21. Hysteria
22. Love Bites
23. Armageddon It
24. Pour Some Sugar On Me
25. Action
26. Let’s Go
27. Rock of Ages
28. Photograph
Bonus Feature:
29. Behind The Scenes
Disc 3 – Hysteria At The O2 [Audio CD]:
01. Women
02. Rocket
03. Animal
04. Love Bites
05. Pour Some Sugar On Me
06. Armageddon It
07. Gods of War
08. Don’t Shoot Shotgun
09. Run Riot
10. Hysteria
11. Excitable
12. Love And Affection
Disc 4 – Hysteria At The O2 [Audio CD]:
01. Wasted
02. When Love And Hate Collide
03. Let’s Get Rocked
04. Rock of Ages
05. Photograph
Disc 5 – Hits Vegas [Audio CD]:
01. Die Hard The Hunter
02. Animal
03. Excitable
04. Foolin’
05. Too Late For Love
06. Billy’s Got A Gun
07. Slang
08. Promises
09. Paper Sun
10. Let It Go
11. Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
12. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
13. Switch 625
Disc 6 – Hits Vegas [Audio CD]:
01. Let Me Be The One
02. We Belong
03. Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad
04. Two Steps Behind
05. Now
06. Rocket
07. Let’s Get Rocked
08. Hysteria
09. Love Bites
10. Armageddon It
11. Pour Some Sugar On Me
12. Action
13. Let’s Go
14. Rock of Ages
15. Photograph
Band Members:
Joe Elliott – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Phil Collen – guitar, backing vocals
Vivian Campbell – guitar, backing vocals
Rick Savage – bass, backing vocals
Rick Allen – drums
Production — Hysteria At The o2:
Directed by James Russell
Produced by Jim Parsons
Audio mixed by Ronan McHugh
Supervising producer for Eagle Rock Entertainment: Peter Worsley
Production manager for Eagle Rock Entertainment: Melissa Morton Hicks
Production — Hits Vegas:
Directed and edited by Jim Yukich
Produced by Barry Ehrmann
Audio mixed by Ronan McHugh
Supervising producer: Matt Friedman
Band Websites:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Universal Music
Eagle Rock
Reviewed by Olivier for Sleaze Roxx, June 2020
Def Leppard‘s “Rocket” video (from Hysteria At The O2 — London To Vegas):
Def Leppard‘s “Billy’s Got A Gun” video (from Hits Vegas — London To Vegas):
Def Leppard‘s “Paper Sun” video (from Hits Vegas — London To Vegas):
Def Leppard‘s “Run Riot” video (from Hysteria At The O2 — London To Vegas):