Released via: Eagle Rock
TRACKLISTING:
- Let s Go
- Animal
- Let It Go
- Dangerous
- Foolin
- Love Bites
- Armageddon It
- Rock On
- Man Enough
- Rocket
- Bringin On The Heartbreak
- Switch 625
- Hysteria
- Let s Get Rocked
- Pour Some Sugar On Me
- Rock Of Ages
- Photograph
Available as DVD+2CD / Blu-ray+2CD / Digital Video, the latest live offering from Def Leppard was filmed at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, MI on July 15, 2016. ‘And There Will Be A Next Time – Live From Detroit’ is a welcome return for Def Leppard and live experiences.
Whilst they have released ‘Viva Hysteria!’ recently, celebrating the shows from Las Vegas, that disc loses a little bit the real experience of seeing Def Leppard playing to crowds of ten to fifteen thousand fans with the full arena stage set and videos in use. As such, the Detroit show is the first proper live arena DVD release since ‘In the Round, In Your Face’ which came off the back of the original ‘Hysteria’ world tour.
Now, if you recall when Bluray first came out, there was an assumption that those grainy videos from the 80s would get a great makeover and we’d see, warts and all, the performances we all expected. Sadly, what we got was “here’s the video you saw on VHS back in the day, we had a go at cleaning it up but this is the best you can expect.”
Thankfully, recent concerts are filmed with both the audio and the visual content firmly at the forefront of everyone’s mind and thankfully, this is the one area where a band like Def Leppard now deliver. If anyone has been to any of the recent tour dates that celebrated the release of the ‘Def Leppard’ album from 2015, then you’ll know what to expect. Gloss, perfection and energy. The three core components of any live Leppard experience. It also reminds us why they are in their rightful place, as the arena filling band that they deserve to be.
It would be remiss to not mention the band’s roots and would also explain some grumblings from fans as to why a British band is putting out a concert filmed in the US, the answer is simple. America bought into Def Leppard from the off and never let go. When the band were playing venues like Brixton Academy and the Hammersmith Apollo during the time of ‘Yeah!’ in the UK, America never lost faith and kept the band in arenas and it therefore seems only right that they get a release showing off the US concert experience.
The band do of course still fly the flag of their home country on stage. There are Union Flags painted on everything from drum kits, backdrops and even Joe Elliot’s scarf draped around the mic stand flies the red, white and blue.
The neon street and sign lighting of the stage set echos a real Vegas feel and again reminds us that the ‘show’ is central to anything Def Leppard do. It’s not over the top, it’s not garish, it’s pure showmanship and ensures that the five members get their time in the spotlight during the 90 minute set.
Whilst CDs are available of this performance, the whole ‘live album’ piece has been done and done well with ‘Mirrorball. Therefore, this needs to be seen, it needs to be watched in high definition on a 1080p TV set, plugged into a 5.1 audio system to get the full experience.
The new material, from the latest, critically acclaimed album also slots into the set well and will hopefully remain in those lists in years to come. Given so many have suggested that the album was their best since Hysteria (personally I think that doesn’t give credit to Adrenalize or Euphoria but that’s me..) then it is only right the songs are there.
Opening with ‘Let’s Go’ immediately followed by the song that caught the world’s attention in 1987 ‘Animal’ , the backdrop and the screens all work in time with the band and give a sense of the amount of work that must go into these big arena productions. No longer is it just a case of 5 gives in a room with instruments and amps. This is “the show”.
As you’ll see from the listing, there’s plenty to appease fans of all eras with ‘Let It Go’, ‘ Foolin’’, ‘Love Bites’, ‘Armaggeddon It’, ‘Bringin’ On The Heartbreak’, ? ‘Switch 625’, garnering solid responses from the crowd. There’s a touching tribute to Bowie as the band perform a ‘Hysteria / Heroes’ medley and knowing Joe’s affection for that era, it feels like it’s come from the heart.
If you’ve seen a Leppard show in recent years then this will be a great reminder of the tour, if you haven’t seen them since ‘In The Round, In Your Face’ released way back in 1988 then check them out. This is a band that can still cut it.
As a bonus, the DVD and Blu-ray sets include the official music videos for ‘Let’s Go’, ‘Dangerous’, and ‘Man Enough’ and the lyric video for ‘Let’s Go’.
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