Released by: Mercury Records/UMG
Genre: Hard Rock
Links: https://mercury-studios.lnk.to/
Line Up:
Joe Elliott (vocals)
Phil Collen (guitar)
Rick Savage (bass)
Vivian Campbell (guitar)
Rick Allen (drums)
Track Listing
Side A:
1. Action
2. Fire It Up
3. Let It Go
Side B:
1. Too Late For Love
2. Excitable
3. Mirror Mirror
Side C:
1. Slang
2. Kick
3. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
4. Switch 625
Side D:
1. Hysteria
2. Pour Some Sugar On Me
3. Wasted
2023 was a remarkable year for the lads from Sheffield. Fresh from a US tour with Motley Crue, the pairing brought their stadium show to the UK and the rest of Europe. In celebration, Def Leppard returned to the city where it all began. On the eve of the band’s largest UK/European run ever and basking in the brilliance of the ‘Drastic Symphonies’ album, the show at the Leadmill in Sheffield was the smallest venue the band had played in the UK or Europe in over 35 years.
The significance wasn’t lost on Joe on the night, who proudly stated that this was where they would have been desperate to play as a young rock band starting out in the 1970s.
This 13-track release captures the night as well as it can. The 800 or so (including me) that were there on the night will remember a truly epic event, packed to the walls with fans singing along to every word of every song. If you didn’t attend, then this is as close as you’ll get, and the quality of the songs on offer reflects the fact that Leppard seem to go from strength to strength at the moment. Since the band performed ‘Hysteria’ in full back in 2018, we’ve had multiple new albums, well-supported tours, and more. This show is and was the icing on the cake for fans and proves just how good the band can sound when faced with the constraints of a back-to-back club venue.
New material ‘Kick’ and ‘Fire It Up’ slots in well with the classics, and (for me) to hear ‘Too Late For Love’ in such an intimate venue with the crowd acting as the band’s own backing choir, well, there were tears.
They close with ‘Wasted’ from the band’s debut. A great song, but ‘Ride Into The Sun’ from their debut e.p. would still hit a home run given the chance. Maybe next time!
After the initial success of this at Record Store Day, there’s now going to be a CD, DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, 2 LP, Digital Audio, and Digital Video. Trust me, it’s worth grabbing if you’re a fan and want to see what the fuss was about.
Score 9/10
Reviewed by: Adrian Hextall
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