Def Leppard came to town (well, Bristow, VA.) Friday night, on tour promoting the 20th anniversary of the release of their most famous album, Hysteria. Unlike last year, when they were promoting their cover album, Yeah!, longtime fans got to hear what they’ve been listening to for years.
Naturally, DL played several Hysteria songs: Animal, Rocket (not the extended version like they did last year), Hysteria, Excitable (not one of their big hits), and of course Love Bites and Pour Some Sugar on Me. Fans were treated to acoustic versions of Two Steps Behind and then Bringin’ on the Heartbreak, which predictably went from acoustic to loud and electric half-way through. Following Heartbreak came the instrumental Switch 625, just as it does on the album High N’ Dry. They did play one song from Yeah! – David Essex’s Rock On, which is perhaps the best song off of that album. Also from High N’ Dry: Let It Go, Another Hit and Run, and Mirror, Mirror (Look into My Eyes), a song they haven’t played on tour since Vivian Campbell joined the band in the early 90s. From Pyromania, Foolin’, Photograph, and they ended the show with Rock of Ages.
I was scratching my head, wondering how they didn’t fit Let’s Get Rocked into the set, and was certain they would do it as a second encore. Overall, a pretty good show. Joe Elliot is certainly aging but still on top of his game, and he says the band is coming out with a new album and will tour again. So long as they play the old stuff, I’ll be there.
Earlier in the evening, Styx opened the show. While they put on an entertaining set, I have the feeling that most of the fans there were only rockin’ to Come Sail Away and Renegade. Then Foreigner took the stage, and I thought: They sing that? Hot Blooded, Juke Box Hero, Cold as Ice, Double Vision. Good stuff there… mostly songs that I know but had no idea that they sang. Now I’m off to buy their greatest hits.