Def Leppard Sheffield Utilita Arena
There are some bands whose arrival on stage feels like the start of a concert, and then there are bands whose arrival feels like the continuation of a lifetime of memories. For Def Leppard, almost five decades into their career, it is very much the latter.
The Sheffield rock legends brought their Live 2026 tour to their hometowmn, with Extreme warming up the sizeable crowd before Joe Elliott and company finally took to the stage. By the time the opening notes rang out, there was little doubt that the audience was ready to be transported back through one of the most successful catalogues in British rock history.
The choice of "Rejoice" as the opening number immediately gave the evening a slightly different feel. Rather than simply beginning with the most obvious hit, Def Leppard opted to make their entrance with something that felt fresh, before launching into the unmistakable opening riff of"Animal"
Guitarist Phill Collen struts along the stage shirtless as always,backed up by Vivian Campbell who firmly sits in Lep history now as second guitaristFrom that point onwards, the hits came thick and fast.
"Let's Get Rocked" had the crowd singing along almost immediately, while the inclusion of Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus"provided one of the night's more unexpected moments. It is a bold choice for a band with such an extensive back catalogue, but Def Leppard make it their own without losing the song's distinctive character.
Joe Elliott remains an engaging frontman, while the combination of Collen, Campbell and Savage provides the muscular foundation that allows the songs to sound every bit as powerful in an arena as they did on record. The production is big without becoming a distraction, keeping the focus firmly on the band and the music.
A strange choice to throw a ballad on so soon into the show but that's what Def Leppard did with High and Dry's classic "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" as the fourth song, one of their early career music videos to air on TV I recall and the first of three ballads in the show
And then came "Rocket" – a song that remains enormous in a live setting, Joe Elliot still managing the high notes with ease
One of the evening's highlights came with "Slang", which featured a guest appearance from Extreme's Nuno Bettencourt. The collaboration added another dimension to an already impressive performance, with the song developing into a suitably exuberant rock workout.
It is easy to forget just how many massive songs Def Leppard have accumulated over the years. Hearing them performed together makes the sheer scale of their catalogue apparent. These are songs that have been part of people's lives for decades, and the reaction from the Manchester crowd demonstrated that their appeal has lost none of its power.
Maybe it was the weather(a storm was playing out outside) or just Steve Clark having a little fun on high at a hometown gig,but power outages affected "Hysteria" promptiong the crowd to sing accapella!!
By now the arena was completely united. Thousands of voices joined Joe Elliott as one of the band's most recognisable songs brought the evening to a suitably celebratory conclusion.
A classic rock spectacular from a band that still knows exactly how to rock an arena.
Review John Mather ★★★★
