Past Concert Experiences - Def Leppard, 1992

I’ll be seeing Def Leppard perform in a little over a week and will be reviewing that show right here of course. So I thought what a great time to reflect upon my first Def Leppard concert back in 1992. I have written about this show briefly before, but here’s a more thorough review, as well as my memory serves me.

I grew up with Def Leppard since the Pyromania days and I was pumped to have the chance to see my teenage idols perform live. They were towards the end of the tour supporting the Adrenalize album, and a huge crowd gathered for this outdoor concert. They were the headliners that evening for a show that also included April Wine, Ugly Kid Joe and Meat Loaf.

I was not overly interested in any of the other performers, but watched them all. Briefly, my thoughts on the supporting acts were as follows. April Wine did not put off a good performance and the sound left much to be desired. Ugly Kid Joe had a few moments and were mildly entertaining. I did have their America’s Least Wanted album, and thought it was ‘OK’ at best. ‘OK’ best described their set that night too. Next up was Meat Loaf. I am not, and never was, a fan of Meat Loaf’s music. However, for the 60 plus minutes he performed that evening, he was very entertaining. He displayed great stage presence, got the audience into it and sounded spot on. This was an outdoor concert, and during Meat Loaf’s set I politely edged my way forward. By the time the crew were setting up for Def Leppard there was nothing in front of me but the stage.

It was just dark by the time Def Leppard hit the stage, which served well for the laser lights that danced through the air during the show. The band walked out and the first two notes of Rock Rock ‘Til You Drop (from Pyromania) were struck. A strobe light flashed in the darkness as Joe Elliot literally jumped up and down over and over again while the song’s intro was played. Once the stage was fully lit Joe grabbed the mic while wearing a plain white t-shit with the word ‘Slut’ right across it’s front.

Watching this concert was very similar to watching their ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ and ‘Armageddon It’ concert videos. They looked and often acted the same. But if they were just going through the motions that night, you certainly couldn’t tell. The band had plenty of energy and fantastic stage presence. Base player Rick Savage seemed to do the most to connect with those of us in front, as he spent most of his time in between songs passing out high fives to us all. Joe did speak to the crowd on a few occasions throughout the show, but for the most it was one song after another.

The setlist that night was as follows. They opened with Rock Rock Til You Drop, Women was second, and Another Hit and Run (from High and Dry) was third. From here I can’t recall the exact order but they performed Rocket, Animal, Pour Some Sugar On Me, Armageddon It, Hysteria, Foolin’, Two Steps Behind, Make Love Like a Man, and Bringin’ on the Heartbreak. They closed the set with Do You Wanna Get Rocked? After a brief intermission they played two numbers for the encore, first Love Bites and then ended the night with Rock of Ages. The band sounded great as they performed all of these songs. One criticism the band has met over the years is that Joe Elliot’s vocals can be shaky at times. Not the case for this show, as good a singer as Joe can be, he was this evening. There was a lengthy ovation after the final number of the night.

I can’t say much negative about this concert. It would have been nice if they played a little longer, but it was an outdoor concert in the middle of a city and didn’t start until dark. Also, they didn’t play one of their signature songs from Pyromania, Photograph. Apparently, that song has found its way back into their set list. So how will Def Leppard 1992 compare to Def Leppard 2008? Stayed tuned, in less than two weeks I should have a full review of the new show posted.