# Def Leppard in concert **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2018, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006 "2018-01-19T23:57:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/21 "2018-01-23T08:43:04Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Yes, and it was huge news when it happned a couple decades ago. It remains, IMO, one of the most touching and positive stories about facing adversity _as a band_ that I’ll likely ever hear. And the tour after the accident was amazing. In-the-round with a huge reverse kabuki reveal. IIRC it was like a 8000 pound weight that free-fell to suck the curtain up into the rafters; it had to be that heavy to make it happen in the 4 nanoseconds\* that they wanted. But the band kicked ass that night, too; I remember that well. A very satisfying concert, plus I got paid and got a pass and/or a t-shirt. Prolly still have the pass in a scrapbook somewhere. \*approximate ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/22 "2018-01-23T10:57:05Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > It remains, IMO, one of the most touching and positive stories about facing adversity _as a band_ that I’ll likely ever hear. > > And the tour after the accident was amazing. In-the-round with a huge reverse kabuki reveal. IIRC it was like a 8000 pound weight that free-fell to suck the curtain up into the rafters; it had to be that heavy to make it happen in the 4 nanoseconds\* that they wanted. > > But the band kicked ass that night, too; I remember that well. A very satisfying concert, plus I got paid and got a pass and/or a t-shirt. Prolly still have the pass in a scrapbook somewhere. > > \*approximate Very cool. Thanks for sharing. Yes, their Behind the Music (if that’s what I am recalling) was one of the amazing ones. And Rick Allen’s story was central to it - and how the band supported him. For all of the tragedy they’ve faced, they hung together as a band. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/23 "2018-01-24T01:41:22Z")
I’ve seen Def Leppard at least 9-10 times since 1988. We’ll be buying tickets for this next tour next week. Joe Elliot finishes the show every time with the following line: “Don’t forget us, and we won’t forget you!” Yeah, I’m a fan! ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2018, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/24 "2018-01-24T17:06:10Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I’m not a big Def Leppard fan but I went to their show in London, ON a few years ago when Billy Idol opened and I thought they were fantastic. I later took my husband to their show in Hamilton when Lita Ford and Poison opened and they were fantastic then too. This was in the recent past so I assume they’d still be great in concert. I’d go again. Seconded. Saw them with Heart two or three years ago. Wasn’t a huge fan of them, but was familiar with their catalog. The show was outstanding! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/25 "2018-01-28T11:59:07Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > That’s pretty cool, I do like that sound. Did you ever post any of your playing here? It would be interesting to hear. 🙂 Follow up Note: I finally got around to posting some clips I had recorded as guide tracks for my drummer. You can see them in the Great Ongoing Guitar Thread here: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20752324#post20752324](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20752324#post20752324) Lots of heavy-gauge string goodness going on. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/26 "2018-01-28T13:50:38Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Having seen both bands live several times in the past few years, I can personally testify that they’ve still got it. > > And IMO, Arnel Pineda is a far better vocalist than Steve Perry. For comparison’s sake, here’s [the group’s studio re-recording of “Don’t Stop Believing” with Arnel on lead.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOEKsQVvqfM) He sounds technically more polished, but I miss Perry’s grittier sound in that song. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/27 "2018-07-14T18:56:59Z")
A quick bump since the concert is tonight! I’m quite excited. I’m debating if I should google the setlist, has anyone seen them yet on this current tour? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/28 "2018-07-14T19:10:38Z")
I can hear the soundcheck from my apartment, so I know that Bringing on the Heartbreak will be included. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/29 "2018-07-14T19:20:30Z")
Missed this thread the first time around… We saw them a couple years ago with Styx and Tesla. What a fantastic concert! Have fun tonight! ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/30 "2018-07-15T14:33:04Z")
My wife and I are seeing them in Houston on Sept 1. We’re very much looking forward to it. We hope Journey goes first. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/31 "2018-07-15T16:39:52Z")
Wow, just wow! I wish I’d spent more for better seats, but absolutely loved both Journey and Def Leppard. Highly recommended. > **[Def Leppard Setlist at Wrigley Field, Chicago](https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/def-leppard/2018/wrigley-field-chicago-il-4beba7aa.html)** > > Get the Def Leppard Setlist of the concert at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL, USA on July 14, 2018 from the North American Tour 2018 Tour and other Def Leppard Setlists for free on setlist.fm! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/32 "2018-07-15T17:02:11Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Wow, just wow! I wish I’d spent more for better seats, but absolutely loved both Journey and Def Leppard. Highly recommended. > > [Def Leppard Concert Setlist at Wrigley Field, Chicago on July 14, 2018 | setlist.fm](https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/def-leppard/2018/wrigley-field-chicago-il-4beba7aa.html) I’ve actually been waiting to see a new post from you so I could read your concert review; hopefully you have some more time later and can tell us some more about the show, what you thought about the bands, any moments that stood out as possibly mostly spontaneous, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/33 "2018-07-15T19:20:01Z")
Here’s what I like to know about a show: What was the best song? What was the last song? How long did they play? Was there anything that happened that seemed genuinely unscripted? Was there any part of the show that they just flubbed or was awkward for some reason? Did they look like they were genuinely having a good time performing? Did the audience have a good time? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/34 "2018-07-16T18:45:05Z")
Here’s Journey’s setlist. [Journey Concert Setlist at Wrigley Field, Chicago on July 14, 2018 | setlist.fm](https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/journey/2018/wrigley-field-chicago-il-53eba7a9.html) I’m not extremely familiar with Journey, although of course they were all over rock and pop radio in the 1980s. When Glee made Don’t Stop Believing popular again, it kinda annoyed me especially since everyone loves to sing it at Karaoke. But, they did a quite decent job, playing mostly song anyone who listened to rock radio in the 1980s would know. Wheel in the Sky was certainly their best song, and I was glad to hear it. That song isn’t played often on classic rock station. I had a nice laugh looking out at the crowd during Faithfully, seeing everyone hold up a mobile phone. In the 1980s, it would have been cigarette lighters. Def Leppard was the reason I came and they didn’t disappoint.I posted an old picture of me on Facebook showing me as a high schooler wearing my beloved Union Jack tank top. The crowd was a mix, but I’d say mainly 40 years old and up. You can smoke marijuana openly, but I only detected it a couple of times in my walk to and from Wrigley. There were plenty of people like me that had a couple of beers, but I certainly didn’t see anyone drunk off their ass. And, at $12 a beer, I figure you’d be bankrupt before you’re puking. Bringing on the Heartbreak is my favorite Def Leppard song and it was also the highlight of the show. I felt like a teen driving around with the song cranked up on the radio as they led up to the chorus: …Oh I’m sorry but it’s true You’re bringin’ on the heartbreak Takin’ all the best of me Oh can’t you see You got the best of me Whoa can’t you see You’re bringin’ on the heartbreak Bringin’ on the heartache You’re bringin’ on the heartbreak Bringin’ on the heartache Can’t you see… I didn’t care for Rock On. It seems that song has had multiple lives, but I’ve always thought it was a pretty mediocre 70s song. They certainly mentioned, “Chicago!” often enough during the in between song banter. My main regret is that I didn’t know they had performed up in Detroit with the Pretenders as well. That certainly would have been worth heading up to Detroit. I assume the Pretenders were dropped from Wrigley because of the strict rules regarding concerts at Wrigley since it is in a residential area. The Detroit show wasn’t in a residential area and I assume it was a much longer show. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/35 "2018-07-16T18:51:37Z")
Glee didn’t make it popular again; they recognized its popularity and used it. Its been popular in bars for years. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/36 "2018-07-16T18:56:27Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Glee didn’t make it popular again; they recognized its popularity and used it. Its been popular in bars for years. Exactly, I was scratching my head at that, too, especially as the OP is from the Chicago area where Don’t Stop Believing was extra huge, given the White Sox 2005 season and World Series title, where it was used as basically a theme song for the year and ever since. Also, famously used in the Sopranos final episode about two years before Glee, anyway. It had experienced a resurge in popularity at least from the early-to-mid 2000s. Heck, I didn’t even know there was a Glee recording of it. As for the Pretenders, I see now that it wasn’t a fever-induced hallucination that they were on this tour (though not this particular show.) I guess it’s just all 80s nostalgia, but they seemed to really stick out on that bill. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/37 "2018-07-16T19:01:53Z")
Now that’s a fair proper concert review, **dalej**! Good on ya! And glad you had a good time! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/38 "2018-07-16T19:02:06Z")
ETA: wait, I see a Chicago set list for the Pretenders show online. So did or didn’t they play? ETA: Yeah, it looks like they were there. I see a few posts on Facebook from my friends who saw them. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/39 "2018-07-17T18:33:20Z")
Ugh! I saw that the gates opened at 545, but figured no one would be taking the stage until about 7, so I spent that time with my friend and that was far enough away from Wrigley that I wouldn’t have been able to hear the Pretenders and know to get my butt to Wrigley. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006/40 "2018-07-17T19:28:49Z")
The Pretenders must have been a limited time add-on as they aren’t on the bill for Sioux Falls tomorrow night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/def-leppard-in-concert/807006.md?page=3)