ShareDef Leppard performing their Hysteria 2018 Tour at The Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Saturday 8th December 2018
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
Last night at the Motorpoint Arena nearly 9,000 Def Leppard fans were treated to a gig that was filled with equal parts of nostalgia, spectacle and master craftsmanship.
Showcasing their thirty one year old album Hysteria, which sold over 25 million copies, this Sheffield band celebrated this seminal hit loaded album by playing it in chronological order.
When the countdown clock lifted to reveal shirtless guitarist Phil Collen centre stage, the intro to Women was hardly heard above the screaming crowd. Rocket had them enthusiastically singing along while a state of the art video wall blasted images of satellites and lift offs.
With little in between chat and the music doing all of the talking, front man Joe Elliott led the band through a goose bump moment with Love Bites and the saucy Pour Some Sugar On Me. With no let up in this rapidly moving set, there were the likes of Gods Of War and Run Riot with their backing videos of war and punks.
There was also a touching video tribute to the late Stephen Maynard Clark who Vivian Campbell replaced 26 years ago and when Campbell was introduced as the ‘new boy’ he was allowed to come to the fore to share the spotlight with Collen for several blistering solos.
Up on his riser at the back, drummer Rick Allen who famously lost his left arm in a car accident, hammered out patterns on his specially adapted kit that would leave most dual limbed drummers flailing
Finishing with Love And Affection, the band drew the Hysteria section to a close. For the encore there was a crowd rendition of Happy Birthday for Collen who was celebrating his 61st birthday, before the band steamed straight in with classic Let It Go. The mobile phone lights were out for When Love And Hate Collides whilst Let’s Get Rocked preceded one of their biggest hits, Rock Of Ages before the band said goodbye to Nottingham with fans favourite Photograph.
Def Leppard were right to resurrect their Hysteria album, because it is a little bit metal, little bit glam, little bit risqué but all authentic, just like the band themselves.