On October 16, Eagle Rock Entertainment will releasing standalone audio versions of “Hysteria At The O2” and “Hits Vegas: Live At Planet Hollywood” from British Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees DEF LEPPARD. Initially paired in an audiovisual boxed set this past May (“London To Vegas”), these will be available as limited edition 2CDs. Additionally, “Hits Vegas” will also be released as a limited edition transparent blue vinyl LP on December 11.
“Hysteria At The O2” was recorded in December 2018 at DEF LEPPARD‘s long-awaited debut at the famed O2 Arena in London. For this historic homecoming event, the band performed their groundbreaking diamond-certified 10-times-platinum album “Hysteria” in its entirety. Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick Savage (bass), Rick Allen (drums) and Vivian Campbell (guitar) set the crowd alight with fan favorites “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, “Rocket”, “Love Bites” and “Animal”, as well as additional hits like “Photograph” and “Let’s Get Rocked”.
“Hits Vegas: Live At Planet Hollywood” took place six months later, just after DEF LEPPARD was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Captured during their residency at Planet Hollywood’s Zappos Theatre, this 28-song set showcases the band delivering high octane performances of their greatest hits and rarities. Highlighting the breadth of their stage prowess, “Hits Vegas” features the band not only on a two-stage set with huge video displays, but transporting the audience with intimate, acoustic versions of rare tracks, such as “Let Me Be The One” and “We Belong”.
In a recently uploaded video from SiriusXM‘s Hair Nation, Allen was asked to name the “most crucial event in the success” of DEF LEPPARD. He responded: “That’s a really good question. I think the thing that really makes us somewhat unique in terms of our relationship is not really the success, but I think some of the things that weren’t so pleasant, like losing [guitarist] Steve [Clark, who died in 1991 from alcohol poisoning] or when I went through my accident,” referring to the December 1984 car crash that caused him to lose an arm. “And it was one of those times when you’re sitting around in a room with each other and you look at one another and you’re, like, ‘Why are we doing this again?’ And everybody seemed to come up with, ‘We’re friends.’ And that’s why we wanna do this. But I think they were the times that really showed the character of the band and the individuals and just really finding out who your friends are, especially when things are really dark. So I think that’s one of the things. And then the other thing is the fact that we’re constantly writing new music. People say, ‘Oh, you’re making another record.’ No — there’s always new music; people are always coming up with new ideas, and I think that keeps it vibrant and it keeps it fresh. So I think that’s a very important thing in terms of just keeping the band in sort of a forward momentum.”
DEF LEPPARD was scheduled to hit the road this summer as part of “The Stadium Tour” with MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS but the trek was postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic which is sweeping the globe.
