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Def Leppard are a British Institution there's no denying it, and when they walked onto their specially designed Sparkle Lounge stage at Wembley Stadium in London to an explosive crowd, you knew that the band were slap bang in the middle of their element.
Recent comments in the media had suggested that Def Leppard were a band touring a greatest hits package with another outdated band in Whitesnake, but to the sold out Arena, nothing could be further from the truth. Naturally the band riffled through all of their big hits, 'Pour Some Sugar', 'Photograph', Armageddon It' and the like, but there was also a huge reaction to new tracks from 'Songs From The Sparkle Lounge' like the first single 'Nine Lives'. Of course the best thing about the new material, is that live, it stands shoulder to shoulder with their classic well known material. The band are obviously proud of it, the fans love it, and it doesn't sound like a band going through the motions.
That being the real point that is clear from this concert. Def Leppard are not a band going through the motions, touring for the money. They're out there because they want to be. The band hardly stand still the entire set, zipping all over the place like rabid wolverines, no one trying to dominate the spot light, each letting the band as a whole shine.
When the dust settles, and the final chords of 'Let's Get Rocked' ring out around the arena, and the band depart for the final time, pausing first for a photograph with the crowd behind them, you're left with the feeling that Def Leppard can still rock like hell, and all in all, this didn't even come across as the band at their best.
