Def Leppard had made it big time with their third album ‘Pyromania’. The tour was huge. It traveled the world and saw millions of fans flock to their shows. They were on fire and the flame was growing hotter and hotter. There had been no shows released until the Deluxe Edition of Pyromania saw the light of day in 2009. That was the first time we had a taste of Live Leppard from 1983. Of course, this was only on CD. It wasn’t until the release of the giant box set ‘The Collection, Vol. 1’ in 2018 that we were able to get this on vinyl which is what we are reviewing here today.

The show was night two at the L.A. Forum on September 11, 1983 and thanks to MTV and Def Leppard’s high profile videos, the crowd was massive and the energy was high and electric. The band was in fine form and ready to rock. This show had been bootlegged heavily back in the day so now we get a freshly mixed and wonderfully sounding show. This would be the first live show Leppard had ever released that wasn’t a video. As a fan, we were thrilled to finally get an early show with Steve Clark on guitar. Now, since then we have a handful of live shows from that era and Leppard had released several newer shows, but this was the first one to see a CD release that we could pop in our car or home stereo and turn it up to 11.

Side One:

The opening track is none other then the opening song to ‘Pyromania’. With it’s air raid sirens blaring, we get “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” and it comes out swinging. The song starts off like the album, but when they kick in and get going, the tempo is quite faster than the studio track. Joe’s screaming vocals are a little rough around the edges, but it is certainly live and the energy is high and frantic. They keep the “rock” going with the ‘On Through the Night’ track “Rock Brigade”. The guitar riff rips through the night and the band tear through another rocker and the crowd is loving it.

Although it was Sunday night, they still cranked “High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)” and with “Another Hit And Run” they blasted through some ‘High ‘N’ Dry’ tracks. Being 1983, we are still lucky enough to get a lot of tracks from those first two albums which they have mostly abandoned in recent years. Joe’s banter between songs is short and as all we get is a “Good Evening Los Angeles” before the riffs come slamming in and the band screams out “Saturday Night” and Joe screams “High ‘N’ Dry”. They aren’t out here re-inventing the songs as they play them as they were if not heavier and maybe a little faster.

Side Two:

Then we get a couple of deep cuts with “Billy’s Got a Gun” which is the final track on ‘Pyromania’ and “Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)” from ‘High ‘N’ Dry’. “Billy” is one of those underrated songs that should’ve gotten more love so it is awesome to have it here and Leppard doesn’t disappoint as they slay on this one. Then the eerie guitar riff introduces “Mirror Mirror” and the mood goes dark as this song is a little creepy and I love it. One of my favorite tracks on that album. Two killer tracks in a row that weren’t even hits. Man, they need to play these more.

It is time for the hits and first up i “Foolin'”. Before they get in to the song, Steve Clark breaks out the acoustic guitar, picks the strings a little and then goes in to the opening for “Foolin'”. Joe comes in on vocals and his tone is spot on and he sounds great and then the band goes full on band mode and the song kicks in to gear and the show erupts in to pure on rock god mode. If that wasn’t good enough, the riff starts and you instantly recognize that it is time for “Photograph”, the song that helped take them to the stratosphere and I feel started it all for them thanks to MTV and music videos as this video played constantly. This is also one of my favorite songs of all time from the band so it doesn’t get much better than this.

Side Three:

The hits continue but first you have to translate the opening line “Gunter Glieben Glauten Globen” as the band tears in to “Rock of Ages”. Joe’s speeds through the lyrics like he has somewhere else to be as the tempo is ridiculously fast. But still the song is killer as they sets L.A. on fire with this one. The crowd gets really in to this one and Joe has them dancing around and screaming like little puppets and he is the puppet master. The song ends with a frenzy of guitar riffs and bass riffs and then bam…it’s done.

Then we get the first and only ballad of the show with “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak”. The guitars kick in and you know what is coming. It is masterfully done and when it is over, they immediately go in to “Switch 625” which is how it should always be. You can’t have one without the other in my book. “Switch” always makes me think of Steve Clark so to have a show where he is playing it live, that is magic to me. But before you get to Steve, Rick’s bass is thumping hard and heavy. I can only sit back and take it all in as they destroy this one (in a good way).

Before we get in to “Let It Go”, Mr. Phil Collen gets a brief, shredfest of a guitar solo. It is short and sweet and sets up perfectly in to “Let It Go”. The guitar heavy, rifftastic song rocks out and although Joe is starting to sound a little tired, he still holds his own. Rick Allens bangs at the drums along with the guitars riffing and the song ends with a bang. The energy is still up and the final songs are now upon us.

Side Four:

A song that definitely does get played enough is up next, but before we get to it, there needs to be more shredding and we get that in spades. Then there are some guitar notes and drum beast. The back and forth goes for a few minutes and then the recognizable riff to “Wasted” is sprung upon us as Joe tells L.A. to get “wasted”. The band shines on and let’s the crowd know the party is ready to end. But it is ready to end as that was the last song before the encore.

The encore kicks off with “Stagefright” which I always love as a show opener and not one for the end of the show, but who really cares as it is still incredible no matter where they place it in the setlist. The song is bombastic, exciting and kicks some major ass and it does here live as well. To end the show the do a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs with “Travelin’ Band”. But to make the night even more special then it already was, they bring it out a friend. Out comes Brian May from Queen and he adds his guitar mastery to the song and the show ends as spectacularly as it began.

And that is how you do a show. This is one of the best shows they have released and I hate we had to wait so long for it. Early Leppard is my favorite Leppard so any shows from that era are gold to me. From opening song to final bow, this show is rocking out and it shows why they were so popular. They were on fire, tight and had the songs. That is the key…they had the songs. My Overall Score is 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars. This is a must. Now, let’s go to a show about a month earlier and see if it as good considering it is a bootleg.

NEXT UP: DEF LEPPARD – ‘SEATTLE, AUGUST 3, 1983′ – BOOTLEG CD

THE DEF LEPPARD COLLECTION SERIES

1. Def Leppard E.P. – 7″ Single (1979)
2. First Strikes 1978-1979 (Bootleg CD)
3. Girl – Sheer Greed (1980)
4. On Through the Night (1980)
5. When the Walls Came Tumbling Down (April 26 1980) (2020)
6. High & Dry (1981)
7. Too Many Jitterbugs – B-Sides And Rarities (2020)
8. Raw – Early BBC Recordings (2020)
9. Girl – Wasted Youth (1982)
10. Pyromania (1983)
11. “Photograph” 7″ Single (1983)
12. “Too Late For Love” 12″ Single (1983)
13. Live at the L.A. Forum 1983 (2018)
14. Seattle, August 3, 1983 (Bootleg CD)
15. Pyromania TV Collection (Bootleg DVD)
16. Hysteria (1987)
17. “Animal” 7″ Single (1987)
18. “Women” 7″ Single (1987)
19. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” 7″ Single (1987)
20. “Hysteria” 7″ Single (1987)
21. “Armageddon It” 7″ Single (1988)
22. “Love Bites” 7″ Single (1988)
23. “Rocket” 7″ Single (1989)
24. Animal Instinct – The Def Leppard Story – Book Review (1987)
25. Rarities – Volume One (2018)
26. Live in Mountain View – August 17, 1988 (Bootleg DVD)
27. Historia – DVD (1988)
28. Live: In the Round, In Your Face (CD Video / DVD) (1989)
29. Adrenalize (1992)
30. “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” – Cassette Single (1992)
31. “Tonight” CD Single (1993)
32. Live Shefield 1992 (Bootleg DVD)
33. Retro Active (1993)
34. Visualize DVD (1993)
35. Hard Rock Café – Singapore, Malaysia October 26, 1995 (Bootleg DVD)
36. Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) (1995)
37. “When Love & Hate Collide” – CD Promo Single (1995)
38. Video Archive (1995)
39. Slang (1996)
40. Montreal: The Classic 1996 Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
41. Live Bites: FM Broadcast (Bootleg CD)
42. Live in Argentina 1997 (Bootleg DVD)
43. Euphoria (1999)
44. Rarities – Volume Two (2019)
45. Rarities – Volume Three (2019)
46. Tokyo 1999 (Bootleg CD)
47. Cybernauts – Live (2000)
48. X (2002)
49. Hysteria: Classic Albums DVD (2002)
50. Best of Def Leppard (2004)
51. Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection (2005)
52. Yeah! (2006)
53. Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
54. Man Raze – Surreal (2008)
55. B-Sides (2021)
56. Yeah! II (2021)
57. Yeah! Live (2021)
58. CMT Crossraods – Taylor Swift & Def Leppard (2009)
59. Down ‘N’ Outz -My ReGeneration (2010)
60. Man Raze – PunkFunkRootsRock (2011)
61. Down ‘N’ Outz -The Further Adventures of… (2014)
62. Def Leppard (2015)
63. The Lost Session (2018)
64. Personal Jesus 7″ Single (2018)
65. Down ‘N’ Outz -This is How We Roll (2019)
66. Hits Vegas: Live at Planet Hollywood – Vinyl (2020)
67. Hysteria: Live – Vinyl (2020)
68. Def Leppard Acoustic Vegas – 10″ Vinyl (2020)
69. Down ‘N’ Outz – The Music Box E.P. (2020)
70. Diamond Star Halos (2022)
71. High & Dry – Picture Disc (RSD) (2022)
72. Drastic Symphonies (2023)
73. Drastic Symphonies – Picture Disc (2023)
74. Definitely: The Official Story of Def Leppard (2023)

PREVIOUSLY POSTED:

1. The Def Leppard E.P. (1979/2017)
2. Def Leppard: Interview Picture Disc (1982?)
3. “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” – 12″ Promo Single (1984)
4. Live at the Top (Bootleg) (1987)
5. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” –  5″ Shaped Picture Disc (1987)
6. Hysteria U.S. Tour 1988 – Tour Book (1988)
7. “Make Love Like a Man” – 12″ Single (1992)
8. “Let’s Get Rocked” – 12″ Single (1992)
9. Adrenalize: The 7 Day Weekend Tour (1992/1993)
10. X: World Tour (2003)
11. Mirrorball – Live & More (2011)
12. Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History – Book Review (2011)
13. Viva! Hysteria (2013)
14. And There Will Be A Next Time…Live from Detroit (2017)
15. Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Box Set (2017)
16. The Story So Far – The Best of (2018)
17. The Collection, Volume 1 (2018)
18. Hysteria: The Singles Box Set (2018)
19. Live at Abbey Road Studios (2018)
20. Def Leppard: Concert Review – Charlotte, NC June 9th 2018 (2018)
21. The Story So Far – The Best of Volume 2 (2019)
22. The Collection, Volume 2 (2019)
23. London to Vegas (2020)
24. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 29 March 2019 (2020)
25. The Early Years ’79-’81 (2020)
26. The Collection, Volume 3 (2021)
27. Def Leppard Funko Pop!