Courtesy: Eagle Rock Entertainment
The live music industry has been decimated so far this year due to the health concerns raised around the world by the COVID-19 outbreak. Festival shows have either been delayed or rescheduled until next year. Tours around the world have been delayed with the hopes that what was going to take place in spring and summer would finally be able to happen by fall at the latest. Articles from some well-known music magazines have quoted a bunch of so-called medical experts who have claimed without evidence that live concerts could be held off until next year. It should be stressed here that the word “could” is not equal to the word “will.” That means the statements of the so-called experts should be taken with a grain of salt. One can only hope that live music will return much sooner than next year, proving the so-called experts who were polled – polls are more often than not used to push specific agendas of media and political personnel – wrong. In the meantime, Eagle Rock Entertainment has another new live archived show for audiences to enjoy in the form of London To Vegas. Scheduled for release May 29, the double live recording is a presentation that will appeal equally to Def Leppard’s most devoted fans and to classic rock fans. That is due primarily to the noted fact that it is a double live show. This will be discussed shortly. The bonus content featured with the recording adds slightly to the presentation’s appeal, and will be discussed a little later. The band’s performance in each recording couples with the shows’ production and mixing to make for the last (but most certainly not least) of the package’s most important elements. Each noted item is key in its own way to the whole of London to Vegas. All things considered, they make London To Vegas a presentation that the band’s fans and classic rock buffs around the world will enjoy from beginning to end of each concert.
Def Leppard’s forthcoming live recording London to Vegas is among the best of this year’s new live recordings overall. It is a presentation whose appeal is certain to be wide. That is due in part to the general presentation. Presented here is not one, but two separate concerts from one of the most respected bands in the modern history of rock and roll. The first of the featured concerts was recorded in December 2018 at London’s famed O2 Arena. The performance features the band performing its landmark 1987 album Hysteria in its entirety for audiences. The record has gone platinum 10 times since its release more than 30 years ago. The performance is just part of what makes this concert pivotal. The other reason it is such an important performance will be addressed in the discussion about the package’s bonus content. The second show was recorded in June 2019 during Def Leppard’s residency at Zappo’s Theatre in Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, NV. While performing albums in whole has become increasingly commonplace for musical acts from across the musical universe, it still is not so commonplace that it is something that can be written off as cliché for any kind of act. What’s more, it is widely known and accepted that no two acts perform their songs the same way live as they do in a studio setting, and audiences definitely get an enjoyable performance of Hyseria from Def Leppard in its O2 show. The band performs more than just Hysteria here, too. There are some other classic numbers that make up a handful of encores performed by the band after it finishes making its way through the album. Those encores will be left for audiences to discover for themselves.
The Las Vegas residency show doesn’t stick to just one album, enhancing the overall experience for audiences that much more. While Hysteria does get a lot of nods over the course of the 28-song set, which runs almost three hours, the band does lift from some of its other albums. The band goes as far back as 1981 and is sophomore album High ‘N’ Dry in its set and as recent as its self-titled 2015 record, its most recently released album. Along the way, the band treats audiences to songs from its equally popular 1983 album Pyromania, its 2002 album X, its 1992 album Adrenalize and even its 1993 rarities & b-sides compilation Retro Active. Slang (1996) and Euphoria (1999) are even represented in this expansive set list. The only albums not represented in the concert are the band’s 1980 debut On Through The Night, its 2006 record Yeah! and its follow-up, 2008’s Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. Sure, those albums are missing from the concert’s set list, but even with that in mind, audiences still get a relatively comprehensive set list from this archived show. Adding to the interest is that some of the songs performed at the Vegas show are works that the band had never performed live until that point, according to front man Joe Elliot. He makes the revelation in front of the audience of hundreds if not more. Between this concert’s extensive and rich set list and that of the band’s O2 show, audiences get here what is one of the strongest showings of Def Leppard’s catalog of all time and what is one of the band’s best live recordings to date if only for that reason. The total run time of the two shows surpasses the five hour mark, which is even better for anyone who is looking to pass the hours cooped up indoors until all those unnecessary lockdowns are lifted across the country, and for anyone who just wants to enjoy a good live show (or two) any time of the year.
It goes without saying that the primary content featured in Def Leppard’s forthcoming new live recording London To Vegas goes a very long way toward keeping audiences engaged and entertained from beginning to end in each concert. As much as the concert recordings do for this package’s presentation, they are but one part of what makes the presentation in whole so engaging and entertaining. The bonus content that comes with the recording adds to that appeal. The bonus content that accompanies the band’s London show features the revelation from the band members that up until that concert, the band had never previously performed at the O2 Arena. The band members also discuss in the bonus content how the O2 concert came to be. Not to give away too much, but it has to do with the band’s Las Vegas residency. Audiences will be left to learn the rest of that story for themselves when they purchase this presentation on any of its many available platforms. Along with that, there is also a tribute of sorts from the band members to famed producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange for his role in the creation of Hysteria. The band members credit his work behind the boards for much of the album’s success. For those unfamiliar with Lange’s work, he also has worked with the likes of AC/DC, Lady Gaga and Maroon 5. His work with AC/DC is most well-known on the band’s breakout 1981 album Back in Black, which is one of the best selling albums of all time to this day. His work with Maroon 5 came in 2010 on the band’s album Hands All Over. Lady Gaga enlisted him to produce her mega-hit single ‘Born This Way’ in 2011. Along the way, audiences also get to watch Def Leppard “Behind-The Scenes” as the band prepares for its O2 Arena show with brief snippets of the band checking out the arena and handling soundcheck. That “behind-the-scenes” footage makes up all of the bonus content for the Las Vegas residency. Audiences get to see the band prep for its residency, experiencing the band members talk about how its live shows will come together, noting where band members will stand, how different acoustic settings work, etc. There is not much to it, but it is still at least slightly entertaining. Between the two bonus segments, audiences get almost half an hour of extra content to accompany the primary content. That extra content is factored into the presentation’s total run time, which again, comes to more than five hours, all things considered. Considering the actual content featured in the bonus footage, some of it is better than other, but overall, it still does add some engagement and entertainment to the mix. Coupled with the presentation’s primary content, the two elements give audiences quite a bit to appreciate, whether they are Def Leppard devotees, classic rock buffs or just rock and roll fans in general. Keeping all of this in mind, the content featured in this recording is of the utmost importance to its presentation. Of course, the content is only a portion of what will keep audiences engaged and entertained. The recording’s general aesthetics are also worth noting for their roles in the package’s presentation.
The collective mixing and production of these two shows joins with the band’s performance in each show to make this presentation even stronger. The sound is expertly balanced in each concert from start to end. No one performer overpowers his band mates at any point in either concert, showing that those behind the boards took into full account, the acoustics of each venue. The camera angles give home viewers so many views that audiences who attended the concerts in person would not have had, enhancing the experience overall that much more for audiences. The transitions from camera to camera are smooth, making for even more enjoyment. The band’s performance plays alongside the production and mixing, adding its own share of enjoyment, too. The band wastes little time stopping and slowing things down with lots of audience interaction. Rather, the band lets its balanced energy from one song to the next do all of the talking for each member. That focus from the band also allowed those behind the boards less challenges in terms of adjusting sound levels, and in turn less work for those who handled the concerts’ post production. Honestly, those straight forward, energy-filled performances, coupled with the enjoyable aesthetics show that it is very possible to have an enjoyable show without a lot of unnecessary elements, such as pyro, fog machines, etc. It shows that it is possible for a band to entertain audiences just by performing, and that is a very good thing. When this is taken into consideration with the recording’s primary and secondary content (the performances and their bonus material), the whole of this expansive almost career-defining double concert set proves itself a must have for so many audiences, and without question, one of this year’s top new live recordings overall.
Def Leppard’s forthcoming new double live recording London to Vegas is an impressive new presentation from the veteran rock band. Whether one is a Def Leppard devotee, a rock and roll fan in general, or a classic rock fan, this collection of live material is certain to entertain almost anyone who watches these performances. That is, as noted, due in large part to the expansive list of songs featured collectively throughout the two performances. The bonus content that accompanies the concerts enhances the experience a little more for audiences. The aesthetics of the concerts – the mixing, production and band performances – rounds out the most important of the recording’s presentation. Between these elements, the wide variety of platforms on which the recording is available and their average price point, this presentation goes a long way toward proving its value to audiences. It will be available April 24. Pre-orders are open now. It goes without saying that considering all of this, London to Vegas proves itself a presentation that audiences from London to Vegas to points around the globe will enjoy. More information on London to Vegas is available online now along with all of Def Leppard’s latest news and more at:
Website: http://www.DefLeppard.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/defleppard
Twitter: http://twitter.com/defleppard
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