Six months after originally releasing its latest live recording London to Vegas on various platforms, Def Leppard has re-issued the presentation. This time, the recording — originally released through Eagle Rock Entertainment – has been released exclusively on CD, with an exclusive vinyl pressing to follow in December. Why Def Leppard and Eagle Rock would go to this length after having already released the recording on separate 2BD/4CD, 2DVD/4CD, 2LP, picture disc, and digital platform is anyone’s guess. That aside, the separate sets do boast some positives, not the least of which is the presented set lists. This will be addressed shortly. The recordings’ packaging proves to be its own positive and will be discussed a little later. The recordings’ production rounds out their most important elements and will also be addressed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the recordings. All things considered, the new CD re-issues of Def Leppard’s London to Vegas recording are presentations that will appeal to the band’s most devoted fans.
Def Leppard and Eagle Rock Entertainment’s new CD-exclusive re-issues of the band’s shows from its London To Vegas recording are collectively a presentation that will appeal to the band’s most devoted fan base. That is proven in part through their set lists. The set lists in question are the exact same set lists hat were featured that were featured in the recording that was released in April. They are also featured in the exact same order as they were in the noted presentation. 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 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 record has gone platinum 10 times since its release more than 30 years ago. The second show was recorded in June 2019 during Def Leppard’s residency at Zappo’s Theatre in Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, NV.
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 some of Def Leppard’s best live material to date. The total run time of the two shows surpasses the five hour mark, which will help listeners pass the time with ease whether listening to the shows on a long road trip or going to and from work or any other scenario.
As much as the set lists in the CD re-issues of Def Leppard’s London to Vegas do to make this recording appealing, they are collectively just one part of what the noted Def Leppard devotees will appreciate. The packaging exclusively on CD allows listeners to take the concerts with them in the vehicles rather than being tied to a record player or even a smart phone or television monitor. To another extent, CD cases are smaller than those for DVDs and Blu-rays, so instead of taking an entire DVD or Blu-ray case in the car, audiences will just have the smaller CD case. Not that DVD and Blu-ray cases are bulky by any means, but finding space in one’s car for a double CD case versus a DVD/BD/CD package is one less stress for listeners. What’s more, being concerned about keeping a couple of CDs safe from damage versus being concerned about keeping DVDs/BDs and CDs safe while taking them along on a trip, is less concerning. That ease of transport and packaging in the recordings’ platform availability shows clearly to be its own positive here. It is just one more of the most notable aspects of the re-issues. The production of the recordings rounds out their most important elements.
On a related note, the fact that the concerts are held on separate sets, audiences can choose one concert, the other or both. Obviously, the most devoted fans will want both concerts, but then there are those who might be more casual fans, leading potentially to wanting one or the other. To that end, that audiences can choose will save space and money.
The production presented in the new re-issues of Def Leppard’s London to Vegas recording is of its own note in that as with the set lists, audiences get the same values. That is because the audio featured in the recordings was transferred directly from the DVD/BD presentations to the CD platforms. In other words, while it may not be the full audiovisual experience, audiences still get a solid experience in the audio thanks to the work put in during and after the concerts were captured. 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. When this is taken into consideration along with the recordings’ set lists and their packaging, the whole of the noted elements makes these re-issues appealing, again, to Def Leppard’s most devoted fans.
Def Leppard and Eagle Rock Entertainment’s new separate CD re-issues of its London to Vegas shows are collectively an interesting presentation. Considering that the recordings have already seen release in April in complete DVD/CD and BD/CD combo packs, they will appeal mainly to the most devoted Def Leppard fans and perhaps to the more casual fans who do not want to have to pay the full price for the noted sets. The recordings’ set lists will help with the appeal for those audiences. That is because they are the same shows featured in the previously released sets. The packaging of the shows as separate shows will appeal to the devotees in that that will be less cumbersome than carrying around the combo sets. They will also allow more casual fans to pick and choose which show they want more. The production of the shows rounds out their most important elements in that it was the same production used in the concerts’ full audiovisual platforms. To that end, it will appeal to audiences in its own right. When it is considered along with the other elements noted here, the whole of the recordings proves that it will appeal at least to a point for some Def Leppard and classic rock fans.
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
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/defleppard
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