Def Leppard- And There Will Be…Live- Joe Elliott

When barely three songs into a blistering set by Def Leppard live in Detroit on 2016’s 70-city North American tour, I had to ask lead singer/ songwriter Joe Elliott how they could possibly perform the definitive version of “Let It Go”, the second Def Leppard single released in the US over thirty-five years ago, with such fire and conviction all these years later. “Well, it’s a band !” Joe replied emphatically. “None of us think that we’re the star. When you have five alpha males in a band, you have to realize who the boss is. And we quickly established that the ‘boss’ is the song, and we adapt ourselves to suit ( the song ).” The impressive concert performance on Def Leppard’sAnd There Will Be a Next Time- Live From Detroit DVD or Blu Ray with double CD is up to the platinum-plus pedigree of the career best of the Sheffield, England quintet, including”Pour Some Sugar on Me”,”Rock of Ages”,”Photograph”,”Bringin’ On the Heartbreak”,”Animal”,”Foolin’ “, and “Love Bites” along with strong new songs “Dangerous”, custom concert opener”Let’s Go”, and borderline gender bender”Man Enough”. Def Leppard continues their uncanny knack here for covering just the right classic chestnut at precisely the right moment in their concert setlist with a stunning version of David Essex’s 1973 hit “Rock On”, proving that the song’s ability to transform any radio station which played it back then into another space, loses nothing in translation to the concert stage, or to the next century for that matter.

Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott joins me In the Studio for a lively conversation covering a wide range of topics, including high-tech isolation and the almost tribal need for people of all ages to physically come together around one unifying purpose. –Redbeard