On the eve of the band’s biggest-ever European tour and the launch of new album, “Drastic Symphonies”, DEF LEPPARD played a one-off club show on May 19 at the iconic Sheffield venue The Leadmill. The 850-capacity venue was treated to a must-see performance from one of Britain’s greatest-ever rock bands. It was a huge night for fans of the band who got the chance to hear the band’s extraordinary stadium-style catalog in a club setting. It was the most intimate show the band has played in the U.K. or the rest of Europe in 35 years. The setlist was for one night only — unique to this show and different to the setlist the band would play three days later, when they start the European tour at a sold-out Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane on May 22.
Professionally filmed video of the entire Leadmill concert, courtesy of the DefLeppardHD YouTube channel, can be seen below.
Featured songs:
0:00 – Intro
0:08 – Action (SWEET cover)
4:05 – Fire It Up
7:53 – Let It Go
13:29 – Too Late For Love
19:16 – Excitable
23:51 – Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
28:07 – Slang
30:51 – Kick
35:35 – Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
40:12 – Switch 625
43:30 – Rick Allen Drum Solo
45:15 – Hysteria
52:03 – Pour Some Sugar On Me
56:17 – Wasted
1:00:31 – Outro
DEF LEPPARD wanted to shine a light on The Leadmill, a vital part of the Sheffield and national U.K. music scene which is among many of the small U.K. music venues threatened with closure. Net proceeds from ticket sales from The Leadmill show were donated to Music Venue Trust who diligently work to help struggling U.K. music venues.
When the show was first announced, DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott said: “Sheffield is in the very DNA of this band!
“We are ecstatic to be starting the European leg of our world tour at home at Bramall Lane!
“When thinking of a warm-up, it made sense to do a special set at The Leadmill, in the city where it all started.
“We know there are a lot of small music venues struggling across the U.K., so we wanted to give back to what gave to us.
“The net proceeds from the evening will go directly to Music Venue Trust in an effort to keep U.K. clubs alive.”
The Leadmill’s Ben Hartley said the show — DEF LEPPARD‘s first at the venue — would add “another chapter to Sheffield’s musical history”.
“The fact that a local act that has gone on to play stadiums across the world is willing to come back home and support us in a time of need — as well as thousands of other integral grassroots venues across the U.K. — speaks volumes of their character,” he added.
Mark Davyd, CEO and founder of the Music Venue Trust, said: “The U.K.’s grassroots music venues are facing an incredibly tough year, currently one is permanently closing every week.
“It’s going to take a huge collective effort to turn that around and it’s so important that artists get involved and lead the fight we need to stop closures.”
2022 saw DEF LEPPARD release their critically and commercially acclaimed 12th studio album, “Diamond Star Halos”, which charted all over the world including a top 5 and top 10 in both North America and the U.K.. Early 2023, saw the band score a U.K. No 1 Netflix film with their cameo in acclaimed movie “Bank Of Dave”. DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott also recently rode high in charts across the world with his guest vocal on the GHOST track “Spillways”.
DEF LEPPARD also embarked on a sold-out stadium tour across North America with MÖTLEY CRÜE in 2022 — selling over 1.3 million tickets. February and March 2023 saw the tour wow audiences throughout Central and South America. In May, June and July the must-see tour of 2023 came to Europe, including a stop at the iconic Wembley Stadium on July 1.
With more than 110 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., 2019 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees DEF LEPPARD — Elliott, Phil Collen (guitar),Rick Savage (bass),Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) — continue to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group’s spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading DEF LEPPARD to be heralded as the world’s greatest live rock band.
DEF LEPPARD‘s influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albums — including two of the best-selling albums of all time, “Pyromania” and “Hysteria”, capturing the group’s legendary tracks, bringing together classic LEPPARD hits such as “Rock Of Ages”, “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Foolin'”.
For the first time, in January 2018 DEF LEPPARD debuted their full recording catalog worldwide via streaming and download platforms. As they did with the original release of their records, DEF LEPPARD dominated the worldwide charts again, which found their albums charting in the iTunes Top 10 in more than 30 countries, including “Hysteria” at No. 3 in the U.S., and No. 5 in the U.K. (36 years after the album had charted at No 1 in the Billboard charts). DEF LEPPARD also had the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 records on the U.S. catalog albums chart. The band have gone on to amass a staggering 5.5 billion streams since 2018, reaching a younger 18-44 demographic that now represents 58% of their fanbase. Additionally, the band have garnered an impressive 15 million followers across their social media platforms.
In May 2022, DEF LEPPARD released their twelfth studio album “Diamond Star Halos”. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Apple and Amazon Music charts. The album also scored a Top 10 debut on North America’s Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, marking the band’s eighth Top 10 album of their career, and garnered a No. 1 debut on Billboard‘s Hard Rock chart. “Diamond Star Halos” had numerous Top 10 chart entries globally including a Top 5 debut in the U.K.
DEF LEPPARD recently released “Drastic Symphonies”, a brand-new album featuring the band’s greatest tracks dramatically reimagined via a collaboration with London’s iconic Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.