My Recent Def Leppard + Journey Concert Experience
Many of yâall probably already know that Def Leppard and Journey are doing a Summer Stadium tour at the moment and I was fortunate enough to snatch tickets to one of their shows!! It was actually my first time seeing them both in concert so when I heard they were coming back, I was crossing my fingers that I would be able to attend. They toured together back in 2018 or something but unfortunately I didnât go that time. So hereâs a rundown of the details at the show.
The show I went to is in an urban area so parking and transportation can be tricky. But every time thereâs a concert at the stadium, thereâs these people you can pay to give you a bike ride from where you are and they always have music blaring based on the artist showing. As my dad and I were walking, we already heard a bike ride by playing âHysteriaâđđź. I was like, âYeeeess! Weâre feeling it already.â
My dad and I got seats on the bottom section, just like how it was when we went to see Guns Nâ Roses. Only this time, it was further to the side which was technically in closer proximity to the stage.
Steve Miller Band opened. I havenât really listened to them that much so the only song I recognized was âAbracadabraâ (đ
). But they sounded good! Their set was 12 songs which was a little longer for an opener so Iâm sure their die hard fans liked that.
Also, I loved the stage setup! When I went to see Guns Nâ Roses, it was a very typical stage. But this stage had extensions with three walkways and people were able to sit in between them in the pits. Those people got to be really close to the bands as they walked along the stage!
Journey came on next. They opened with âOnly The Youngâ.
I hate to say this but Journeyâs sound kind of disappointed me. There was this strange static echo going through the stadium as they played. No, Arnel was not singing poorly. Perhaps it was something with their equipment so itâs probably not the bandâs fault.
Moreover, the chemistry justâŚisnât really there for Journey. As much as I like their music, they cannot keep themselves together. Iâm sure a lot of yaâll know of the ongoing tension between the band members (theyâre about to get into some more legal disputes based on what I read đ).
Now I understand what my aunt was saying about Neal Schon and why she was annoyed with him the last time she saw Journey. The big screens panned to him as much as ArnelâŚmaybe more. And it seemed like he had to have a lengthy solo on every song. I know the guitarists gotta have their time to shine but I think that was a little excessive. My dad complained about this, too.
But Arnel was good with the crowd and engaged with them like a frontman should.
I still enjoyed the music, though. They played a good selection of hits including âAsk the Lonelyâ, âWhoâs Crying Nowâ, âOpen Armsâ, âSeparate Waysâ, and âWheel In the Skyâ (which I appreciated).
The stadium lit up with [cell phone] lights during âFaithfullyâ.
âDonât Stop Believinââ in the encore, no surprise there. But to my surprise, it was not the very last song. They concluded with âAny Way You Want Itâ.
And confetti shot out at the very end đ.
During the intermission, the Drastic Symphonies version of âGods of Warâ started playing which was cool.
I learned a couple of things during the intermission. The Hysteria graphic novel will be released soon. Also, Savâs Overnight Angels brand is going to be launching an exclusive collection for Bloomingdaleâs.
Something that was better about this concert from the Guns Nâ Roses show was that it seemed like less people were getting up and walking about. Maybe it couldâve been because of where we were sitting which wasnât in the center. But I kid you not, people at the GNR show seemed like they were getting up after every couple of songs to go do whatever, wherever. Yes, I weirdly observed that some were repeatedly doing it. Did those people even watch and enjoy the show? Who knows, not my problem. Itâs their loss if they paid all that money to go see a well-performing band and choosing to miss about half the showâŚ
As Def Leppardâs intro was showing, I could not explain my excitement! I mean, I was about to see all the members of my favorite band in-person đđ!!
They came in with a bang đĽđ! Not literally, but the smoke effect was cool. People started cheering loudly upon seeing it. Totally fitting for them since they are the closer (and just simply because theyâre amazing, of course).
But maybe they did come in with a bit of a bang after all, since they opened with âRock! Rock! (Tilâ You Drop)â đ¤đź.
âCrazy peopllleeeee!!â Joe exclaims in âRocketâ. So Joe đ.
Aaahh, Joe sounded great đđźđđź!!
They all did. And looked great, too! Especially Sav and Viv đ. There were a few outfit changes throughout.
One thing that I love about the Lepps is that they can all sing in their own right and it showed âď¸.
Their setlist was awesome. Theyâre still promoting the 40th anniversary of Pyromania so along with âToo Late For Loveâ and âFoolinââ, they had âDie Hard The Hunterâ and âCominâ Under Fireâ. Those two are in my top five favorite songs from them. They shortened âDie Hard The Hunterâ since itâs a lengthier track (and to give Phil and Viv the spotlight during that badass guitar part đđź). This is their first tour playing âCominâ Under Fireâ and it sounded so good!!
Sav is always so fun to watch! He was running all around and, being his usual sassy self, throwing poses for us đđťââď¸đ.
Love the way they played âBringinâ On The Heartbreakâ! It started off more subdued and then after the second chorus, they switched to its normal sound. It felt like a little nod to how it was played during the Hysteria tour.
We got the seamless transition to âSwitch 625â, beginning with Sav strumming his bass. I called out, âYeah Sav!â But you know what, Iâm thinking that my dad mightâve heard me đ
đ.
Joe being quirky with the mic during âArmageddon Itâ, haha. You can see it in the first photo below. Sav was also striking a pose like the queen he is đ.
Also, check out Viv throwing a shape Steve wouldâve been proud of in the fourth photo below đĽš.
Rick got his little moment to do a drum solo. Joe introduced Rick and everyone cheered (as they should)đ.
As I expected, âRock Of Agesâ, âHysteriaâ, and âPhotographâ were towards the end. I think the band usually concludes with âPhotographâ so upon learning of the setlist, I was a little surprised they chose to end with âPour Some Sugar On Meâ. But it was a good shake-up đ.
Another thing I love about the Lepps is just how genuine their chemistry is because theyâre not just bandmates, theyâre actually friends. Almost like brothers even. Itâs evident in the way they perform.
Because of that, thank goodness the Lepps closed the show so that the concert as a whole would end on a really good note đđź.
Surely Def Leppard is going to be touring for some more years but I already want to go see them again badly đđ.
Overall, a really fun show đ¤Š!
And hereâs a little clip of the Lepps performing âPour Some Sugar On Meâ đĽ.
(These photos and video clips are owned by me.)
