My Dream Setlist for Def Leppard’s February 2026 Las Vegas Residency (Part 2)

Photo of Def Leppard by Ross Halfin

When Def Leppard first announced they were planning a Las Vegas residency from February 3-28, 2026, I knew without a doubt that I wanted to create a dream setlist for their residency. The dilemma, however, is they’re going to do three shows a week; on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. That means they have the opportunity to play three different setlists throughout their stay in Sin City. While discussing this with my mom, she suggested I come up with three different dream setlists, instead of one. I was hesitant to do so, at first, because creating concert setlists is a lot of work, but because Def Leppard are my favorite band and I have the freedom to pick whatever songs I want from their discography, I’ll make an exception! Part one has already been uploaded, so if you’re interested, feel free to check out that post right here (after reading this one, of course). With all that said, let’s get on with the music!

The lights are down and suddenly, lead vocalist Joe Elliott screams, “I said, welcome to my show!,” which is the opening line to “Stagefright” from Pyromania (1983). The crowd cheers louder and louder by the minute, before the band kicks the song into full gear! Next song is “Animal” from Hysteria (1987), one of their many hits they play nonstop. Hey, gotta get on the crowd’s good side after shocking the casual fans with a deep cut, right? Before going into the next song, Elliott greets the audience and thanks them for coming to their Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. He goes on to say they’re going to hear the hits and some songs they haven’t played in a long time, including this one, “Bad Actress” from Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008). I wasn’t crazy about this song when I first became a Def Leppard fan, but I can appreciate it now because of the wah-wah guitar parts and it’s got a punk feel going on that’s really cool. 

As a treat for the die-hards, the band busts out “Good Morning Freedom,” the B-side to “Hello America” (1980). They haven’t played this song since their 2013 Las Vegas residency and that was a long time ago, so it’s time for them to bring it back! Next up is a song that the band recently started playing live only last year, surprisingly enough, which is “Comin’ Under Fire” from Pyromania. I’ll never understand why it took Def Leppard so long to add “Comin’ Under Fire” to their concert repertoire, but better late than never! The next song on the agenda is “It Don’t Matter” from On Through the Night (1980), the band’s debut album, which celebrated its 45th anniversary this past March. Yep, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell get to go nuts on the guitar, and be as loud as they want!

Moving onto Def Leppard’s sophomore album, High ‘n’ Dry (1981), the band plays “You Got Me Runnin,’” one of my favorite bangers from that album! I just love the harmonies and vocal melodies in the chorus; a perfect blend of bluesy hard rock and luscious pop hooks. We’ll take a short break from High ‘n’ Dry to show appreciation for an underrated gem from the Retro Active (1993) album that perfectly sums up the weather for Sin City, “Desert Song.” It’s the only Def Leppard song to feature both former guitarist Steve Clark and current guitarist Campbell, and the first of four songs on the setlist that the band never played live until this residency. Going back to High ‘n’ Dry, the band plays one of their biggest hits, “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” which I’m not going to lie, I’m getting sick of this song, but gotta please the casual fans; oh well. The only good thing about this song is it leads into the instrumental, “Switch 625,” which eventually leads into drummer Rick Allen’s triumphant and iconic drum solo.

After a short break, Def Leppard return to the stage for the acoustic portion of the show and each member comes out on stage, one by one, like how it was done during their 2019 Las Vegas residency. Elliott says to the audience, “When we did these acoustic sets at our previous Las Vegas residency, which seems like forever ago, we enjoyed them so much that we made an unanimous decision to bring them back for this current Las Vegas residency at the lovely Colosseum at Caesars Palace. As mentioned earlier, we’re going to play some we haven’t played in a long time including this one!” This leads into the beautifully constructed, “Tonight” from Adrenalize (1992). Once the song ends, Elliott introduces the second of the four songs on the setlist they’ve never played live before and it’s from the band’s most recent studio album, Diamond Star Halos (2022), “Open Your Eyes,” which has a grunge feel because of Rick Savage’s wicked bass line. Next up is the third of four songs on the setlist the band never performed live until this residency and it’s a ballad called, “Unbelievable” from the X (2002) album. It’s got all the same factors as “Love Bites”: big harmonies, a memorable chorus, gorgeous guitar melodies, and passionate vocals from Elliott. The last song in the acoustic set is one they’ve played many, many times; “Two Steps Behind” from Retro Active.

After another break, the band returns for the last of four songs on the setlist the band never performed live until this residency, “Wings of an Angel,” also known as the best song from Def Leppard (2015), which Campbell co-wrote with the guys. Did I mention he should write more songs with the band? He should because he comes up with some impeccable riffs. Afterwards, the band busts out “Heaven Is” from Adrenalize, which they haven’t played live since 1993 on Top of the Pops, if that even counts? It’s a fun song with gorgeous backing vocals that give off Queen and Beach Boys vibes. The next song on the agenda is the dark and atmospheric, “Paper Sun” from Euphoria (1999). The band doesn’t play it often, but every time they do, they always have a good time because it’s a challenging song to play live!

For the casual fans, the band busts out three Hysteria bangers. Up first is the title track, which features gorgeous visuals on the screens. In my review for Def Leppard’s London to Vegas box set, I complained about the visuals being somewhat distracting, but I get that they add to the vibe of their shows and that’s fine! Then, Elliott introduces the new boy of the band, Vivian Campbell, who kicks off one of my favorites from Hysteria, “Armageddon It.” Next up is a song that’s near and dear to my heart because I sang it all the time in college, “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Elliott’s vocals aren’t what they used to be, but the backing vocals from Savage, Collen, and Campbell are so tight that they really enhance the performance. Elliott says good night to the crowd and that’s it, or is it?

For the encore, the band busts out “Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)” from High ‘n’ Dry, which is perfectly fine with me! Virtually watching them perform this song on their 2019 Las Vegas residency, it was like a dream come true because the band doesn’t play enough material from that album, other than “Let It Go,” “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak,” and “Switch 625.” The last two songs go together like ketchup and mustard, and they’re both from the Pyromania album. Elliott asks the audience if they can make a little more noise for the boy in the back, Mr. Rick Allen. Afterwards, he counts off “Rock of Ages” with those four magical words: “Gunter gleiben glauchen globen.” You bet your butt I’m going to shout, “Let’s go, Phil!” when his guitar solo comes on. Finally, Collen and Campbell walk to the front of the stage, and the band effortlessly transitions into “Photograph.” Recently, the screens have this old camera film thing going on where the photos are hung on a line and it’s very old-school, which I dig a lot! The photos also pay tribute to the band’s history, everything from the early days with former guitarists Pete Willis and Clark to the present day with Campbell, who’s been with them since 1992. 

Once “Photograph” ends, the band walks to the front of the stage, thanks the audience for coming, says their goodbyes, and that’s it for the second night. As mentioned earlier, Def Leppard will do three shows a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. As mentioned in my previous post, I tried to mix in enough deep cuts with the necessary hits to create a great show that’ll satisfy everyone. Yes, the hits are important because it’s a nostalgia thing, but the deep cuts are just as important because they keep the show interesting for both the audience and the band, who have to play these songs continuously. Two down and one more to go. Stick around to see what tricks I have up my sleeve for part three of my dream setlist for Def Leppard’s February 2026 Las Vegas residency!

Dream Concert Setlist (Thursday)

1. “Stagefright” from Pyromania (1983)

2. “Animal” from Hysteria (1987)

3. “Bad Actress” from Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)

4. “Good Morning Freedom,” the B-side to “Hello America” (1980)

5. “Comin’ Under Fire” from Pyromania (1983)

6. “It Don’t Matter” from On Through the Night (1980)

7. “You Got Me Runnin’” from High ‘n’ Dry (1981)

8. “Desert Song” from Retro Active (1993)

9. “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” from High ‘n’ Dry (1981)

10. “Switch 625” from High ‘n’ Dry (1981)

11. “Tonight” from Adrenalize (1992) (ACOUSTIC SET BEGINS)

12. “Open Your Eyes” from Diamond Star Halos (2022)

13. “Unbelievable” from X (2002)

14. “Two Steps Behind” from Retro Active (1993) (ACOUSTIC SET ENDS)

15. “Wings of an Angel” from Def Leppard (2015)

16. “Heaven Is” from Adrenalize (1992)

17. “Paper Sun” from Euphoria (1999)

18. “Hysteria” from Hysteria (1987)

19. “Armageddon It” from Hysteria (1987)

20. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” from Hysteria (1987)

21. “Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)” from High ‘n’ Dry (1981) (ENCORE BEGINS)

22. “Rock of Ages” from Pyromania (1983)

23. “Photograph” from Pyromania (1983) (ENCORE ENDS)

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Lana