My Dream Setlist for Def Leppard’s February 2026 Las Vegas Residency (Part 3)

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! Parts one and two have already been uploaded, so if you’re interested, feel free to check out part one here and part two here (after reading this post, 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, “Ride into the Sun” from The Def Leppard E.P. (1979). I’m more familiar with the re-recorded version from Retro Active (1993), but both versions are incredible and overall, this song is a banger! 

Speaking of Retro Active, the next song on the agenda is “Fractured Love,” a song Def Leppard never played live before, from the previously mentioned album. Drummer Rick Allen’s tasteful, African-style drum intro adds so much flavor to the song and overall, it’s one of the most diverse tracks they’ve ever done. 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! Afterwards, the band busts out “Answer to the Master” 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 “High ‘n’ Dry (Saturday Night),” a song that’s perfect for the occasion (the third show takes place on a Saturday night) and it has balls! Think Def Leppard doing AC/DC; the main riff sounds like something guitarist Malcolm Young created. We’ll take a short break from High ‘n’ Dry to show appreciation for an underrated gem from Adrenalize (1992) that the band only played live once, which was for the music video, so I’m not even sure if that counts. The song is “I Wanna Touch U,” an upbeat stadium rocker that Def Leppard could have a lot of fun with if they gave it another chance. 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 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 “We Belong” from Def Leppard (2015), which ironically enough, the band hasn’t played live since their 2019 Las Vegas residency; it’s also special because the lead vocals are sung by all of the band members, including Allen. Afterwards, the band dives into the sweet and sentimental, “Breathe a Sigh” from Slang (1996). Next up is the second song on the setlist the band hasn’t played live since their 2019 Las Vegas residency, “Let Me Be the One” from X (2002). 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 lights are dim and then, a familiar siren blasts through the stage; it can only mean one thing, “White Lightning” from Adrenalize. Once the drums kick in, the lights come back on and the band gives it their all, since it’s their tribute to the late guitarist, Steve Clark. Going back to Slang, Def Leppard bust out “Gift of Flesh,” which has a hardcore, headbanging, underground club vibe. It’s also the best song from that album, in my opinion. Jumping forward to the present, the next song on the agenda is the recently released, “Just Like ‘73.” Elliott’s vocals sound great because the song suits his current range nicely. 

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 final night of the band’s 2026 Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. As mentioned earlier, Def Leppard will do three shows a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. As mentioned in my previous posts, 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. Thanks for staying along for the ride and I hope you enjoyed the shows! Until next time…and THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIIIIMMMMEEEE!!! 

Dream Concert Setlist (Saturday)

1. “Stagefright” from Pyromania (1983)

2. “Animal” from Hysteria (1987)

3. “Ride into the Sun” from The Def Leppard E.P. (1979)

4. “Fractured Love” from Retro Active (1993)

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

6. “Answer to the Master” from On Through the Night (1980)

7. “High ‘n’ Dry (Saturday Night)” from High ‘n’ Dry (1981)

8. “I Wanna Touch U” from Adrenalize (1992)

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

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

11. “We Belong” from Def Leppard (2015) (ACOUSTIC SET BEGINS)

12. “Breathe a Sigh” from Slang (1996)

13. “Let Me Be the One” from X (2002)

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

15. “White Lightning” from Adrenalize (1992)

16. “Gift of Flesh” from Slang (1996)

17. “Just Like ‘73”

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