I finally saw my favorite band, Def Leppard, live in concert, people! In fact, I saw them three times in the same week because I love them so much! To be fair, I only bought tickets for three shows because this was for the band’s 2026 Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which was supposed to be for the hardcore fans that want to hear the deep cuts and different setlists every night. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. To make matters worse, when this Las Vegas residency was first announced in late July 2025, Def Leppard said they were going to change up the setlist every night. But, in mid-November 2025, long after I bought the tickets for the last three shows in February 2026, lead vocalist Joe Elliott told Ultimate Classic Rock they were close to finalizing the show and that it’s going to be a whole new set, something completely different from what they were doing since they resumed touring after COVID. If you read between the lines, Elliott basically admitted they were only doing one setlist for the entire 12-date Las Vegas residency in February 2026.
When the band finally kicked off their residency on February 3, I was very underwhelmed with the setlist they came up with. However, I had hopes that they would come up with a better setlist for the February 5 show. That didn’t happen and by the start of the second week of their residency, I finally got the message that Def Leppard were sticking to that underwhelming setlist they blessed us with. My parents asked if I wanted to sell my tickets, but I made a commitment to seeing Def Leppard three times and decided to stay true to my word. Def Leppard played three nights a week: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I attended the last three dates of the band’s 2026 Las Vegas residency: February 24, 26, and 28. My dad and I attended the February 24 and 28 shows, while my mom and I attended the February 26 show. Each show started at 8:14 p.m. and ended at 10:00 p.m. Since they did the same setlist for the entire residency, I’ll combine the three dates for one concert review.
On Tuesday, February 24, my dad and I had general admission tickets, not “beat the line” general admission, just regular general admission. Because I was competing for a good spot with the “beat the line” general admission people, I told my dad we had to get in the regular general admission line as soon as it opened. When it comes to general admission concerts, I think of them as preparing for a marathon. Everything needs to be scheduled ahead of time and the plan has to be executed precisely. If you’re not the first or second person in line, it’s game over!
We got in line at 3:45 p.m. and thankfully, there was only one person ahead of us; that was manageable. We got our wristbands at 6:13 p.m. and found our spot at 7:00 p.m. I purposely wanted a spot in the middle, where Elliott’s microphone stand was, because I wanted the sunglasses he usually gives to someone in the front row during the opening song, “Rejoice.” We weren’t exactly in the front row, but we were in the second row. Spoiler alert: I did not get Elliott’s sunglasses. To be honest, we found a much better spot than I anticipated because a lot more people showed up for the “beat the line” general admission shortly before the doors for the venue opened. I don’t remember all the songs that played prior to the show, but there were a few Down ‘n’ Outz, Elliott’s side project, songs that I recognized. The show was supposed to start at 8:00 p.m., but to give everyone enough time to get to their seats, it didn’t start until 8:14 p.m.
I’ve dreamt of seeing Def Leppard live for seven years and watched footage of them on YouTube millions of times, but I never expected how surreal it was finally seeing them in person, especially from such a close view. When they popped up from the risers for “Rejoice,” it was like witnessing the presence of rock ‘n’ roll aliens from another planet. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. This was the band that’ll forever be associated with my first three years of college and they were like 10 feet away from me, maybe less than that. Bassist Rick Savage’s bass pedals, some of them, were to the right from where I was standing. I always thought Savage was a cool dude, but on the February 24 show, I gained a new appreciation for him. For example, his thumping bass line is the driving force behind “Personal Jesus” (Depeche Mode cover) and it sounds even better live.
I prefer intimate concerts at smaller venues because you get to see many cool things up close like Savage drinking from his water bottle and guitarist Phil Collen switching guitars between songs. When I looked up the setlist for the February 3 show, I was disappointed that two of the “deep cuts” the band included were covers, one of them being “Rock On” (David Essex cover). However, I was vibing with it on that particular show because it’s funky as heck and ironically enough, in college, I used to listen to “Rock On” on Spotify from their compilation album titled, The Story So Far – The Best Of (2018). Drummer Rick Allen and Savage laid a solid foundation for the song, which goes to show how incredible they are as a rhythm section. This was Savage’s moment to shine, so of course, he had a bass solo and it was epic!
Unfortunately, I made a total idiot of myself by bragging to my dad I got a good photo of Savage when it was dead silent in the venue. Meaning, Savage and the concert attendees nearby probably heard me admitting I was a teenage fangirl drooling over Savage. In fact, my dad said that night I was dreaming, “Sav, Sav, Sav, Sav” in my sleep, which I think is a huge exaggeration because I don’t talk in my sleep. It ended up becoming a running joke on my entire February 2026 Las Vegas trip. Another running joke of the trip was the slot machines and pai gow poker kept saying, “Give me all of your money / Give me all that you got / Every bit of your money / Never want it to stop.” How’s that for a Def Leppard parody, eh?
While I enjoyed “Rock On” quite a bit, I’m not sure if the rest of the audience enjoyed it as much as I did. Because it’s a “deep cut,” the casual fans aren’t going to know what the heck it is. Have they even listened to the Yeah! (2006) album?!? I guarantee you that the only reason why most of the crowd put up with that song was because Elliott went up to the balcony to give those farther away people a better view of him. I guess they took notes from New Kids on the Block’s Las Vegas residency. No joke, A LOT of people turned their heads towards Elliott in the balcony section while the band played their hearts out during “Rock On.”
Personally, “White Lightning” was the best song on the entire setlist because it’s such a beautifully well-written song depicting the struggles of late guitarist Steve Clark and before the 2026 Las Vegas residency, the band hadn’t played it since 1993 on the Adrenalize tour. What’s different about this live version, besides the lower key change, is that Collen adds his own spin to the guitar parts he crafted initially in Clark’s playing style. The most obvious is the intro where Collen adds his typical guitar shredding he is known for. The first time I watched the live version on YouTube, the instrumentation sounded jarring because I wasn’t used to the song in a lower key, but the more I listened to it, the more I grew to appreciate the current live version the band created. Listening to the band recount Clark’s battle with alcohol addiction, I can tell every note they played and every word they sang came from their heart. Interestingly enough, “White Lightning” was the loudest song in the setlist, in my opinion, and I bet you that was because of Clark working his magic from rock ‘n’ roll heaven. As for another cool thing about being up close, Elliott got the lyrics for the second verse wrong, which made Collen laugh.
I’ve heard the band speak millions of times through YouTube and Blu-ray concert releases, but I was fangirling HARD when each member (minus Mr. Allen) talked in front of my very eyes before “Promises” kicked in. As part of their way of changing things up, Def Leppard did an acapella intro for “Promises” to prove to the haters that they don’t use backing tracks and it was absolutely genius! Unfortunately, the show wasn’t all happy and smooth sailing due to a girl fainting sometime between “Love Bites” and “Rock of Ages.” Apparently, she was dehydrated, but that’s just a speculation. This took place to the right of where my dad was standing, so I couldn’t help but look to see what was going on. I was worried the band was going to stop the show because of the incident, therefore, I couldn’t enjoy “Love Bites” as much as I wanted to. Savage even looked at the girl, but he couldn’t do anything about it because the show must go on. Thankfully, I pulled myself together in time for “Rock of Ages,” where I finally got to cheer on Collen during his guitar solo, which I’ve dreamt about doing in person for years.
In a bizarre twist, “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” were not the closing songs; “Pour Some Sugar on Me” was the closing song. Def Leppard made the change a couple of years ago, but it still feels strange and out of place, especially since “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” have been the closing songs at Def Leppard shows for decades. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” feels anticlimactic as a closing song, despite it being their most popular song ever. The band always try to up their game for the visuals for “Photograph” and this time, they decided to add videos with the photos on screen, which I do not like at all! The visuals are stunning, don’t get me wrong, but it’s already a lot looking at photos of the band, therefore, the videos are another distraction that takes viewers away from looking at the band. Besides, the song is called, “Photograph,” meaning it doesn’t make sense to have videos on display for the song. It’s not like Elliott is singing, “all I’ve got is a video.” Those AI movement tricks for the old photos with Clark and former guitarist Pete Willis, by the way, are garbage!
With that little rant out of the way, the February 24 show was an absolute blast! I’m incredibly picky when it comes to Def Leppard songs, but I was forced to come to terms with the fact that you can’t please everyone because we all have different ideas for a dream Def Leppard setlist. Once that sank in my head, I left the show feeling excited to hear the same setlist for the remaining two nights. At least they brought back “White Lightning,” so I’ll take every victory I can get! I also want to give the band props for bringing back Savage’s bass intro for “Hysteria,” which they haven’t done since 1993 on the Adrenalize tour. It felt like I was transported to the early ‘90s!
The band looked like they were enjoying themselves and that they genuinely love what they do; they were a pleasure to watch! It was a combination of the band having fun on stage, the hook-driven rock anthems, and the crowd interaction that made Def Leppard the most fun band I’ve ever seen live. I’m very grateful that I got to be in the general admission area, so close to the band, for my first time ever seeing Def Leppard live. Oh and by the way, Collen’s abs are definitely real!
On Thursday, February 26, my mom and I got to our seats at 8:07 p.m. and the show started at 8:14 p.m. We had seats in section 104, so there was no rush to get there on time because it’s not like we had to stress about finding a good spot for general admission. Although, after the February 24 show, I did lowkey regret not buying general admission tickets for the February 26 show because that first show was so much fun! The great thing about being in section 104, however, was that my mom and I were close enough to the band, but far enough to see the insane visuals the band created for the show. I didn’t take as many photos on the February 24 show because I wanted to treasure the moment of having the guys less than 10 feet away from me. I could’ve took a photo of guitarist Vivian Campbell when he came to the front for the intro to “Armageddon It,” but I was too busy screaming internally, “OH MY GOSH, VIVIAN CAMPBELL IS LIKE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!!” The point of that little tangent was I didn’t take as many photos as I usually do for concerts, so I made up for it on the February 26 show. Plus, I got more group shots of the band, which was nice!
Not surprisingly, very few people stood up for “Rock On” and “White Lightning,” except to look at Elliott in the balcony section for the former. Also not surprisingly, the majority of the audience stood up for the hits like “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak,” “Rocket,” “Foolin,’” Rock of Ages,” and “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Speaking of the latter, because I showed my mom the setlist beforehand, she already knew “Pour Some Sugar on Me” was the closing song. In fact, when it got to “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” my mom was surprised the show was almost over. That can only mean two things: it’s no fun when the setlist is predictable and the show was too dang short. Even though I saw the exact same show three times, my parents and I were in different sections each time, so in a sense, each show was a different experience because I saw new things I overlooked previously. For example, I never noticed the 1983 American Bandstand clip that was included in the visuals for “Photograph” until the February 26 show. Even though my mom was surprised with how short the show was (19 songs total as opposed to 22-24 songs on the band’s 2019 Las Vegas residency), she had a great time because the music was catchy and the band was smiling throughout the entire night.
On Saturday, February 28, my dad and I found our seats at around 7:30 p.m. and the show started at 8:14 p.m. We were seated in section 203, which was not bad, but I couldn’t take many close-up shots of the band without them being blurry. As a result, I didn’t take a lot of photos that night, except I got carried away during “Photograph” because I was trying to get a photo of Clark on the screens. A nice lady in a leopard print vest, who was sitting in the same row as us, complimented me on my fabulous Def Leppard pajama pants, which brightened my mood indeed! She also said the show was a bucket list concert for her and I found it really cool I was there when she experienced her first Def Leppard concert, knowing it was my third time seeing them live. I got to be part of her special moment, which was absolutely incredible!
Not sure if it was because section 203 was close to the speakers and sound console, but the drums and bass guitar were so freaking loud that night! Louder than they were on the February 24 and 26 shows; no joke, I felt each beat pounding in my chest throughout the whole show. Like the February 26 show, I noticed new things that I overlooked previously like the lasers for “Love Bites,” “Promises,” and “Hysteria.” On the February 24 show, my dad never noticed the giant leopard that pops out on the screen during the bridge for “Animal,” so I was happy to point it out to him on the February 26 show because he thought it was freaking cool and honestly, so did I! Now, I can’t watch a live performance of “Animal” without seeing that giant leopard pop out of the blocks on the screen. Also, I never thought of this previously, but the broken glass visuals with the pink and purple tones for “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak” remind me of The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds (2023) album cover.
For “Rock On,” Elliott always joked that he and Savage knew each other since “the beginning of time” and that the only reason why he got the job as Def Leppard’s lead vocalist was because he had a killer record collection, not because he could sing. This time, however, he added that Savage was only 12 when they met, but Savage corrected him by saying he was 16. By the way, I apologize to Rick Savage for howling like a wolf during your bass solo before “Rock On”! The best part about the audience looking at Elliott in the balcony section throughout the performance was that I got a great view of the band jamming and displaying their wonderful musicianship without any heads blocking my view. “Slang” was always a lot of fun because of its danceable beat and Elliott goes out to interact with the audience. Savage went out into the crowd here and there, but this time, Collen went out into the crowd, as well. Unfortunately for him, someone touched his butt and the culprit hasn’t been found yet.
After “Armageddon It,” Savage ran to the side of the stage to prepare for the next song, “Love Bites,” and ran back on stage when he was ready to go. There are two reasons why I brought that up: I never knew Savage could run that fast and I love seeing behind-the-scenes stuff that takes place during a concert. For the last time, for now, I got to cheer on Collen during his “Rock of Ages” guitar solo and it was awesome! It didn’t really hit me that February 28 was the last night of Def Leppard’s 2026 Las Vegas residency until I watched the staff members clean up the merch store near The Colosseum half an hour after the show ended. It was like, “wow, that really was the end.” Coincidentally, the Vista Cocktail Lounge at Caesars Palace was playing “Pour Some Sugar on Me” as my dad and I left the venue to meet my mom at the slot machines.
Here are some more notes I have regarding the three shows I attended. The instrumentation and the vocals sounded amazing. There were moments where some of the songs sounded like they were performed in the original keys, like “Slang” and “Hysteria” on the February 24 show, and “Let’s Get Rocked” and “White Lightning” on the February 26 show. That’s what it sounded like to my ears; the sound system was messing with me. I love the usage of the giant leopards on the screens, my favorite being the leopard that appears during the intro for “Armageddon It,” where it prepares to bite the audience. I’m not sure what the guys in the 3D glasses have anything to do with “Switch 625,” but one of them looked like Clark, so I’ll give them a pass on those visuals. For the hardcore fans, and one of my personal favorites, the band included a barn owl at the beginning of “Rock of Ages,” where it says, “Gunter, gleiben, glauchen, globen,” and barely misses a leopard paw reaching out to grab him. The owl is a tribute to the “Rock of Ages” music video because a barn owl appears on the screen before it cuts to Elliott singing the line, “All right, I got something to say…”
In the merch store, there were museum-like displays for each band member with photos, instruments, and old outfits. Heck, Elliott’s display included the bear slippers he used on the Hysteria tour. My mom missed Collen and Campbell’s displays when she attended the February 26 show, so I practically forced her to come to Caesars Palace on the February 28 show to see all of the Def Leppard history goodness awaiting her! Don’t worry, she enjoyed every minute of it, sort of. While the visuals were stunning and very colorful to look at, especially the neon animal print screens for “Rock of Ages,” the setlist was goddamn boring and lazy as heck!
I wouldn’t have minded if Elliott stuck to his word about creating a set that was completely different from what they were doing since they came back from COVID. Instead, they played the same hits they’ve been playing for the past three decades like “Animal,” “Let’s Get Rocked,” “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak,” “Foolin,’” “Armageddon It,” and “Love Bites,” etc. They play “Slang” and “Promises” often enough for them not to be a surprise in the setlist. In fact, if you compare this Las Vegas residency setlist to their setlist for the Diamond Star Heroes: Live from Sheffield (2025) release, the band played 13 of the 17 songs listed for the latter. On the plus side, I’m glad they included two newer songs in the setlist: “Rejoice” and “Just Like 73.” The former looked incredible from a production standpoint with the triangle and space theme, and it’s a killer anthemic opener. The latter is a banging stadium anthem they released in 2024.
But seriously, not enough deep cuts. They even missed out on the perfect opportunity to play “High ‘n’ Dry (Saturday Night)” on their Saturday shows, like come on! These Las Vegas residencies are supposed to be for the hardcore fans that want to hear different sets every night with deep cuts like “It Don’t Matter,” “Another Hit and Run,” “Bad Actress,” “Gods of War,” “Turn to Dust,” and “Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion).” It seems with this 2026 Las Vegas residency, however, the band wasn’t interested in changing things up on a nightly basis, instead they opted for one show with groundbreaking stage production, making it impossible to change up the show every night.
Since it was my first time seeing the band, I didn’t mind hearing the hits, except for “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak;” gosh, I hate that song! The band sounded fantastic and all three shows were worth the experience. If it were my 10th time seeing them, I would’ve been annoyed with that lackluster setlist. But like I said before, I’ve waited years to cheer on Collen during his guitar solo in “Rock of Ages.” Therefore, I’m glad I got to hear some of the hits I’ve waited years to hear live. Even though the setlist was crap, I’m glad I saw Def Leppard on the last three nights of their 2026 Las Vegas residency because what a memorable experience to see my favorite band! With that said, Def Leppard if you ever need me to create a setlist that strikes a fine line between the hits and the deep cuts, let me know!
Would I see Def Leppard again in concert? Heck yeah I will, but I wouldn’t buy tickets for their stadium tours because I mentally can’t handle large crowds and stadium tours are expensive. I will wait until their next Las Vegas residency, which I feel will happen sooner than later because Def Leppard enjoy doing these residencies, but if they want to come back, they gotta do it pronto because they are getting older. I’ll probably buy tickets for three shows in the same week again, one of them being for general admission, because I’m that crazy. Until next time Def Leppard…AND THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIME!!!
Concert Setlist
1. Rejoice
2. Animal
3. Let’s Get Rocked
4. Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode cover)
5. Bringin’ On the Heartbreak
6. Switch 625
7. Just Like 73
8. Rocket
9. Rock On (David Essex cover)
10. White Lightning
11. Foolin’
12. Slang
13. Promises
14. Armageddon It
15. Love Bites
16. Rock of Ages
17. Photograph
18. Hysteria
19. Pour Some Sugar on Me
If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it with your friends. I write about music, Disney, movies, shows, and mental status. If that sounds like your cup of tea, please subscribe to my blog for more content like this! To help me keep this blog going, you can either make a donation or support me through Patreon. You can also follow me on social media through Facebook, Instagram, and X!
Don’t forget to leave a comment down below to start a conversation!
Take care and see ya real soon!
Lana
Lana Teramae | Me, Myself and Time 
Thanks for sharing your amazing experiences of Def Leppard. True, they might have played the same songs but you made each night seem different and great pics too!
LikeLike