Saturday, 22nd March 2014
Pic by Sarah 'Sari' Reading
Def Leppard kicked off their 11 date VIVA! Hysteria residency in Las Vegas, NV exactly one year ago tonight.
The band would play the classic 'Hysteria' album in its entirety and in sequence for the very first time. Many of the songs being played for the first time in 25 years since the original 'Hysteria' album tour of 1987/1988.
They opened for themselves each night with a different setlist of rarely played songs as spoof cover band 'Ded Flatbird'. Each band member taking on a different name based on classic Rolling Stone magazine front covers hanging in the venue dressing room.
The show was recorded and filmed or a live 2CD and DVD package that was released in October 2013. It featured the full 'Hysteria' show, encore and two 'Ded Flatbird' sets. Before this the film was given a limited release in cinemas around the world in September 2013.
Phil Collen reflected on the shows last May during an interview with Music Backstage.
Music Backstage - Phil Collen May 2013 Interview Quotes
VIVA Hysteria!
"I actually thought it was probably the beginning of the band winding down, and you know just from playing, we'd done all this stuff and I was completely wrong it actually give a kind of renewed enthusiasm and just everything about it you know. It was surprising, it was the most exhausting thing I've ever done it was actually harder than doing a tour. And it's kind of weird when you figure that we were staying in the same place every day. But I think the whole show apart from being very theatrical we put so much into it."
"We gave so much it's more than we've ever done before we learnt like 34 songs before we started the thing because we wanted to do - you know we were the opening act as well, with a backline and a drape. And only a little bit of room and then we'd play all the songs from High 'n' Dry. Pyromania, the first album. You know High' 'n' Dry we did 7 songs from it one night and we'd change the set every night. So we gave so much plus we were doing an acoustic VIP thing in the afternoon and then we would do the main set of the Hysteria stuff."
"20 mins after we'd gone off. I had a shower and all this stuff. We'd come back on and we'd do that. Again the stage would open up. There's all these steps and TV screens and god knows what so it was really a show you know. In a Vegas tradition you know I saw Cirque de soleil, I saw Love the Beatles thing as well that was great and it - all of a sudden I was like Oh My God we're doing a Vegas show it's not really just a Def Leppard gig. It's a Vegas show and everybody stepped up to the plate so much I mean you know the vocals were brilliant I'd listen. Every night everyone was singing so well and playing so well that I had a totally different vibe from it once I'd left. I was like Oh My God this is probably the best thing we've ever done, doing Hysteria from front to back. In a million years we wouldn't have done that normally because as setlists go you wouldn't do PSSOM in the middle of a set and you know Love And Affection. But because it was the album it worked so well and it really you know hit home how classy the record was."
Opening For Themselves/Ded Flatbird
"It was fun but I actually didn't have as much swagger you know. It's almost like we were an opening act. Honestly it was very bizarre. It was a weird experience because we're playing these songs. There was a certain amount of good desperation about it like some of the songs like Good Morning Freedom. We played it a few times over the course of the 11 shows but I never done the same solo twice it was like as soon as the solo hit it was like OK play a solo in A."
"So that was very different to doing the Hysteria set where you're playing it verbatim or you're trying to playing it as close as you can to the record. The fact that you're having this kind of bizarre dichotomy in the same show. I'm wearing different clothes you know I'm actually fully clothed. I go off have a shower, come back on and you know I get lifted up on this elevated, lifted up on this big lift thing and I'm shirtless got different guitars. Use different guitars for the first set, second set and it really was a great piece of theatre from our point. And we were - I guess we were actors in it, it as great."
Visit the show page to relive the opening night via the Live Blog, setlist, reviews and many photos.
This update is dedicated to Las Vegas Live Blogger 'Sari' who's recovering from serious illness - get well soon!.
- VIVA! Hysteria Night #1 - 22nd March 2013 Show Page
- Def Leppard - VIVA! Hysteria/Summer Tour 2013
- Def Leppard - 2014 Tour News
- Previous News - 22nd March 2014