DEF LEPPARD Live And Acoustic At The 2025 Backyard Concert (Show Report/Setlist)

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Saturday, 4th October 2025

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Def Leppard played acoustically at the 2025 Backyard Concert last night in Pacific Palisades with 5 songs performed.

The show took place at a private residence in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.

The tenth anniversary edition of The Who's regular charity show the 2025 Backyard Concert.

The band's first time playing in this area of the city.

2025 Backyard Concert

From the fields of Chelmsford in Essex over to the very private and expensive and secret backyards of the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.

Or from rainy and cold (and windy) England over to the sunshine of California.

The Who's traditional Backyard Concert and a rare private show we got a heads up about courtesy of Pearl Jam Online, an Italian fan site.

Also online since 2001.

Then confirmed by Joe on his radio show a couple of weeks ago as an acoustic show.

Would the full band show up?.

Or would it be just the 'guitarists' and singer.

The poster showed the full band name and logo so it seemed they were set to play their first full acoustic show for many many years.

Alongside an incredible line-up of rock legends.

Sadly only open to invited guests who were paying very high prices for this exclusive event.

And all to benefit Teen Cancer America and UCLA Health.

The band featuring their own cancer survivor on guitar following his successful transplant operation.

So we know these funds will be put to good use.

Other acts

The Who organised this event and so were the main act but not quite the headliners.

Cheap Trick started the show at 6:15pm followed by Peter Frampton at 7pm.

The Who (with special guest Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam) then played their set at 8pm.

Although not seen at the time Def Leppard would follow at 9:15pm.

John Fogerty (with Eddie Vedder again guesting) played at 10:15pm.

The Doobie Brothers played at 11:15pm.

The event actually ending later than mentioned beforehand at 11:50pm.

Full Band Acoustic Show

Yes after a very long time Rick sat behind a full acoustic kit for a Def Leppard show.

The last time electrically would have been the final show of the Slang tour in April 1997.

And in terms of acoustic shows the Latin MTV show during the 1996 tour and before that the 1995 Vault tour.

Kicking of with 'Armageddon It' followed by 'Hysteria' and during the start of this one a comical moment as Roger Daltrey, sat side stage, looking at his watch (see video below).

It's now confirmed just as we were watching a posted video of The Who on IG Def Leppard were about to follow them on stage starting at 9:15pm local time.

I'm sure he wasn't already bored of the show!.

The first 'rarity' followed this with 'This Guitar', along with the other songs, making it's Pacific Palisades debut.

All songs were of course already played not too far away in Los Angeles over the last few shows there in 2022 and 2024.

Like the Vancouver private show this was played on a much smaller outdoor stage.

The soon to be packed away for good 2025 tour staging will likely only be seen again in Gary, Indiana and possibly Las Vegas depending on what event they are playing.

That secret show seems to be even more secret than this one.

Someone online seems to think it will be at The Venetian, but Earth Wind & Fire have a residency show there that same night.

And it will not be at The Colosseum either where Alanis Morissette will be kicking off her own residency on the same date (15th Oct) ahead of Def Leppard's one there in February.

This show closed out with the two most obvious acoustic songs they could have picked - 'Two Steps Behind' and 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'.

But this did keep up the tradition in 2025 of each show ending with PSSOM.

Sadly not featuring a certain 'grunge' star on backing vocals (but more about him below this).

Sadly those of us following along online last night/this morning did not get to see much other than a few songs by Cheap trick and most of The Who but it seems like another great event which raised lots of money for a very worthy cause.

And possibly the last ever show by The Who (or at least the last one in the USA).

View many Fan pics and videos below and some great media pics as posted on Gettyimages.

And the second photo we've seen of Joe with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam after their first meeting and performance in November 2014.

Plus some shots of Joe with Cheap Trick and Roger Daltrey who co-founded Teen Cancer America which this show benefited along with UCLA Health.

And now a brief Walk Of Fame event before they get back to regular live action in Indiana ahead of another private show in Las Vegas to end the year.

But not quite as the 'Diamond Star Heroes' concert film follows in November which should be the last activity this year before the new single and residency follow in February 2026.

5 Song Setlist

A 5 song setlist was played.

All songs played with a full band acoustic set up.

Rick playing acoustic drums for the first time since the 1995 Vault tour.

Los Angeles History

No previous visits to Pacific Palisades but plenty for Los Angeles.

As Joe pointed out on their last visit the Santa Monica show in 1980 was technically in Los Angeles and therefore the first city played in the USA.

They went on to play in LA many times since with the last being in August 2024 at SoFi Stadium.

Last night's show was the first performance in Pacific Palisades.

The next Def Leppard show takes place in Gary, Indiana on 11th October.

Pacific Palisades, CA 2025 Photos

Screenshots by dltourhistory.