Def Leppard – Viva! Hysteria
Frontiers Records
http://www.frontiers.it/album/5170/

Rating: B+

When Def Leppard took residency at the Las Vegas Hard Rock they knew they wanted to do something special and on March 22, 2013, they did.  For the first time in their career, they played their classic album, Hysteria, from start to finish in front of a live audience. 

This was the bands biggest selling album, so far selling over 25 million copies worldwide, and included seven of the most classic songs of the 1980s including “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” Animal,” “Love Bites,” “Armageddon It,” “Rocket” and the title track. 

Def Lep fans came from across the globe to be part of this special event; however, there was more than met the eye going on.   The band actually opened for themselves, performing songs for their diehard fans including many songs off their first two studio albums that the fans had given up on ever being played on stage. 

Calling themselves Ded Flatbird the band trotted out early fan favorites, and heavy guitar tracks including “Wasted,” “Rock Brigade,” “On Through the Night” from their debut album and the entire first side of their sophomore effort High ‘n’ Dry.

While the true gem may have been the classy performance of Hysteria, the early stuff being cranked out, and cranked up, makes this one extra special and, if you’re a true rock fan like me, it will probably be the disc that finds its way into your CD player the most often.

“Good Morning Freedom” is a song that was not even on the first album, yet the band relearned it and performed it for the fans.  That, my friends, is what rock and roll is all about. 

Cd1
Women; Rocket; Animal; Love Bites; Pour Some Sugar on Me; Armageddon It; Gods of War; Don't Shoot Shotgun; Run Riot; Hysteria; Excitable; Love and Affection; Rock of Ages*; Photograph*. *extra non Hysteria tracks

Cd2
Ded Flatbird - night 1
Good Morning Freedom; Wasted; Stagefright; Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes); Action; Rock Brigade; Undefeated; Promises Ded Flatbird - night 2
On Through The Night; Slang; Let It Go; Another Hit And Run; High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night); Bringin' On The Heartbreak; Switch 625.
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The DVD tracklisting is as above but also includes bonus content of the acoustic medley: Where does love go when it dies/Now/When Love & Hate Collide/Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad/Two Steps Behind.

DVD / Blu Ray menu:
- Viva Hysteria
- Ded Flatbird Night 1
- Ded Flatbird Night 2
- Acoustic Set
- Photo Montage

OFFICIAL TRAILER : http://youtu.be/PPzAoOKY5Z0

www.defleppard.com / www.frontiers.it

By Jeb Wright