The Vegas Wish List

turntodust86 Music News,

The clock just struck midnight on July 14, 2019 so we are officially one month away from Def Leppard kicking off their second Las Vegas residency. The band just kicked off a short Canadian tour, during which they will be rehearsing many new songs to be featured in the set during the residency.

As a result, I have stepped away from the Leppard world, as I want to preserve any and all surprises. For the most part, I was successful in doing just that in 2013. It was easier back then, as there were no dates preceding the residency itself. This year, it’s tougher since they are playing in Canada, soundchecking songs during times when fans can hear them, and giving interviews that may hint at what might be featured in Vegas.

According to Vivian Campbell…

It’s gonna be a very busy couple of weeks for us. We’re gonna have to do a lot of homework on days off and stuff and go in and practice and kinda work on a few tunes. There’s a bit of a short list flyin’ around. I can tell you there are quite a few songs on there that we haven’t played in many, many, many years. So, everyone has been given their homework. I’ve got my guitar with me and I’ve got an email with a bunch of songs.

That and a few other nuggets of information have my excitement level for this residency shooting through the roof.

I’ve written about this residency twice so far… Once last October when it was merely a rumor, and again in February after it became official. Both times I tossed out ideas of what they could do this time around, and the second of those entries included a couple of wish lists of songs I’d like to see.

Now that we’re a month away and the odds of some lesser played songs being resurrected are getting better and better… I figured I might as well do one final wish list.

This time around, I’m going to focus on picking one per album.

On Through The Night (1980)

Let’s be honest here, I would happily accept ANYTHING from On Through The Night in any given setlist. I was blessed to see two songs from the album (“Rock Brigade” and “Wasted”) and one b-side from the era (“Good Morning Freedom”) during the 2013 residency. That year was the first I was fortunate enough to see anything from the era at all. And in 2019, I would be thrilled to see any of those songs again. I think “Wasted” is a lock, as it has been performed as recently as December 2018 during the band’s UK tour. “Rock Brigade” hasn’t been played since the 2013 Vegas residency, but that’s recent enough for it to make a comeback. But if I had my choice, I would go a little deeper and dust off a classic…

“Rocks Off”

Last Performed: 1983 – Pyromania Tour

As mentioned in my second entry on the residency, Rick Allen picked this song as the one he’d most like to resurrect with Ded Flatbird. Which to me gives it a decent shot at coming back in 2019. The song was a mainstay of the band’s set from 1978 through the early part of the Pyromania tour, so it has been played live by 4/5 of the current lineup. As the Pyromania album began to sell by the bucketload, the setlist shifted to feature more new songs, leaving older songs like “Rocks Off” and “Lady Strange” in the dust. Sadly it never returned and Rick has never played the song with one arm. But I believe “Rocks Off” would be the 2019 version of what “Good Morning Freedom” was in 2013… A complete and utter surprise, given a heavy upgrade by the band’s modern guitar duo of Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Hello America”
    • Last Performed: 1980
  • “Overture”
    • Last Performed: 1983

Welcome To Return:

High ‘n’ Dry (1981)

My final show of the 2013 residency was quite unique in that the set was drawn entirely from three albums… Obviously Hysteria was played in full and made up the bulk of the set. The encore, which has remained unchanged since 2013, featured two songs from Pyromania. And Ded Flatbird’s opening set featured a whopping SEVEN songs from the band’s sophomore album, 1981’s High ‘n’ Dry. The star of that set was “On Through The Night,” which hadn’t been performed live since 1981. All of side A was also featured along with “Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes),” a song that was first resurrected in 2007 after not being played since the Pyromania tour ended in 1984. That means just three songs from High ‘n’ Dry haven’t been played this century, which makes my pick quite simple.

“Lady Strange”

Last Performed: 1983 – Pyromania Tour

This song has been around since 1980, as it was featured in many sets while the band toured in support of the On Through The Night album. With the help of Mutt Lange, the song was finely tuned and turned into a hard rock classic and remained a concert staple through the earlier part of the Pyromania tour in 1983. But like “Rocks Off,” it was a casualty of Pyromania‘s success and was soon dropped in favor of new songs. So while it has been played by 4/5 of the current lineup, it’s another that has not been played since Rick’s accident. Again the thought of Collen & Campbell being able to unleash on this song makes me salivate, and it would be the 2019 version of 2013’s return of “On Through The Night.”

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “No No No”
    • Last Performed: 1981
  • “You Got Me Runnin'”
    • Last Performed: 1981

Welcome To Return:

Pyromania (1983)

The original plan for Def Leppard’s return to Las Vegas was to feature a residency where they played the Pyromania album in full. Sadly, that never came to be and this year’s residency will not see that become a reality. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a few deep cuts from the album see the stage for the first time in years… Whether it’s a few, or decades. To date, I’ve seen five of the songs live, leaving half of the album completely untouched. Only two of the other five have been played this century, while others haven’t been played in decades or ever been played live at all.

The most obvious candidate here is “Die Hard The Hunter,” a song that was an epic centerpiece of the Hysteria tour setlist from 1987-1988. It has only been played once by the current lineup, which was at Vivian Campbell’s first ever show with the band in a club in Dublin on April 15, 1992. The song didn’t make it to the Adrenalize tour that kicked off a month later and hasn’t been played since. As with all epics, this one would be fucking amazing live and I really, really hope it is featured during the 2019 residency as I would kill to see Collen & Campbell trade licks on this one. Similarly, “Billy’s Got A Gun” would be a more than welcome addition, having last been played once in 2002 and a few times on the 1996-1997 Slang tour… Before that, it hadn’t been played since 1987 on the Hysteria tour. Meanwhile “Comin’ Under Fire,” a song name-checked by Joe as one he would like to play, has never been played live.

But my actual choice…

“Stagefright”

Last Performed: 2013 – Viva! Hysteria Residency

“Stagefright” is my third favorite Def Leppard song, but it escapes me when it comes to seeing it live. It has not been played often by any means, but I’ve come extremely close to seeing it but never been lucky enough to catch it. My first near miss happened on the Euphoria tour. The song was resurrected during the early 2000 winter portion of the tour, just weeks after I had seen them live on December 29, 1999. The song came back again in August 2000, just 10 days after my final show of the tour on August 19, 2000. My nearest miss happened in December 2002… During the first leg of US shows on the X tour, as they played the song on December 20, 2002 in Council Bluffs, IA and I attended the very next show on December 21, 2002 in Cedar Rapids, IA. The song popped up a few more times on the 2003 portion of that tour, but never at my shows. And finally, “Stagefright” was one of only three songs that I didn’t get to see during the 2013 residency, as its final appearance was on April 3, 2013 and my first show was on April 6, 2013. I saw the final four shows of the residency but sadly it did not return. The 2013 residency thankfully checked “Wasted” off my wish list of songs I’d never seen live, which bumped “Stagefright” to number one. A Pyromania residency would have guaranteed me a chance to see it live, but since that isn’t happening, I have to hope it both shows up during the 2019 residency AND is featured at one of the final five shows.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Die Hard The Hunter”
    • Last Performed: April 15, 1992
  • “Billy’s Got A Gun”
    • Last Performed: November 26, 2002
  • “Comin’ Under Fire”
    • Last Performed: Never

Welcome To Return:

Hysteria (1987)

Considering Hysteria is the one and only Def Leppard album I’ve seen live in its entirety, it’s a little harder to come up with a wish list of songs I want to see. But since six of the album’s 12 songs are featured in damn near every setlist the band has played since 1992, it’s easy to narrow the list down to the lesser played six. Of the six, three songs have popped up on the occasional tour while the other three have only been seen during the 2013 Viva! Hysteria residency. “Gods Of War,” one of my top five favorite Def Leppard songs, is an obvious highlight of any show. “Excitable” is another that is a great live song that I’ve been lucky enough to see in regular concerts and during the first residency. “Women” was a concert staple from 1999-2005, but then became more of a rarity and that’s what it remains to this day.

As for the song I want to see most, that designation goes to the star of the 2013 residency.

“Don’t Shoot Shotgun”

Last Performed: 2019 – Download Festival featuring Hysteria in full.

Before the 2013 residency, three Hysteria songs hadn’t been played live since 1988: “Don’t Shoot Shotgun,” “Run Riot,” and “Love And Affection.” So it was interesting to imagine how they would sound live in 2013, and the shining star was “Don’t Shoot Shotgun.” The song was a little awkward when played live on the Hysteria tour, but with age, experience, and a much improved backing vocal ability, the song sprang to life and was a highlight of the residency. I’d gladly see any of the lesser played six, especially the ‘forgotten three,’ but this would be my first choice.

Lesser Played Runners-Up:

More Frequently Played & Welcome To Return:

Adrenalize (1992)

Despite arguably being Def Leppard’s third most successful album, it has not been well represented in the setlist since the Slang tour in 1996-1997. By the time the Euphoria tour kicked off in 1999, only “Let’s Get Rocked” remained. Soon “Make Love Like A Man” returned, and those two were the only two to be played live until “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” had a short-lived return in 2005. No other songs from the album have been performed live since the Adrenalize tour ended in 1993, and a few songs never saw the stage at all. For awhile, “Make Love Like A Man” became the go-to rotation song, drawing ire from die-hard fans wishing something else would get a chance in the setlist. At one point, Joe Elliott stated he never wanted to sing the song live again (I think?) but the song has still managed to return occasionally, though it hasn’t been a setlist staple since 2012.

I would be more than happy to see anything I haven’t seen live before from this album, including the Hysteria b-side-turned-Adrenalize-closer “Tear It Down.” The song was played fairly regularly on the Hysteria tour and at every show on the Adrenalize tour, but hasn’t been performed since… Possibly due to guitarist Vivian Campbell’s hatred of it. The song was apparently suggested as a feature in the set for the Euphoria tour, but was vetoed by Vivian for being ‘too simple’ and not up to Lep’s usual standards. That’s one of few occasions that I disagree with Mr. Campbell when it comes to Leppard’s setlists, and I would love to see the song return in 2019. Similarly, I’ve only ever seen “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad” played in full at my very first concert in 1996. By the time my first show of the 2005 tour rolled around on July 27, the song had been dropped.

But THE song that I want to see this year…

“White Lightning”

Last Performed: 1993 – Adrenalize Tour

The highlight of the album is this seven minute epic dedicated to the late Steve Clark. It’s my favorite song from the album, and it was rumored to be up for inclusion in a rotating ‘epic song’ slot on the 2005 tour… Only for that plan to be shelved while “Gods Of War” took up that spot permanently for the tour. Phil has mentioned this one as a song he would love to bring back and he clearly still knows the parts… So this would be a huge highlight of the show were it to be resurrected in 2019.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Tonight”
    • Last Performed: 1993 [acoustic only]
  • “Tear It Down”
    • Last Performed: 1993
  • “Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)”
    • Last Performed: Never

Welcome To Return:

Retro Active (1993)

As with every post-Hysteria album, Retro Active has not seen much representation in the setlist since it came out. It didn’t help that the album was released shortly after the Adrenalize tour wrapped, but a handful of songs still managed live performances during the subsequent Vault acoustic tour and the 1996-1997 Slang tour. And it wasn’t until 2002 that Def Leppard got bold and played “Ring Of Fire,” a song that originated as a Hysteria b-side in 1987, live during the X tour. I’ve only ever seen two songs from the album live: “Two Steps Behind,” the album’s biggest hit single, and “Action,” the band’s b-side-turned-hit cover of the Sweet classic. “Two Steps Behind” has been played on nearly every tour since its release, while “Action” sees the most plays in the UK where it was a hit single. “From The Inside” saw the odd acoustic performance between 1992 and 1996, while “Miss You In A Heartbeat” also had a few sporadic plays between 1995 and 2000.

My number one wish for this, however, is all but a fantasy.

“Desert Song”

Last Performed: Never

Normally I would be more realistic in picking a song, by picking one that has actually been played live… But it’s hard to pick anything other than “Desert Song.” This track originated during the early writing sessions for Hysteria in 1984, but went unreleased until 1993 as the finest moment on the Retro Active compilation. It’s unlike anything else in the band’s discography, and despite originating in 1984, it sounded like a step into modern times for Def Leppard in late 1993 and would bridge the gap between 1992’s Adrenalize and 1996’s Slang. This would be one hell of a challenge to pull off live, but Joe name-checked this as one he wanted to do during the band’s 1999 appearance on VH1 Storytellers. And it would blow die-hard fans’ fucking minds if it were to be performed live for the first time ever in 2019.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Ring Of Fire”
    • Last Performed: 2003
  • “Fractured Love”
    • Last Performed: Never

Welcome To Return:

Vault (1995)

Since 1995, Def Leppard has released three more compilation albums… 2004’s Best Of, 2005’s Rock Of Ages (the US upgrade of Best Of), and 2018’s The Story So Far. The only one to feature a brand new, original composition was 1995’s Vault, which saw the band take a song originally written in the early 90’s for Adrenalize and modernize it into their second biggest UK hit in 1995. “When Love & Hate Collide” didn’t make much of a splash in the US, so it was not played live on US soil until late 2003. It had another rare US play in 2008 during the taping of the band’s appearance on Crossroads, but I wasn’t fortunate enough to see it live until April 12, 2013 during the Vegas residency. Surprisingly, it became a regular in the set on the band’s 2018 tour, finally affording many fans the chance to see it live across the country 23 years after it was released.

Seeing as how it’s the one and only new song from the album…

“When Love & Hate Collide”

Last Performed: 2019

Since the song was played at all three shows I saw in 2018, I’m not pining for it to be featured in Las Vegas this year. While I love the song, it is a ballad and the band has plenty of those in the set as it is. If it pops up at one of my five shows, I’d be cool with that though.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • N/A

Welcome To Return:

Slang (1996)

Ah, Slang. My favorite album of all time. The album the band was supporting when I saw them live for the very first time on July 30, 1996. And an album that has not been well represented in the set after the X tour ended in 2003. I’ve seen four songs from the album live in full, with a snippet of a fifth being featured in the acoustic medley that was performed in 2012/2013… But only the title track has been performed live since the album’s tour ended in 1997. It’s a damn shame, as Slang features some of the band’s best work. Not only is this my favorite album of all time, but it features my favorite song of all time…

“Turn To Dust”

Last Performed: 1996 – Slang Tour

This is only slightly less realistic than “Desert Song” being played live, but I can’t not choose it. The difference is that “Turn To Dust” has actually been performed live, as it was featured a whopping two times on the Slang tour in 1996. The odds of it returning in Vegas in 2019 are absurdly low but I’ll never give up hope of seeing my favorite song of all time live.

But as my favorite album of all time, I’ll gladly take ANYTHING from it in the setlist.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Where Does Love Go When It Dies”
    • Last Performed: 1996
  • “Truth?”
    • Last Performed: 1996
  • “Gift Of Flesh”
    • Last Performed: 1997

Welcome To Return:

Euphoria (1999)

The Euphoria album turned 20 years old this year, which is insanely hard to believe. The album was my version of Hysteria, as the band’s music (new and old) was regularly featured on the radio, all my friends FINALLY knew of them, and they played my city twice on the corresponding tour in 1999 and 2000. I got to see four songs from the album live in full, along with a snippet of a fifth (and two soundcheck performances of a sixth). Euphoria also holds the distinction of being the only post-Vault album to see not just one but two of its songs be played live after the album’s corresponding tour ended. The album’s biggest hit, “Promises,” was a setlist staple from its release in 1999 through 2006, but then it didn’t see the stage again until the 2013 residency. It became a regular again on the band’s 2015 tour, which also saw the epic “Paper Sun” resurrected for the first time in 15 years.

I would love to see both tracks live in Vegas this year, but my number one choice is a song that was only played live a single time on the Euphoria tour…

“Day After Day”

Last Performed: February 12, 2000 – Euphoria Tour

As far as I was concerned, the song was a huge rock radio hit… It nearly made it into the top 20 on the Billboard chart and it was played on the radio quite frequently here. It went on to become my second favorite Def Leppard song of all time. Like “Turn To Dust,” the odds of something that was played so rarely to begin with being featured in 2019 are insanely low, but that doesn’t make me wish for it any less.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “21st Century Sha La La La Girl”
    • Last Performed: 1999
  • “Back In Your Face”
    • Last Performed: 1999

Welcome To Return:

X (2002)

The X album was a turning point for the band in more ways than one. They had updated their sound to be more pop-driven as they chased radio success, only for the record label to pull the rug out from under them by not supporting the album at all. While X was decently represented on its own tour, with four songs being performed live in total while three were done for the majority of the tour, not a single song has been performed in full since the tour ended in 2003. Only lead single “Now” made a brief appearance during the 2012 tour as part of the acoustic medley. It’s time this album got a little respect and was featured in the setlist again.

For this one, I will be more realistic.

“Now”

Last Performed: 2003 – X Tour

“Now” isn’t my favorite song from X, as that is a toss up between “You’re So Beautiful” and “Scar.” But when it comes to the song that best represents the album, I think of “Now.” It was the lead single and was a very modern sounding song for them at the time. It was unique for its mix of acoustic and electric guitars, which made for an interesting dynamic during the live shows. In fact, “Now” was quite a heavy song live and it was a highlight of the set on that tour. While I’d love for “You’re So Beautiful” or “Four Letter Word” to come back, if I had to choose just one song from the album, I would pick “Now.” I have seen the song in full six times (the last of which was June 21, 2003 – Rockford, IL) and as part of the acoustic medley four times (2012-2013).

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Scar”
    • Last Performed: Never
  • “Everyday”
    • Last Performed: Never

Welcome To Return:

Yeah! (2006)

While the X album was a turning point for the band when it came to recording, the Yeah! tour was a turning point for the band live. They set out on their first 100% coheadline tour and as a result, their set was cut down to an abysmal 15 songs. History repeated itself for me, as by the time my first show of the year rolled around on July 19, 2006… The newest and coolest songs (“Hell Raiser” and “Hanging On The Telephone”) had been dropped from the setlist. Disappointingly, I was left with only “No Matter What” and “Rock On” – two songs I had already seen live on the 2005 tour. Thankfully, I was able to see the band in October 2006 and by that point, “20th Century Boy” had replaced “No Matter What.” Unfortunately “Rock On” has remained in the set almost constantly to this day, robbing original Def Leppard songs of the chance to be featured on any given tour.

I would prefer to have ZERO covers featured during the 2019 residency, as I want this to be celebration of DEF LEPPARD’s music, not anyone else’s. But if I had to go with one song to feature from Yeah!…

“Hell Raiser”

Last Performed: 2006 – Yeah! Tour

I was extremely close to picking “20th Century Boy,” which was my favorite song from the album. But ultimately, I went with the even less likely cover of Sweet’s “Hell Raiser” since I didn’t get to see it live on the Yeah! tour. But at this point, if the band insists on playing a cover song, ANYTHING would be better than “Rock On.” Literally anything else the band has covered. Or hasn’t covered before, hell, who cares.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Don’t Believe A Word”
    • Last Performed: 2003
  • “Hanging On The Telephone”
    • Last Performed: 2006

Welcome To Return:

Wish It Would Die A Thousand Fiery Deaths On The Surface Of The Hottest Supernova In The Universe:

  • “Rock On”
    • Seen Live: Infinitely Too Many Times
    • Last Seen Live: I’d Rather Not Think About It
    • Last Performed: Let’s Pretend The Answer Is Never

Songs From The Sparkle Lounge (2008)

It would be a then-record six years between original studio albums for Def Leppard. Thankfully they returned to form with 2008’s Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, a straight to the point (and slightly poorly produced) rock album that was released in the spring of that year. The band would go on to perform six of the album’s 11 tracks live, but only two were included regularly on the corresponding tour in 2008-2009. My first chance to see them live was on August 15, 2008 – which was a show that was rescheduled from April of that year. Being rescheduled worked to my advantage, as it resulted in a better opening act and a longer set that featured not one but three new songs: “Nine Lives,” “C’mon C’mon,” and “Bad Actress.” But the bad-setlist-luck had to get me somehow, and that came in the form of the album’s best song, “Go,” being added to and removed from the set just days before my show. On top of that, I got sick at the concert!

So it goes without saying that my choice for this album would be…

“Go”

Last Performed: 2008 – Songs From The Sparkle Lounge Tour

Don’t get me wrong, I would gladly see anything from Sparkle Lounge live in 2019 since it has been over a decade since I’ve seen anything from it. But I also want redemption for the tease that occurred in August 2008. “Go” was played only five times in total (as it popped up a few more times during the Australian/Japanese shows in October/November 2008). By 2009, only “Nine Lives” and “C’mon C’mon” remained and they were alternating from night to night… But I got “C’mon C’mon” at both shows I saw in 2009, and my attempt at a third show that year wound up canceled by the band. “C’mon C’mon” would go on to feature a few times in 2011 and was played twice during the 2013 residency… Though not at any of my shows. But enough time has passed that I’d love to see anything from this album live.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Cruise Control”
    • Last Performed: Never
  • “Hallucinate”
    • Last Performed: 2008

Welcome To Return:

Mirror Ball: Live & More (2011)

The gap between X and Songs From The Sparkle Lounge was six long years, but the wait between Sparkle Lounge and the next full length original studio album would be even longer… But at least there was Mirror Ball to help hold us over. Along with being the band’s first (and best sounding) live album, it featured three brand new studio songs. The single-writer aspect seen on most of the songs from Sparkle Lounge remained, but the production returned to Leppard’s high standards. “Undefeated” was the biggest and most played of the three new songs, as it was featured as the concert opener on every show from 2011-2012. “It’s All About Believin'” had a short run on the 2012 tour, which thankfully I was able to catch early on, but it was dropped prior to my second show of that year. So the song joined the infamous One-Timers Club for me. “Kings Of The World” has never been played live, though it’s probably too intricate (and not very concert friendly) to be performed…

Which leaves me two choices for 2019.

“Undefeated”

Last Performed: 2015 – Def Leppard Tour

I’m going against the grain here by picking the song I’ve seen the most often, as it opened seven straight shows I saw between 2011-2012. I just can’t see “It’s All About Believin'” being brought back and ultimately, “Undefeated” is the better live song anyway. Which is why it was featured during the 2013 residency (though not at any of the shows I saw) and popped up again in the UK on the early portion of the tour for the 2015 Def Leppard album. By the end of the 2012 tour, I was ready for a change when it came to the concert opener. Now that it’s 2019, I’d be happy to see “Undefeated” live again.

Never Seen So I Guess I’d Accept It Just To Say I Saw It:

  • “Kings Of The World”
    • Last Performed: Never

Welcome To Return:

Def Leppard (2015)

Of all Def Leppard’s studio albums, their self-titled effort is the least represented when it comes to the number of songs to be played live. I was super lucky to be at the show in Moline, IL on October 7, 2015 when the album’s lead single “Let’s Go” was performed live for the very first time. The following month, “Dangerous” was added to the set and “Man Enough” made its debut in July 2016. Sadly, no other songs were brought to the stage. That comes down to a variety of reasons I won’t get into here, but I think it’s time Def Leppard was given a little more respect.

And there couldn’t be a more fitting song to make its live debut in Las Vegas than…

“Wings Of An Angel”

Last Performed: Never

In my opinion, “Wings Of An Angel” is the best song Def Leppard has released since the duo of “Paper Sun” and “Day After Day” from 1999’s Euphoria. The song perfectly blends the heaviness of Pyromania with the alternative flavor of Slang while retaining all of Def Leppard’s trademarks. The song itself was conceived in 2013 during the first Las Vegas Residency, as the band was shooting a documentary (that was never released) and footage was shot of them writing a new song. That song eventually became “Wings Of An Angel” and it was released on the 2015 self-titled album. Several other songs from the album deserve to the played live (such as “All Time High,” “Broke ‘N’ Brokenhearted,” and the band-centric “We Belong”), but none deserve it more than “Wings Of An Angel.”

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “All Time High”
    • Last Performed: Never
  • “Broke ‘N’ Brokenhearted”
    • Last Performed: Never
  • “We Belong”
    • Last Performed: Never

Welcome To Return:

B-Sides/Additional Songs (1979-2018)

Perhaps the most shocking song from the 2013 residency was the return of “Good Morning Freedom,” the b-side from the “Hello America” 7″ single released in 1980. The song hadn’t been played live since 1980 and it was the deepest Leppard had ever dug into their back catalog for a song to play live. For obvious reasons, it was a highlight of the first residency.

If they were to dig out an old b-side for the 2019 residency, I think the choice is obvious.

Me & My Wine

Last Performed: 1980

Much like “Good Morning Freedom,” “Me & My Wine” was a legit b-side featured on the 7″ single of “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” in 1981. However its only known concert performance was at the infamous Reading Festival on August 24, 1980. The song was remixed and featured on the 1984 re-release of the High ‘n’ Dry album, but it has never been properly performed live since its official release, as far as I know. But it is more well known than “Good Morning Freedom” thanks to its inclusion on the High ‘n’ Dry re-release and its classic music video. It would be a vocally challenging song for Joe, but like “On Through The Night” in 2013, he could certainly pull it off.

Never Seen Runners-Up:

  • “Kiss The Day”
    • Last Performed: Never
  • “Can’t Keep Away From The Flame”
    • Last Performed: 1996
  • “I Am Your Child”
    • Last Performed: Never
  • “Worlds Collide”
    • Last Performed: Never

Welcome To Return:

Obviously some songs on this list have more of a chance than others… I think we may see a few Ded Flatbird era songs return, and anything played over the last year (such as the entire Hysteria album and the songs rotated into the December 2018 UK sets) is fair game. But I also hope that we’ll be lucky enough to see some stuff that hasn’t been played in many, many years (to borrow Viv’s words) return as well.

Ultimately, I’m just excited to see anything that changes it up more than what we saw from 2016-2018 and I’m always happy to see anything live for the first time…

So Def Leppard, anything not on this list, please consider it for the residency…

Especially the final five shows.

And especially “Stagefright.”

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