Def Leppard/Mötley Crüe - London Review

Being a hard rock and metal fan, going to a stadium gig is a bit of a rarity - but going to two in a row is essentially unheard of. Prior to last night's fun in London, my last gig came a couple of weeks ago - when I went to Birmingham to catch Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band put on a mammoth three-hour show at Villa Park. Sitting in the upper tiers of a stadium appears to not get old, though, as just over two weeks later I was sat in an even bigger stadium, Wembley Stadium to be exact, to enjoy two of the biggest names from the 1980s in Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe. I suppose this is how fans of acts like Taylor Swift and Harry Styles must feel! Times have changed for both Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe - as this was not the first time that I had seen the two touring together. The bands did a UK co-headline tour in 2011, and I caught them at what is now the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham. Wembley Stadium is certainly larger than any indoor arena, so it is good to see that the bands have grown in stature again. Funnily enough, I think it was that night in Nottingham which really made me a Def Leppard fan. I had been a casual fan for a while, but went to the show largely to see Mötley Crüe. I remember Mötley Crüe's set being plagued with sound issues, though, and Def Leppard followed them by smashing it out of the park. Prior to last night, I had seen Def Leppard live twice more, and Mötley Crüe just the once - as I trekked up to Manchester to catch them 'one last time' on what was supposed to be their farewell tour in 2015. Their set was significantly better than it had been in 2011, and it was great to have a memorable experience to look back on. Mötley Crüe are certainly not a band that I listen to as much these days, but they were very important in my overall musical development - so I was sad to see them go. I have learnt not to believe musicians when they say that they are retiring, though, so I was not surprised to see them return a few years ago - only for it to be halted by the pandemic. Since kicking off their big comeback tour last year, Mötley Crüe have been touring again with Def Leppard - so once the European leg of the tour was announced I picked up a ticket. 12 years on from that original show, though, this time I was largely going for Def Leppard. The two Def Leppard shows which I saw since the 2011 one were both great, particular one in 2018 which featured 1987's Hysteria played in full, and their remarkably strong catalogue is one which I dip into regularly. I was looking forward to seeing Mötley Crüe again, too, but I had my expectations in check, given some of the reviews I had read and all of the drama surrounding the ousting of guitarist Mick Mars, but since I was mainly going to see Def Leppard and the tickets were surprisingly not hideously priced (at least for the cheap seats a long way from the stage where I sat) I was not going to get too upset if Mötley Crüe disappointed. It had been a few years since I had been to Wembley Stadium, too, so it was good to return. Like all of these big shows, it started pretty early with Mötley Crüe on at 6:45pm. Mammoth WVH opened the show, but by the time I had got over to the stadium from my hotel in the Docklands area of London, Wolfgang Van Halen had largely already finished his set - so I did not see enough of it to really comment on. I saw him last year with Alter Bridge, though, and thought that he and his band were decent without making much of a mark.

It was only around 30 minutes after Mammoth WVH finished their set that Mötley Crüe took to the stage. Considering how, literally, explosive the 2015 show had been, the band's stage show was surprisingly minimal - with them instead letting their music do the talking. By this point, too, the crowd had filled out. Despite only half of the pitch having seats on it, the wider stadium was still pretty full. It was the smallest crowd that I had seen at Wembley Stadium, though, but there were still more in attendance than could have fit in the O2 Arena or similar. Both Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard had 90 minutes to play with, and Mötley Crüe decided to essentially deliver a greatest hits set. As such, setlist-wise, the show was very similar to the previous times that I had seen them - although a couple of different tunes were included. Mötley Crüe opted for a gnarly live sound. The band are always heavier than I remember, and from the opening riff of Wild Side the four-piece (augmented by two backing singers/dancers) rocked pretty hard. The sound mix was generally pretty good, despite the typical 'boom' of stadium sound, although there were times when frontman Vince Neil was a bit buried. Speaking of Neil, though, I was generally impressed. He has come in for a lot of criticism over the years, but he sounded pretty strong throughout much of the set. He struggled with the ballads when his voice was more exposed, but during the heavier tracks he sounded pretty good. In general, too, the band were tight. Drummer Tommy Lee has always been an explosive and underrated drummer, and new guitarist John 5 has added some additional talent to the band. 5 could probably play the set in his sleep, but he nailed the overall attitude of the riffs - and injected a little more of his own style into the solos. The opening portion of the set really rocked, with the aforementioned Wild Side sitting nicely alongside Shout at the Devil and a great version of the raw Too Fast for Love from the band's first album. Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) slowed the pace, but exposed the fragility of Neil's voice, but things got back on track with the pseudo-thrash of Live Wire, which was a real highlight, and a stomping rendition of Looks That Kill. It was fun to hear the newer The Dirt (Est. 1981) live, despite it relying on quite a lot of pre-recorded vocals due to Machine Gun Kelly's appearance on the track, but it did mark the start of a bit of a mid-set sag. For whatever reason, on this tour the band have decided to include a lengthy covers medley in their set - which over the last couple of shows has now gotten longer, to include a significant portion of Beastie Boys' (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!) for no clear reason. Neil looked like a lost lamb here with many of the other band members singing - and considering that an original track was dropped to make this medley longer you have to question why. The slower Home Sweet Home followed this medley, too, which also was not too kind to Neil - but thankfully the last few songs got the set back on track. Dr. Feelgood felt more like it, before Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.) saw plenty of singing from the crowd. Bassist Nikki Sixx was showcased during the intro of the prowling Primal Scream - and the set then came to a raucous end with the anthemic Kickstart My Heart. Despite the mid-set sag and some slower numbers which only served to highlight Neil's vocal issues, Mötley Crüe put on a raw set with their usual swagger - so a job well done. The setlist was:

Wild Side

Shout at the Devil

Too Fast for Love

Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)

Live Wire

Looks That Kill

The Dirt (Est. 1981)

Guitar solo

Rock and Roll - Part 2 [Gary Glitter cover]/Smokin' in the Boys Room [Brownsville Station cover]/Helter Skelter [The Beatles cover]/Anarchy in the U.K. [Sex Pistols cover]/Blitzkrieg Bop [Ramones cover]/(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!) [Beastie Boys cover]

Home Sweet Home

Dr. Feelgood

Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.)

Girls, Girls, Girls

Primal Scream

Kickstart My Heart

Again, there was only around 30 minutes between sets - so it was soon time for Def Leppard to take the stage. I enjoyed Mötley Crüe, but I think it is fair to say that Def Leppard were better - both in terms of overall sound and setlist choice. They essentially also played a greatest hits set, but a few choice cuts from last year's strong Diamond Star Halos kept things interesting - and the set kept the large crowd enthralled from the off with the hard-driving riffing of Take What You Want. Frontman Joe Elliott might not have the range that he used to, but he is still a good live singer - and the harmonies from the rest of the band helped to create their trademark layered sound. Take What You Want got the set off to a strong start, and the harder rock vibe continued with Let's Get Rocked - before the more mid-paced Animal was the first of six Hysteria cuts played during the evening. 5 had included plenty of fretboard pyrotechnics during Mötley Crüe's set, but the back-and-forth between Phil Collen (guitar/vocals) and Vivian Campbell (guitar/vocals) was just as impressive. The anthemic Armageddon It featured lots of great guitar playing, and it came after a relative deep cut in Foolin' which all the die-hards around me really enjoyed. I have already mentioned the inclusion of new material, but I think it was quite brave of the band to play three new songs - even though the poppy Kick certainly went down well. So many veteran bands struggle to get people to engage with new songs - especially in a stadium context. The choice to play the new songs seemed to pay off, though. There were lots of people around me singing along to Kick, and I was glad to hear songs which were a bit different from the norm. I was pleased with the inclusion of Promises from the late 1990s, too. Although the song was a single, it is certainly not a setlist staple - but the epic chorus rung around Wembley Stadium and it received a strong reception when it came to an end. Unlike Mötley Crüe, too, Def Leppard's mid-set did not sag - despite it changing the pace. A brief semi-acoustic set saw the band gathered at the foot of the catwalk, with drummer Rick Allen behind a small drumkit, to play a couple of ballads. This Guitar was the last new track featured but the stripped-back version played worked well - before a reworked When Love & Hate Collide also impressed. This acoustic set did not outstay its welcome and it was soon time to rock again, with the glam stomp of Rocket and the soaring power ballad Bringin' On the Heartbreak getting everyone to sing along. The rumble from bassist Rick Savage then heralded the instrumental Switch 625, which featured some great guitar interplay between the two guitarists - and came to an end with a brief drum solo. By this point, though, there was not too much time left - but four more big hits were still to come. The smooth Hysteria felt like a bit of lull before the final storm, despite it being a melodic feast in its own right, but I think it is fair to say that Pour Some Sugar On Me was the song that got everyone on their feet, the duelling guitars and Collen and Campbell bringing it to life, before the mid-paced Rock of Ages and the bona fide classic Photograph closed out what was an excellent evening of live music - with the whole stadium on its feet. The setlist was:

Take What You Want

Let's Get Rocked

Animal

Foolin'

Armageddon It

Kick

Love Bites

Promises

This Guitar

When Love & Hate Collide

Rocket

Bringin' On the Heartbreak

Switch 625

Hysteria

Pour Some Sugar On Me

Rock of Ages

Photograph

It is always great seeing Def Leppard live and, for me, they were easily the band of the night at Wembley. I still enjoyed Mötley Crüe's raw set, and they whipped up plenty of excitement - but I felt that, overall, Def Leppard elicited more of a reaction from the crowd and managed to deliver a stadium-ready setlist that did not just rely on past glories. Seeing two of the 1980s biggest rock bands is always going to be a recipe for a great night out, though, and the duo of Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe did not disappoint - and certainly brought some fire to a busy London Saturday which saw the public spoilt for choice with lots of big-name events.