Def Leppard with REO Speedwagon and Tesla at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

Photographs by Dawn Hamilton.

It’s not every night that you get to see rock legends perform but when you do it really is something special. On July 16th Def Leppard was set to play to a packed crowd at the Molson Canadian Amphitheater.  

Def Leppard started off the show with the song ‘Let’s Go” off of their newest album. From the very start of the show you felt as if you were sent back in time, that is if you ignored the thousands of iPhones filming every song. Yet even if the year is 2016 and not 1977 the fans in the crowd still acted with the same passion that I imagine they would have done almost 40 years ago, and so did the band. They were truly entertaining to watch with bad ass dual guitar solos and more than a few drum solos to get hearts pumping and the crowd cheering. Also on top of that every single song was delivered with a studio quality sound. Of course being a good ole rock and roll band they were very guitar heavy but not to the point where you weren’t sure if you would still have your hearing in the morning (I guess 39 years of practice does make perfect). 

Now the crowd was a truly unique one, a type of crowd that can only be drawn out by some classic rock. From the front row to the back of the lawn everyone was dancing, singing, and head banging to the music. Yet the truly fascinating part was the diversity among the crowd and the passion they all shared. Whether they were rocking with Def Leppard back in the 80’s or were born years after that, they all shared the same love for the music. That is something that is unique to rock and roll, it truly is timeless and has a way of living on through the generations. 

Throughout the evening they played songs both old and new. Naturally the old hits brought more of a reaction out of the crowd but the new one defiantly did not fall flat. During “Love Bites” you could find a ton of actual lighters opposed to cell phone flashlights illuminating the amphitheater, which is rare nowadays. Def Leppard also filled the crowds hearts with a healthy does of nostalgia as they told the story about the summer of ’77 when they became a band. They then took a trip down memory lane while playing “Hysteria” by having images and videos of past live shows, music videos, and even their super bowl performance playing on the screens behind them. Then of course they relieved the crowd favourite “Pour Some Sugar On Me”  which had every single person dancing along. 

Overall Def Leppard managed to take everyone in the stadium back to past decades with their music and unwavering energy. Through every song they captivated the crowd and kept the energy high. They put on the type of show you would expect of such a legendary rock band.