Def Leppard Close Latest USA Tour with a Triumphant Blowout in Virginia Beach
Words and photos by Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography
There’s a unique electricity in the air when a band hits the last night of a tour. It’s not the same as opening night, where nerves and fresh energy bubble over. No, the finale has its own flavor — looser, heavier, tinged with nostalgia, and often, a little bittersweet.
Def Leppard recently brought that whole cocktail of emotions to the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, closing out their US leg with the kind of unapologetic spectacle that proves why they remain one of the last standing giants of arena rock.
The Pavilion itself added to the mood on the night of August 31. Tucked against the coastal backdrop, with the cool night air of late summer, it felt like the perfect bookend to the season. Everyone packed into the place was buzzing, decked out in faded tour shirts from decades past, some with kids in tow, others with old friends they probably first saw the band with back in the ‘80s. Def Leppard wasn’t just rolling into town for a show; they were closing out a summer ritual.
If you’re going to kick off a show, you might as well do it with the mission statement itself. “Rock Rock (Til You Drop)” exploded like a starter’s pistol. Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell stalked opposite sides of the stage, trading riffs like dueling gunslingers, while Rick Savage laid down that thundering bassline that rattled ribcages up front. And then there’s Joe Elliott — still the anchor, still the swaggering ringleader, pointing his mic stand at the crowd like he’s daring them not to scream back every line. Spoiler: they screamed.
Without pause, they slid into “Rocket.” Suddenly, the lighting rig came alive — strobes firing like cosmic pulses, screens flashing kaleidoscopic imagery. The crowd was on its feet, fists punching the air in unison as though Virginia Beach itself might take flight. That’s the thing about Def Leppard: they still treat each performance like an event, and the production is dialed to match.
The band wasted no time in reminding everyone why they became the soundtrack to so many teenage bedrooms. “Let’s Get Rocked” arrived third, a tongue-in-cheek anthem that’s aged in that wonderfully campy way. Sure, it’s goofy, but when you’ve got 15,000 people shouting “Do ya wanna get rocked?” in unison, irony doesn’t stand a chance.
Watch the official music video for “Rocket” by Def Leppard on YouTube:
“Foolin’” and “Armageddon It” filled out the early stretch, those layered harmonies still tight as ever, Collen and Campbell’s guitars weaving together like they’ve been doing since the mid-’90s. One thing that stood out: the band has kept its sound intact without over-polishing it. There’s just enough grit in the live mix to remind you this is a rock show, not a museum exhibit.
When the unmistakable opening riff of “Animal” hit, the crowd erupted like a dam breaking. Strangers and couples screamed the chorus with grins wide enough to split their faces. And then came the bitter sting of “Love Bites.” The Pavilion hushed in a way that only happens with songs that hit deep. People swayed, phone lights flickered up like fireflies, and Elliott let the audience’s voices do the heavy lifting. Watching a sea of people sing “Love bites, love bleeds” together felt like a group therapy session for anyone who’s ever been burned by romance.
One of the things that keeps Def Leppard from being just a nostalgia act is their refusal to live solely in the past. They pulled out “Just Like ’73,” a newer cut, and while it doesn’t carry the same cultural weight as “Photograph” or “Hysteria,” it got the faithful nodding in appreciation. It’s a reminder that these guys are still creating, still pushing their own sound forward even if most of the crowd came for the classics.
And then came “Let It Go.” For longtime fans, this was the gem. That early ’80s grit, the slightly rougher, heavier edge, brought out fists and devil horns from the diehards who probably bought High ’n’ Dry on cassette. Elliott introduced it with a grin, knowing exactly the kind of reaction it would get, and the band ripped into it with all the energy of a group half their age. It was a perfect reminder that before the MTV fame, before the stadium blowouts, they were a hard rock band with grit under their nails.
Watch the official music video for “Let It Go” by Def Leppard on YouTube:
Midway through the set, the pace shifted. Joe grabbed an acoustic and slowed things down with “This Guitar” and “Two Steps Behind.” Suddenly, the roaring rock show felt intimate, like a campfire gathering of thousands. People swayed, sang, and even the rowdy ones in the back stopped yelling for beer long enough to join in.
The acoustic stretch bled into “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak,” which remains a setlist staple for good reason. The song builds from soft to seismic, and the Pavilion echoed as every voice joined in. Right into “Switch 625,” Collen and Campbell unleashed a shred-fest, proving that Def Leppard still has one of the most underrated twin-guitar attacks in rock.
When the first notes of “Rock of Ages” rang out, the Pavilion shook like a living thing. That ridiculous spoken intro — “Gunter glieben glauchen globen” — has become one of the most iconic openers in rock, and the crowd screamed it back before Elliott even touched the mic. From there, it was pure catharsis.
Watching Collen and Campbell go toe-to-toe, trading licks and shredding with grins plastered across their faces, was a reminder that Def Leppard is still, at its core, a guitarist’s band.
And then came “Photograph.” The screens behind the band flashed archival footage and imagery, while in front, thousands of camera phones went up. Some folks hate the sea of glowing screens at shows, but in that moment, it felt right. It was a 2025 version of lighters in the air, a digital love letter to one of the most enduring songs in rock.
The encore started on a different note with “When Love and Hate Collide.” You could see people mouthing words softly, others just swaying silently. The band knows how to pull back the curtain, even briefly, and remind you they’re more than just anthems and riffs.
Following, “Hysteria,” a title track that remains hypnotic with a rolling groove, pulled everyone into its orbit. Elliott stepped back and let the crowd take entire verses, visibly moved by the wave of voices washing over him.
Of course, it all ended where it had to — with “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” The place came unhinged, friends danced in the aisles, and people who hadn’t stood all night were suddenly losing their minds. It was a rock-and-roll communion, messy and glorious.
Watch the official music video for “Pour Some Sugar on Me” by Def Leppard on YouTube:
Def Leppard could easily coast on nostalgia, but they don’t. Yes, the setlist leans heavy on the hits, but these aren’t guys phoning it in for a paycheck; they’re veterans who know how to give a crowd exactly what it came for, and then some.
The band has weathered more than its share of storms — tragedy, lineup changes, shifting musical landscapes — but here they are, closing a US tour leg in Virginia Beach, still pulling in thousands, still inspiring spontaneous singalongs, still reminding people that rock shows are supposed to feel larger than life.
Walking out of the Pavilion, sweaty and hoarse, fans carried that afterglow you only get from a night like this with the knowledge that they’d been part of something ephemeral, a last-night-of-the-tour blowout, a collective exhale before the road carries the band somewhere else. And that’s what rock and roll is supposed to do.
Setlist
1. Rock Rock (til You Drop)
2. Rocket
3. Let’s Get Rocked
4. Foolin’
5. Armageddon It
6. Animal
7. Love Bites
8. Just Like ’73
9. Let It Go
10. This Guitar
11. Two Steps Behind
12. Bringin’ On the Heartbreak
13. Switch 625
14. Rock of Ages
15. Photograph
Encore
16. When Love and Hate Collide
17. Hysteria
18. Pour Some Sugar on Me
Here are some photos of Def Leppard performing live at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater on August 31, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography.
