Def Leppard: And There Will Be A Next Time…Live From Detroit

And There Will Be A Next Time…Live From Detroit | Director: Jim Yukich | Rating: 7/11

Release Date: February 10, 2017

Although Def Leppard’s swagger (sonic and sartorial) may not be nearly as badass as Motley Crue and their anthems aren’t quite as infectious as Bon Jovi’s, it’s impossible for any fan of 80s hard rock (secretively or otherwise) to deny that the English rockers did the formula far better than most and, ultimately, rocked pretty hard. And There Will Be A Next Time…Live From Detroit (via Eagle Rock Entertainment) documents Def Leppard’s nearly-90-minute, almost-entirely-single-comprised 2016 set at the DTE Energy Music Theatre.

While the cinematography is far from artistically impressive and (as the history of concert films has proven) amphitheaters continue to read as far less sexy than arenas on camera, just about any current or former listener of rock radio between the ages of 25 and 65 will surely recognize double-digits-worth of the classic headbangers featured in this set, from “Bringin’ On the Heartbreak,” to “Photograph,” and “Let’s Get Rocked.” And while the band may be showing their age a bit – all obviously dads at this point – they sound as good as ever, and any lifelong fan of “rock” will find it hard to criticize, even in their middle ages, their addiction to skintight pants and fancy scarves. The Blu-ray and DVD editions of the film even include another staple of hard rock: A live two-disc CD set of the audio portion of the evening.