DEF LEPPARD's PHIL COLLEN: Final Concert Of Latest Las Vegas Residency 'Was Probably The Best Show We've Ever Done'

In a new interview with Rockin' 101's "The Johnny Rock Show", DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen reflected on the band's third Las Vegas residency, "Def Leppard Live At Caesars Palace: The Las Vegas Residency", which took place this past February. The 12-show run followed sold-out residencies in 2013 and 2019, marking the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees' first time at the 4,300-seat capacity The Colosseum.

Collen said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I honestly think that — we'd done 12 shows there [during the third residency], and I think two of them were probably of the best five shows we've ever done in our career, were there. So I was amazed. And we had so much fun. And it took us to another level — the singing, the playing, the camaraderie, just the fun we were having on stage. It was like, 'Whoa, What's happening here? This is a new thing.' So, yeah, we're really digging it. It's a celebration. And when we go out, we like to think of it that way."

Phil added: "Honestly, as I've said, night 12 at Caesars Palace was probably the best gig we've ever done. And I know that's a weird thing to say, that you can put it down [to one concert]. There's a handful of shows that were amazing. When we played Wembley Stadium, that was one of them. When we played Sheffield, we'd done a stadium there. They were all in the top five, but I absolutely, honestly think that night 12 at Vegas was probably the best show we've ever done."

DEF LEPPARD's setlist for the band's third Las Vegas residency included the recently released single "Rejoice" as well as "White Lightning" (from 1992's "Adrenalize" album),which hadn't been played since the '90s.

DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott told People magazine about the band's latest Vegas residency: "We've scrapped everything we've ever used over the last five or six tours, which was adapted all the way, but we've just actually got rid of it and came up with a whole new stage show, including setlist."

In a separate interview with ABC Audio, Elliott stated about DEF LEPPARD's live show for the third Vegas residency: "The production is massive. It's the best we've ever had by a country mile. Visually it's insanely different to anything we've ever done."

Regarding the setlist for the residency, Elliott said: "We're pulling out stuff we haven't played in decades. Stuff we've never played before," including "Rejoice". Elliott explained: "It's the reason we released it, so that we could play it."

In January 2025, DEF LEPPARD released a cover of Ben E. King's 1961 classic "Stand By Me". All proceeds from the song went to FireAid, which raises money for those impacted by the fires that swept through Los Angeles in January 2025.

DEF LEPPARD's version of the song is featured in the Netflix film "Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger", which was released in January 2025. The band can be seen performing the track before the credits.

DEF LEPPARD's "Just Like 73" single, featuring a guest guitar solo from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, was made available in June 2024.

DEF LEPPARD's 12th studio album, "Diamond Star Halos", came out in 2022. A year later, the band followed it up with "Drastic Symphonies", a collection of reimagining of some of DEF LEPPARD's greatest hits with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road. The album spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.

DEF LEPPARD was finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

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