Def Leppard Announce ‘Viva! Hysteria’ Live Album + Movie
Couldn't make it to any of the shows Def Leppard delivered during the band's recent Las Vegas residency? No problem. The band is bringing the music to you.
This fall, fans can look forward to 'VIVA! Hysteria - Live at the Joint, Las Vegas,' a live album and film that's scheduled for release on CD, DVD, Blu-ray, and digital download. It will also play during a special engagement in theaters on Oct. 2 and 8 (for a list of locations and times, check the Fathom Events website). According to singer Joe Elliott, the collection (due in U.S. stores on Oct. 22) will offer "the whole shebang," chronicling the full gamut of songs the band played during its Vegas run, which included nightly performances of the complete 'Hysteria' album.
"It was fantastic for many reasons," Elliott told Billboard. "You expand your horizons with whatever situations get thrown at you. We started out at a little school in Sheffield (England) and then the next thing you know we're doing Vegas. It was never on the agenda back then, so you're just making things up as you go along because things just keep appearing for you to do that are appealing 'cause they get you off the treadmill, you know?"
As for a return to Vegas, Elliott says "They've already asked. We haven't said yea or nay yet, but under the right circumstances..."
Those circumstances could include complete performances of another Def Leppard album -- or albums. "Obviously we'll do a different album," mused Elliott. "The thing about 'Hysteria' is it's 65 minutes long, so it really is a show. With the others...you can't just play for 43 minutes and expect people to turn up, so we might have to do two albums next time or something. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
In the meantime, Elliott says, the band members are working on material for their next studio album, the eventual follow-up to 2008's 'Songs from the Sparkle Lounge' -- although in true Def Leppard fashion, Billboard notes, there's "no timetable" for its completion or release.