Photos by Andy Argyrakis

The last locations Def Leppard devoured in the area were the gigantic likes of Wrigley Field and headlining Milwaukee’s Summerfest, which is why when the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers announced the significantly smaller Hard Rock Live in Gary, it was an instantaneous sell out.

Although there’s never a bad seat in the house, front floor sections hovered around a thousand dollars at prices set by secondary sellers, but considering this is a band that normally fills stadiums on the strength of more than 110 million albums sold, this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity worth any splurge.

As a result, Def Leppard definitely didn’t disappoint, stuffing as much of their production bells and whistles into the maximum capacity configuration, while spending 90-minutes on almost exclusively the classic tracks to wrap up its entire 2025 tour.

“Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop),” “Rocket” and “Let’s Get Rocked” got the heavy extravaganza going courtesy of the longstanding line-up featuring front man Joe Elliott, guitarist Phil Collen, bassist Rick Savage, guitarist Vivian Campbell and drummer Rick Allen.


There was no “Foolin’” as Def Leppard feverishly replicated “Armageddon It,” “Animal” and “Love Bites,” which were mainly from the 1980s, though the sprit of the brand new “Just Like ’73” revival wasn’t far behind.

A partially electric/acoustic “This Guitar” was the sole segment off the group’s latest long-player, “Diamond Star Halos,” followed by the fully unplugged “Two Steps Behind” and the bonus ballad “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak.”

“Switch 625” shifted the mood back towards aggressive territory, aptly cuing the fist-pumping anthems “Rock Of Ages” and “Photograph” as vintage pictures ever so appropriately flashed across the screen.

The “Hysteria” continued into the encore, and by the colossal “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” the Hard Rock was surely feeling “hot, sticky sweet” over getting to see Def Leppard in such an uncharacteristically close and unsurpassed environment.

For additional information on Def Leppard, visit DefLeppard.com.

Upcoming shows at Hard Rock Live Northern Indiana include REIK (Oct. 17); Matt Fraser (Oct. 18); Tom Segura (Oct. 23); Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening (Oct. 25); The Stray Cats (Nov. 1); Dane Cook (Nov. 8); Trivium (Nov. 14); Mike Epps (Nov. 22); Sting (Nov. 23); Freak On A Leash (Nov. 26); Heart (Dec. 6); Aaron Lewis (Dec. 12) and Elvis Tribute Artist Spectacular (Jan. 18). For additional details, visit HardRockCasinoNorthernIndiana.com.

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