Gig review: Def Leppard and Motley Crue at Bramall Lane, Sheffield

“Monday night in Sheffield,” Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott beams a mostly-packed Bramall Lane, on the opening night of their European double-header tour with Mötley Crüe.

The singer is dressed in a Union Flag jacket draped in Sheffield United colours; it is a small wonder in a city this partisan about its sport that he has not earned pantomime catcalls for his wardrobe. “Let me ask a question,” he says, with a drop of the eyebrow. “Do you wanna get rocked?”

The veteran five-piece – Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, dual guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, and drummer Rick Allen – have long resisted a hometown stadium gig, reportedly due to split loyalties between the city’s football clubs.

It appears the Blades-loving contingent have won out at last; just days after a warm-up at the 850-capacity Leadmill marked their smallest South Yorkshire show for a generation, this is their biggest for three decades.

After a song-and-dance over an alleged legally binding road retirement in 2015, Mötley Crüe’s return following two pandemic-postponed attempts has been dogged by controversy amid a bitter spat with former guitarist Mick Mars.

Nevertheless, the success of this joint-bill run in America has facilitated this global trek, though reduced commercial heft in Britain means the self-proclaimed world’s most notorious band are assuredly second-fiddle.

More associated with off-stage debauchery than on-record achievements, the quartet – now amplified by ex-Rob Zombie axeman John 5 – remain rooted in Eighties sleaze, replete with skimpily-clad dancers, and offer a entertainingly quasi-shambolic contrast to their touring partners.

Home Sweet Home and Kickstart My Heart stand out amid a scrappy show; a medley of proto-punk covers midway through best exemplifies the throw-it-at-the-wall approach that defines their mixed bag of a performance.

By contrast, what Def Leppard comparatively lack in retrograde hedonism and jeopardy, they more than out-stomp in mid-tempo precision. Uniformly well-drilled across each beefy note, their set draws heavily from the obvious highlights, with rapturous receptions for Animal and Love Bites.

New semi-acoustic ditty This Guitar is touchingly dedicated to the late Steve Clark, whose mother is in the audience; all-time stripper anthem Pour Some Sugar On Me draws an almighty roar.

There is no encore, only a final burst of Photograph and a last bow as Sheffield is cloaked in twilight.

Next to their glam metal buddies, the local heroes seem positively prudent – but there’s nothing wrong with a safe pair of hands in the slightest.