Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 5, 2013

"Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Frontier Records. The supplemental features on the Blu-ray include a collection of stills from Def Leppard's residency in Las Vegas; acoustic medley; footage from the two opening gigs Def Leppard did as Ded Flatbird. The release also arrives with two bonus CDs. Region-Free.

"It was one part love, one part wild. One part lover, one part child..."

At the end of their 2012 tour, legendary British rockers Def Leppard were asked if they would be interested in doing a residency in Las Vegas. The answer was positive and a few months later the band relocated to Sin City. The residency officially started on March 22, 2013 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Here the band performed live their classic album Hysteria in its entirety for the first time ever. (During two different shows, the band also opened for themselves under the faux Ded Flatbird name, performing old favorites and some rare material).

Viva! Hysteria, a brand new Blu-ray/2CD release from Frontier Records, contains footage from one of the eleven shows Def Leppard staged during their residency. Over the course of approximately ninety minutes, the band performs all twelve songs from Hysteria, plus the classic hits “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph”. Also included on the Blu-ray is footage from the two Ded Flatbird gigs mentioned earlier. On Night One the band performs “Good Morning Freedom”, “Wasted” (with a truly impressive Vivian Campbell solo), “Stagefright”, “ Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)”, “Action”, “Rock Brigade” (a true blast from the past delivered with classic ‘80s energy), “Undefeated”, and “Promises”. On Night Two the band performs “On Through The Night”,”Slang”, “Let It Go” (sounding as good as it does on the High 'N' Dry album), “Another Hit And Run”, “High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night)”, “ Bringin' On The Heartbreak”, and “Switch 625” (with a very impressive drum solo at the end by the legendary Rick Allen). For the two Ded Flatbird gigs, all of the guys also appear with different names: Booty Ruben (Vocals), Chingy Chapman (Guitar), Linkin Twain (Guitar), Fleetwood Beck (Bass), and Camp Out (Drums).

The main show is terrific. Joe Elliot’s voice sounds as good as it does on the studio version of the classic Hysteria album and the rest of the guys look very comfortable in front of their fans. The chemistry between Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell is particularly impressive. Indeed, all double solos are done with utmost precision. Halfway through the show the band also pays tribute to the late Steve Clark. In the very beginning of “Gods of War”, archival footage from an old show with the late guitarist is projected on a giant screen behind Rick Allen.

Def Leppard is Joe Elliot (Vocals), Rick Savage (bass), Rick Allen (Drums), Phil Collen (Guitar), and Vivian Campbell (Guitar).

Blu-ray Tracklisting:

1. Women
2. Rocket
3. Animal
4. Love Bites
5. Pour Some Sugar on Me
6. Armageddon It
7. Gods of War
8. Don't Shoot Shotgun
9. Run Riot
10. Hysteria
11. Excitable
12. Love and Affection
13. Rock of Ages
14. Photograph

CD 1 Tracklisting:

1. Women
2. Rocket
3. Animal
4. Love Bites
5. Pour Some Sugar on Me
6. Armageddon It
7. Gods of War
8. Don't Shoot Shotgun
9. Run Riot
10. Hysteria
11. Excitable
12. Love and Affection
13. Rock of Ages
14. Photograph

CD 2 Tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. Good Morning Freedom
3. Wasted
4. Stagefright
5. Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
6. Action
7. Rock Brigade
8. Undefeated
9. Promises
10. On Through The Night
11. Slang
12. Let It Go
13. Another Hit And Run
14. High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night)
15. Bringin' On The Heartbreak
16. Switch 625

Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Frontier Records.

Filmed with multiple strategically positioned cameras, the show looks very good in high-definition. For example, there are various close-ups that boast outstanding detail. The larger group shots also look terrific. There are no shadow and reflection artifacts. Even the darker footage between the songs where the audience is occasionally seen looks very good. Also, there is no distracting motion-judder. I also did not spot any serious transfer-specific issues to address in this review. All in all, I think that Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria looks quite impressive on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main show or the bonus footage.

The lossless tracks are underwhelming. The balance between mid and high frequencies, in particular, is quite problematic. There are portions of the show where the sound is uncharacteristically flat, with the high frequencies virtually disappearing when the guitar solos become prominent. Elsewhere the bass sounds muffled. Overall clarity is decent, but the sound is never as crisp as it should be. Dynamic intensity also fluctuates, but it appears that at least some of the fluctuations are a byproduct of the mixing that was done after the show. To be perfectly clear, I did some direct comparisons with the CD version (Disc One) of the show that is included with the Blu-ray and virtually the same balance and frequency issues noted above are also present on it. This leads me to believe that this is indeed how the entire show was mixed in the studio.

Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Ded Flatbird I - the entire gig is addressed in the main section of the review. Filmed on Friday, March 29, 2013. (39 min, 1080p).

• Ded Flatbird II - the entire gig is addressed in the main section of the review. Filmed on Saturday, March, 30, 2013. (39 min, 1080p).

• Acoustic Set - an outstanding acoustic medley. (8 min, 1080p).

• Photo Montage - a collection of stills from Def Leppard's residency in Las Vegas. With music. (2 min, 1080i).

• Booklet - illustrated booklet with words from the band and photographs.

Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I have mixed feelings about this release. The actual show is outstanding. Def Leppard look older but they sound as good as they did 26 years ago when their classic album Hysteria was released. The entire show also looks terrific on Blu-ray. The sound, however, will have a lot of fans of the British rockers scratching their heads because the show simply isn't mixed very well. My advice to you is to somehow find a way to rent the release before placing an order for it. I still think that it is worth owning, but I am also convinced that the mixing could have been a lot better. RENT IT.