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30 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD Release IN THE ROUND IN YOUR FACE Concert Video

Def Leppard 1989. In The Round-In Your Face

Def Leppard released their first concert video In The Round-In Your Face 30 years ago on this in 1989.

The live video was filmed during the 14-month long Hysteria world tour at the 17,000 seat McNichols Sports Arena on 12th/13th February 1988.

Most of the footage/audio used was recorded at the second night on 13th February.

The band were nearing the end of the the first five and a half month leg of the US Hysteria tour which had begun on 1st October 1987 in Glens Falls, NY.

The 'In The Round-In Your Face' VHS video was eventually released on 8th September 1989 almost one year after the tour ended.

Prior to the full length live video, footage was debuted in the highly successful 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and 'Armageddon It' promo videos. They featured a mix of black and white sound check clips and colour footage from the main live shows.

It was later reissued as a two DVD package with Historia in 2002.

The In The Round stage was placed in the center of arenas with the lighting rig hung from the ceiling. Rick Allen was sat in the middle of the stage on a rotating drum riser so he could face all four sides during the show.

The concept was thought up by then co-manager Peter Mensch after seeing an In The Round style performance by Frank Sinatra.

Lasers were bounced off mirrors located around the stage and lighting rig creating the effect of hundreds of beams. The computer circuit board imagery from the album cover was painted on the stage.

McNichols Sports Arena was demolished in 2000 after being replaced by the Pepsi Center (at another location). Shown below is the parking lot next to the Sports Authority Field at Mile High (stadium) where the arena used to be.

It was demolished to make way for the extra parking around the stadium which had been built in 1999/2000.

Historia VHS Pic - By dltourhistory

View backstage footage from the Hysteria tour filmed in 1988 (including the last show) in this YouTube playlist filmed by then Tour Manager Ian Jeffery.

Def Leppard 1989.

Joe Elliott - 1989 Interview Quote

"Well it was done at a gig 'In The Round'. We had great camera men on the shoot. They had worked on Platoon, Apocalypse Now and we had to have guys like that because it's easy to do Frank Sinatra in the round. He don't move - but we do! The director had every conceivable angle covered. He went to the show seven times before they shot it. We shot the first night and he went into a major panic. He said 'I couldn't get anything. It's impossible. You guys keep moving' They had to spend an entire evening altering all their cranes and camera dollies."

"The majority of the film you see is from the second evening. It was difficult to focus on one guy, so the camera work had to be fast moving. That's the way we are on stage. We don't hang around. The majority of it was shot in Denver in February 1988 which was halfway through our tour when we played 227 dates."

Def Leppard 1989.

In The Round-In Your Face - Back Cover Synopsis

Well, here it is - the final piece of the 'Hysteria' puzzle (so to speak). First the album, then the 227 date world tour, then the 'Historia' video collection and now a movie of 2 great nights in Denver (with a little help from 3 equally great nights in Atlanta).

We hope you enjoy this film as much as we enjoyed playing this show. Playing in the middle of the arena was a challenge for us every night as well as a challenge for Wayne Isham who directed this concert movie. No one had ever quite dealt with this setup before! For those of you who missed the show, fear not, it shall return in the near future (with a couple of modifications). Until then, enjoy 'In The Round - In Your Face'.

Def Leppard - 11th October 1987 Interview/Article Quotes

Phil Collen - "It's such a buzz playing on that stage. You can spin around like an idiot and wherever you end up you're facing kids. We're a lot closer - you can actually see faces."

Rick Savage - 1993 Interview Quote

"The fact that we were playing in the middle was completely new to us and everybody else, so that made it special. We prided ourselves on doing something that not many people had done before. Whether it's good, bad or indifferent doesn't really matter, as long as it's different."


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