The band performed for an audience of 850 people at The Leadmill, which is in danger of closing. It comes before their performance at Bramall Lane, the home of Sheffield United, in front of 44,000 supporters.
Def Leppard performed a one-off concert in their birthplace of Sheffield at a threatened music club.
On Friday, the Yorkshire rockers, who are more accustomed to selling out stadiums and arenas, performed to a sold-out audience of 850 at the city’s renowned music venue, The Leadmill.
On Monday, Pour Some Sugar On Me and Hysteria will perform for 44,000 Sheffield United fans at Bramall Lane.
Last year, The Leadmill announced it was in peril of closing after its landlords, Electric Group, issued an eviction notice – a move that infuriated music fans and many of the well-known artists who have performed there since its 1980 opening.
This Monday, the venue informed supporters that the landlords “have recently moved forward with their plans to evict The Leadmill.”
The band donated all revenues to the Music Venue Trust to raise awareness of The Leadmill’s condition before the show.
Before the performance, lead vocalist Joe Elliott stated, “Sheffield is in this band’s very DNA.”
“We are thrilled to begin the European leg of our global tour at Bramall Lane, our home stadium”.
As a warm-up, a special concert at The Leadmill in its hometown made sense.
We wanted to repay our supporters because many UK music venues are failing.
Ben Hartley, live promoter for The Leadmill, stated, “The fact that a local act that has gone on to play stadiums across the world is willing to come back home and support us in a time of need – as well as thousands of other integral grassroots venues in the UK – speaks volumes about their character.”
CEO of Electric Group, which operates music venues in London, Bristol, and Newcastle. Dominic Madden, stated that the building was threatened with redevelopment into flats when they purchased it in 2017. And they rescued it with the intention of it continuing to function as a music venue.
Mr. Madden stated, “The current Leadmill campaign, unfortunately, misleads the public into believing that we wish to close the venue regardless of its historical significance.”
“We recognize the Leadmill’s community roots and are committed to ensuring its success and growth.”
