Photo Gallery: Def Leppard, Journey and Steve Miller Band at Wrigley Field • Chicago

Brassneck | July 17, 2024

Def Leppard

Journey

The Steve Miller Band

Wrigley Field

Chicago, IL

July 15, 2024

Recap and photos by Curt Baran

The Northside’s shining diamond turned itself into a Wayback machine. To see the names Def Leppard, Journey, and The Steve Miller Band on the marquee would’ve had one believing it was a “World Series of Rock” show from the mid-’80s.

Yet here they were, some four decades later, packing Wrigley Field on a scorching summer evening. An unanticipated early start was the result of a tumultuous, incoming derecho. Still, judging by the median age of the attendees, it could have doubled as an unintentional Blue Plate special.

At this point, all three acts are the consummate pros. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller marched out first, proving why he’s been enshrined into the Triangle On The Lake in Cleveland. His catalog runs deep with classic rock staples (“Fly Like An Eagle,” “Take The Money And Run,” and “Abracadabra,” amongst others), and he delivered each with stinging precision, accentuated by his immediately recognizable guitar tone.

While Miller felt like the bedrock, both Journey and Def Leppard lent themselves more to the summertime party vibe. Although Journey is all but an epigone of their former self (guitarist Neil Schon is the only remaining original member), their repertoire couldn’t be denied. The now ubiquitous “Don’t Stop Believing” was the obvious highlight, but power ballads like “Open Arms,” “Lights,” and “Faithfully” would have sent the Bic lighters aloft back before the cell phone flashlight was a thing.

Def Leppard had some celebrating to do as well. The band is test-driving the 40th anniversary of their arguably most popular release (1983’s Pyromania). “There’s an ill wind blowing in,” said lead singer Joe Elliot, referring to the aforementioned nasty storm that forced all the bands to start their sets early. “So let’s get on with it,” he exclaimed as his mates ripped through one rock radio hit (“Foolin’,” “Rock Of Ages,” and “Photograph,” just to name a few) after another. The concise, 14-song set was a bit more abbreviated than the typical evening, but Mother Nature was still kind enough to let the adults have their night out. They even got home to cut the babysitter loose before the storm broke and the power went out.