def leppard tour 1988

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35 Years Ago: Def Leppard’s Hysteria Tour Hits the United States

Def Leppard 's tour cycle to promote their fourth album, Hysteria , started on Aug. 27, 1987, in Dublin. But an argument could be made that the Hysteria tour did not begin until Oct. 1, when the group unveiled its " In the Round" stage at the Civic Center in Glens Falls, N.Y.

The setup – actually more of a rectangle than a circular stage like Yes used from 1978-80 – was the brainchild of Def Leppard's manager Peter Mensch, who had seen Frank Sinatra do a 360-degree show. The appeal was two-fold: not a bad seat, or at least fewer, in the house; and the ability to sell more tickets than in a normal configuration with the stage on one end of the arena.

And not necessarily in that order. "It's a totally different way to play the show," singer  Joe Elliott told this writer a few weeks into the tour. "It's like you have four front rows to play to. You have people all around you, screaming from every direction. It's pretty wild. ... I think it's great for the band and for the fans."

The setup "made for a spectacular show once we got the feel for it – and it totally affected how we were as performers," guitarist Phil Collen added in his 2015 memoir Adrenalized: Life, Def Leppard and Beyond . "Everyone does it nowadays, but back then it was a novel thing."

The stage was designed by Def Leppard lighting director Phay MacMahon, incorporating a massive rig above the stage that included lasers, a rotating and rising drum riser for Rick Allen and a network of ramps and slopes for Elliot, Collen, guitarist Steve Clark and bassist Rick Savage to navigate. The Hysteria album art was painted on the floor of the stage, while the band emerged at the start of the show from behind a four-sided curtain, also featuring the album art, which disappeared cyclone-like as they kicked into "Stagefright."

Watch Def Leppard Perform 'Stagefright'

"It truly was state-of-the-art," MacMahon said in Collen's book. "It also had a very uncluttered look and feel to it, because all of the guitar techs worked underneath the stage, and all of the guitar amps were also located offstage." The lighting rig, according to MacMahon, "featured many movable parts and lasers that had never been used for concerts before."

The group came to Glens Falls for eight days of rehearsals, following 17 shows at smaller venues in the U.K. and Ireland, and three European festival dates back in June before Hysteria 's release. But working into the new stage wasn't just press-and-play: "It took a minute for us to get used to the set-up," Elliott acknowledged back in 1987. "We'd never done anything like that before. Not many rock bands had. So the first few shows we were trying to fill the stage too much. We were just exhausted. We're really learning how to pace ourselves and not feel like, 'I have to be over there. ... Wait, no, I have to be over there!'"

It was also the first chance for North American audiences to see the new model Allen in action after losing his left arm in a car crash on New Year's Eve 1984. He had taught himself to play on a hybrid drum kit that allowed him to trigger sounds via electronics that would have been created with his left arm with his left foot instead. The kit had wowed European audiences and his bandmates, and would be a focal point for the Hysteria shows in the U.S.

The center-arena staging created one major logistical problem: how to get the band to the stage. The solution was oversized laundry-style carts that Def Leppard's crew would use to move gear belonging to opening acts Tesla and Queensryche off stage. The band members would get into them backstage — Elliott and Clark in one, Collen and Savage in another — and be wheeled to the under-stage area past unsuspecting fans. Allen, who had to warm up before the show, would walk through the crowd in disguise, including a fake left arm holding a beer. In his memoir, Collen recalls that Robert Plant came to check out one of the Chicago concerts in 1988 and volunteered to wheel Collen and Savage's cart that night. "We played extra hard that night, knowing that Robert Plant was watching us," Collen wrote.

Watch Def Leppard Perform 'Pour Some Sugar on Me'

The under-stage area, meanwhile, became something of a bacchanal as the tour went on. Part of Def Leppard's schtick was a 20-minute section of "Rock of Ages" during which Allen would be playing while Elliott hyped the crowds through a call-and-response of the " What do you want? / I want rock 'n' roll " refrain. Collen, Clark and Savage would then retire to below deck, where a party was raging with women who were invited by crew members into the netherworld — if they were willing to disrobe.

"Under the stage, it would be like Sodom and Gomorrah," photographer Ross Halfin said in VH1's " Behind the Music " episode on Def Leppard. "There would be 60 naked girls, and I mean nothing on. They really were the party band. All the bands, Metallica , Motley Crue , think they're so tough. You couldn't touch Def Leppard for it. It's just the fact they hid it really, really well."

All of that was what lay ahead on that first night in Glens Falls. Hysteria endured sluggish performance out of the box so the concert was not sold out, like many of their first-leg shows. Some 5,786 fans turned up in the 7,500-capacity arena. The group nevertheless powered through 15 songs, including five from Hysteria and seven from its predecessor, 1983's multi-platinum Pyromania  — but nothing from the group's 1980 debut, On Through the Night . The ratios would, of course, change as " Pour Some Sugar on Me " rocket-fueled Hysteria 's performance and made Def Leppard shows a hot ticket during 1988 in Europe and North America.

The entire tour played more than 100 dates in North America alone, and the production was preserved on the home video Live: In the Round, In Your Face , filmed at a pair of February 1988 shows in Denver, released in March of 1989 and again in 2001 on DVD. The Hysteria tour wrapped up on Oct. 27, 1988, at the Tacoma Dome in Washington state. That would also be Clark's final performance with the band; the guitarist died  on Jan. 3, 1991, at the age of 30, while on a leave of absence from the band to deal with alcoholism. The cause of death was ruled respiratory failure caused by a mix of alcohol and prescription drugs.

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36 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD HYSTERIA Tour 1988 In Kansas City, KS (Concert Review 1)

Def Leppard played a Hysteria tour show in Kansas City/Bonner Springs, KS on 9th August 1988 and an archive concert review is available to read.

Kansas City Star reviewed the show which took place at Sandstone Amphitheater.

The first visit to this city.

Kansas City Star - Online Review Quotes

"Its set Tuesday was a showcase for some very hard but very entertaining rock 'n' roll, more original than the tired guitar-lashing served up by most of their contemporaries."

"And the five young men who make up this band just happen to be superb musicians."

This and other archive concert reviews can be found on the show pages in the Tour History.

Fan photos and reviews from any past tour can be submitted - Here

• Read the full review - Kansas City 1988 Show Page
• Def Leppard - Hysteria Tour 1987/1988
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Def Leppard Tour History - Fan Archive. Since 2001.

Hysteria World Tour

• Hysteria World Tour Tour by Def Leppard Hysteria Tour Poster Associated album " Hysteria " Start date 24 June 1987 End date 27 October 1988 No. of shows 236 Def Leppard concert chronology Pyromania World Tour (1983–1984)

The Hysteria World Tour was a concert tour by English hard rock band Def Leppard for their fourth album Hysteria . This was the first tour with drummer Rick Allen since his car accident on 31 December 1984 when he lost his left arm. Allen returned to the band for recording sessions and the tour using a custom designed electronic drum set. It was also the last tour to feature guitarist Steve Clark before his death on 8 January 1991 from alcoholism and a combination of prescription drugs and painkillers. Prior to the start of the European leg in March 1988, the band rented the Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg, Sweden for a week of full production rehearsals.

Many of the dates on the tour were performed "in the round," with the stage and light-rigging set up in the middle of arenas, giving the audience a 360-degree view of the band's performance. [1]

Opening Acts

• McAuley Schenker Group
• Queensryche

First Typical Setlist

(Taken from the Boise, Idaho BSU Pavilion show on 4 December 1987)

• "Stagefright"
• "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)"
• "Another Hit and Run"
• "Billy's Got a Gun"
• " Too Late for Love "
• " Hysteria "
• "Gods of War"
• "Die Hard The Hunter"
• " Bringin' On The Heartbreak "
• " Foolin' "
• " Armageddon It "
• " Pour Some Sugar on Me "
• " Let It Go "
• " Rock of Ages "
• "Don't Shoot Shotgun"
• " Love Bites "
• " Photograph "

Second Typical Setlist

(Taken from the Denver, Colorado McNichols Sports Arena show on 13 February 1988)

• "Tear It Down"
• " Travelin' Band " (originally performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival )

Third Typical Setlist

(Taken from the Nagoya, Japan Century Hall show on 24 May 1988)

Fourth Typical Setlist

(Taken from the Casper, Wyoming Casper Events Center show on 4 July 1988)

Fifth Typical Setlist

(Taken from the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma State Fairgrounds show on 10 August 1988)

Sixth Typical Setlist

(Taken from the Jackson, Mississippi Mississippi Coliseum show on 7 September 1988)

Seventh Typical Setlist

(Taken from the Atlanta, Georgia the Omni show on 7 October 1988)

Touring Personnel

• Joe Elliott – Lead Vocals, Rhythm & Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards
• Phil Collen – Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals
• Steve Clark – Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Backing Vocals
• Rick Savage – Bass, Keyboards, Rhythm & Acoustic Guitars, Backing Vocals
• Rick Allen – Drums, Backing Vocals
• Michael Moorhead – Laser Special Effects Programmer/Operator

Related Research Articles

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen, and Vivian Campbell, which has been the band's longest running line-up. They established themselves as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement.

Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English rock band Def Leppard, released on 3 August 1987 through Mercury Records and reissued on 1 January 2000. It is Def Leppard's best-selling album to date, selling over 20 million copies worldwide, including 12 million in the US, and spawning seven hit singles. The album charted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart.

" Armageddon It " is a song by the English hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria . It was released as a single in 1988 and went to No. 3 in the United States, becoming their fourth top-ten hit. It also reached the top 10 in Canada and New Zealand and the top 20 in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

" Tonight " is a 1993 single by English hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1992 multi-platinum album Adrenalize . It was originally recorded on 5 May 1988 during a break in the Hysteria World Tour as a possible B-side to one of the singles for their fourth album Hysteria but was shelved and re-recorded during the Adrenalize sessions. "Tonight" is the sixth international single from the Adrenalize album. It was the fifth single in both the US and UK. In the US, The song reached #13 on the Mainstream Rock charts, and #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 . It also peaked at number 34 in the UK singles chart.

Hysteria – The Def Leppard Story is a 2001 made-for-television movie about the English hard rock/heavy metal band Def Leppard. The film premiered on July 18, 2001 and is available on DVD in the US.

The Downstage Thrust Tour was a North American concert tour by English hard rock band Def Leppard. It began in Cincinnati on 27 June 2007 and closed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on 2 October 2007. Def Leppard played 52 shows in 52 different locations throughout the course of the tour. Members of the Def Leppard Fan Club had the opportunity to purchase tickets for shows via online ticket presales a few days before tickets went on sale to the general public. The tour was produced by Live Nation.

The Slang World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English hard rock band Def Leppard in support of their album Slang , which was released in May 1996. Although Slang was the first Def Leppard album to feature new material with guitarist Vivian Campbell, this was his second tour with the band. Campbell joined Def Leppard just prior to their Adrenalize World Tour in 1992.

Historia is a compilation video released by Def Leppard containing all the band's promotional videos from 1980 to 1988. On DVD, it is bundled with Live: In the Round, in Your Face .

Live: In the Round, in Your Face is a live video from Def Leppard. The video contains a full Def Leppard live show at the McNichols Sports Arena in Denver, Colorado and additional footage from shows at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, compiled from footage shot during the band's 1987/1988 US Hysteria World Tour. On DVD, it is bundled with Historia .

Rock of Ages: The DVD Collection is a DVD featuring music videos by Def Leppard. This one-disc collection contains a total of 19 commercial single videos that helped jump the band to success after the release of their breakthrough 1983 album, Pyromania . Only one video featured on the compilation, "Bringin' On the Heartbreak", was not released after Pyromania .

Video Archive is a video release by Def Leppard. A compilation of promo videos, interviews, and concert footage. On DVD, it is bundled with Visualize .

Best Of The Videos is a DVD featuring music videos by Def Leppard. This one-disc collection contains a total of 33 commercial single videos that helped jump the band to success after the release of their breakthrough 1983 album, Pyromania . The "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" video featured on the compilation, is the 1984 version.

The Songs From The Sparkle Lounge World Tour was a world tour by British Rock band Def Leppard, starting 27 March 2008 and ending 12 September 2009. It was in support of their latest album, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. It marks the first time the band had travelled to Japan since 2002's X Tour. Styx and REO Speedwagon were the opening acts of the tour; however, some shows had Joan Jett, Billy Idol and Children Of Bodom instead of Styx and REO Speedwagon. In February 2009, the 2009 leg of the tour was announced with Poison and Cheap Trick as the opening acts.

The Yeah! Tour was a concert tour by Def Leppard, supporting their album Yeah! . The North American tour was co-headlined by Journey and supported by Stoll Vaughan. Of Journey, singer Joe Elliott remarked, "Isn't that a great combination? It's a marked contrast with the 1990s, in what some people might call our wilderness years… We held our own and pulled good crowds, but nobody would come out with us."

Viva! Hysteria is a concert residency by English rock band Def Leppard where the band played their 1987 album Hysteria in its entirety.

The Kiss 40th Anniversary World Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Kiss. Def Leppard joined Kiss for the first 42 shows of the tour. Kobra and the Lotus and The Dead Daisies were the opening acts.

The Pyromania World Tour was a concert tour by British rock band Def Leppard which was the support tour for their third album, Pyromania . This was the first tour without Pete Willis, who was fired from the band in the middle of the recording sessions of the album because of problems with alcoholism. Phil Collen replaced him in the tour and finish the recording of Pyromania . This was also the first tour of the band as headliners in North America, they played in mid-size arenas, large theaters and stadiums around the United States and Canada. They would also perform at the Rock Pop Festival in Dortmund, Germany on the 17 and 18 December dates with Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Judas Priest and Quiet Riot.

The Def Leppard World Tour was a tour by British rock band Def Leppard in support of their self-titled album . The tour started with 13 dates in Canada through April and May. The end of May and beginning of June was spent playing 12 dates in Europe before Def Leppard returned to the United States for 48 dates with Styx and Tesla from June to October.

The Def Leppard & Journey 2018 Tour was a co-headlining tour by English rock band Def Leppard and American rock band Journey. The tour began in Hartford on May 21, 2018, and concluded in Inglewood on October 7, 2018.

The Adrenalize World Tour , also known as the Adrenalize "Seven Day Weekend" Tour , was a concert tour by British hard rock band Def Leppard in support of the Adrenalize album, which was released in March 1992. The Adrenalize "Seven Day Weekend" Tour was the first Def Leppard tour without guitarist Steve Clark, who died in January 1991 while the album was being recorded. Former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell was hired as Clark's replacement six weeks before the tour started.

• ↑ http://concertstagedesign.blogspot.com/2011/01/def-leppard-1987-1988-hysteria-in-round.html

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• April 20, 1988 Setlist

Def Leppard Setlist at Queens Hall, Leeds, England

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Tour: Hysteria Tour Tour statistics Add setlist

• Stagefright Play Video
• Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop) Play Video
• Women Play Video
• Too Late for Love Play Video
• Hysteria Play Video
• Guitar Solo Play Video
• Gods of War Play Video
• Die Hard the Hunter Play Video
• Bringin' On the Heartbreak Play Video
• Foolin' Play Video
• Armageddon It Play Video
• Pour Some Sugar on Me Play Video
• Let It Go Play Video
• Rock of Ages Play Video
• Animal Play Video
• Photograph Play Video

Edits and Comments

4 activities (last edit by ExecutiveChimp , 24 Aug 2022, 14:42 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Die Hard the Hunter
• Foolin'
• Rock of Ages
• Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
• Stagefright
• Too Late for Love
• Armageddon It
• Gods of War
• Pour Some Sugar on Me
• Bringin' On the Heartbreak
• Guitar Solo

Complete Album stats

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Related News

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Setlist History: Def Leppard Plays 3 Gigs in 3 Continents

Queens hall.

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Def Leppard Gig Timeline

• Apr 18 1988 NEC Arena Birmingham, England Add time Add time
• Apr 19 1988 NEC Arena Birmingham, England Add time Add time
• Apr 20 1988 Queens Hall This Setlist Leeds, England Add time Add time
• Apr 22 1988 King's Hall Belfast, Northern Ireland Add time Add time
• May 17 1988 Yoyogi Daiichi Taiikukan Tokyo, Japan Add time Add time

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