Tour Diary - By Joe Elliott

Monday June 3 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Oops. I had to get a doctor today as my throat felt like somebody had just Roto-Rooter-ed me. Should be OK but I've got to watch myself in future. It's early days and I tend to get over-excited at the front of a tour so I'm punishing myself by locking myself in my room for two days. Listen to me, I've become my own father!

Touring Vault I had bronchial pneumonia (yes kiddies, that's why I sounded shit at The Bottom Line the day we played around the world) and I didn't even know it. It took me months to recover my voice properly so I'm not going to blow it now. Naughty boy, one out of 10, see me after school., etc...

I just remembered it was Ian Hunter's birthday yesterday and I forgot to ring him. I've got a copy of his new album and you haven't. Heh heh hehe!

The voice has improved somewhat today but I still need to drink gallons of tea and lay off the fags. Believe it or not Love Bites is banned here for the mega offensive opening line "When you make love do you look in the mirror?". Parental Advisory stickers on Def Leppard albums is not something I ever expect, so this is a bit ridiculous. We rehearse Have You Ever as we're not allowed to play Love Bites live either!

We run through the soundcheck and it's pretty obvious that everybody feels a bit under the weather as enthusiasm is at a tour all-time low. I fall asleep until an hour before the gig when my natural body clock kicks in and tells me to get my act together.

On we go and, remarkably, everything falls into place. Seven and a half thousand people going nuts helps a bit and that inexplicable "kicking-in" effect happens. Turns out to be the best one so far. We've yet to do the same set twice so every night is that bit more special.

I got back to my room full of the joy's of life and decide to call mum and dad to let them know how it's all going. Me, me, me, me. I ramble down the phone, telling mum what she likes to hear, when she interrupts and says, "I got some news for you Joe. Your Dad's in hospital, he's had a heart attack."

Christ Almighty. I didn't want to hear this. I can't control myself and I'm bawling my eyes out. He's the only Dad I've got and I'm f**ked if he's gonna leave us just yet. I managed to talk the matron in intensive care into letting me talk to him and he assures me he's gonna be OK. He even tells me there's a nurse he quite fancies (sorry mum!), so I cheer up but I'm in no condition to sleep, so I call Malvin and he arrives with a bottle of Dalwinnie Scotch. We proceed to put the world to rights for a few hours. Time for bed as it's an early start. I love you Dad, don't you dare...don't you bloody well dare.

(To read the next and last part of this diary go to the Manila show page.)

By Joe Elliott in Q Magazine 1996.