Def Leppard News - Watch Joe Elliott Introduce Def Leppard On The Hysteria Cruise

Watch Joe Elliott Introduce Def Leppard On The Hysteria Cruise

Thursday, 4th February 2016

Def Leppard 2016.
Screenshot by dltourhistory

Def Leppard performed on 23rd January for the first time without Joe Elliott and his intro speech is now available.

The show took place aboard the MSC Divina on 23rd January and was the first Def Leppard show ever missed by Joe.

Read his full intro speech below. Chele has submitted more great video footage from the cruise which shows Joe's intro speech.

Two videos of the speech and the first song 'Hysteria' can also be viewed via this YouTube Playlist

The first two videos feature the full intro before 'Hysteria'.

Joe was suffering from laryngitis and had to miss the show. He had experienced voice issues since the morning of the 20th.

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

23rd January - Joe Elliott Intro Speech

"Good evening. We have good news and we have bad news. Good news is we are not sinking. The bad news is, as anybody will maybe testify, that was in for the Question and Answer acoustic performance yesterday. I've got an immense, really bad case of laryngitis and I cannot possibly sing this evening."

"I've done everything I've spent seven hours warming up trying to get something to work. But it just doesn't work. And I just don't think it's worth coming out here and making a complete fool of myself. I know that some of you wouldn't mind but really it's not a good idea. Not with YouTube. But the show will go on."

"This is what we're gonna do right. We're gonna do something a little different. It will be the most bizarre and interesting show that Def Leppard have ever played. There are a few little surprises for ya. As you can imagine. We're on a boat. If we were on dry land we would have cancelled. But we're out to sea, so it's psychologically - we just have to do this."

"We've never cancelled a show. We have postponed them, moved them to other times. But you can't do that when you're on a boat. So luckily there's a lot of singers on this boat. Tonight I'm not one of them. But they are very - they've very kindly offered their services to the band. And we as a gesture to - well it's not a gesture. It's the right thing to do. Everybody in here tonight gets a free ticket for a future Def Leppard show. Anywhere, anytime in the world. We know who you are because you're all in the manifest. So you're all gonna get a ticket to come and see us the way that we normally perform."

"But for one night and one night only. This is the weirdest fucking thing I'm ever gonna say. Ladies and gentleman please welcome Def Leppard!. I'll love you and leave you in the capable hands of my four best friends."

23rd January - Phil Collen Before Foolin'

"We've gotta make sure that Joe's OK. So that's why he's taking this time off. He actually couldn't speak earlier. So this hasn't happened in like 30 years. So it's really weird. So that's why we're doing this OK. And I've got some new lyrics down here as well. Oh we're gonna sell these off. Anyone wanna buy these lyrics down here?. We'll raffle them. We've got some really good friends coming up. They're really helping us out here. So big hand for Eric Martin and Kip Winger."