Friday, 1st June 2018
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13 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD/BRYAN ADAMS Tour Starts In Portland, OR

Def Leppard 2005.

Def Leppard and Bryan Adams kicked off their 26 date tour of minor league baseball US stadiums on this day in 2005.

It was also the first date of Def Leppard's Rock Of Ages tour which lasted until November 2005.

It all started in Portland, OR at PGE Park in front of around 10,000 fans. 'Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad' was played for the first time since 1997.

The sold out show was attended by 9,175 fans and grossed $410,625.

Bryan only toured for 10 shows per month at the time so the band also played shows in between with Tesla and their own headline tour of Canada.

The tour consisted of 26 shows in minor league baseball stadiums throughout the USA. The first time Lep toured with Bryan Adams who had previously guested with them on stage in Paris during the Adrenalize tour in May 1993.

They alternated as headliners with both acts playing 90 minute sets. One show had to be cancelled in Camden, NJ due to inclement weather conditions damaging the stage and equipment. A show Def Leppard were due to headline. As a result of this the headline slot was alternated for the last three shows with Bryan headlining two nights in a row in Charleston, WV and Dayton, OH and Lep headlining the final night in Lansing, MI. This meant Lep headlined a total of 12 to Bran's 13.

The tour had been previewed on 27th May at The Today Show in New York with each act playing two songs on the popular TV show.

Shown below is the press release from March 2005 announcing the tour.

Def Leppard 2005.

Rock 'N Roll Double Header Tour - Press Release March 2005

Def Leppard and Bryan Adams bring Major League rock n' roll to America's Minor League baseball parks this Summer on cross-country "Rock ‘N Roll Double Header Tour".

This summer, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams will give the phrase "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" a whole new meaning as they co-headline the Rock 'N Roll Double-Header Tour. Two of the most popular rock acts to ever take the stage, they will team up for the first time and perform at 26 minor league baseball stadiums. The rock 'n roll season opens June 1st in Portland, OR at the home of the Beavers, then travels down the West Coast and through Texas before heading to the East Coast and into the Midwest where it will end the season August 10th in Lansing, MI, at the home of the Lugnuts. In each park, the stage will be set up in the outfield and fans can either bring a blanket to sit on the field or take a seat in the stands. All concerts take place on non-game days. Tickets for some markets go on sale as soon as March 12.

Bryan Adams and Def Leppard, combined, have sold more than 100,000,000 albums worldwide. Each made their album debut in 1980 -- and 25 years later they are still hitting homeruns as each releases a new album in 2005.

Def Leppard's place in music history? Only five rock groups can claim two original albums selling 10,000,000+ copies each in the U.S.: The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Van Halen and Def Leppard. The British band's blockbuster "PYROMANIA" hit #2 and 10 times platinum; "HYSTERIA" soared even higher -- #1 and 13 times platinum -- led by the #1 single "LOVE BITES". The retrospective "VAULT" has sold more than 7,000,000 copies worldwide. Now "ROCK OF AGES: THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION" (Mercury/UMe), to be released May 17, 2005, marks the band's biggest-ever "best of" album and the first two-CD set in the group's phenomenal career, featuring the newly recorded single, "NO MATTER WHAT" (originally recorded by Badfinger).

Bryan Adams is one of the world's most highly acclaimed musicians whose career has spanned more than three decades. This spring will see the release of Adams' 14th CD, "ROOM SERVICE", which debuted at No. 1 on the European Top 100 Album Chart! Adams' meteoric rise on the charts began when his album, "CUTS LIKE A KNIFE" landed in the Top 10. This was soon followed by the #1 charted album "RECKLESS". With record sales in excess of 60 million worldwide, Adams' career has taken him around the world countless times as rock fans fill arenas and festivals where ever he appears. Constantly in demand, the celebrated rocker is on the road over 150 days a year playing rock n' roll favorites ("SUMMER OF 69", "RUN TO YOU", "18 'TIL I DIE", "SOMEBODY") to sold out audiences on six continents. Holder of the record for the longest running #1 hit in the history of the British charts (16 weeks), Adams' has had 4 #1 singles as well as racked up an impressive array of Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, a Grammy Award, American Music Awards, Juno Awards (Grammy equivalent in Canada) and ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards. An accomplished photographer, Adams' current body of work will soon be seen in his new book, "CALVIN KLEIN - AMERICAN WOMEN", scheduled to debut this spring.

Details on ticket sale dates for the Rock 'N Roll Double-Header Tour will be available locally. All shows begin at 6:30 PM; the gates open approximately one hour in advance. The base ticket price is $45 (plus applicable service charges). For each paid adult, one child under 12 will be admitted for free.

Promoting the Rock 'N Roll Double-Header Tour is Chicago-based Jam Productions, three-time winner of Pollstar Magazine's award for Independent Promoter of the Year. Jam is the largest volume independent concert promoter in the country and was the producer of last year's Bob Dylan & Willie Nelson tour of minor league ballparks-honored by Pollstar as the year's Most Creative Tour Package.

Def Leppard 2005.

Rock 'N Roll Double Header Tour - Press Release March 2005

International recording stars Bryan Adams and Def Leppard will kick off their cross-country, co-headlining "Rock 'N Roll Doubleheader Tour" at Portland's PGE Park on Wednesday, June 1, it was announced today.

Tickets for the PGE Park show go on sale Saturday, March 19 at 10 a.m. On that date, tickets will be available at PGE Park and area Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets can be purchased by phone at (503) 224-4400 or on-line at www.ticketmaster.com.

The unique tour begins at PGE Park, home of Triple-A Baseball's Portland Beavers, and will include visits to 26 minor league baseball stadiums throughout the country this summer. With a concert seating capacity of 21,500, PGE Park is the largest of the 26 venues, the lone Pacific Northwest stadium on the tour, and is one of three Pacific Coast League ballparks to host the acclaimed acts (Fresno, Oklahoma).

The tour-opening Portland show begins at 6:30 p.m., with gates opening at 5:30 p.m.


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Phil Collen - Guitar
Phil Collen - Guitar
Phil Collen - Guitar
Phil Collen - Guitar