Tuesday, 4th June 2019
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23 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD In KUALA LUMPUR (Joe Elliott's Tour Diary)

Def Leppard 1996. Def Leppard 1996

Def Leppard played a show on the Slang tour in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 4th June 1996 and an archive tour diary is available to read.

The show took place at Stadium Negara which is actually an indoor arena with seating for 10,000 people.

The 'Slang' album had been released on 13th May 1996 and featured a slightly different sound and direction for the band.

This was the fourth show of the tour and the South East Asian leg and their very first visit to Malaysia.

Joe Elliott wrote another entry for his Q Magazine tour diary at this show. This entry includes the story of why Love Bites was not played at the show.

Joe also mentions that he was told his father had suffered a heart attack back home in Sheffield. Joe Snr later passed away in July 2011 aged 82.

'Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad' made its debut on the Slang tour at this show.

It was played in place of 'Love Bites' which was banned in the country. The song was not allowed to be played on radio or TV and they were not allowed to play it live at this show.

The opening show of the tour took place in Bangkok, Thailand on 28th May.

Slang 1996.

Joe Elliott Slang Tour Diary

"Don't fancy yours much..." ...especially when "yours" is an hairsuite Irish guitarist in an ill-fitting dress. Always the open-minded one, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott takes on South East Asia at karaoke, drinks his own body weight in Scotch and worries about his father, lying in an intensive care ward back in Sheffield.

Monday June 3 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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...

Tuesday June 4 - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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.

Read the full tour diary on the - Kuala Lumpur Show Page


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