Tuesday, 19 November 2019
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32 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD's HYSTERIA Tour In PHOENIX, AZ (Photos)

Def Leppard 1987. Phoenix, AZ 1987

Def Leppard played a Hysteria tour show in Phoenix, AZ on 19th November 1987 and a photo gallery is available.

The show took place at the 13,000+ capacity Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum with support from Tesla.

The show was attended by a sellout crowd of 13,796 fans with gross sales of $227,648.

The In The Round staging had to be placed at one end of the venue due to weight restrictions of the arena's roof.

This was the band's first time in Phoenix since a show at the outdoor Compton Terrace in September 1983 on the Pyromania tour.

They had also supported Billy Squier at this same arena in April 1983.

Compton Terrace was also played with Blackfoot in November 1981.

The first visit to the city was in June 1980 supporting Ted Nugent at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum on their debut US tour.

This show was covered by UK pop music magazine Smash Hits who also interviewed the band.

The first few photos were taken during a trip to Piestewa Peak (called Squaw Peak at the time) an ancient Native American site which is about 5 miles to the North East of Phoenix in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.

View photos below and a few band quotes.

Def Leppard Phoenix, AZ 1987 - Photos

Joe Elliott - Interview Quote

"You get these radio stations going 'Def Leppard will be here in two days!!!' They wouldn't do anything like that in Britain. Can you imagine it?."

Rick Allen - Interview Quote

"Do I get dizzy when the drum kit spins round?. Once in a while, yeah. There's a bloke called Derek who controls it. I've got to be very careful I don't piss him off. I have to trust him, otherwise he'll just spin the thing around!."

In The Round Staging - Article Quote

When it comes to the concert in Phoenix, however, they can't fit the stage in the middle, so it has to fit down one end. The whole group are rather gloomy at the prospect of having to play on a "normal" stage. .

Joe Elliott - Interview Quote

"Potentially the best show we play on this tour ends up being totally average because we can't play 'in the round'. It's a Lep-shoot."

A Lep shoot?. This turns out to be part of a rather odd language the five members of Def Leppard have built up amongst themselves over the years.

Steve Clark - Interview Quotes

"It's our way of entertaining ourselves. Over the years we've developed our own language. We can actually hold a conversation using words that no one else understands. 'Lep shoot' are just the words we use to describe anything that goes wrong. If anything can go wrong it will happen to Def Leppard. If we miss a plane, other people would panic, we just say 'Oh god! It's a Lep shoot'. We've got other ones...like...." Steve comes over all sheepish for a second. "They're mostly our words for describing various women we meet. You'd...um...better not print them." Indeed.

Touring Again After Four Years

Rick Savage - Interview Quote

"We've really missed it. You have to come back and do it again to realise how much you miss it."

Phil Collen - Interview Quote

"I love it. I'm just so pleased to be out of the studio."

Steve Clark - Interview Quote

"After Rick lost an arm we all thought, well, nothing can be that bad. Now we just get through it, and it doesn't really matter what happens. It's all fun. And I really enjoy the travelling. It's like a vice with me."

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


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