Def Leppard Announces North American Tour With Poison And Tesla On Board To Rock
From the archive: published Jan 12, 2017, 9 years ago. Details may have changed since.
Def Leppard will be kicking off a tour across the U.S. and parts of Canada along with fellow rockers Tesla and Poison for most dates. Def Leppard just completed a huge tour to finish out 2016 and apparently wants to pour some more sugar on their fans to start 2017.
Def Leppard is a British band known for being one of the founding fathers of the “hair metal” genre of the 1980s. Formed in 1977, Def Leppard found their way to centerstage and the spotlight with the highly successful album Pyromania in 1983. The band has achieved commercial success for more than three decades with multi-platinum album sales. Def Leppard’s most recent studio album, Def Leppard, came out in October of 2015, with two singles reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
Despite its success, Def Leppard has also experienced its share of tragedies. In 1984, drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a rollover car accident. Allen was able to adapt and overcome and remained the drummer for the band.
But in 1991, Def Leppard said goodbye permanently to another member. Guitarist Steve Clark was granted a six-month absence from the band in order to get his alcoholism under control. Sadly, Clark died from an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription medication.
While Tesla and Poison may not have experienced the monumental success of Def Leppard, they too became known as part of the “hair metal” movement. Tesla toured with Def Leppard in its early years but the relationship between the members of Poison and Def Leppard wasn’t always so solid. According to Rolling Stone, in 2008, a purported feud erupted between Def Leppard and Poison following some comments made by Leppard lead singer Joe Elliot. Both bands insist the whole feud was blown out of proportion and they came together in 2009 for a joint world tour.
According to Rolling Stone, the show locations for the 2017 tour put on by the trifecta of hair metal bands centered around cities that were missed on Def Leppard’s 2016 tour. To see if your city made the cut, check out the list below:
April 8 Manchester, NH SNHU Arena April 10 Montreal, QC Bell Centre* April 12 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena April 14 Baltimore, MD Royal Farms Arena April 15 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum April 17 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena April 19 Green Bay, WI Resch Center April 21 St Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center April 22 Sioux Falls, SD Sanford Premier Center April 24 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena April 26 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center*** April 27 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena April 29 Fort Myers, FL Jetblue Park* April 30 Jacksonville, FL Metropolitan Park* May 2 Tuscaloosa, AL Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre May 3 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheatre May 5 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena May 6 Concord, NC Charlotte Motor Speedway** May 24 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena May 26 Pryor, OK Rocklahoma* May 27 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center* May 29 Colorado Springs, CO Broadmoor World Arena May 31 Bozeman, MT Brick Breeden Fieldhouse June 2 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place/Rogers Place* June 3 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome* June 6 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena* June 7 Spokane, WA Spokane Arena June 9 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre June 10 Portland, OR Moda Center June 12 Fresno, CA Save Mart Center June 14 Ontario, CA Citizens Bank Arena June 16 San Diego, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre June 17 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena June 19 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre June 21 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center*** June 22 St Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre June 24 Chicago, IL Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre June 25 Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center
* Def Leppard Only ** Def Leppard and Tesla Only *** Def Leppard and Poison Only
According to their website, Def Leppard is holding a special presale for members of their Rock Brigade members starting January 17. Regular ticket sale dates vary. Check out www.defleppard.com for more information on ticket sales and VIP packages.
If your city was left off the list, there’s still some good news for fans looking to have the Def Leppard live experience. Two months prior to the start of their 2017 tour, you can get your hands on the DVD and Blu Ray of Def Leppard’s concert movie, And There Will Be A Next Time – Live From Detroit. Set to be released on February 10 by Eagle Rock Entertainment, according to Brave Words, the DVD and Blu Ray sets will also include two CDs.