Def Leppard News - 14 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD End X/Ten World Tour In MOSCOW

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14 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD End X/Ten World Tour In MOSCOW

Def Leppard 2002.

Def Leppard ended the 2002/2003 X/Ten world tour in Moscow, Russia on this day in 2003.

The show took place at the DS Luzhniki Sports Hall.

Their first ever visit the the city after making their Russian debut in St. Petersburg on the 22nd.

The 'X/Ten' album had been released in July/August 2002 and initially promoted with a sporadic four month promo tour.

The main world tour had begun in Sendai, Japan on 17th November 2002.

The 151 date world tour took the band across Japan, USA/Canada, UK,Ireland, and Europe.

Between 22 and 24 songs were played each night for the first four or five months of the tour.

On the first night in Sendai the band opened the show with the first ever playing of 'Ring Of Fire' which featured some co-lead vocal parts by Rick Savage.

By the second night the band were opening with Side One of the 'High 'n' Dry' which was also a first and the setlist was changed up each night. Over three nights in Tokyo 31 different songs were played.

Only four new songs from the current album were played during the tour - 'Now', 'Four Letter Word', 'You're So Beautiful' and 'Long Long Way To Go'.

Following the Japanese leg the band travelled to the USA for 10 main shows after opening with a radio festival show in San Diego.

A UK/Irish tour followed in February 2003 before a huge late March to early October US/Canadian tour.

For the first time in many year the band would then return to the UK for a second run of 10 shows in October and were joined on stage by Queen's Brian May on the last night at Hammersmith Odeon in London.

A short European tour followed which ended with the band's first ever shows in Russia and the final 151st show in Moscow on 24th November 2003.

Earlier in the day Joe, Vivian and Phil played a short acoustic set on local radio. The first time a Western rock band had ever done so.

Read many of Joe's onstage quotes below including his pre-Rock Of Ages comedy routine with Rick.

Def Leppard 2002.

Joe Elliott - 24th November 2003 Onstage Quotes

Before Foolin'

"Spasiba Moscow! Thank you. Good evening. Welcome to the first ever Def Leppard show in Moscow, and the very last of our world tour. Thanks for having us, thanks for coming. Here's a little thing for ya from the Pyromania album."

Before Four Letter Word

"Thank you. Thank you very much. I'd like to take this opportunity to, for the last time on this tour at least, to introduce you to somebody. He comes all the way from a place called Walthamstow in London. So will you please make a lot of noise, on the electric guitar, Mr. Phil Collen!."

Before Two Steps Behind

"Thank you very much. So Moskva!. Tonight as I mentioned earlier is the last. The very, very last night of our world tour which started exactly one year ago today in Japan. So we've come full circle almost. What we've been doing every night when we've played this particular song, is we've been trying to encourage everybody out there to join the band for like the next four minutes right. You wanna do that?. Yeah!. Oh yeah. You may have noticed my Russian is no good. So you speak, maybe you understand a little English yeah?. Right then you'll understand this. We played two nights ago in St. Petersburg. They were louder than that!. And you lot in the special seats. Let's have a listen. Ahh. Right well if you know the words to the chorus of this song, we'd really appreciate it if you'd join in. Let's see if we can, for one more time, take the f**king roof off this building right?. Right?!. Here's a little thing for ya called Two Steps Behind."

Before Now

"Thank you very much. Spasiba!. This afternoon we went to visit a radio station and we apparently did something that nobody else has ever had the balls to do. Which was perform live exclusively for the Russian audience acoustically. So we were the first band ever from the West to come here and play acoustic for the Russian audience. Which was a privilege and a pleasure for us. We did this song then and we're gonna do it for you now. This is a track from the latest album. The X album. Here's a little thing for ya called Now."

Before Armageddon It

"Spasiba!. Thank you very much. Well, once again for the last time it's introduction time. So will you please make a lotta lotta of noise for the man from Northern Ireland. Belfast in fact. Mr. Vivian Campbell!."

Before Rock Of Ages

"Thank you. Thank you Moskva!. Thank you. Thanks a lot. Well it's taken us 23 years to get here tonight. I remember when we were just starting out, the BBC in England broadcast a concert from Moskva. Elton John and he was the first. I do believe the first British artist to play in Russia. And ever since we've wondered if we'd ever get the chance to come and finally we are here!. And you know as we know 23 years is a very long time. And it's not 24, almost 25 years, which is how long this chap has been keeping the beat. I am of course talking about Mr. Rick Allen on the drums!. Well night after night, tour after tour, he sits at the back and he never says anything. No speak right. No words. But on this tour we've been encouraging him to introduce a song. And I don't know whether he'll do it again after this because I'm not sure it's been a major success. But he is gonna introduce this next song for ya right. The reason I say it may not have been the greatest success is because he has to keep changing language in every country we go to. And sometimes it's good, and sometimes it's f**king awful. So we will leave it to you to decide. Are you ready?. Are you ready?!. Once again make a lot of noise for the man at the back on the drums Mr. Rick Allen!." - (album intro then played)

After Rock Of Ages

"Moskva, Russia. Thanks for having us. Take care of yourselves, we'll see you next time round. Goodnight!. Spasiba!. Once again thanks for having us. What a great way to end the tour. Thank you very much. We'll see you next time. Goodnight."

Before Let's Get Rocked

"Well Moskva. For once that's not about it. If you can just indulge us for a minute or so. Tonight is the very last night of our tour and what a great place to finish. So if you'll join with us in thanking a great bunch of people who have spent the best part of a year travelling the world with this band. Our fantastic back line crew. Wolfie and Roger and Chad and Curtis. Give them a big round of applause please. Also Malvin our tour manager. Viv our production manager and last and not least our front Ted and Ronan for doing a fantastic job with the sound. Snake for doing an amazing job with the spots considering he's had to do it in about 15 f**king different languages. God bless ya. And I think everybody, band and crew alike will all agree we wanna say a very special thank you to a boy called Kenji. He's Japanese, barely speaks English and has been working with us for the best part of a year doing the lights. He's f**king awesome man. We love him to death. Apologies for anybody I've forgotten. Truckers and people that have been and gone."

"So that's about it then. We've finished. Bye!. Bye!...what?...what?!. OK I've got a question for ya. Do ya wanna get rocked?."

End Of Show

"Oh yeah!. Yeah let's not forget Mark Litten. Tour accountant. And before I get my nuts cut off. Kristine who did wardrobe for nine months. Moskva! Russia. We will try not to leave it so long next time yeah?. And there will be a next time!. Until then. Don't forget us and we won't forget you. Goodnight."

Def Leppard - Moscow 2003 Show Page
Def Leppard - X/Ten Tour 2002/2003
Previous Show - 23rd November 2017
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