Friday, 27th October 2023
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31 Years Ago DEF LEPPARD/BON JOVI Get Adrenalized In NEW JERSEY (Video)

Def Leppard 1992. Screenshot

Def Leppard played an Adrenalize tour show in East Rutherford, NJ on 27th October 1992 and video footage is available.

The show took place at the almost 20,000 capacity Brendan Byrne Arena.

The band welcomed two special guests onstage during the final encore to play the Bad Company song 'Can't Get Enough (Of Your Love)'.

Jon Bon Jovi and (now ex-Bon Jovi) guitarist Richie Sambora joined them in their home city to the delight of local fans. A brief acoustic snippet of 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' had been played by Joe in the acoustic section as a teaser.

This may well have been the show where Joe visited Jon's house in the afternoon and they decided to play a prank on the Lep crew. Jon phoning them to say Joe had drunk way too much. When they arrived at the venue Joe jumped out of the limo to surprise the crew members who were expecting to carry him out.

DefLeppard had attended the taping of Bon Jovi's special 'An Evening With Bon Jovi' concert in New York on 25th October and filmed their 'Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)' video in the same city the day before this show.

This date marked four years since the end of the Hysteria world tour in Tacoma, WA.

As with other shows on this 'An Evening With Def Leppard' leg of the tour, the show last for well over two and a quarter hours.

This was Jon's second time onstage with Def Leppard after guesting on 'Travellin' Band' in Vancouver, BC in June 1988 during the 'Hysteria' tour. When Bon Jovi were in town to record the 'New Jersey' album.

Four members of the band had also played on stage with Bon Jovi in the past.

Phil in Holland/France 1986, Joe (Dublin) and Rick (London) in 1988.

In December 1988 Vivian had jammed onstage in Los Angeles as part of Whitesnake with Jon, Richie and David Bryan plus members of Motley Crue at a Cheap Tick show.


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Visit the Album News section for more news on new music (based on band member quotes).


This was Def Leppard's first time in East Rutherford since three sold out shows in late September 1988 at the end of the Hysteria tour. Following on from a show at the same venue in October 1987.

They had opened for Billy Squier here in March 1983, their first visit.

Watch the full show via the links with an individual video of the encore and the full show in less quality. The full show video starts during the second song 'Tear It Down'.

Def Leppard 1992. Screenshot

Joe Elliott - Pre-Women Speech

"Thank you. Good evening New Jersey!. How are ya?. How ya doin'?. You feeling good?. Well, are you ready?. To be Adrenalized. Welcome to the Seven Day Weekend tour!."

Joe Elliott - MLLAM Introduction

"Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, Def Leppard back in New Jersey. How have you been?. Long time no see. It's a - I think it's four years since we were last here. Four years too long!. You may remember on the Hysteria tour. We tried out something that hadn't really been done very well before in the rock circus which is playing In The Round. And we've got a new one going on. What do you think of this thing?. You like it huh?."

"Well it seemed to go down well with you guys and it went down well with us. So we thought f**k it, let's do it again. So here we are. But we've got a brand new stage for you this time because we've got a new album out right now. That album happens to be called Adrenalize. And throughout this evenings proceedings we shall be playing you some songs from that new album as well as - how shall I out it? - some of our more familiar material. So shall we get on with it or what?. I'll take that as a yes. This is a track from the Adrenalize album. Little bit of caveman rock and roll for ya. This one's called Make Love Like A Man."

Def Leppard 1992. Screenshot

Joe Elliott - Phil Collen Introduction

"Thank you. Thank you very much. Getting loud out there. How about making a little bit more noise for Mr. Phil Collen on the electric guitar!."

Joe Elliott - Vivian Campbell Introduction

"Thanks. So East Rutherford. The Meadowlands, New Jersey. You guys still doing alright out there?. So what have you been doing since we've been away?. Of course it's four years or so since we last played here. It was never planned that way. We very much intended to be back here a little earlier than we are. But we applaud your patience. Sometimes whether you're in a rock band or whether you drive a truck. Things happen to you that are not planned and you're not prepared for. And it sort of becomes an occupational hazard when you're in this band."

"I think you know what I'm talking about. When I did this little speech thing back on the Hysteria tour. And I was wondering around the stage getting to know some of my closest friends in places like New Jersey for example. How are ya? Alright?. I was wondering round having a chat and the big deal back then was the. You may remember the return of the Thundergod. Also known as Mr. Ricky Allen. Who, after what turned out to be a minor setback, came and reclaimed his throne and is crowned as far as we're concerned is the best drummer in the business. Oh yeah."

"So there we were five guys reunited doing what we like doing best. Which is playing in front of people. And we had a good time. A very good time, we played about I think 250 shows all over the world. America, Canada, Europe, Ireland, Britain and the Far East. Places like Japan and it was great and it was so good in fact. We made this really stupid promise to us and to you guys that we would never spend four years making an album again. ."

"So what did we go and do?. Yep. Don't take the brain of Britain to figure that one out. We spent about four years piecing an album together. But as back in '84 when fate stuck it's little nose in and interrupted what we were doing. The same thing happened again. Because when we were writing material for the new album. We lost a friend who was very near and dear to us all. God bless him."

"But pick your favourite phrase. Pick your favourite cliche. Life goes on. What ever you wanna use. But we decided a few things after the dust settled. And they would turn out to be very important decisions. And I do feel that if there's any one thing that we've got good at in the time we've been together. It's the art of getting on with it. And one of the reasons we've stayed together so long. We made a conscious decision to not split up and finish the album. And we also decided that we'd finish it as a four piece as a mark of respect."

"And once we'd done that and delivered it to the record company and done all that bullshit that goes along with it like picking an album sleeve. And a title which took longer than making the record. We caught a plane and we went out to Los Angeles in California and we set up in this dusty little rehearsal room. And we jammed with a few people and I'm very pleased to say that we made ourselves a brand new friend."

"Who it must be said having now been in the band about 9 months or so. Has become much more than that. He's now a fully fledged member of the family. And I think you'll agree with me when I say we think he fits in very nicely, right?. Ladies and gentleman I'd like to introduce you to him. In the blue corner. Weighing around 150 pounds. All the way from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Mr. Vivian Campbell!."

Joe Elliott - Bon Jovi Introduction

"Thank you. Today...what time is it?. Have we got time?. While we were doing our little unplugged bit. We played a song from a band that you may have heard of. Right now we'd like to bring up a couple of friends of ours. A couple of cowboys. Ladies and Gentleman please welcome onstage Mr. Richie Sambora and Mr. Jon Bon Jovi!."

Watch all the footage from the show on this YouTube Playlist

Def Leppard 1992 New Jersey Fan Videos.


Def Leppard 2023.

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Def Leppard The World Tour 2023


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