Sunday, 29th August 2021
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34 Years Ago JOE ELLIOTT Injures Back On DEF LEPPARD's HYSTERIA Tour

Def Leppard 1987. Def Leppard 1987

Def Leppard played a show in Belfast, Northern Ireland on 29th August 1987 and Joe Elliott suffered an on stage injury.

This was the third show of the Hysteria world tour which had started on 27th August in Dublin and the second night at the Ulster Hall.

It was also the night the Joe jumped off the drum riser during 'Die Hard The Hunter' and injured his back.

The lively crowd (including a few idiots) also made this a very memorable show for the band as heard in the audience recording that exists.

Joe talked at great length on stage at this show, perhaps more than any other in the band's history. Listen to one moment below just before 'Don't Shoot Shotgun' where Joe fires back at either Sav, Phil or Steve for "taking the piss" out of him.

In typical Leppard fashion this incident happened on the same day as the 'Hysteria' album entered the UK chart at Number One.

Joe's face when he landed may have been similar to the photo below - taken in mid August 1988 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver, CO. This incident was mentioned in a review of the 1st September show in Nottingham.


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Def Leppard 1988. Joe Elliott 1988

Joe Elliott Belfast 29th August 1987 - On Stage Quotes

Joe before Another Hit And Run

"This is our second night in Belfast. And didn't we promise you we'd come back again?. We didn't expect it to be 24 hours but you know, why not eh?. And I tell you what as long as this band still exists we shall forever be playing here. Now here's a song from an album from about 1981. Our High 'n' Dry album. I don't think we ever toured Ireland on the High 'n' Dry album so this may be the first time you've ever heard this song, at least in this country, this one's called Another Hit And Run!"

Joe speech before Women

"Good evening Belfast!. How are ya? are you alright? You lot alright upstairs yeah?. You lot are alright down here aren't ya. OK how many who are here tonight were here last night?. Not many but anyway, any of you who were here you can sing this next chorus a little bit louder can't ya!. So what we're gonna do, we're gonna play you a track from our new album, the Hysteria album! This is a song about our favourite subject, it comes in numbers of three something like, 36-22-35. You know what I'm talking about? I'm talking about Women."

Joe after Too Late For Love

"We've got a couple of morons down here. That are gobbing on us. I'd just like to say that spitting at a band is about as mature as shitting in your nappy. If you're stood at the side of anybody that's spitting on us give 'em a good kicking in the bollocks will ya. 'Cause they're probably a Terence Trent Darby fan anyway. So that's a little bit of a cry for help from the band. Here's a song which is a cry for help off the last album. I said this last night it actually it fits a lot of circumstances, it could be London, it could be Belfast, it could be New York, this is Billy's Got a Gun."

Def Leppard 1987. Def Leppard 1987

Joe introduces Steve Clark

"Steve Clark, he's alright." (before his guitar solo)

Joe after Die Hard The Hunter

"Ivan (sounds like Ivan anyway), I need a bottle of Brandy now!". Then says "I just really f*cked my back up, but the show must go on. You alright? He's alright." Then introduces Steve by saying "Steve's got a..Steve's got a new double neck. And we'd like to play you right now one of our earlier songs a brand new way. Hope you like it it goes like this.".

He sounds in pain but carries on singing, not taking a break until the encore. Joe has continued to have recurring back trouble since this gig. He had to wear a brace for the rest of the tour. He later told of going to hospital right after this show.

Joe speech before PSSOM

"Can you believe it Def Leppard in the Top 10. Amazing...well over the last three or four years we've definitely had our ups and downs. And I'm suffering from one of 'em right now. But you know a good band, a strong band will say F*ck anything! and get on with the f*cking job you know what I mean. And here I am one year younger than Glenn Hoddle and I can't even f*cking walk properly But you know I think out of all the downs we've ever had (crowd starts RICK RICK chant) the biggest up we ever had was the return of the Thundergod!" (Glenn Hoddle was an Tottenham Hotspurs & England footballer at the time)

Joe before Photograph

"Take care Belfast. Don't forget us and we'll never forget you, Goodnight". The crowd then starts major football-style chanting. After they come back Joe asks the crowd if they are alright in a slight accent. When Rick adds a little drums to this the crowd cheers and Joe says "Rick Allen whoo!, what a guy, what a f*cking guy." Followed by:

"I want complete silence. Hang on, think about it for a minute, this could be a one-off how many opportunities are you gonna get at a Manowar or a Metallica, for complete and utter silence at a heavy metal show. You're not gonna get many opportunities so let's just get it really quiet...shhh. No talking, no, shut up, shut up. Shh, shhh let's see if we can create total silence. It's pretty good. Now the point I'm trying to make is I just wanted to say something, I hate repeating myself, I said this last night so anybody who was here last night I'm sorry. But we got a book coming out soon, we got a book coming out soon, Animal Instinct, and we actually mention in this book so this is no bullshit right, this is absolutely no bullshit. We put down in our book the best gig we ever played on the 1983 tour was in Belfast, Ulster Hall. No bullshit, it's in print. Give yourselves a round of applause yeeeahh!.

That is the goddamn truth really is it's in print so I can't lie otherwise you can take me to court and sue me you know what I mean. So basically as far as we're concerned, four wankers from Sheffield and one from London. This is the next best thing to a hometown gig that we've ever had. In our own little word Belfast became a legend a little bit like Marilyn Monroe did..."

Joe after Photograph

"You guys are outrageous, really. We'll see you again on the next tour."

Joe before Don't Shoot Shotgun

"I tell ya it comes to something when you're own best mate takes the piss out of you on stage!. I hope that your f*cking strings break!." (Steve? or Phil?...)

Joe before Tear It Down

"Here's a song from our next album! (and during the intro) There's got to be a better way!."

Joe after Tear It Down

"You guys are f*cking great!. We will see you again!. F*cking brilliant. Enjoy yourselves, have a good time, we'll see you again...definitely. Take care, goodnight."

Def Leppard 1988. Joe Elliott 1988

Joe Elliott 10th September 1987 - TV Interview Quotes

Your tour started in Dublin didn't it a couple of weeks ago. How did you feel the first night before you got onstage?.

"But it went really well and I must admit as well that the following two gigs in Belfast were just really amazing. I'd like to take the time actually to say any bands out there watching. If you've never been to Belfast, go because they're a brilliant crowd. They really are."

"They were so good I got a bit over enthusiastic and jumped off the drum riser and landed weird and trapped a nerve in my back. That did me in for a couple of days."

A friend of mine said he saw you at the Nottingham and he said that you almost couldn't walk or something.

"I was actually, I'd had an epidural the day before which they normally give pregnant women. To try and relax the muscle and untrap the nerve. I was in hospital overnight having massages and needles in the back. All sorts of things. It's OK now."


Joe Elliott - December 2015 Interview Quotes

"We had just released the album and I did a splits jump off the drum riser and I dislocated a rib."

"I couldn't move I was in so much pain that to get me on for the encore they had to put a bottle of brandy into me."

"I can't remember but I am told I did a seven minute intro for Photograph."


1st September 1987 Nottingham - Review Quotes

"What else could possibly go wrong for this band? Doomed ain't the word! But once again, disaster strikes, leaving vocalist Joe Elliott with a trapped nerve in his back following an enthusiastic leap from the drum riser in Belfast."

"The man is in pain. He looks it, a face the colour of clay. But this is their most important UK tour to date, so Joe has to grin and bear it, before being rushed away to the attentions of an Osteopath. Again the show goes on..."


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