Courtesy of Live NationRock hysteria is sure to ensue throughout North America soon, as Def Leppard and Journey are launching a massive co-headlining tour tonight in Hartford, Connecticut. The 60-date trek, which marks the first time in 12 years that the two bands have hit the road together, is scheduled through an October 6-7 stand at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott says fans who come to the shows can expect to be treated to one memorable song after another.
“Both bands have just got an enormous back catalog, a wealthy back catalog of massive hits,” Elliott tells ABC Radio. “If you haven’t heard a Journey song or a Leppard song within an hour of turning on a rock station then you’re in the wrong country.”
Asked if he has a favorite Journey tune, Elliott picks the hard-driving 1983 cut “Chain Reaction,” which he says is “just a stunning song.”
Meanwhile, Journey’s Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain both discussed their favorite Def Leppard songs with ABC Radio.
Schon mentions “Hysteria” as a standout, while noting, “Everything that they’ve ever done is, like, you know it the second that it comes on exactly what it is. So I don’t really have one favorite song.”
Cain also chooses “Hysteria” as a favorite, along with “Love Bites.” He adds, “They know how to make great records, and they’re powerful.”
As for whether there might be some jamming during the tour, Elliott says, “We can drag [Schon] up to do a song, and I dare say you might find me just sneaking on at some stage doing some backing vocals, [but you don’t plan] these things.”
The tour also will feature Peter Frampton, The Pretenders and Cheap Trick as openers at select concerts. Here are all of the dates:
5/21 — Hartford, CT, XL Center
5/23 — Albany, NY, Times Union Center
5/25 — Hershey, PA, Hersheypark Stadium
5/26 — Buffalo, NY, KeyBank Center
5/28 — Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena
5/30 — Cincinnati, OH, US Bank Arena
6/1 — Toronto, ON, Canada, Rogers Centre*
6/2 — Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
6/5 — Raleigh, NC, PNC Arena
6/6 — Knoxville, TN, Thompson-Boling Arena
6/8 — Bristow, VA, Jiffy Lube Live
6/9 — Charlotte, NC, Spectrum Center
6/11 — Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
6/13 — New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
6/15 — Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
6/16 — Baltimore, MD, Royal Farms Arena
7/1 — Atlanta, GA, Sun Trust Park+
7/3 — Noblesville, IN, Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
7/4 — Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest
7/6 — Memphis, TN, FedEx Forum
7/7 — Little Rock, AR, Verizon Arena
7/9 — Tulsa, OK, BOK Center
7/11 — Louisville, KY, KFC Yum! Center
7/13 — Detroit, MI, Comerica Park+
7/14 — Chicago, IL, Wrigley Field+
7/16 — Wichita, KS, InTrust Bank Arena
7/18 — Sioux Falls, SD, Denny Sanford Premier Center
7/19 — Lincoln, NE, Pinnacle Bank Arena
7/21 — Denver, CO, Coors Field+
7/23 — Des Moines, IA, Wells Fargo Arena
7/25 — Kansas City, MO, Sprint Center
7/27 — Minneapolis, MN, Target Field#
7/28 — Fargo, ND, Fargo Dome
8/11 — Boston, MA, Fenway Park#
8/13 — Virginia Beach, VA, Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
8/15 — Columbia, SC, Colonial Life Arena
8/17 — Ft. Lauderdale, FL, BB&T Center
8/18 — Tampa, FL, Amalie Arena
8/20 — Birmingham, AL, Legacy Arena at BJCC
8/22 — Columbus, OH, Value City Arena at Schottenstein
8/24 — St. Louis, MO, Bush Stadium
8/25 — Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
8/27 — New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center
8/29 — Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
8/31 — San Antonio, TX, AT&T Center
9/1 — Houston TX, Toyota Center
9/3 — Houston TX, Toyota Center
9/5 — Albuquerque, NM, Isleta Amphitheatre
9/7 — Phoenix, AZ, Talking Stick Arena
9/8 — Las Vegas, NV, T-Mobile Arena
9/21 — San Francisco, CA, AT&T Park
9/23 — San Diego, CA, Petco Park
9/25 — Salt Lake City, UT, Vivint Arena
9/26 — Nampa, ID, Ford Idaho Center Arena
9/28 — Portland, OR, Moda Center
9/29 — George, WA, The Gorge
10/1 — Vancouver, BC, Canada, Rogers Arena
10/4 — Sacramento, CA, Golden One Center
10/6 — Inglewood, CA, The Forum
10/7 — Inglewood, CA, The Forum
* = Peter Frampton opens
+ = The Pretenders open
# = Cheap Trick opens.
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