Def Leppard Tour Kicks Off

This message has been posted on DEF LEPPARD's official website:

"Last night, the band's 2007 tour kicked off at the Riverbend Amphitheatre in Cincinnati, and the opening night was a blast in many ways. For a near-sold out crowd of some 19,000 fans, the introtape changed from AC/DC's 'For Those About To Rock' to a radio-dial cacophony of some classic DEF LEPPARD sounds, after which Joe Elliott's first words 'Guitar..... Drums!' were the signal for the band to blast out 'Rocket'. The tour had officially launched.

A variation of songs from 'High N' Dry', 'Pyromania', 'Hysteria' and 'Retro Active' passed by, along with the most recent track of the set 'Rock On' from last year's covers album 'Yeah!'. Not only did the band have to work hard to be louder than the screaming fans, they also had to deal with some serious thunder and lightning, striking all around the area every few minutes. While the audience under the roof stayed dry, the spectators on the lawn must've felt Joe was reffering to them when he played a little bit of 'Singing In The Rain' at the start of their acoustic mini-set.

And then, after the set closer 'Rock Of Ages', it was over already. A great start of what will most definitely be a great tour. One down, 51 to go... (We will have plenty of photos from the tour coming up on DefLeppard.com and the Fan Club site soon. Stay tuned.)"

Here are the remaining dates on the band's 2007 North American tour (with STYX and FOREIGNER at select shows):

June 29 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
June 30 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
July 3 - Bonner Springs, KS - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
July 4 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St. Louis
July 6 - Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
July 7 - Burgettstown, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
July 8 - Columbus, OH - Germain Amphitheater
July 11 - Walker, MN - Moondance Jam
July 13 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
July 14 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
July 16 - Toronto, ON - Molson Amphitheatre
July 17 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
July 19 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
July 21 - Sarnia, ON - Sarnia Bayfest
July 22 - Farwell, MI - Mountain Rock Festival
July 24 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 26 - Minot, ND - North Dakota State Fair
July 28 - Cheyenne, WY - Frontier Days
Aug. 11 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center For The Performing Arts
Aug. 12 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Park Pavilion
Aug. 14 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 15 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 17 - Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion
Aug. 18 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug. 21 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Aug. 22 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Aug. 24 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
Aug. 25 - Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
Aug. 26 - Louisville, KY - Kentucky State Fair
Aug. 29 - Selma, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug. 31 - Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Sept. 1 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre
Sept. 3 - St. Paul, MN - Minnesota State Fair
Sept. 5 - Oklahoma City, OK - Oklahoma Zoo Amphitheatre
Sept. 7 - West Valley City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
Sept. 8 - Grand Junction, CO - Rock Jam
Sept. 9 - Englewood, CO - Coors Amphitheatre
Sept. 12 - Ridgefield, WA - Clark County Amphitheater
Sept. 14 - Marysville, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Sept. 15 - Kelseyville, CA - Konocti Harbor
Sept. 16 - Reno, NV - Reno Events Center
Sept. 18 - Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
Sept. 20 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
Sept. 22 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center
Sept. 23 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Sept. 26 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
Sept. 27 - Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place
Sept. 30 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
Oct. 1 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place