Def Leppard will embark on a 55-city 2016 North American tour, which will include three New York dates, starting with the Moonstone Festival in Orlando, Florida, on May 1. The tour will extend all the way to the beginning of the fall season, ending at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Oct. 10.
Joining the boys from England for the extensive tour will be REO Speedwagon and Tesla. STYX will appear on select dates near the beginning of the tour, replacing REO Speedwagon on some dates.
Def Leppard will make three stops in New York. The first will take place on June 27 at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, then on July 11 they’ll play Nikon at Jones Beach in Wantagh and Darien Lake Aug. 31.
Def Leppard was formed in 1977. The band’s third studio album, Pyromania, and their fourth studio album, Hysteria, are both certified Diamond with more than 10 million copies sold. With smash hits like “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” “Love Bites,” the title track “Hysteria,” “Animal,” “Rocket” and “Armageddon It,” it’s not wonder that the Hysteria album alone has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.
Def Leppard has released 11 studio albums and sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Def Leppard also holds the honor of being one of five rock bands to have two studio albums released in the United States to reach diamond certification.
Def Leppard, Reo Speedwagon, Tesla tour dates:
05-01 – Moonstone Festival – Orlando, FL
05-04 – Cajundome – Lafayette, LA*
05-05 – American Bank Center – Corpus Christi, TX*
05-07 – State Farms Arena – Hidalgo, TX*
05-10 – Century Link Center – Bossier City, LA
05-11 – Verizon Arena – Little Rock, AR
05-13 – Greensboro Coliseum – Greensboro, NC
05-15 – Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, CT
05-17 – PPL Center – Allentown, PA
05-18 – Big Sandy Arena – Huntington, WV
05-20 – Amway Center – Orlando, FL**
06-22 – Xfinity Center – Boston, MA
06-24 – Darling’s Waterfront -Bangor, ME
06-25 – Videotron Centre – Quebec City, QC
06-27 – Lakeview Amphitheater- Syracuse, NY
06-29 – Hershey Park Stadium – Hershey, PA
07-01 – Klipsch Music Center – Indianapolis, IN
07-02 – Hollywood Casino – Chicago, IL
07-05 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
07-06 – Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI
07-08 – First Niagara Pavillion – Pittsburgh, PA
07-09 – Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, MI
07-11 – Nikon at Jones Beach – Wantagh, NY
07-13 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
07-15 – DTE Music Theatre -Detroit, MI
07-16 – Molson Canadian Amphitheater -Toronto, ON
08-06 – Alliant Energy Center -Madison, WI
08-08 – Ford Center – Evansville, IN
08-10 – Jiffy Lube Center – Bristow, VA
08-12 – Aaron’s Amphitheater – Atlanta, GA
08-13 – Walnut Creek Amphitheater -Raleigh, NC
08-17 – Oak Mountain Amphitheater -Birmingham, AL
08-19 – Austin 360 – Austin, TX
08-22 – Cynthia Woods Pavilion -Houston, TX
08-24 – Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX
08-26 – Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO
08-27 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – St. Louis, MO
08-29 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH
08-31 – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center – Darien Center, NY
09-14 – Metra Park – Billings, MT
09-16 – USANA Amphitheater – Salt Lake City, UT
09-17 – Pepsi Center -Denver, CO
09-19 – Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
09-20 – Ak-Chin Pavilion -Phoenix, AZ
09-22 – Irvine Meadows Amphitheater – Irvine, CA
09-24 – Toyota Amphitheater – Sacramento, CA***
09-25 – Shoreline Amphitheater – Mountain View, CA
09-28 – Taco Bell Arena – Boise, ID
09-30 – Matthew Knight Arena – Eugene, OR
10-01 – Tacoma Dome – Tacoma, WA
10-04 – CenturyLink Center – Omaha, NE
10-05 – Xcel Energy Center – Minneapolis, MN
10-07 – La Crosse Center Arena – La Crosse, WI
10-08 – Huntington Center – Toledo, OH
10-10 – U.S. Cellular Center – Cedar Rapids, IA
*STYX to appear / No REO Speedwagon
**No REO Speedwagon
***No Tesla
This week, the Luetticke-Archbells are entertaining a shortlist of potential acts: Charlie Daniels Band, Kenny Rogers, Oak Ridge Boys or Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Released in July 2014, Mandatory Fun marked Weird Al’s first number one album. He also took home a Grammy Award in the Best Comedy Album category for it. The album was well received by critics, and the virality of its music videos helped place it atop the Billboard Top 200 shortly after it was released. As NYS Music’s Michael Hallisey said, “Mandatory Fun is Al’s 14th release, and by far his masterpiece. Like Warner Brothers through Looney Tunes, Yankovic is able to tie in current events with references to the past, allowing listeners from multiple generations to enjoy.” Mandatory Fun is likely Yankovic’s last normal length album as he shifts to releasing songs through EPs and singles over the internet.
Paul Green, founder of School of Rock and inspiration for Jack Black’s character in the movie of the same name, has been teaching children to play rock music, including that of Frank Zappa, since 1998. His students have played Lollapalooza, Carnegie Hall, CBGB and Austin City Limits. They have worked alongside many Zappa collaborators including Ike Willis, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Denny Walley, Adrian Belew and Mike Keneally.