On This Day in 1980, Def Leppard Made Their Live New York Debut Opening for AC/DC—on Joe Elliott’s Birthday

There are a handful of bands that are strictly associated with the 80s. Now, their relevance has grown beyond the decade, although that relevance centers on the band’s glory days of big hair and loud sound. One of those bands is the British hair metal group, Def Leppard. And on this day, August 1, 1980, Joe Elliot and the band made their live New York debut by opening for AC/DC. This accomplishment comes a few months after the band’s first United States show on May 26, when they supported Pat Travers on his “Crash and Burn” tour. 

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In the year 1980, the music industry gave way to bands such as Mötley Crüe, Dokken, and Quiet Riot. Def Leppard was part of that takeover, and they found their footing when they opened for AC/DC in the US. Specifically, Def Leppard joined AC/DC on their 1980 Back in Black North American tour. Before that tour, Def Leppard joined AC/DC for the UK leg of their 1979 Highway to Hell tour.

While making it in England is an impressive feat, making it in the United States means you’ve truly made it—and making it in New York? Well, it doesn’t get much bigger than that. Consequently, this was seemingly quite the opportunity for Def Leppard, and it paid off.

Def Leppard Celebrated Success and Joe Elliot’s 21st Birthday

On this day, August 1, 1980, Def Leppard opened for AC/DC at the Palladium Theater in New York City. Def Leppard was young, and they had only been playing together for roughly three years. As a matter of fact, they were so young that members Pete Willis, Rick Savage, and Tony Kenning weren’t even old enough to drink in the United States, as they were roughly 20 years old at the time of the concert.

Lead singer Joe Elliot was not far behind the rest of the band in age at the time of their US debut. However, in addition to that day marking a major milestone for Def Leppard, it was also Joe Elliot’s 21st birthday. So, it’s probably fair to surmise that Elliot, the band, and possibly AC/DC had a blowout party once the show wrapped.

Following this rite of passage performance, Def Leppard went on to release their second album, High ‘n’ Dry, in 1981. Subsequently, the group graced the mainstream with classic 80s hits such as “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, “Hysteria”, and “Animal”. Despite performing with AC/DC in 1980, the band didn’t reach their commercial peak until 1983 with the release of their album, Pyromania. Four years later, they then dominated the 80s with their iconic hair metal album, Hysteria.

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