Rockin' Back in Time: A Teen's Thrilling Journey to Def Leppard's 1983 Concert

Hi again, it is time to take a trip back to the 80’s where my love for rock ‘n’ roll began, my love for live music. Ahhh the 80’s what a great time to be alive, when it came to rock 'n' roll. I would sit and watch MTV daily. Yes, the actual Music Television where they played nothing but music videos, which premiered in 1981 when I was just 13 and it changed my life, so many rock bands to watch lol. While watching MTV, I seen a video debut from a band from Sheffield, England (U.K.) DEF LEPPARD, their video for Photograph. Now mind you I heard this band many times on WLLZ and WRIF (Detroit’s rock stations) songs like Bringing on the heartbreak, High ‘N’ Dry, Let it Go and the one and only Photograph played all the time, but seeing what they looked like changed everything in my eyes. Def Leppard was amazing, the epitome of the quintessential rock gods. The band's members, with their long hair, charismatic stage presence, and tight leather pants, were considered heartthrobs to most teenage girls. Joe Elliott's distinctive voice and the band's energetic performances added to their allure. Their posters adorned my bedroom walls. My best friend and I would listen to them daily, we talked about going to Sheffield to see them, we wanted to see them live, we wanted to meet them lol. We even had one member each that was our dream guy. We knew everything about this band, anyone could have quizzed us, and we could answer all. I think I drove my parents insane with the blasting of their music in my room. I had to have a Union Jack shirt, I had to buy all the music magazines like Circus Magazine just to clip all the articles out and the pictures to put on my bedroom walls. I had to run out and purchase their albums. (Yes back then we bought music, vinyl records to be exact or a cassette tape) It was game over for me. Then it was announced in 1983 that Def Leppard were coming in concert. My best friend and I knew we had to go. We talked about how we could see them up close and maybe even get to meet them, our dreams were, we were going to graduate and go to Sheffield for our graduation celebration to see her dream man bassist Rick Savage and mine the singer Joe Elliott. What is funny was we were 14/15 years old, and these rock stars were at that time 23 and 24 years old. But we were hell bent on meeting them and marrying them one day, I laugh as I type this right now because back then it was different, we didn’t look at them as old guys or anything sick like that. We saw these hot looking guys that made music that we could relate to. So, we convinced our parents to let us go. We bought 2 tickets, are you ready for this? Tickets for that concert which I think Billy Squier opened were only $11.00 a piece with a $1.00 service fee. The concert was in August of 1983, Joe Louis Arena in the heart of Downtown Detroit. My best friend’s dad drove us down there, he dropped us off in front of the Joe and told us he would be waiting for us after the concert where he dropped us off and he left. Us two girls dropped off Downtown Detroit without a fear or care in the world, because we were going to see the one and only DEF LEPPARD. My very first real arena concert. We were so excited that we ran to get in line with people who were a lot older than us and tried patiently to not act all giddy like little girls. When we got in we had to look at the merch, yes concert shirts were cheap too, I think maybe $10 to $12.50 a shirt. We walked through Joe Louis to find our seats; we had great seats too. When we got to our seats we sat and talked, taking in everything around us, a sold-out concert. More people than we could have imagined. About 20,000 fans screaming and singing to the music being played before the bands took the stage. The openers are a blur to me now, I think because all I cared about was seeing DL. The feeling of excitement when a band takes the stage is electrifying and visceral. It's a unique blend of anticipation, adrenaline, and pure joy that courses through you. As the lights dim, the crowd erupts into cheers, and the first notes resonate through the venue, there's an immediate surge of energy. The air becomes charged with the shared enthusiasm of fans who have been eagerly waiting for this moment. The anticipation builds with each passing second until the musicians finally appear. The sight of the band members stepping onto the stage often elicits screams and cheers from the crowd. Your heart beats differently. The collective excitement is palpable as the music begins. The combination of live instrumentation, amplifiers cranked up, and the artist's presence creates a sensory overload. You become engulfed in the sonic waves, and the sheer magnitude of the live experience intensifies the emotional connection to the music. There's a sense of being part of something bigger, a shared celebration of music and performance. The adrenaline rush is not just from the sound but from the realization that you are witnessing a moment in time, a moment you have been waiting for, a unique performance that will never be replicated exactly the same way again. In that moment, the outside world fades away, and the focus is entirely on the music and the performers. It's a feeling of elation, pure bliss, and a connection with both the music and the community of fans sharing the experience. The excitement of a live band taking the stage creates lasting memories and a profound sense of being alive in that moment. In that moment my life changed. I looked around while singing along to all the songs thinking this is life, this is what I want to do every chance I get. I want to be at a concert, watching all the National and International bands playing. I want to be a part of the music community. This was my first ever real concert in an arena, this is when I fell in love with live music, my love for live bands, my love for musicians. This is where it all started, the journey continued as I went on to see Def Leppard every chance I could, I spent a lot of time going to Joe Louis Arena. Metallica, Ozzy, Kiss, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Poison, Ratt, Warrant, ACDC, Cinderella, Bon Jovi all multiple times and I could go on and on. But this was my first adventure into the Rock ‘N’ Roll concert scene. Def Leppard broke my cherry so to say.  This summer July 18th I will be sitting at Comerica Park on the main floor with my daughter seeing Def Leppard 41 years later. It will be here first experience seeing them. She will witness the love I have had for this band, she will see first hand what that band means to me and how thankful I am that I have had their music in my life, from growing up wanting to marry Joe Elliott, to appreciating what they have done with their music for all fans, their songs resonate with so many people and for that I thank them. I thank them for the soundtrack of my younger years and for still doing what they do. Until next time….Get out and support live music, whether it is local or a huge arena tour. So many memories at The Joe may it R.I.P. Peace, Love and Rock ‘N’ Roll!

Mickey

  The video that started it all. The man I thought I would marry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4dHr8evt6k

I had this poster on my wall Steve, Joe, Rick Allen, Rick Savage, Phil a.k.a. Def Leppard. Those Union Jack shirts and yes the shorts woo hoo