This was also the second Portland appearance by opener Def Leppard who had just released their breakthrough album Pyromania in January. What a night out!
21 years ago this week, Def Leppard returned to Portland for a sold-out show at the Civic Center to bring us into the new millennium. Watch live encore footage of Stagefright, a special surprise that night for fans from right here in Portland.
We remember when Def Leppard played the Portland in the early 2000s, WBLM had a backstage broadcast at the Civic Center the afternoon before the show. There were a bunch of Blimpsters gathered on the other side of the barricade just outside the backstage door at the corner of Free and Center streets. Rick noticed and decided to get out there and greet the diehard Def Lep devotees. He took his time with everyone, signing autographs and giving out hugs.
33 years ago, Def Leppard brought the Hysteria tour to Portland. That night will always be an especially memorable one for me. It was the first time I was onstage to welcome the crowd as a WBLM DJ.