Def Leppard

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.

Managers were tired of seeing "half-naked women riding motorbikes and fire-breathing monsters" on hard-rock album covers.

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…

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.

"I didn't wanna do this anymore," drummer recalls thinking after 1984 car crash. "And then I started getting these letters from all over the world."

Cover artist wanted to make a big splash before CDs took over.

"I'd much rather write 'Hubcap diamond star halo' than 'The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind.'"

Guitarist seems unsure about the rescheduled Stadium Tour dates.

The rocker is ready to shed his 'quarantine piggery.'

"Vegas was great for that, especially the last couple of nights. We played two-, two-and-a-half-hour sets."