After a two-year delay due to the pandemic, Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard finally kicked off their long-awaited North American co-headlining “Stadium Tour” on Thursday night (June 16th) at Truist Park in Atlanta. Support acts Poison and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts also highlighted the legendary bill.
The extensive tour runs through a September 9th show in Las Vegas, spanning 36 dates, with tickets available here.
As we reported in the minutes after Mötley Crüe’s performance, Tommy Lee had to bow out of the band’s set after five songs due to broken ribs he suffered two weeks prior to the show. Lee addressed the crowd, explaining that he was already performing against doctors’ orders, before handing off drumming duties to Ozzy Osbourne stickman Tommy Clufetos, who was standing by and completed the last 11 songs of the Crüe’s set.
Lee did return briefly later in the set to play piano on “Home Sweet Home,” and at one point in the evening, tweeted that Clufetos “is here to help me out until I’m back at 100%,” implying that Clufetos would be around for the band’s upcoming shows, as well.
Aside from Lee’s injury surprise, Mötley Crüe played a 16-song career-spanning set that kicked off with early single “Live Wire” and wrapped up with the massive hit “Kickstart My Heart.” Machine Gun Kelly, who played Lee in the Netflix movie The Dirt, jumped onstage with the band to perform “The Dirt (est. 1981)” from the film’s soundtrack.
The Atlanta show marked Mötley Crüe’s first concert since December 31st, 2015, which was meant to wrap up their last tour ever after the band signed a “cessation of touring” agreement. However, they announced in late 2019 that they’d be reuniting for a 2020 tour after the success of the movie, but then had to wait two more years to finally hit the road again.
Def Leppard closed out the night as rain poured down on the stadium, performing after Mötley Crüe, and delivered an 18-song set that was heavy on their multiplatinum album Hysteria, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers played seven songs off the 1987 LP, including classics like “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Animal,” and “Love Bites.
The UK rockers also showcased their new release, Diamond Star Halos, by performing four songs off the album, while 1983’s Pyromania also got some love with “Foolin’,” “Photograph,” and “Rock of Ages.”
Earlier in the evening, Poison delivered a 12-song set featuring hits like “Nothin’ But a Good Time” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” along with covers of Loggins & Messina’s “Your Mama Don’t Dance,” and Van Halen’s “Eruption.” Joan Jett and the Blackhearts also rocked 12 songs, including hits “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Bad Reputation,” and “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” And up-and-coming rockers Classless Act opened the evening with a five-song performance.
Check out video footage and the setlists for Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard from the opening night of “The Stadium Tour” below. Pick up tickets to the upcoming shows via Ticketmaster.
Breaking News: Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee takes the stage at The Stadium Tour but mid-set goes to the mic and says after 2 and a half years of waiting for this show he broke a few ribs recently and the doctors told him not to play. He promised to perform anyway #TheStadiumTour pic.twitter.com/VjKj9bVQMs
— Greg DeBrosse (@GregDeBrosse) June 17, 2022
Motley Crue Setlist:
Wild Side
Shout at the Devil
Too Fast for Love
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Saints of Los Angeles
Live Wire (Tommy Lee replaced on drums by Tommy Clufetos)
Looks That Kill
The Dirt (Est. 1981) (with Machine Gun Kelly) (Live debut)
Rock and Roll, Part 2 / Smokin’ in the Boys Room / White Punks on Dope / Helter Skelter / Anarchy in the U.K.
Home Sweet Home (Tommy Lee returns to play piano)
Dr. Feelgood
Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.)
Piece of Your Action
Girls, Girls, Girls
Primal Scream
Kickstart My Heart
Def Leppard Setlist:
Take What You Want
Fire It Up (Live debut)
Animal
Foolin’
Armageddon It
Kick
Love Bites
Excitable
This Guitar (Live debut)
Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad (Acoustic)
Two Steps Behind (Joe Elliott performing solo)
Rocket
Bringin’ on the Heartbreak
Switch 625 (Rick Allen drum solo at end of song)
Hysteria
Pour Some Sugar on Me
Rock of Ages
Photograph
