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International trailblazers and Hard Rock Heavyweights. One of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time, Def Leppard have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, they have 2 diamond-classified albums (Pyromania and Hysteria) inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019. What is it that made Def Leppard stand out from the rest of the Rock world? Their breakthrough third album ‘Pyromania’ saw the band take a step away from their traditional heavy metal roots and towards a more polished sound focused on catchy melodic hooks and glossy production (source LiveNation). This new radio-friendly sound was a major catalyst for the ’80’s melodic hard rock movement and sparked the trend of mainstream metal bands including a power ballad on albums for years to come! This explosive shirt is so cool and was our #1 Bestseller 2020 it’s the obvious choice for our first inductee to TheSocietees Rock T-Shirt Hall of Fame™. So why is this shirt so hot? (…Pyromania gettit!)
The band’s 3rd album Pyromania was again produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange who produced their last album High ‘N’ Dry. But while the previous album showed a band and producer beginning to meld, it didn’t fully realize either side’s potential. However, Pyromania would be that album shifting the band away from simple traditional heavy metal to a more radio friendly mainstream sound all while maintaining the band’s style. It was a massive success producing some of the all-time classic songs of the 80’s like “Fooling”, “Rock Of Ages”, and “Too Late For Love”. With those songs and the exposure form MTV, the band and album seemingly shot into the stratosphere like one of Def Leppard’s pyrotechnic concert explosions!
Fun Fact: At one point the album was selling upwards of 100,000 copies a week.
In 1983, Def Leppard was in the midst of a watershed moment for the band. When they set out on tour to promote their brand new 3rd studio album released only 3 years after their debut, they had no idea what type of whirlwind experience they were in for. The band had just hired a new guitarist Phil Collen who was ready to up their game and brand new single “Photograph” was about to make the band household names. During this time Def Leppard went from strength to strength releasing 5 massive singles from Pyromania, elevating both the album and the band. The Pyromania album would go on to sell 10 million copies in the US alone, as well as huge response in the UK, Australia and more.
Fun Fact: New guitarist Phil Collen came from a previous band called Girl that featured future 80’s rocker and L.A. Guns vocalist Phil Lewis. Had Phil Collen not been enticed by the up and coming Def Leppard to join their ranks. There is no telling what the band Girl could have achieved with two members as strong as Collen and Lewis in the line-up.
As the success of the Pyromania album grew, so the USA Tour expanded and ballooned. It moved the band from clubs, to theaters, to arenas making them mega stars in super quick time… and in the early 80’s that’s what it was all about. Selling out arenas and rocking out with thousands of fans! To be part of that experience as the band began to explode and take hold of the world must have been a sight to see.
The ivory-colored shirt has a worn vintage band photo with the UK and US flags flanking it on both sides. The distressed look of the shirt makes you feel nostalgic for the good old days. And why not? They were some of the best times around. Even if you weren’t there the first time, you can still enjoy this shirt and make it look like you just came from having your mind blown at one of their shows!
It’s no wonder then, that the Def Leppard Pyromania USA Tour 1983 tee is one of our bestselling t-shirts and worthy of the #1 position on The Societees Rock T-Shirt Hall of Fame™.
Read more: Rock T-Shirt Hall of Fame™ and Rock Bestsellers
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