Photo gallery: Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe’s Stadium Tour has kicked off in The UK

Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe‘s much-hyped Stadium Tour has reached Europe. The bands played the first show of a 20-date schedule at Bramhall Lane, in Def Leppard’s hometown of Sheffield last night (May 22).

«Well, it finally arrived,» says Leppard frontman Joe Elliott. «We were so looking forward to bringing The World Tour with Motley Crue back to our home turf and what a spectacular night it was!

«We knew after how well the Stadiums went down last year in North America and earlier this year in South and Central America that our UK and Europeans fans were going to really enjoy this show. But last night in Sheffield, where it all started many years ago, exceeded even our expectations! If the reaction we had last night at Bramall Lane is any indication, this UK / European leg of The World Tour is going to be fantastic!»

Mötley Crüe added: «We literally just finished in the recording studio with Bob Rock and headed straight to the UK to start The World Tour with Def Leppard. Sheffield was an amazing first UK crowd and we’re excited for the rest of the shows including the legendary Wembley Stadium on July 1. Both Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard have been really busy and are now ready to rip it up live across all of Europe together.»

The bands have also released a number of photos from the shows (see galleries below – use arrows to navigate – with setlists following).

The next show on the Stadium Tour is at Sparkassen Park in Mönchengladbach, Germany, on May 25. Def Leppard released their new orchestral album, Drastic Symphonies on Friday.