DEF LEPPARD's JOE ELLIOTT Says He Is Suffering From 'Moderate-To-Severe Altitude Sickness', Vows To Play Bogotá Concert

DEF LEPPARD lead singer Joe Elliott has released a video message explaining his brief stay at a Bogotá, Colombia hospital ahead of the band's concert in the city.

Earlier today, it was reported that DEF LEPPARD's performance in Bogotá Saturday night (February 25) will go ahead as scheduled, hours after it was revealed that Joe was hospitalized for respiratory issues.

After playing in Mexico City and Monterrey last week, DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE arrived in Bogotá Friday night (February 24) for what is scheduled to be the third stop on their joint 2023 world tour. However, a short time later, El Tiempo reported that Elliott had checked in to Clínica de Marly, a hospital in Bogotá, because he was experiencing dyspnea, which is the medical term for difficulty breathing or shortness of breath.

According to Blu Radio, sources from Clínica de Marly have since confirmed that Joe has already been discharged from the facility.

This afternoon, DEF LEPPARD's social media shared a brief video of Elliott at the Parque Simón Bolívar venue. In the clip, which can be seen below, Joe states: "[It's now] 5:20 p.m. We're on at 8. So I am alive and well. Little woozy, I'll be honest. Moderate-to-severe altitude sickness. I would hate to know what 'severe' altitude sickness [is]; I wouldn't wanna wish it on my worst enemy. But here I am… Apparently the Internet lit up, so I'm here to put everybody that cares about it minds at rest. I'm here, and we're going on at 8 p.m."

DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE's co-headline "The World Tour" is hitting Latin America and Europe before it comes to the U.S. in August. Produced by Live Nation, the U.S. leg of the world tour kicks off on August 5 in Syracuse, New York.

Earlier this month, MÖTLEY CRÜE and DEF LEPPARD played two shows at the 7,000-capacity Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Atlantic City gigs marked MÖTLEY CRÜE's first U.S. live appearances since the announcement that founding guitarist Mick Mars would no longer tour with the legendary rock act. He is being replaced on the road by former ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5.

DEF LEPPARD is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", which sold 34,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release in May 2022 to land at position No. 10 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked the band's eighth top 10 LP.

Of "Diamond Star Halos"' 34,000 units earned for the week, album sales comprised 32,000, SEA units comprised 2,000 (equaling 2.7 million on-demand official streams of the album’s songs) and TEA units comprised less than 500 units.

DEF LEPPARD's previous Top 10 albums included "Pyromania" (which peaked at No. 2 in 1983),"Hysteria" (No. 1 for six weeks in 1988),"Adrenalize" (No. 1 for five weeks in 1992),"Retro Active" (No. 9; 1983),"Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection" (No. 10; 2005),"Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" (No. 5; 2008) and "Def Leppard" (No. 10; 2015).

Last summer, DEF LEPPARD completed "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE and guests POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS. The 36-date trek was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus crisis.