'80s Metal History (December 2nd)

December 2, 1985: Iron Maiden released "Run To The Hills" Live in the UK (February 13, 1986 in North America) as the second single from the "Live After Death" album with "Phantom Of The Opera" on the B-side. Some copies contained an exclusive Derek Riggs (Eddie's creator) designed Christmas card signed by the band.

Iron Maiden "Run To The Hills" Live single release date source: [UK] Music Week ad - December 7, 1985; [US] FMQB radio trade publication - February 7, 1986.

Terrestrial radio kinda blows now, but back in the day that's all we had. METAL SHOP was on Queensrÿche's new single "Take Hold Of The Flame" early. Check out one programmer's comment; "I must have had earmuffs on..." 🤦‍♂️

December 2, 1984: Motörhead brought the "No Remorse" Tour to Cleveland and broke the world record for having the loudest show in the world at 130 decibels, beating The Who's previous record by 10 decibels. It was so loud that it cracked the theatre ceiling, sending plaster down onto the crowd below. Eventually a maintenance worker had to shut Motorhead's concert down before the damage stopped. A man living near the venue reported that he was able to record the show from his living room.

December 2, 1981: Judas Priest, Accept and Def Leppard brought the "World Wide Blitz" Tour to Karlsruhe, Germany. In support of their latest album "Point Of Entry", Priest opened their set most nights with "Solar Angels".

December 2, 1983: After a delay to remix the album, Ozzy Osbourne's "Bark At The Moon" LP was now in UK record shops and Kerrang! had the lyrics for the title track plus Jake E. Lee's guitar specs. Release date source: Kerrang! - December 1, 1983; Record Mirror - November 26, 1983.

Happy Birthday to Def Leppard co-founder and bassist Rick Savage (December 2, 1960).

December 2, 1983: With concert dates coming up in the UK, including London's Hammersmith Odeon on the 5th, Def Leppard issued "Too Late For Love" as a single from the "Pyromania" album. Release date source: Music Week - November 26, 1983; Kerrang! ad - December 1, 1983.

December 2, 1984: DIO and Dokken were in Hawaii for a show in Honolulu where the local newspaper noted "Heavy-metal rocker Ronnie James Dio will be blowing out the Blaisdell Arena." 🤘

December 2, 1986: Saxon planned to launch the "Rock The Nations" Tour in Sacramento, California, but that didn't happen and On This Day the band actually performed in Vancouver. Saxon eventually played Sactown on December 18th.

December 2, 1979: With special guest Judas Priest, AC/DC brought the "Highway To Hell" European Tour to Hemmerleinhalle in Neunkirchen am Brand, Germany. Fan Memory from AC/DC website: "I attended this show while serving with the Army. It was the first show I witnessed that a guitar player was using a cordless guitar. Angus on someone’s shoulders going trough the crowd of 30,000 was a site to behold !! I was fortunate to be a fan of one of Bon's last shows. R. I. P. Bon." -Kelley Glenn, Niles, Ohio, USA.

December 2, 1988: After opening for Slayer in August, Danzig returned to New York City, this time as headliners at The Ritz.

Motörhead performed at London's Hammersmith Odeon in 1985 to celebrate their 10th anniversary with guest appearances that included Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott. The band tried to stop the release of "The Birthday Party" but it was issued in December 1990.

December 2, 2023: "End Of The Road", KISS concluded their final tour ever at Madison Square Garden in New York City where it all started 50 years earlier. "This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand. KISS is a universe of its own — movies, merchandise, maybe even Broadway. The band will end, but the KISS experience… it's immortal. It's the end of touring." -Gene Simmons

Following the last show of their final tour, KISS announced a "New Era" with plans to continue as a virtual band.