Phil Collen of Def Leppard turns 50

A HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to Phil Collen of Def Leppard who turns 50 December 8th. Happy Birthday Phil. Phil who joined Def Leppard in 1982 replacing Pete Willis at the age of 25 has been with Def Leppard 25 years and he certainly doesn't look his age. Still sexy as hell, Phil Collen still WOWS the ladies and is in better shape than a lot of men half his age.

Maybe being a vegetarian helps with that, it certainly doesn't hurt. Happy Birthday Phil and thank you for 25 years of your guitar skills that only gets better with time.

Security at the Clark County Amphitheatre

On September 12th, when I went to see Def Leppard in concert, security was Ocean Coast Security and for the most part, you didn't really encounter them too much unless they came to talk to you about going back to your seat or perhaps breaking up a fight or a fan that might try to jump the stage.

There wasn't any fights and the most I saw was someone being escorted out of the building when she was doing something, I don't know what. Security didn't care if you took pictures of the show and a lot were taking photographs and there was even someone with a big lense taking photos and they didn't say anything.

The fans were well behaved and not causing any trouble really. Occasionally security told them to go back to their seats and one guy told me to step back when I had one foot half an inch out of the line of the chairs, I ignored that.

Security wasn't a problem until after the show when fans including myself were by the buses. The fans weren't doing anything except standing by the gate and talking amongst themselves and just hanging out and waiting for the guys to come out.

In the 4 or 5 years I have been attending this venue, security was always very cool about letting fans hang out at the buses and didn't say anything except to tell you to make sure not to get in the way when the gate would open.

This venue was the most accessible venue I have ever come across when it came to meeting the guys but this is no more. While standing by the buses, security comes along and tells everyone to clear out and the fans were doing nothing wrong. The fans were standing there talking, not getting in the way and no one was trying to sneak in, they were just waiting for the guys.

Security comes along and tells everyone to leave and threatens at least 4 people with arrest if they didn't go. One fan was escorted out like a criminal for just standing there by the buses, doing nothing wrong and security followed him out, all the way to his car so he wouldn't come back.

No one was doing anything and no one was being rowdy or being rude but security treated the fans as if they were criminals and making threats if they didn't leave. The fans were treated like dirt and all they wanted to do was meet the guys and I know from past experience, the guys would be more than happy to come out and sign autographs and pose for pictures.

Security was rude, making threats and treating people like criminals when they were just standing there waiting to meet their favorite band. I don't think it's too much to ask that security let people hang out so they can meet their favorite band and let them get autographs and pictures. As long as people are being decent, security doesn't have the right to treat people like criminals.

Ocean Coast Security was out of line and completely rude about making people leave. Security at the Clark County Amphitheatre needs to be changed and or train their people to treat others with respect, courtesy and dignity, instead of like criminals and unless someone is causing a problem, should let fans hang out by the buses.

For some fans, this is the only way they will meet their favorite band because they may not be lucky enough to score backstage passes or cannot afford to purchase them like through the Raven Drum Foundation, an organization created by Rick Allen of Def Leppard and is run by him and his wife Lauren.

The Raven Drum foundation is a great charity that helps a great deal of people but most fans cannot afford to bid on them and backstage passes anymore are reserved for fans who win them on the radio or close friends and family of the band. Backstage passes used to be more frequent but with the increasing problem of fanatic fans who basically stalk them, they are scarce and although I understand bands need security to protect them and their privacy, there is such a thing as security crossing the line and on this night, they did cross that line.

Not every fan who comes to a show is going to cause trouble. There is the occasional fan who might get rowdy because maybe they had too much to drink but for the most part, fans are cool and are just interested in having a good time and so is the rowdy fan but on occasion might get a little too excited.

On September 12th, Ocean Coast Security told the fans who were just hanging out to leave or they'd be arrested. One person escorted out, being treated like a criminal even though he did nothing wrong. They threatened others with arrest for just standing there talking and hoping to meet the guys.

It seems to be a crime these days to want an autograph and a picture from your favorite band and the problems with security is only growing steadily worse. A security company I used to work for in Denver Colorado which has branches all over the US is another one that is treating fans with the same disrespect and rudeness and treating the fans like criminals for just wanting to meet with the band. Contemporary Services in Irvine California for example is the same or worse than Ocean Coast Security in Washington.

If you hang around, wanting autographs or pictures, they will treat you as if you committed a felony and you will be escorted off the premises for just simply wanting an autograph and doing nothing wrong and talking to other fans. For doing nothing wrong and just hanging out and wanting an autograph, you get the royal treatment of being threatened with arrest and in some cases, escorted out by them, being treated like a common criminal and treated rudely and with the utmost disrespect.

I would hate to think of what they do to fans who cause trouble like punching someone. Do they get slammed against the ground, tasered and pepper sprayed and perhaps hog tied and shot with rubber bullets. I would think the police have better things to do with their time than go around arresting people who are doing nothing wrong and sending them to jail for just standing in one spot, hoping for an autograph.

The next time you are at the venue Clark County Amphitheatre and security is being a problem, find a policeman and ask him if they have the right to threaten you with arrest for simply wanting to meet the band and tell them how you were treated. In Irvine California, I talked to a policeman about the way they treated me and although they couldn't really do anything, the officer didn't seem to think it was right for them to do that and told me I should report them to their company, which by the way I did and got no results.

Take names and ask for someone in charge and voice your opinion. Only when someone speaks out, will things change and perhaps Ocean Coast Security will be a little less likely to treat you like a common criminal when you've done nothing wrong.

Unless someone is causing trouble, they don't have the right to threaten you. Don't take this from them, speak up and make your voice heard. Silence is the only crime if you don't speak out and defend your rights. They also don't have the right to punish you for someone else's screw up. If someone in the past has caused problems and this is their only reason for being rude, disrespectful and treating you like a criminal, they are in the wrong and should be brought to the attention of someone in charge.

Fans deserve the privelage of being able to hang out at the buses to get to meet their favorite band and shouldn't have to put up with security such as Ocean Coast Security treating them like they need to be locked up somewhere. Security at any venue needs to learn to treat people like human beings with respect and dignity and politeness for it goes a lot further because as it stands now, they are treated like criminals and this is going to affect future events and more and more people won't be coming back to this venue.

Let's stand up for our rights and not let security get away with such behavior. Just because they are security, doesn't make them kings of the universe and I think they need to be brought down a peg or two and show them that just because they wear a uniform, doesn't make them God. Security at such venues are nothing but power hungry, rude, obnoxious idiots who have a lot to learn about how to treat someone. Thank you.

Def Leppard Review for September 12, 2007

I had the honor of seeing Def Leppard on September 12th and I was very impressed with the show. Styx went onstage first at 8:00 p.m. and they performed for an hour. The audience was pumped for them and gave them quite a welcome and cheered loudly for their music. Although I like a few songs of Styx, I'm not overly familiar with them but they put on a good show.

Def Leppard hit the stage about 9:30 and went immediately into their song Rocket. The guys looked very good and Joe sounded amazing. In spite of being on the road since June, Joe's voice is holding up amazingly well and he hit all the right notes throughout the show and never missed a beat. They had the runway, which was shorter than I thought it would be but the guys used it a lot and it made for better pictures.

They did one song right after the other, barely taking a breather and Sav was all over the stage, giving the ladies a thrill by winking at them and giving them picks. Joe looked good in black pants and a gray shirt with a denim jacket during the first part of the show and Phil wore a black vest shirt and a pair of black jeans and Viv wore black pants and a lighter colored shirt. Sav wore all white and looked great.

I couldn't see Rick that much because the drumset was higher than it had been in the past it seemed like but his playing was amazing as usual and although he didn't do a solo, he very much impressed the audience. Sav performed a guitar solo and the crowd loved it and cheered him on.

The set list is not in order but each song was brilliantly performed.

Rock On
Armageddon It
Animal
Two Steps Behind (Acoustic)
Rocket
Pour Some Sugar On Me
Bringin On the Heartbreak
Rock of Ages
Excitable
Hysteria
Mirror Mirror
Photograph
Love Bites
Foolin
Switch 625
Another Hit N Run

The band dropped Women from the set list which is surprising. In my 7 years of seeing them live, they've always sung this song. The show was a nice mixture and the band put a different light on the show from the last tour. Shaking things up with singing Mirror Mirror and Excitable and having the runway, puts a fresh outlook on this tour, compared to last tour and another song dropped from the set list was Action.

Last tour also included Gods of War which was not in the mix this time around. The show was definitely different from the last show I attended and the boys sounded refreshed and excited to be there. Def Leppard has performed at this venue for the past three tours at least and this show was like a brand new band.

Def Leppard in my opinion continues to get better as they go on and has not in 30 years lost any of their punch for wowing the audience. They continue to have a loyal following who is never disappointed by them and to this day is still gaining a new fan base as young as 6 years old. This show however, there was not many kids in attendance but the venue was packed and Def Leppard made the crowd want more, long after they said good night.

As they continue the tour with only 13 dates left, the fans are already feeling the withdrawls of another tour come and gone but as Joe said "There will be a next time" and said they'd probably tour next year when their new album Sparkle Lounge was finished and they are planning a world tour so no fear Def Leppard fans, next year isn't that far off when you think about it and they will be back before you know it so start saving your pennies for the next tour is only a few months away. On a scale of one to ten, I give this show an 11 for a refreshing new outlook on the classics they've become famous for.

Pay attention fans for the songs you know so well will have a new perspective and Def Leppard will give them a new face if you watch closely. Pay no attention to the negative reviews of this show you might see because if they can't see that Def Leppard was in top form, they are blind because Def Leppard never sounded better than they did this night. This is all for now.

Asbury Park Short Phil Interview

Asbury Park Press interviewed Phil Collen. In a short but nice interview, Phil Collen talked about when he joined the band and had known them previously when asked to help them out when having problems with then guitarist Pete Willis and his drinking. Things smoothed out and then he later replaced Pete in 83 and it was only one year later that Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident and seven years later, Steve Clark passes away from an accidental drug and alcohol overdoese. For more on this interview, go to this link. Asbury Park Press

Joe Elliott turns 48

HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes go out to Mr. Joe Elliott who celebrates his 48th birthday today. Today he is taking a much deserved rest after the first leg of the tour and Def Leppard will take up the second leg of the tour on August 11th in Mansfield.

Best wishes Joe for a great day and I must say he's still as sexy as ever. Have a wonderful birthday Joe from me and all your fans.

Joe Elliotts Voice *Through the Ages*

Joe Elliott's voice seems to be the favorite topic when it comes to critics reviews of Def Leppard shows, saying anything from his voice not having the range it used to, to sounding off key or a little bit worn. In the beginning, Joe's voice sounded a bit like his voice was changing and perhaps it was a bit and sounded a bit untrained and of course it was because he was just starting out but had a raw talent that would become THE voice for Def Leppard, the most well known vocalist in Rock N Roll and that it has.

The critics need to be aware that singing is hard on the voice but it also didn't help that Joe smoked and drank for some years and that affects the quality of voice as well BUT critics also need to remember that even though his voice doesn't have that range like it used to, his voice continues to be vibrant and can still entertain the fans and in my opinion, sounds just as good now as it did twenty years ago.

There's not a singer around that after thirty years, their voices won't be affected but the critics seem to think this is a key element in their reviews because they can't think of anything wrong with Def Leppard so they nit pick and use Joe's voice as a way to back their negativity in their reviews. Nine times out of ten, the same critics that say Joe can't sing, often cannot carry a tune if their life depended on it.

Simon Cowell of American Idol is one of the most well known critics of unknown talent and also the most brutal, yet the only judge on that panel that has a trained voice is Paula Abdul and makes you wonder how well Simon would do if he were on that stage under the microscope of a judge like himself.

Joe Elliott has been quoted as saying he should be strung up like a Pinata and hates reality shows like American Idol and prefers to see the finished product. Joe's voice has held up remarkably well through the ages and isn't any less talented than he was 30 years ago.

Live Daily Interview with Joe Elliott

Live Daily conducted an interview with Front Man Joe Elliott of Def Leppard. Joe talks about the tour, the new album and touring with Styx and Foreigner. Joe is hoping for an early 2008 release of Songs from the Sparkle Lounge but as he said they'd rather not rush it.

Live Daily

The big difference in Def Leppard maintaining a 30 year career compared to other bands is Def Leppard is more concerned with the quality of their music, rather than quantity. Too many bands of the past and even the present were concerned with how many albums they could crank out and still others were left behind after only one.

Joe is quoted as saying Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is a combination of a couple of their albums saying it sounds a bit like Hysteria and the High and Dry Period. With Def Leppard's well known Uniqueness when it comes to their music, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge holds promises of being very successful and fans hope that the new album will be like nothing they've ever heard yet still be Def Leppard.

One thing about Def Leppard is they will never be accused of sounding just like every other band out there and I truly believe this is one of their keys to their 30 year success and they will be a band that although won't be as successful as the Rolling Stones but will remain in history as being a band that has what it takes to keep the fans interested and coming back for more.

Camera Policy Part 2

I am sadly disappointed but not surprised. Three out of 7 venues e mailed me back and was VAGUE at best but all had one thing in common, that the ARTIST sometimes objects to cameras and maybe that's true BUT Def Leppard doesn't care, that much I know.

I know several other bands that don't also BUT at some venues I go to, they state that the BAND is the one that said it, NOT them. Every venue I attend, they have signs clearly posted that no cameras are allowed. They don't specify "No Professional Cameras" yet if you ask, they sometimes say "Just disposables or digitals are fine but no flash but a lot will evict you from the premises if you so much as take a pic with your camera phone.

Who wins here? What harm are people doing by taking pics of their favorite bands? If any band feels that cameras shouldn't be allowed, what does that tell us? Are bands like Def Leppard afraid what the pics will be used for or afraid profits will be made and they won't get a cut? With Def Leppard, I highly doubt it because Def Leppard is by far the NICEST of all bands I've met.

ALL bands, Def Leppard, Velvet Revolver, anyone is getting free publicity from this. Personal photos make up more than 50% of the photos found on the net. The FANS are the ones that need to worry about how their pics are used because someone might snag it and say "Yes, I took this pic" More and more, pics found on the net are watermarked but sadly, there are ways around that, with the help of photo shop, Paint shop Pro, etc.

Perhaps this is what worries the bands but I ask you What the hell is it to the venue? Are they pouting because they aren't getting a cut or being named as the venue where it was taken? Sometimes they are and if they are, THEY are also getting free publicity.

Or is it a simple power trip by making this stupid rule. I support NO professional cameras unless you are press or recording cameras unless you are making a video for them. There are some rules that are a matter of safety but no cameras is by far the most STUPID and if a fan gets thrown out and treated like a common criminal for simply wanting to take a pic of their favorite band, that security guard needs to lose his job.

If a band has a problem with pics and enforces this particular treatment, then that band will have one less fan and deservedly so. In a disturbing trend of pics being sold on ebay after being autographed or even not, it is understandable for the band to be skeptical but unfortunately one person's screw up, makes us all suffer because it is impossible to find the actual culprit unless they post for the world to see, name, address, phone number and computers IP address.

In conclusion, Def Leppard is one of the few bands I know for certain that doesn't care if you have a camera and don't let ANY venue tell you otherwise. Once more, if you feel you have been mistreated by any member of the security for having a camera and know you were told that you could have one as long as it wasn't professional, report them.

I don't care if they have a uniform and or are the police themselves, no one should be mistreated under any circumstances by security or police, even if the fan themselves are mistreating others, two wrongs don't make a right.

They need to edit their policies and specify NO professional cameras and no recording devices and let the rest be okay, not okay is where it becomes a problem. No one has ever died of having their picture taken but have the right to object and if they object, it should be respected, however, the bands themselves need to make the rules of no cameras, if that is their wish and make it part of their websites, instead of laying the blame at the venues feet and make it a part of the contract.

HOWEVER, if the band like Def Leppard has no problem with it, the venue needs to be told and the venue should not lie and say the band said no, when they never said any such thing. This is all for now

The Camera Policy VS The Band

This is a two part article on the Camera policies at the concerts and I will be using Def Leppard as a subject for my piece. Part one is based on my experiences at different Def Leppard shows and securities enforcement of a no camera policy including what they say about it.

Every venue is different but they all have one thing in common and that is a sign that says “No Cameras or recording devices, no alcohol, etc” and at every show you go to, if you ask the security if cameras are allowed, some will say disposable only, while others will say no professional cameras with changeable lenses. Still others, will say no cameras at all.

My personal favorite is that they always say that it’s like Def Leppard who enforce these rules. For instance, the DTE Energy Music Theatre says they don’t prohibit cameras as long as they are not professional or recording devices, however, many artists do and to contact them the day of the show to see what the artists policy is.

In the case of Def Leppard, I have been to many, many concerts for them and know for a fact that they do not care if you bring a camera as long as its not a recording device or a professional camera. They have never stated that they do not want cameras at their shows.

If you think about it, if they did, they’d have a policy about it on their official website and the fans would know that is legit and even though some would still bring a camera, at least they know it’s the policy of the band and not the venue.

In Moline Illinois I was told by security that Def Leppard was not allowing cameras for this event, like it was all them, not the venue. Of course the fans still had cameras and took pics but at every venue, its completely different and the signs never specify if you can have a disposable, digital, or otherwise.

It simply states no cameras and if they tell you, you can have a camera; they often change their minds when the show begins.

The venues and the artists need to be on the same page and decide what they want because it confuses everyone and fans get upset and sometimes in trouble for something that isn’t hurting anyone. The fans simply want pictures of their favorite band like Def Leppard. It gives them something to remember that night and if they get their pics with the guys, it makes it even more special.

I think the security and the venues are more worried about themselves and think that because they have a uniform, it gives them power and they end up abusing their authority. I have encountered this many times and a lot of those times, it ends up where one security guard is the spoiler, while others don’t really care.

I don’t see why they feel they have to be such an ass because there are the few and far between that are nice and when security is nice, it makes a better time for both the band and the fans and also fans aren’t as likely to become out of hand if they are treated fairly and security doesn’t over step the boundaries of their jobs.

This is the end of part one, part two will contain research done by e mailing different venues where Def Leppard is playing and get their perspective on camera policies. Thank you.

The Battle of the Critics VS Def Leppard

Throughout their careers, Def Leppard has had its share of good and bad reviews. Over the past ten years, they’ve had more than their share of bad reviews, including the most recent from the Columbus Dispatch who Bill Eichenberger says Joe Elliott is mediocre at best to BC Music’s review of Yeah, stating it was pure crap.

The critics seem to agree on one thing and that is Def Leppard is still touring and making albums.

The one thing they can’t agree on is the performance, songs and Joe Elliott’s voice and yes looks.

All of this seems a bit ridiculous when you think of it because they are criticizing them based on superficial bullshit.

Are they all jealous or is Def Leppard simply so good that the only things they can fault them for is Joe’s voice that might be a little tired from weeks of performances on the road or the sound system might be a little off.

Def Leppard seems to let the drops of artificial crap that fall from the sky, narrowly missing their heads and bitter worms bitten from the apple that fell from the rotting tree grown from the tiny seeds of jealous critics to a blooming orchard of snide remarks and wishful thinkers who only wish that they could be Def Leppard fall by the wayside and let it wash away in the rivers of water that go down the drain of the sewers where the rats live.

There are the rare flowers that give Def Leppard the rave reviews they’ve sweated for and earned, such as Lumina Magazine who stated that Def Leppard makes us glad we can hear, perhaps burying the mounds of fertilizer beneath their feet and will thrive on their tiny shreds of barely visible decency when they toss in a couple of left handed comments so as to not come across as a complete jackass.

Def Leppard will just scrape them off their shoes and move on, ignoring the splatters of horse manure that blows backward when the critics are slapped in the face with the rants of Def Leppard’s fans, who strive to defend their honor.

The critics, including myself don’t count when it comes to their careers, what counts is the music and the fans who come to see Def Leppard play. From the first time they see them to the last, Def Leppard gives them an escape from everyday stress and inspires them that tomorrow will be a better day. The critics who give them unfair and prejudiced reviews have their blindfolds on, along with their ear plugs, stuffed in a little too tight. They can’t read between the lines and see and hear the genuine article, the reviews of their fans.

If these critics would bother to take the blindfolds off and take out the ear plugs, they might see that Def Leppard has a style that will never be out of date and their music will continue to provide pleasure for their fans long after they have retired their guitars and put away their mics.

The bad reviews only seem to fuel the men of Def Leppard and they constantly become better, showing the critics that their reviews are in vain. When it comes to the battle of the critics vs Def Leppard, Def Leppard wins hands down, twenty to one. This is all.

Def Leppard comes to Tweeter

Def Leppard gets ready to rock the Tweeter Center in Camden New Jersey tomorrow night. This article from the Delco Times goes onto talk about how the trends of the 80's to today has changed and the hair styles have changed from Joe's tight curly locks to the ever popular Mullet he made famous and 30 years later, Joe wears his hair straight and the same length but his hair styles are ever changing from year to year.

Viv says "Being a bunch of guys men, we don't talk about hair"

Compared to the early 80s when Def Leppard hit it big, now, Def Leppard still wears the rock star clothes but the hair styles are now that of men who have long since grown up. The article goes onto talk about how Def Leppard almost got into a fight with Glenn Danzig after he'd made a rude comment to his wife and someone kicked him, resulting in spilling his soup but nothing came of it and things have been forgotten. For more on this article, click here. Delco Times

The Def Leppard Experience

Before getting into Journalism, I had my very first Def Leppard experience and I'm not talking about seeing them in concert the first time, although that in itself is a memorable experience, especially for Def Leppard, since they played the first time I ever saw them at the quietest gig in Def Leppard history, Salem Oregon.

That should have been my first story considering everything that happened but too little too late but let's put it this way, this venue is one for the books as Def Leppard nearly cancels the gig because they can't turn up the volume but went on with the show and as Joe said, they've never been one to pull out of a gig in their careers and gave the audience 4 encores. The sold out show become 750 less when the audience past row 6 couldn't hear.

My first Def Leppard experience wasn't in seeing them live however, although nothing compares to Def Leppard onstage. Their music is great and you can't help but get into it when you're standing there with your ears booming and the boys are rocking the house.

The venue is in Moline Illinois at a place called Mark of the Quad. For those fans who were there, know what I mean. I arrive there from Burlington Iowa the same night I arrive and not being from Iowa, I don't know my way around and get lost trying to find the venue but when I do, I find a place to park and as luck would have it, the buses are there.

Yes, I am one of the determined ones to hang out at the buses in a typical me moment and wait. The date is June 18th, 2005 and its around umm, 6 in the evening and being from the Pacific Northwest, I am not used to the change in time zones.

It would be like 3 in the afternoon at home and there are around ten fans there, waiting for the guys. On a typical night at a gig, you will see Phil or Viv running around backstage and sometimes Rick but Sav is usually well hidden on the bus or inside the venue. Joe is the last to arrive and will be picked up by Mal in usually a white van.

Either that or he arrives in a car, driven by one of the crew. We wait patiently for the guys but its not looking good and its getting near the time to go inside. It's almost ten minutes before the show and even though they don't go onstage till later, some fans give up and head in to the show.

Its very close to showtime and I decide they are not coming out before the show. On most nights, they come out both before and after the show, depending on when they get there and if they have time. I decide to go inside and get my seat but before that, I buy my Def Leppard T shirt and then go in.

The place is packed and my seat is in the bleachers but its a pretty good seat and I sit down and wait for the show to begin. Opening acts for Def Leppard are sometimes not greeted with the upmost excitement, especially on this tour with Ricky Warwick.

Ricky Warwick from Dublin is a good friend of Joe's and Joe has helped him produce both albums, the first one Tattoos and Alibis. http://www.rickywarwick.com/

In all honesty, Ricky's music isn't my cup of tea but let me tell you, he is a very nice man. I had the opportunity to meet him in Seattle Washington, around the third or 4th show I saw them at on the X tour.

He married his Fiance in Vegas, their last date of the US tour with Joe as his best man at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. She is a very striking young woman and Ricky seemed very happy. Anyway, back to Moline. The show goes down without a hitch and Def Leppard sounds great as usual.

With X as their new album on this tour, they sing a few songs from it along with the classics and the fans enjoyed themselves and you could feel the energy among the fans as Def Leppard stormed the stage, especially during Slang. There is nothing like Slang to get the fans on their feet.

After the show, most fans head home and I head for the buses again. Security is there and per usual, begins watering you with their usual Fertilizer about how the band has left, they aren't coming out, if we don't leave, we'll be arrested and my personal favorite, "You can wait over there" pointing to a street light WAY across the street and it is across from where the main traffic flows by a heavy stream of cars. The buses are not going to stop there to open the doors and sign autographs, what does security think we're stupid?

Some eventually give up though and go home, not wanting to push their luck but the few who stay behind are not letting a security guared chase us off. It is nearly 1:30 in the morning now and the band FINALLY is beginning to come out. Much to our disappointment, we see Joe, Viv, Rick and Sav board the bus without coming over.

Phil however, comes out and after putting his things away, he comes trotting over to us with bare feet and starts signing our stuff. The fans are excited and I get my turn and I ask him to sign my shirt and he does and I shake his hand and tell him that I really enjoyed the show and I planned to catch them in Burlington. He smiles sexily and thanks me and tells me he's glad I enjoyed myself. He is one of the sweetest men I have met in a long time and even though Joe is my favorite, Phil is by far the most into the fan thing.

He quickly signs the others things and they go home happy. He says he has to go and goes back to the buses and gets on it. I decide that I want to meet Joe and I get in my car and follow the buses. I followed the second one and I should have followed the first but that didn't matter as I am driving, thinking I would be taken on a ten mile journey and instead, they go right around the corner to the Radisson hotel.

I am excited and I grab my sharpie and my camera and go inside. First face I see is Rick Allen. I am beyond excited, this was my first time meeting Def Leppard and the other guys are upstairs showering and changing. I was a bit disappointed cause I wanted to meet Joe but I am excited to meet Rick as well and after he's done talking to this fan, I go up to him and shake his hand and tell him it was an awesome show and that I thought Def Leppard was the best and he laughs, thanking me and I talked to him for a minute and then he had to go upstairs to join the rest of the Leps because he decided to do some fan things first.

I am thinking I won't get to meet Joe but a fan tells me that they will be back down so I sit down and chat with them for a few minutes, excited that I get a second chance to see him. Here I am, with my back to the elevators and I am talking and suddenly I hear Joe's name.

I turn around and he's RIGHT behind me. I am surprised, not to mentioned very excited. Joe Elliott the man is right next to me, less than 2 feet away and he's posing for a pic with fans and talking to them. His hair is damp from his recent shower and I was close enough that I could smell the soap he used, although I couldn't identify it now cause I was concentrating on him.

I didn't want to be rude so I waited and he poses for a few more pics and finally I get my opportunity. Let me backtrack a bit. Right before this, Sav and Viv come down and Sav makes a beeline for the bar they are going to have their after party at and I speak to him and say "Hi Sav, it's great to meet you, I loved the show." Sav shy, lowers his head and smiles ever so slightly and thanks me and keeps going.

Viv is not far behind but he too is elusive this night and he's ducking behind wife Jewel's as he heads for the bar. I say a Hi Viv, knowing he's not fooling anyone with trying to hide as if "You don't see me" hehe.

Shortly after that is when Joe shows up. After Joe finishes with the fans, I take the opportunity to go up to him and I say "Joe, it's so great to see you. I loved the show." This was all I could say. I froze BUT Joe smiles real big and takes my hand and says "It's great to see you too and glad you enjoyed the show" First thing through my mind is how soft his hands are.

First of all, it's not typical of a man to have such soft hands but Joe does and they make you just want to hang on. Anyway, as I finally get my courage up to ask for an autograph and a pic, he says he has to go and Mal whisks him away and he goes into the bar but Phil is lingering behind, talking to some fans who are friends of his too and I seize this opportunity and ask him for a pic, once he's done talking.

He gladly obliges, resting his hand on my shoulder and a fan takes a pic for us. Shortly after, Phil leaves too and Rick of course has already gone in to join the rest of them. Even though Sav and Viv didn't actually stop, I talked to them and felt it counted as meeting them. So, I met all of Def Leppard the second time ever, that I seen them in concert. It was a true Def Leppard experience.

I met Viv, Rick, Phil again 2 days Later in Burlington and this time I got Rick to sign my shirt and Viv also did that night. Joe made an appearance before the show and I missed him but since that first time, I have met Joe and the rest of the men of Def Leppard several times but still have to get my pic with Joe and Sav. I have all their autographs and my pic with everyone but Joe and Sav and met Sav a few more times and have his sig on a set list and my CD cover, signed that night by everyone.

Here I am a journalist and I still got nervous talking to Joe but then that was before I was actually serious about it and since then, it has become easier to talk to him. Still, the opportunity for a pic has been there but something always interferes but as Joe says There will be a next time. With any luck, this pic will be in an interview with him. This is my story and I have to say to those who haven't met them, take this opportunity now because Def Leppard is one of the few bands that are still very approachable and still very much care about the fans, besides Bon Jovi.

They all do I'm sure but Def Leppard is one of the few that don't have guards keeping fans at bay. Even through their share of stalkers, typical of any celebrity, they still remain available to their fans so take the opportunity and meet them, it is an experience of a lifetime.

30 Years ago, Def Leppard was born

Thirty years ago, a little known band from the UK was born, five boys from the UK with one thought in mind, destination for stardom. We all know the story, Joe had a dream to be in an imaginary band called Deaf Leopard and met Pete Willis one day after missing his bus and they told Joe they were looking for a singer and he auditioned and that's where he met Sav and Tony and Pete of course and at the time, the band called Atomic Mass, co founded by Rick Savage and Tony Kenning and Pete Willis which shortly after, Joe changed to Def Leppard.

Steve Clark joined in January and the band rehearsed non stop between February and July until Steve threatened to leave if they didn't play a gig and they played their first gig at school dance at Westfield school in Sheffield and a teacher paid them out of his own pocket 5 pounds and this was to be only the beginning of their careers to fame and fortune. In 1982, Pete was let go due to his out of control drinking and was replaced by Phil Collen shortly after.

Steve Clark and Phil Collen quickly became close and not long after, became known as the terror twins. They were terror twins both on stage and off stage, both of them heavily into drinking and of course so was the rest of the band but Steve and Phil shared a bond that no other band members had ever seen, they were inseparable and were very much like brothers.

When they became Def Leppard, in January of 79, two years after their formation, they released their First album, the Def Leppard EP with only 3 tracks. Ride into the Sun, Getcha Rocks off and The Overture. This EP cost 600 pounds Sterling approximately $900 in US dollars.


One Year later, their first full album with 11 tracks was released and at first, it didn't take off and Def Leppard began to wonder what would happen but they kept their determination and stamina and went on their first tour. Even though the album wasn't taking off, they were taking the world by storm and in 1981 they released their second full album High and Dry. This album did a little better and by the second tour, people in the US and the UK were well aware of the boys from Sheffield and it wasn't until Pyromania their third album took off like a rocket and suddenly they found themselves in the midst of popularity.

Millions flocked to see Def Leppard from all over the US. The Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield was often a monument for their hometown to play and a sea of fans as far as the eye could see were there to rock with the boys from Sheffield who had become superstars.

Fame was their Mistress and the world their lover. They were Kings and their Reign knew no bounds as they shook the music world to its VERY CORE. By the fourth album Hysteria, their careers exploded and they just sealed themselves in history as being their most successful album ever, even to this day.

Def Leppard was in heavy demand in the US but still wasn't widely accepted in the UK, where they originally came from. They had a fan base from coast to coast and fans by the hundreds hung out by the buses in hopes of meeting their favorite rock star.

They were unaware but they had things in common with the King of Rock N Roll Elvis Presley. They had a guitar player named Steve Clark who joined them in January, the month Elvis was born and ALSO, the year Elvis Aaron Presley died at the age of 42.

They released the Def Leppard EP in January of 79, two years after Elvis' passing and two years after Steve Clark joined the now very real Def Leppard, a dream Joe made come true. July of 81, they release their album High and Dry, 4 years after their first public gig, of the same month.

The things they had in common with Elvis Presley didn't stop there however and tragically on January 8th, 1991, Steve Clark loses his battle with alcoholism and dies at the age of 31. Ironically, Elvis Presley's birthday.

Viv Campbell joined the band in 92 and was officially introduced at the Freddy Mercury AIDS awareness concert at Wembley Stadium. Fifteen years later, Def Leppard is still making history after 30 years of music and they continue on their quest for on going success as the downstage thrust tour is into its second week.

Although Steve Clarks passing is still ever present in his former band mates minds and he's always thought of, 16 years later, his legend lives on. Viv Campbell has said he's never been a replacement for Steve but likes to think of it as filling in for him and fifteen years after being asked to join Def Leppard, Viv Campbell has found a home.

As the summer tour picks up at their next concert in Cuyahoga Falls, OH, the fans from their early days still flock to the stadium to see the boys from Sheffield who 30 years later, STILL are the KINGS.

Week 2/Tonight the Moondance Jam

Def Leppard is entering their second week of touring and will be in Walker Minnesota tonight, appearing at the Moondance Jam. If you are lucky enough to be attending, the evening promises to be filled with lots of excitement and food and drink.

The Moon dance Jam is host to both Country and Rock acts and this summer is filled with lots of concerts, including Def Leppard, Loverboy, Tesla, Jackyl and Mountain Ash, all appearing tonight, same stage. Def Leppard will take the stage last and there won't be an opening support band for them tonight since the evening is so jam packed with concerts. They will be onstage late tonight but saving the best for last, fans won't be disappointed and will end the evening with the best in Rock N Roll. For ticket information, please visit www.defleppard.com or the moondance jam website at http://www.moondancejam.com/

Have fun tonight everyone and drive safe.

The Parties

Back in the days of Hysteria, at the height of Fame and Fortune, Def Leppard was on the lips of every female around the world. Female fans couldn't get enough of the boys from Sheffield and they ooozed sex appeal and talent.

Some female fans were considered groupies and Def Leppard had backstage passes with hidden meanings, such as Dick Licker and you had to be willing to do anything to get to meet the guys and I mean anything. The female fans flashed them and in some cases, the females had to be willing to flash the roadies and let them feel their boobs to get backstage. The Tour managers video shows that if you haven't viewed it or if you have, you know what I am talking about.

Female groupies became a popular group with the boys and they had their share and some of the groupies wrote for the world to see, their experiences with the men from Def Leppard, giving explicit details of their few minutes with them on the internet.

That was no secret with Def Leppard but the real secret is the rumor that Def Leppard had parties underneath the stage. The rumored parties under the stage were supposed to be happening while Joe and Rick and Steve were on stage performing. The rumored parties were said to be wild and full of sex and lots of drinking.

Naked women everywhere under the stage partying with the boys and naughty little things going on while up onstage, the band performed in front of thousands of people. Were these parties really going on? Only the band and the others that were there could tell you. These are rumors and rumors tend to get out of hand but back in the days of Hysteria, their fame and fortune hit them hard and fast and although they remained down to earth, they ate it up and loved the fact that women were throwing themselves at them.

The boys from Sheffield knew how to party and party they did but they were young, wild and free as all of us have been at one point and wanted to live life to its fullest and they did and could have any woman they wanted.

The world was their oyster and no woman was out of their league for these rising rock stars. Whether or not there were parties under the stage is speculation at best but the wild boys of Hysteria have long since grown and matured and are settled down and married, most with children. The groupie days are gone but in the height of their popularity, they were the wild ones, now they are happy if they can just sleep after a long trek across country and a night of peforming for thousands of fans, although years later, they can still have any woman they want, providing they were not married.

The Autographs Real? Fake? The ebay factorThe secret to getting one

Joe Elliott is quoted as saying the band is very approachable when it comes to the fans if they want autographs and having personal experience and putting in many, many hours, I can honestly say this is true. One has to have the patience of an elephant and the determination to meet their favorite band member.

One of the more popular ways to meet their favorite Def Leppard guy is to hang out by the buses and this is what I mean by patience and determination. The security will try to scare you, threatening you with arrest or being kicked off the property if you don't leave and telling you the band has already left.

They are paid to lie to you. 99.99% of the time, the band is still there and security must really think the fans are stupid if they believe that but the fan knows better but often give up because even though they know they are still there, they have to get home and the hour is late and the weather might be crappy.

I have done this a lot in my time in seeing Def Leppard and you have to be able to endure a lot of garbage from security and be able to withstand any weather conditions, although the weather may be a factor in whether you get to meet them or not. Joe is not going to come out if it's too cold, although he did in Everett and it was freezing. Joe, I thank you for your time and withstanding the cold in order to meet with your fans and sign autographs. Thanks also goes out to Sav, Rick and Viv for coming out too and Phil.

The real autographs come from the band themselves and are best obtained in person by the buses or if you are lucky enough to win the Raven drum auctions, you get to meet Rick and the band doesn't always come out but on occasion have been known to make an appearance.

However, even if the band comes out and signs your stuff, there is always the danger in the appearance of the autograph hunters. They are fairly easy to spot, they come carrying loads of things for the band to sign, anything from an old Def Leppard LP to CD covers and even drum heads and sometimes pictures.

They are persistent, greedy and if they don't get all the bands signatures, they will sign it themselves after hours of mastering the art of forgery. I have seen this first hand as two of them did it right in front of me at a Velvet Revolver show. They become familiar faces if you attend more than one show at a Def Leppard concert or any of your other favorite bands.

They will appear by the buses but you never really see them inside the shows. Then after the band has gone, they run home with their autographed memorabila and sell it on ebay for a hefty price. To authenticate their prizes, they will take a picture of them signing it and put it up on the ebay auction to prove that they signed and if they can't obtain this at the time they do, they will use and old photo of them signing practically the same item.

Def Leppard is very approachable for an autograph but with the rise in selling autographed items on ebay both real and fake, they are somewhat skeptical about signing but still want to give an autograph to a real fan but sometimes it is a bit hard to tell but usually the real fans will only carry three or four things for them to sign and ask for a picture and or ask them to personalize it by having them write their name and sign their signatures.

The best way to know that the autograph is real is take something you want signed to a show and either wait very patiently by the buses and don't let security frighten you away, for the band to come out and Phil will usually come out first, followed by the others, depending on how much time they have and how tired they are.

Don't get discouraged if your favorite man doesn't come over to you, it usually means he is tired and wants to go on the bus, climb into his pajamas and drift off to dreamland. hehe. Or it means he is busy if you see him talking to someone, respect that and chalk it up to getting to meet him the next time.

I was lucky to have met the entire band, the second time I ever saw them in concert and have met them several times since and others have yet to wait. Don't get your autographs off ebay, you don't know if they are real at the time you win the bid, get them in person. Besides, it's an experience you won't forget and if you get that picture with your favorite Lep, it makes it that much better.

The secret to getting that autograph is

1. Patience

2. Determination

3. Be polite, don't push it

4. Don't overwhelm them with tons of stuff for them to sign, they will question your intentions with having had problems with the ever popular autograph hunters, just bring 2 or 3 things

5. Don't approach them for an autograph if they are eating or in the middle of a conversation with someone, they will consider it rude and it is.

6. If they don't come out to sign and you see them walk by, don't yell out that they are mean and rude, it will only make them less apt to sign next time if they remember you. Trust me, I have witnessed this in person. If it doesn't happen this time, as Joe says "There will be a next time.":

7. Even though security can be downright rude, don't make an enemy of them because they will remember you and you won't get within forty feet of the buses or the band.

8. When they do come out to sign, thank them and respect their space and don't try to invade it by mobbing them for a picture, ask politely and wait your turn.

9. Treat them with respect and approach them not as rockstars but as people and make conversation with Joe or Phil, or whoever your favorite guy is, they won't bite. hehe

10. Most importantly when they are signing, whether it be Phil, Viv, Rick, Joe or Sav, if they are there signing, it's their moment, don't ask them if Joe is coming out or Sav. If they are up to coming out, they will and you have to be patient. It is impolite to ask them while they are signing your stuff if Joe is coming out, kind of makes them feel like chopped liver.

All of them are a great bunch of guys and very approachable so don't be shy but be polite and when you meet them, it will be an experience you won't forget.

Columbus Dispatch

You know, it never fails to astound me the sheer lack of decency and disrespect some of these reviewers have when it comes to reviewing a concert. They go there simply to hate the band, they have no intentions of giving them a good review, not the one's I've read lately, with the exception of Lumina magazine but then there is a difference in what kind of review it is and who gives it.

There seems to be some mild sparks of perhaps spite and jealousy because almost every review I have come across, Def Leppard is reviewed in a bad light done by critics who were never fans in the first place. Is the person who is a fan objective enough or are they too close to provide an objective outlook or does the reviewer who attends these shows, obviously not a fan of their music, a little too objective?

I'm fair, I'm objective but I am also respectful and I would never insult the band or like this guy, insult the fans in any review I do. In the past four days, I have read reviews with only one, excuse me two that have had to say anything postive about them. This guy says that Joe sang off key the whole night, was insulting at best and that Phil and Viv aren't the best guitarists, fine, he's entitled to his opinion but how much effort does it take to be respectful about it?

Is the strain too much for him? Is he possesssed by an uncontrollable urge to see how many people he can piss off or how many letters he can get from fans who would disagree with him or does he honestly believe that his opinion is going to make a difference to the band or the fans? I believe in giving an honest opinion when it comes to giving a review but let's be mature about it and not add insult to injury by being disrespectful.

The critics who have nothing better to do than provide their opinions that they think are objective and fair and try to make Def Leppard or any other band feel belittled by saying they sing off key or Phil and Viv are not good guitarists, should really find something else to do because I'm sure that they can't sing a lick. It's kind of like putting a Fox in charge of the chicken coop, the chickens won't stand a chance and the fox gets fat off their meat when they kill the chickens or in this case, when the critic gets fat off the flesh of his vicitms when he digs his pointed fangs deep into the throats of Def Leppard in hopes of virtually severing the vein of their careers, leaving them lifeless and deserted in an isolated field.

Do all these guys get together and compare notes to see who can come up with the best insulting reviews? Okay, in all fairness, they are honest in their opinions BUT they don't literally have to be so insulting. As a journalist, I tend to get a little passionate about the bands I like and even the bands I don't but when I don't like something, I don't write a review saying they stink or can't sing and in my review of two reviewers so far, they are deserving at best MY honest opinon of what I think about their reviews because there is absolutely no reason to give a review like that.

If you don't like a band, don't go see them in concert, that simple and if you do, be fair and objective. If you are a critic and are paid to see bands like Def Leppard and give reviews, again, be fair and objective and do it without the insults, it's not hard but maybe these critics like to be insulting, it gives them more ratings kind of like Howard Stern gets more ratings by being a shock jock.

Maybe the bands should critique the critics for a change and see what happens when the shoe is on the other foot. To read this lovely and I use that term loosely, review, click here. Columbus dispatch

Def Leppard Fan club

The Def Leppard fan club, what do you get with it when you join? Do the fans think its worth it? Should Def Leppard offer more when it comes to the fan club? Here is what you get when you join that costs $30.

1. A Fan Club T shirt
2. Exclusive Diary Entries by the band and articles
3. Newsletter
4. Presales on tickets (You get to buy before the general public)
5. Exclusive Videos like the rehearsal for Rock On, showing the guys backstage going over it and then see them onstage performing.
6. Your own Def Leppard e mail
7. A discount on official store merchandise
8. VIP packages 4 star and 5 star BUT these are available to everyone, not just fan club

Disadvantages

1. Problems in getting the tickets
2. VIP packages prices are too high for some
3. VIP packages whether 4 star or 5 star (No Guarantees to meet any of the band and most times you don't)
4. You aren't offered premium seating unless you BUY the VIP packages and even then are only guaranteed the first 10 rows, first come, first serve.
5. If don't buy VIP packages, tickets and seats are no different from general sales in the public because they too do it as first come, first serve
6. You are not informed of when your membership expires and if you inquire about it, they tell you to call such and such number.

In order for the fan club to work, the management and the band need to get together and work on this because as it stands right now, there are a lot of bugs in it and some are getting frustrated with the club and some say won't renew their membership.

Most fan club memberships offer stuff like meet and greets and I think this is something Def Leppard should do and perhaps offer the VIP for only club members or maybe a different type of VIP packages. You pay anywhere between $275 to $350 for VIP for 5 star and are not guaranteed at all to meet the band.

What needs to be done here? What can be changed so that the fans will continue to join and think it's worth their time and money? I will mail the management and see what they have to say.

The Promotion Factor (The Blame Game)

In reading an article recently on Def Leppard from unrated magazine, Unrated I was realizing this guy has some valid points when it comes to the promotion of Def Leppard. Everyone is playing The Blame Game but where does the blame really lie?

We can blame the radio stations, television, the management, even the band all we want but who gets the honor of being the bad guy? Who really should take the heat when it comes to the lack of publicity for the band and their albums?

Are the radio stations to blame? Hmm perhaps to some extent because they know Def Leppard is out there, were playing their stuff non stop when Hysteria came out and every day, you heard them at least 4 times a day and that is if you weren't stuck like glue to your radios, waiting for them to come on and if you were, the stations were soaked in the sweat of the band from the UK, no one could get enough of them.

Is Television to blame for lack of publicity? Maybe but ask yourself WHY did they stop playing Def Leppard? Why do you only see them occasionally on a classic rock video that was made over 20 years ago. Or why you only see current stuff if they are on tour or their agents book the band for a show like Jimmy Kimmel or Regis or even the Tonight show.

Is the management to blame for their own bands lack of publicity Yes and No. Yes they are to blame because it's THEIR BAND, they manage them and they overlook the contracts and oversee the venues and the tour and of course the albums and No because the BAND makes the music, the BAND produces the albums, the BAND comes to the management and says "Hey, we've got some great stuff here, take a listen and see what you think"

Is the band to blame for their own downfall in fame and fortune? To some extent yes because the albums Slang, Euphoria and X are all great albums but VERY little was done to promote them. Some accuse Bon Jovi of buying his fame and fortune but when you think about it, it works because hey, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard are both under the same management and Bon Jovi still sells millions and sells out venues around the world.

Last tour alone, he sold out 15 venues all because the band promoted themselves, booking every TV show they could get their hands on, buying radio promotions, using the internet to get the word out, they do album signings, they stay in YOUR FACE and say "Hey, this is what we've done, listen to it, let me know what you think."

Def Leppard needs to do this BUT their management also needs to have more faith in their own band and get the word out that Def Leppard is still here, still touring and still making great albums. The band needs to push the albums hard enough that you still feel the punch ten years later and get the managers to promote them as well as promote themselves.

Instead of playing the blame game and worrying about why Def Leppard isn't being played on the radio or the albums aren't being promoted and do something about it. The band needs to get up off the ground, dust themselves off and promote themselves as well as telling their managers that they need to stop hiding and get the word out. The band also needs to get on every TV show, radio show and do some album signings and perhaps some meet and greets with Fans as well as with maybe different venues and of course radio. Meet with them and give them an interview or something like promote the venue by doing a commercial and in return, the venue promotes them.

It all comes down to a "If you rub my back, I'll rub yours kind of thing" It all works together. Unfortunately, it isn't really a blame game but rather a money game. If Def Leppard can give them high ratings or make them some mega bucks, they are all over it, giving them radio plugs, TV plugs, demanding the band be booked at various places and asking if the band can do some signings at such and such store.

However, if they don't feel the band can make them money or give them a bigger audience, its like who cares, let's find a band that can give us fame and fortune. Even the people who claim to be fans (Some, not all) like the autograph hunters who go to the venues and get the autographs by the band and turn around and sell them on ebay. They are out to make a profit off the band, nothing more. I know of 3 autograph hunters that I see at nearly every show I attend in my area and more than one person has said they are well known hunters of the famous autograph, ranging in bands from Def Leppard to Velvet Revolver.

Millions are made on ebay every year for the selling of merchandise from Def Leppard and other bands. I ask you, whatever happened to it being all about the music? What happened to just promoting a band because they think they are the greatest thing since sliced bread with real butter?

I tell you what, GREED. Money does some horrific things to people and all of them want to get rich off someone famous. It sickens me to think about what extent people go to, to make a profit off someone like Def Leppard when it should be about the music, about loving a band so much that you'd shell out of your own pocket the money to get them to play at a venue near you. Yet, there it is again, MONEY. You have to have money in order to get the music.

YES, Def Leppard deserves to be paid for their music because its great BUT the people who promote them whether it be management, radio, TV should be doing it because they like the band, not just how much money can be made off them.

If I were Def Leppard, right now I'd feel like some piece of used meat that is put onstage to see how much money can be thrown at their feet or how many people will stick a dollar bill in their make believe g string if they can perform well enough.

We blame the management, blame radio stations and blame Television for the downfall in popularity of Def Leppard but the band also needs to promote themselves as well as the management because without either one of them, mostly Def Leppard, there would be nothing to promote.

Instead of pointing fingers and blaming people, make changes and make it about the music instead of money. If it has to be about the money, think about it. If it is about the music FIRST, the rest will fall into place but it should never be about money, because greed thrives on money and greed can make people do ugly things.

Def Leppard has never been about money and perhaps that's part of their decline in promotion and popularity because they are about playing the music and doing something they are passionate about and makes them happy. Perhaps there is something to this being about the money thing and Def Leppard should change their ways and become a band that is all about how much they can make but then they'd be selling out the fans because their fans know that that is not them, they would shout "Imposters" or turn their backs on them because Def Leppard fans know better.

They know that Def Leppard is about peforming live onstage and sharing with the world the one thing they love most, music and when it becomes about money, it's just going to be a job that they go to from 9 to 5, punching a time clock and then they will lose the one thing that has kept them popular and true, their roots and their struggle to overcome some tremendus odds and their passion for what they love and still maintain their sanity and still be all about the music and remembering what it took to get them where they are today. It's just too bad that a lot of people don't appreciate it more. This is all for now.

Def Leppard on Tour

With 7 dates already gone, Def Leppard heads to Columbus Ohio to perform at the Germain Amphitheatre on July 8th. It seems like the tour is going by lickety split but the fans who still wait for them, it seems a lifetime until their favorite rockers grace the stage of their favorite venue in their town or for those who travel to see them if they are not lucky enough to have them play close by. Even when they play in my state, I still have to travel a bit because my state doesn't have a venue that Def Leppard would play at. Fans are excited as the tour continues and for some fans, no distance is too great to travel to see them.

Some like me have traveled across the country to see them and the fans favorite place to see them is in Vegas and have played such Venues as the Hard Rock and this tour, they will be playing at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on September 22nd.

For some fans, it will be the first time seeing them live, even if they've loved their music their entire careers and they will be in for a treat because nothing beats seeing them live. A lot like Aerosmith, you don't really appreciate their music until you see them live, not as much anyway and once you do, it changes your whole outlook on them and suddenly you want more and that's what the Def Leppard fan want more and for some, they will attend a lot of shows on this tour.

For some, it will be the first time and for others, perhaps more than forty times. There are also a new generation of Def Leppard fans, ranging in age as young as 6 to 18 and I specify that age range because they are the sons and daughters of parents that grew up on Def Leppard and are passing on a favorite time in their lives and educating them on Def Leppard's music.

Plus, as newer generation of Def Leppard fans are born, the parents are passing on a legacy of what music is all about and it's more than just making albums and touring, it's about hard work, depending on one another and being there for each other and Def Leppard has done that and far more. They've made a difference in the lives of their fans and for some, influenced the way they live their lives. Perhaps a song pulled them through some hard times or meeting them in person somehow inspired them to be able to cope with whatever difficulty they are going through at the moment.

I think a lot of bands like Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith or Guns N Roses can be said to have influenced a lot of people, even other bands because Def Leppard' s musical influences include Bands like Queen and Mott the Hoople.

We idolize them because of their talents and with Def Leppard, a lot admire them for their courage for having faced some of the most challenging things in their lives and to still be together after that, takes true determination and stamina.

Don't miss Def Leppard on tour right now at a city near you. Check www.defleppard.com for dates and ticket information. Whether you are seeing them the first time or the hundredth time, they will rock your world.

Fans in Noblesville Indiana give Leppard 2 Thumbs up

Fans of Def Leppard in Noblesville Indiana got treated to a night of Rock N Roll on July 6th, with opening acts Styx and REO Speedwagon to start and ending up with Def Leppard but as they say, the best is always saved for last and although never last in the eyes of their fans, Noblesville got an earful and an eyeful of their favorite Leppards as they walked the walk down the catwalk and of course the mainstage, filling the venue with the classic tunes of Def Leppard.

The set list is not new to the fans but there is one unique song that pops out as among one new song added to the tour but not new as in on the new album. Mirror Mirror first came out on Def Leppards hit album High and Dry, recorded in 1983.

The band not having it sung live in some years, decided this tour to shake things up and add this to the set list while the hit Slang disappears from that list. The band knowingly likes to stir things up by producing a song not previously sung at a concert before like on the X tour when they sang When Love and Hate Collide at the Hard Rock in Vegas while no one else got to listen to it but have no fear, the Leps will be in your area soon and no matter what they sing, the fans will still have a rocking good time and the fans who have already enjoyed them, will relive in their memories of that fateful night, they got to hang out with Def Leppard.

Big Trio in Classic Rock to Perform Vintage Sounds

Def Leppard, Styx and REO Speedwagon have been performing for collectively almost a century the Columbus dispatch says and will be performing at the Germain Amphitheatre on July 8th.

With Def Leppards debut album On Through the Night in 1980 and later their best known song Pour Some Sugar on Me, latest album Yeah and having performed in millions of arenas and other venues through the years, Def Leppard has definitely become a classic with the newer hits off Yeah such as Rock On and their Rock of Ages double CD collection with all their mega hits off Hysteria that made Def Leppard one of the most sought after bands in the early and mid 80's and of course making the Guiness book of world records for performing 3 continents in one day in 1995.

With endless sold out tours across the globe and having sold 65 million album copies worldwide, Def Leppard also earned the Diamond award for recognizing 10 million in sales for Hysteria and Pyromania. With 35 million in sales in the US alone, Def Leppard's fan base hasn't gotten any smaller and are one of the most recognized bands from the UK in the US besides U2.

Facts about Def Leppard

Did You Know?

• Def Leppard has sold over 60 million albums world-wide and over 35 million in the US.
• Both Pyromania and Hysteria have earned RIAA s Diamond Award for over 10 million albums sold.
• Hysteria would produce 6 top 40 hits over 3 years.
• In 1980, the band was booed at the Reading Festival for supposedly selling out to the US with their single Hello America.
• Robert Mutt Lange produced High N Dry, Pyromania, and Hysteria.
• Jim Steinman (Bat Out of Hell) worked with the band during early recordings of Hysteria, but Lange would take over and the band started over with recording of the album.
• Vivian Campbell played previously with Dio and Whitesnake.
• Adrenalize was the band s best selling album in both Japan and Mexico.
• The first greatest hits album Vault continues to sell around 500,000 copies per year.
• In 1995, the band played 3 continents in one day, playing in Tangiers, London, and Vancouver.
• The band played in Philadelphia in 2005 at the Live8 Festival.
• Joe Elliott first came up with the name Deaf Leopard.
• Only 6 rock bands have sold over 10 million copies of two or more albums - The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, and Def Leppard.
  
• Rick Allen was 15 years old when he joined the band.
• A US Gallup Poll found the band as the country s favorite in 1984.
• The band won 2 American Music Awards in 1989, for Favorite Heavy Metal Artist and Favorite Heavy Metal Album.
• No rock band sold more albums in the US in the 80s than Def Leppard.
• The band played at the Freddie Mercury Tribute in 1992.
• Def Leppard was an inaugural inductee into VH-1 s Rock Honors.
• VH-1 produced a movie about Def Leppard called Hysteria - the Def Leppard Story.
• According to the RIAA, Foreigner is the only past Moondance Jam band to sell more albums than Def Leppard.

When Def Leppard formed in 1977, they were a very young band, Joe 18, Sav 17, Rick 15 and Steve 17 and Pete 17, the teen band set out for stardom but Pete's role in the band was short lived when he was let go in 1982 for his excessive drinking and Phil Collen age 25 replaced Pete and it wasn't long until Phil and Steve became known as the Terror Twins.

Steve and Phil became in separable but tragedy would strike in 91 when the death of Steve Clark meant Phil lost his other half, his twin due to an accidental overdose of drugs and alcohol and in 92 Viv Campbell was introduced at a Freddy Mercury tribute concert for AIDS awareness and replaced Steve Clark.

Def Leppard a vintage band like Aerosmith? Certainly but they are in a class by themselves when it comes to the music with their hits Pour Some Sugar on Me and Photograph. The only other band that has the most unique sound would be U2 and are ironically from the UK also. If they had been an American Band, would Def Leppard have made it? Would they have been as big as they are now? I'd like to hope so.

Hit Paraders top 100 Bassists, Guitarists and Vocalists of all time

The issue would be too long for me to post them all here but I will give you the rundown on Def Leppard's ranking in the new issue of Hit Paraders top 100 Bassists, Guitarists and Vocalists of ALL time.

Categories

Top 100 Bassists of all time and ranking at #72

Rick Savage

Top 100 Drummers of all time, ranking at #47 Rick Allen

Top 10 European Bassists ranking at #8

Rick Savage

Top 10 European drummers ranking at # 5 Rick Allen

Top 100 Guitarists ranking at #8

Steve Clark

Top ten Guitar Duos ranking at # 8

Phil Collen and Steve Clark

Top 100 Guitarists ranking at #69

Phil Collen (Hit Parader gives him the unsung hero award)

Steve Clark at #67

Viv Campbell at # 62 (Hit Parader says Viv is the most respected Guitarist)

Now THIS is an odd category

Top 10 MOST Neglected Guitarists ranking at # 5

Phil Collen

Top 10 Non American Non English Guitarists ranking at # 4

Viv Campbell

Top 100 Vocalists of all time ranking at #30

Joe Elliott (Hit Parader says he hardly makes women swoon at the mere mention of his name)

Top Hair Metal Vocalists ranking at #10

Joe Elliott

It's great to see the boys still making it in the top 100 in the very magazine that used to feature them on the Front Cover at least four times a year. However, things have changed and Def Leppard no longer graces the covers of magazines BUT they are still among the most popular bands and will always rank #1 in the eyes of their fans and after 30 years of music, I think they have earned their place in history as a band that will forever be a part of the people that made them famous.

We should ask Hit Parader, Metal Edge, Classic Rock Magazine, just what it takes to make the cover now days if you were the band that everyone talked about when you first made it big.

It seems to be a contest of who can make THEM the most money and who seems to be the most talked about, THOSE are the bands that make the covers and if you fall between the cracks as the newer bands come out and pinch the asses of the critics and the magazine people, then you seem to be no longer important.

I have yet to figure out why Def Leppard is less important than bands like Velvet Revolver or more important, depends on who you ask about it when the members are made up of bands that no longer exist in original format, three of the members, formerly of Guns N Roses and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and they are a new group as in newly formed but old as in being already established as being from former bands that were once one of the the hottest bands around and getting together to form another band.

Guns N Roses and Stone Temple Pilots were popular at the same time as Def Leppard and at the height of Guns N Roses popularity, Slash, Axl and Duff had a big falling out and Slash, Duff and Matt Sorum left the group after Axl's temper and their differences ripped them apart.

Def Leppard's obstacles over the years were not within their control and Def Leppard seemed to be cursed with Rick Allen's accident in 84 and Steve's passing in 91.

At the height of their own fame, Def Leppard began to wonder if perhaps it wasn't meant to be because they kept getting hit with all these things that kept happening, possibly keeping them from becoming bigger than the Beatles but that is a shot in the dark, considering the Beatles would go down in history as having made a dent in the fame of Elvis Presley and when you become bigger than the most Idolized man from the late 60's on, you could choke on trying to become bigger then them.

Most of the bands that made it big at the same time as Def Leppard are either in other bands, after the original bands broke up or simply don't exist anymore and or were devastated by tragedy like the death of Robin Crosby of Ratt, who died of complications of AIDS.

Def Leppard idolized Queen and in looking at this issue of Hit Parader today, I can't even recall Freddy Mercury being mentioned but maybe I missed it. Who does the ranking for their lists? Would the fans change things if it were up to them?

I remember my issues of Hit Parader back in the 80's when Def Leppard were on the cover and pulling out the wall posters and plastering them on my walls as a teenager. I may be biased but I thought the rock of the 80's at the height of popularity were the best and only the best bands have survived the test of time and Def Leppard is among them, how many other bands can say that in the time of 80's rock to now?

Keep those issues of Hit Parader if you have them, treasure them and years from now, look at them again and remember Def Leppard in their most shining moment and in the present because they will always be a part of our lives.

As the new tour continues, Def Leppard is once again bringing the 80's back to life and marking a place for style and class into the present and the future.

This issue of Hit Parader, is on the shelves now. Buy it today. To suscribe online go to Hit Parader

Columbus Alive Interviewd Phil Collen

The Columbus Alive gave a positive outlook on Def Leppard's upcoming album whose title is still yet to be set in stone as the band continues to tour and possibly working on the new album in between gigs.

Columbus Alive said that what you hear on the new CD will be much like what you hear on this tour and for some bands, it's hardly news but for Def Leppard this could be a revelation. Perhaps this is the album that will make people sit up and take notice, much like the album that went multi platinum Hysteria and made them a huge success. However, I think in order to achieve the success Hysteria had and more, the album name, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge just won't do it.

Def Leppard has quite a challenge ahead of them if they want to even equal Hysteria. Between Pyromania and Hysteria the band sold over 15 million albums and in order for this new album to come even close, they will have to work their asses off. Phil Collen says there are no ballads on this album. Def Leppard is well known for their amazing ballads such as Love Bites, Long Long Way to go and of course the ever popular Two Steps Behind which is always a nice acoustic performance at a Def Leppard show but let's hope that they stuck to their roots and not try and be like other bands because the reasons Def Leppard are a huge success is because they hold a unique sound and there is only ONE band that sounds like Def Leppard and that is Def Leppard.

I've always been a fan of their music and I have my favorites and don't hate anything they do BUT in order for Def Leppard to achieve super status like they did with Hysteria, they will have to be three times as good and actually lock the door behind them until this album is done to sheer perfection and write, rewrite and rewrite again to make it perfect BUT with Def Leppard, perfection is their goal.

The real judge will be the fans and even if fans find it the best Album Def Leppard will ever do again, one of the keys to their success will be promotion. The lack of promotion for their last four albums has been pathetic. With the bands own management pulling the promotion for their album X , cutting off the oxygen supply and ending its life with one swift motion and the barely surviving Slang album, even if the new album is forty times better than Hysteria or Pyromania or High and Dry, if the management doesn't get it promoted, it will be dead before it can draw a breath and its up to us too to promote the new albums because it is a team effort with Def Leppard's talents and our admiration of those talents.

After all, if they weren't talented, there would be no Def Leppard. The radio stations are also responsible for promotion as well and most radio stations when it comes to bands like Def Leppard, live in the past and won't play anything past Hysteria and think Def Leppard is a band of the past when that is far from the truth.

The radio stations live in the time when Def Leppard became a household name and think that they stopped making albums after Hysteria. The fans need to call the radio stations and music channels on TV and demand Def Leppard, demand they play something that is not a ghost of the past and make them aware that Def Leppard HAS made albums past Hysteria and make them listen and perhaps then, they will emerge into the present and once more make Def Leppard a band that has always been a Superstar, a Super star again. To read the article from Alive, click this link. ALIVE

Def Leppard will Rock out Gemain Amphitheatre

Def Leppard is ready to rock and will be bringing down the house along with big name acts REO Speedwagon, Styx and this time around. The band has a refreshing new look to the stage this year with a new runway and some things changed around along with changing up the songs a bit with some acoustic along with hit Mirror Mirror which they haven't performed live in some years.

The band will make an appearance at the Germain Amphitheatre on July 8th so ladies and gentlemen, get out the Union Jack Flags, dust off the old Hysteria shirts and get ready to rock with one of the best rock n roll bands ever created.

"Collen said the group dramatically changed the look of the show. They have a high-definition version of last year's screen and new lights. The group also changed the set around and added some acoustic songs.

Although the look and feel of the show might change each year, the parade of songs includes several sure-to-hear hits. Although they change the look of the show, Collen said you have to sing some of the hits like Pour Some Sugar on me and Photograph." For more on this article, go here to this link. LANTERN

Review of Yeah

I just read a review of Def Leppard's Yeah album from a music critic Chris Akin and I've read many reviews on music and this is possibly the worst piece of CRAP I have ever had the displeasure of reading.

This critic is blind to what Def Leppard is really like as he makes personal attacks on the band and the covers CD Yeah. I will give you a few quotes from him. As a journalist, I try to be very objective when it comes to different bands as I have my favorites and my least favorites but I try to give all of them a fair shake but this guy spares no lives as he drives the blade deep into the hearts of Def Leppard, twisting the knife as he steals the life of Def Leppard's Yeah.

Even though an old review, the fans will remember this as a very spiteful review and I'd compare this to a car crash with no survivors. However, this is just an opinion and doesn't mean that because of this review, Def Leppard might as well toss out their Union Jack flag and go back to the UK with their tail between their legs.

No, it simply means that this guy has not actually listened to this CD with an obective outlook and instead, slashed it to pieces before it could even draw a breath. He buries this CD in an unmarked grave and stomps all over it and dances praise because he murdered the YEAH album and laughs wickedly, knowing he has gotten away with the crime.

Def Leppard over the past decade has had its share of reviews that reek of jealousy and spite because the critics seem to only want to give rave reviews to the newer generation of bands and casually push Def Leppard over the cliff, hoping no one will find them again and pray that the rotting corpse of their reviews don't come back to bite them in the ass or haunt them in their dreams but still they have no conscience as they continue their killing spree and look for more victims to add to their list of murder.

Here is some of what this critic had to say about Def Leppard and their album yeah.

"Their continual downward spiral from greatness through mediocrity to downright awful seems complete with the release of Yeah! After several listens, it is apparent that the band that made such killer albums as High & Dry and Pyromania no longer exists. In its place is a shell band with a bad singer that would never have gotten big if they had come out with anything they have released after 1988.

Yeah! is crap, plain and simple. Elliott, for his part, proves yet again that his voice is shot from years of touring. He's lifeless as Hell, and for the first time, he's just completely abandoned the idea of shifting outside of his speaking voice at all. Gone is all the attitude and all the energy, replaced by dull, standard presentation of a bunch of cover songs."


This guy obviously has no ear for music and the review a crime in itself and the critic deserves life with no possibililty of parole because he literally chokes the life out of this CD and the band. Attacks on the band are clearly stated and he Figuretively snuffs their lives out with the stroke of the keyboard.

If their careers depended on this critic, they would have been over before they got started and Def Leppard would have never made it. In his humble and yet horrific opinion, this guy has shot down Yeah in cold blood and never bothered to call 911.

To read more on this delightful *coughs, gasps and chokes on the word I used for this review because it is far from delightful, go here to this link. RC Music

Def Leppard Craves Respect

The Post Gazette says Def Leppard craves respect and talked with Joe Elliott and Phil Collen of Def Leppard at the show in Cincinatii Ohio. Joe Elliott goes on about the days of making the cover of magazines and now, its more important if you make it on the front of a website.

Comments that Joe is a bit pudgier than he used to be and Phil is stocky, well built. I ask you, what does that have to do with things? Is appearance more important than performance.

Joe comments on being hated to be labeled a hair band but in the time of Poison but it was a time thing Phil Collen commented. Joe Elliott wants critical acclaim but says they've achieved different levels of success and even though they won't make the cover of Rolling Stone anymore, they have a place in history. With two albums that have gone ten times platinum, Joe Elliott feels they've passed the test.

In spite of all the negative reviews I read on Def Leppard, they continue to be a positive place in music. After 30 years of being in the spotlight, they STILL continue to shine so no matter what the critics say and if they haven't officially been made an icon, we know as fans of their music that they are indeed Icons and have definitely earned our respect.

For more on this article, click this link. Post Gazette

Urge Veg Rockers not to perform at Brutal Rodeo

In 1983 veteran Rocker Phil Collen went vegetarian out of empathy for the animals who suffer cruel deaths on factory farms and trust me, they are VERY cruel, I have seen some of these myself and some animals are skinned ALIVE, while still others are beaten, strangled, starved and often made to live in cruel conditions and the rodeos are even worse, horses, bulls and other animals are often hit, shocked and put to death in the most painful ways imaginable after breaking their legs during bull riding competitions and bronco riding.

Phil Collen eventually urged some of his other band mates to go vegetarian and some of the fans went vegetarian in support of them. The Cheyenne Frontier Days are one of the largest and most violent rodeos in the US and animals are beaten, run until they can no longer stand and eventually die and most times not quickly.

Animal Cruelty is one of the least prosecuted crimes in the world and we must put a stop to this. Tell Def Leppard and Bon Jovi that animal cruelty is not COOL. Read more at this link. Rodeos