http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/06/21/lifestyle/music/doc467b49c047c9f788151098.txt

Rock of ages: Def Leppard to pull from catalog on tour
By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@nwnewsgroup.com

Even though guitarist Vivian Campbell has been a member of Def Leppard since 
1992, he is still considered the new guy in the band.

Campbell talked about what it was like replacing Steve Clark following his drug 
overdose, along with Def Leppard’s current tour with Styx and Foreigner, which 
stops at First Midwest Bank Amphitheater on June 30.


This looks to be a long tour, going until the end of September. Are you looking 
forward to it?

Yeah, but that’s actually a short tour for us. This is probably the shortest 
we’ve ever done. It’s 50 shows total. But there’s nothing wrong with that, you 
know.


What should people expect from the shows?

This is the first time in our career that we’ve ever toured without a record to 
promote. So it will definitely be a catalog show. We’re dipping in and pulling 
out a couple of more obscure songs that we’ve never played before for our more 
hardcore fans. It’s a balancing act. You can’t please all of the people all of 
the time. But we realize that there’s a certain percentage of hardcore Leppard 
fans who saw us on the last tour, and who will come out to see us this summer, 
and we have to do something different for them, as well as for ourselves.


Last year, you released “Yeah!,” which was a tribute album to the band’s 
musical heroes. Are you working on anything new?

We just finished a new album. That will be mixed while we are on the tour. 
We’re also waiting for one, maybe two songs from Mutt Lange, our longtime 
producer and collaborator. We’re holding off on the release of the record until 
we get that done.


What should people expect from the new album?

It’s really influenced by the covers album, in terms of that project taking us 
right back to our musical roots. We’ve avoided the ballads and long drawn-out 
album cuts. It’s very melodic and sort of high energy for us.


You’ve been a member of the band since 1992, so you’re not new guy any more.

I’ll always be the new guy, just like Ronnie Wood will always be the new guy in 
The Rolling Stones, even after 30 years.


Was it hard filling the shoes of Steve Clark?

Yes and no. On a musical level, no, not at all. On a personal level, yeah. 
Those guys had never worked with anyone other than Steve. Steve was one of the 
founding members of the band. I’m sure it was extremely difficult for the rest 
of the guys in the band. By the time I joined Def Leppard, I had already been a 
member of Dio and Whitesnake and couple of other projects in between. For me, 
it wasn’t unfamiliar territory joining a new band.


Def Leppard has had to endure its share of tragedy, with the death of Steve and 
drummer Rick Allen severing his left arm in a car accident. Has that really 
toughened the band?

I suppose so. There’s a lot of unity in the band. I think what’s kept this band 
together is that there is a collective ego in Def Leppard, as opposed to a 
bunch of individual egos. We’re all realizing that the music is bigger than all 
of us, and that’s what it is about.

Def Leppard with Styx and Foreigner

When: 7 p.m. June 30

Where: First Midwest Bank Amphitheater, 19100 South Ridgeland Ave., Tinley Park

Tickets: $23.50-$84

Information: (312) 559-1212 or www.ticketmaster.com