http://www.abqjournal.com/paperboy/ia/venue/56720venue06-27-03.htm

Friday, June 27, 2003

Fans Still Burn for Def Leppard

By Ron Gonzales
For the Albuquerque Journal

    If you compare the grunge phenomenon of the late '80s and early '90s to a
weather pattern, it could be likened to a vicious tornado that in its wake left
hair-metal bands twisted and demolished like aluminum mobile homes.

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Def Leppard
    WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 29
    WHERE: Journal Pavilion, I-25 to exit 220 (Rio Bravo), south
on Broadway to Bobby Foster Road, east on Bobby Foster
    HOW MUCH: Tickets are $28.50-$45 and are available
through Ticketmaster, 883-7800, or at ticketmaster.com
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    Very few of those bands had much of a career following this period, and
those that did tried ditching the lipstick and hairspray for flannel and Doc
Martens, but to no avail.
    The exception to this is the band Def Leppard, which not only survived the
post-grunge period but has had a lively career. It also still enjoys a rabid fan
following, as is evidenced by happenings on the band's recent tour to support
last year's "X" album.
    "I've actually been tackled two times in three days, in the same verse of
the same song," said Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott in a recent phone
conversation. "Once by a drunk guy and once by a girl. But you survive these
things."
    More than survive, Def Leppard enjoys a benefit that few bands enjoy: It can
tour relentlessly, draw huge crowds to its shows, and not necessarily have new
music to offer.
    Why? The band's legacy is cemented by a string of hit albums like
"Pyromania," "Hysteria" and "Adrenalize." And on these albums are songs — some
of them 20 years old — that will never be omitted from the band's set list so it
can push newer, possibly unfamiliar material to fans.
    "Our job is to maintain the enthusiasm for playing songs," Elliott said.
"That is where we will always put our priorities. Playing those songs can get
tedious in a rehearsal situation, but they never get tedious in front of a
crowd."
    Elliott also hints that Def Leppard maintains its constant pace so as to
distance itself from bands it has unfairly been associated with.
    "We might not have the credibility of a U2 or a (Bruce) Springsteen, but
we've certainly got a lot more than your Wingers and your Warrants, who people
keep lumping us in with," Elliott said. "It offends me. We never had big hair,
we had long hair and it was always wet, sweaty and plastered to our faces."
    And following the band's current tour (the first leg ends in Albuquerque),
Elliott says Def Leppard already has plans for the future.
    "Obviously, when the tour is over, we're going to have to decide what
direction to take ourselves in," Elliott said. "Our favorite option, by all
means, is always brand-new material."

Copyright 2003 Albuquerque Journal