http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=9a027826-358b-4681-b09c-6e688432842a Def Leppard True to their stripes Hard rock veterans defy detractors Heath McCoy Calgary Herald Def Leppard performs tonight at the Saddledome. Tickets are $45 plus service charges at all TicketMaster outlets. Phone 777-0000 or order online at www.ticketmaster.ca ----------------- Def Leppard is back in the spotlight. Well, kind of. A Def Leppard song is back in the spotlight at least, now that Mariah Carey has covered the 1981 power ballad Bringin' On The Heartbreak, with the accompanying video getting heaps of play on video stations such as MuchMusic and MTV. Carey's diva-fied version of the tune is not sitting well with some of the Leps's hardcore fans, however. "They've really reacted weirdly to it," Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen said Friday in a phone interview to promote the U.K. hard rock band's concert tonight at the Pengrowth Saddledome. "They'll say 'It sucks. You shouldn't let her do it.' Jesus, man. She's an icon. She's one of the most influential singers of the last decade. I mean, someone like Christina Aguilera is trying to imitate what Mariah did. . . . "(The fans) really get it wrong sometimes. She's on our side and it's an honour she's done it. Really, that's the only way we're getting played." Actually, Def Leppard's '80s material gets played all the time -- constantly, it seems -- on classic rock radio stations the world over. Which makes sense, considering the fact the Sheffield quintet's biggest album, 1987's Hysteria, sold 16 million copies worldwide. It's the new stuff that's not going over so well. According to Collen, the band's latest album, X, which was released in the summer of 2002, has yet to go gold (500,000 copies sold) in the United States. "It didn't do great," Collen admits. But Def Leppard is still doing better than most '80s hard rock bands, he adds. While most of them have been relegated to smaller venues, and even nightclubs, Leppard is still able to play at the Saddledomes of the world. Even if the band is only playing to a portion of the 'Dome -- the Saddledome Concert Bowl -- rather than the whole arena. "I think it's because we've always believed in what we do and we never went away," Collen said. "Most of these bands were kind of fair weather. They split up in the '90s and then they came back and expected people to be there waiting. But us, we've been working our asses non-stop for 20-some years. That pays off after a while. "I think the fact that people are still coming around is a huge testament to our fans' loyalty." That loyalty was put to the test on X, however. While Leppard was always a chick-friendly, pop-oriented rock band, many felt the band had gone too bubblegum on X in its quest for a hit. The biggest uproar came when the group collaborated with Per Aldeheim and Andreas Carlsson -- the team that had produced hits for the likes of Britney Spears and 'N Sync -- on the syrupy ballad, Unbelievable. But Collen stands by X, maintaining it's the band's best release since Hysteria. Just as with the Mariah Carey incident, he says, certain fans want the band to live in the past. Collen also insists Mutt Lange, the producer who worked with the band during its heyday, isn't far removed from hit-makers such as Aldeheim and Carlsson. "People would dismiss it, saying 'Oh, those guys have worked with Backstreet Boys and Britney and Celine Dion. But look at Mutt. The last artists he's worked with have been Backstreet, Britney and Celine, and, of course, his wife Shania Twain. We just want the best songs." According to Collen, the music industry is in a bad way these days and the climate isn't one where rock bands can flourish. "It's so rare that you get absolute artists like the Beatles or the Stones or Nirvana anymore," he says. "There's very little integrity. It's more about 'How can we get famous?' It's more like the American Idol mentality now, and I think that's kind of dangerous. It takes all the substance out of the music. It's karaoke now. And the (music industry) loves it. 'You consume what we tell you to consume.' " But all fads aside, as long as there's a market for the band's music, Collen says Def Leppard will continue to tour and record. "We're still having fun and we still enjoy each other's company," he says. "When I was in my 20s, I thought 'Once I'm in my 30s, that's it.' But I'm 45 now, and I feel like I'm 16. I don't know what's going on, but I'm not complaining. "I'll keep going until I start hobbling around or something. When I start feeling like I'm 25, perhaps then I'll think about packing it in." ------ hmccoy@theherald.canwest.com © Copyright 2003 Calgary Herald