http://findusat309.com/articles/Def_Leppard_03.html June 16, 2003 3:40 PM Leppards to bring classic sugar to The Mark By Tim Seward, Staff writer Def Leppard's success with album sales is outstanding. Their longevity is commendable. But playing in front of the masses is what makes the British band tick. So don't expect Def Leppard to retire anytime soon. "I wouldn't see the point in that," said lead singer Joe Elliott from his tour bus in Indiana. "We've got our momentum going. This is what being in a band is. Playing live is why we're in a band." When that tour bus pulls into The Mark of the Quad Cities parking lot Wednesday, the band will be promoting their latest album, "X," so named because it's Def Leppard's 10th release. Fans will hear a few of those songs, but Def Leppard only will play five cuts from the disc. "It's important not to overexpose people (to a new album) unless you're a new band. We want to play stuff (the audience) knows. We can't bury or avoid the (classics). Pacing, setting things up and getting the crowd into a vibe is important. "You have to have a professional attitude about it. The classics are what people came to hear, and you have to do your job and entertain the crowd. Sometimes those songs get to be painful in rehearsal when there's no crowd -- just four walls. In front of people, if they go nuts that's great. I'll bet Peter Townshend (of The Who) is sick of playing 'My Generation' but you can't not play it." It's amazing Def Leppard is playing music at all. The band had to overcome a horrific accident that claimed the left arm of drummer Rick Allen in 1984 and guitarist Steve Clark's slow death from alcohol and drug abuse. But Mr. Elliott and company have plugged on. "It's no more difficult than everybody else," he said. "We're a family. Your parents die ... death happens to everyone. There are the things that shouldn't happen. Kids shouldn't die before their time, but people have to deal with it. You readjust your life around it. What's important is that we're still together. We are not a band that's callous. "You don't kick a family member out when they lose a limb. It was his choice to make, and he was determined to play. We gave him the time and space. He had to retrain his brain to get his legs and other arm doing different things. We got on and made a record. Some of the reasons you see for bands splitting up, we just giggle and laugh at it." They even got the last laugh at Seattle. While many hard-rock bands from the '80s folded, Def Leppard carried on and even cut an if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them record with the alternative-sounding "Slang." But it returned to its straight-ahead, harmonic roots with '99's "Euphoria" and hasn't looked back since. Def Leppard was at the top of the rock-'n'-roll world in the mid- to late-80s. "Pyromania" was a platinum success, but "Hysteria" made them stars. The band obviously is older now then when they played 227 shows in support of "Hysteria," but Mr. Elliot said time has only made the band more polished at its craft. "We're not the same. We're a lot better; we're not a bunch of headless chickens like we were early on. We knew what to do then, but we just know how to do it better now." The band is better at handling the rock-'n'-roll lifestyle as well, not that many of the rumors of their sexual escapades and rowdy backstage antics were entirely accurate. "We never did much of that. It got blown out of proportion," Mr. Elliott said. "If you want that, get the Motley Crue book. We had fun partying, but it was mild. Yeah, there were chicks and things happened every now and then, but it's not like the cops were chasing us. It's never been like that." The band has had its share of tragedy, but Mr. Elliott said his mates haven't had to deal with overzealous fans or stalkers like some big rock acts have had to endure. Nothing that wasn't manageable anyway. "We really don't get weird things ... everything was so pretty mild that you forget it the next day. Yeah, we've had stalkers, obsessive women getting into the hotel room with a pass key before you, but it doesn't happen often. You get a woman looking like Roseanne Barr and you're like, 'I don't want to be in this room.' " And he doesn't want any part of naming his favorite song from the band. "Picking a favorite song is like picking your favorite child," he said. "They're all a part of your DNA. '(Pour Some) Sugar (On Me)' is a no-brainer to like because it's easy to sing and the fans get off on it. But it's a kick for us to see them getting off to the new material. That's just as satisfying." Copyright 2001, Moline Dispatch Publishing Co.