http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/local/6077385.htm

Def Leppard to rock West Fargo

Posted on Fri, Jun. 13, 2003

With songs such as "Rock of Ages" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me," Def Leppard has
created some of the most memorable rock songs of the 1980s and '90s. Those
songs, as well as songs off their new album can be heard up close and personal
when the band makes twoappearances in North Dakota as part of its U.S. tour.

Def Leppard will rock the Bismarck Civic Center on June 24 and the Red River
Valley Fair in West Fargo, N.D., on June 26.

As Def Leppard's 10th studio album, "X," is the fourth written by the
10-year-old lineup of Joe Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, guitarists Phil Collen
and Vivian Campbell and drummer Rick Allen. A sleek, streamlined affair, "X"
draws together Leppard's trademark sonic stylings - punchy, melodic guitar work,
multi-layered vocal harmonies, instant pop hooks and towering, widescreen
choruses - into a tight commercial ball, reaffirming the band's standing as one
of the world's premier rock bands.

The band began working on the album in July 2001, after taking six months off
after their "Euphoria" tour. Initial songwriting sessions flowed smoothly, but
Leppard decided to add some different flavors to the process by collaborating
with new writing partners. The band spent two weeks in Los Angeles with
Aerosmith collaborator Marti Frederiksen and then spent a couple days with
Andreas Carlsson and Per Aldeheim, part of the successful hit factory
responsible for penning tracks for Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

While the band raised some eyebrows with that partnership, they insist that they
wanted to freshen things up a little.

"Our competition has always been whoever's in the Top 10, which was Michael
Jackson in 1983. Madonna and Prince in 1987 and I guess Britney Spears and
Celine Dion now," Elliott said. "We've never sold ourselves short, and we're not
going to now."

Herald staff report