http://pennlive.com/entertainment/expresstimes/index.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1061543075238880.xml Def Leppard always listens to the fans Friday, August 22, 2003 By APRIL HELMER The Express-Times Joe Elliott is in the back of the bus conducting a phone interview. At times it's only every third word that comes through loud and clear as the band is bouncing along to Portland, Maine. Def Leppard has been touring the United States for 20 years, through number one hits, tragic death, a life-altering crash and anti-"hair band" backlash. But like missing some of Elliott's answers, the band's been misunderstood. Concentrating on the "curse" that took original guitarist Steve Clark's life - - in reality it was an overdose -- and drummer Rick Allen's arm -- in reality Allen's comeback strong and now leads therapeutic drum circles in addition to his responsibility driving the beats for Def Leppard -- is short-sighted at best. More than that, the "hair band" moniker is getting old. "It seems like a journalistic problem, we get lumped in Great White and Ratt," Elliott say, exasperated. "Can't they even tell the cultural difference between Americans and us? "We never did that Sunset Strip thing, we never wore makeup or tried to look like women. We were always more sweaty." They are sweaty often because of a passion for soccer. This is the first, maybe the second time Def Leppard has come to the Lehigh Valley and not taken on WZZO staff for a match before their show. "But who knows, maybe we still will, if someone can pull something together quickly enough," he says. But Elliott will be relegated to cheerleading this time around. He's recovering from rotator cuff surgery, thanks to a soccer injury. But don't you play soccer primarily with the feet? "We don't mess around," he says. Things get a little heated. The guys may be a little older than the Pyromania tour, opening up for Billy Squier, but they still seem to have the fire of kids on the soccer field and the stage. Able to adapt to the times and show developing maturity while keeping their rock roots, Def Leppard and Bon Jovi may be the only two bands standing on solid ground after the days when "Bringing on the Heartbreak" and "Runaway" were in regular rotation on MTV. "We keep it very much on a musical and professional level," Elliott says, revealing his and pal Jon Bon Jovi's secret. "We keep it about the music." The band continues to write and record new music, including the critically- acclaimed "X," released in 2002. Their only greatest hits collection, "Vault," continues to sell by the hundreds of thousands each year since its release in 1995. The band plays their newer music, but Elliott says they try to please some of the people all of the time. "We rehearsed 35 songs before this tour," he says. "Every night we do 23 -- sometimes 24 -- songs. So there are 11, 12 songs that float in and out. "You shoot yourself in the foot if you play too much new stuff and we know that. "No matter what set we play some will say, 'I wished they played this or that.' " The changeable set goes all the way back to their first album, released in 1980, through all of their greatest hits. "What we have is a career retrospective set, not just the greatest hits," he says. Elliott knows fans are still hungry for "Love Bites" and "Photograph." And, particularly in the last couple of years, fans have been hungry for the story of the band. So VH-1 came out with a "Behind the Music" program of the band's history. "It's straining more than anything else," he says. "How many times can you talk about the 'Pyromania' tour? But we decided to sit down and do it right and get it done with." Additionally, the station made a dramatized version of the band's winding road to fame, which lead up to 1987's "Hysteria" tour, after Allen's accident, but before Clark's overdose. "It was kind of funny," Elliott says of the "Hysteria: the Def Leppard Story." "There were inaccuracies all over the place, but it's a moooooovie! "We just wanted to tidy up a bunch of myths and legends about us." Airing out the past and tying up loose ends helps the band get back to the most important part, the part of being in a world-renown rock band, according to Elliott -- the music. "The band is on top of our game," he says, boasting proudly en route to show 121. "We are as good -- if not better -- than we ever were. "It's a total pleasure to do this. It's what I do." Arts and Entertainment Editor April Helmer can be reached at 610-258-7171 or by e-mail at ahelmer@express-times.com. © 2003 PennLive.com. All Rights Reserved.