http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/news/life/writers/jahna/

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Def Leppard sighting!
Posted at 4:55 PM:

Outside Pensacola's End of the Line Cafe, a chalkboard sign reads ``Def
Leppard eats 4 Free.''

After all, the Big '80s band is playing at the nearby Pensacola Civic
Center tonight, and the folks at End of the Line are generous, hospitable
people.

I stopped at the cafe Wednesday and asked co-owner Kent Stanton if he was
expecting Def Leppard, and he said, ``Not really.''

Then we reminisced (or, rather, I reminisced) about fond Def Leppard
memories from high school, while my friend Dale Halstead noted that he was
still in grade school when "Pour Some Sugar on Me'' was the hottest thing
going. I told him to shut it.

Moments later, in walked a guy who looked suspiciously like guitarist Phil
Collen.

My friend Dale Halstead and I kept glancing over and mouthing to each
other, ``Is that the guy from Def Leppard?'' But we could draw no definite
conclusion. Blond guy, English accent...could be...?

The Def Leppard dude got two coffees and walked out.

Halstead asked Stanton, ``Was that Phil Collen?''

Stanton said, ``No, that was the guitarist from Def Leppard.''

(In Stanton's defense, I thought Halstead asked if it was Phil Collins,
too.)

Collen didn't see the sign that said he could eat ``4 free.'' And I didn't
notice if he had poured any sugar in his coffee.

I wasn't into Def Leppard in high school, I was a Cure girl. But my
boyfriend was, and all of his jock friends.

When Def Leppard came to Minneapolis, the closest city to my Wisconsin
hometown, everybody scraped together money for a ticket and gave it to one
girl who was going into the city to buy tickets for everyone.

She got the tickets, then was killed in a car accident before anyone got
them. They were in her purse. In the car.

Everyone was shocked and devastated by the accident. I come from a very
small town and we had all known each other since before kindergarten.

But after the funeral, when the initial shock had worn off, the biggest
question at our high school was exactly how long did everybody have to
wait before asking that poor, grieving mother about the Def Leppard
tickets. Idiots.

Def Leppard plays at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $40.50 ($42 with
credit card) and are on sale at Ticketmaster locations and online at
www.ticketmaster.com Details: 434-7444, www.ticketmaster.com or
www.defleppard.com.