From: "Mike N. Reinemann" Date sent: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 16:57:42 -0400 Subject: Def Leppard sticks together through it all September 1, 2000 Def Leppard sticks together through it all Concert preview Heather Lalley - Staff writer PREVIEW Def Leppard When, where: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Coeur d'Alene Greyhound Park in Post Falls. Tickets: $29.50, available through G&B (325-SEAT, or 1-800-325-SEAT). The Coeur d'Alene Greyhound Park in Post Falls will host `80s rockers Def Leppard Wednesday. Decades from now, when scientists ponder the fountain of pop-music longevity, they just may want to put Def Leppard under the microscope. The quintet from Sheffield, England, has weathered a guitarist's death, a drummer's dismemberment, a couple of divorces and, most recently, a major disaster of an album. And yet, like the hardy cockroach, Def Leppard survives. More than that, the band's most recent release, 1999's "Euphoria" (the follow-up to 1996's bomb, "Slang"), has actually been well-received. USA Today, Entertainment Weekly and Billboard, among others, all gave the CD above-average reviews. "The longer we're together, the more I appreciate things," singer Joe Elliott told Q magazine last year. "I'm 40 now and people still want to hear us. It's so cool. I love being me." Def Leppard held its first rehearsal nearly 23 years ago in a spoon factory in Sheffield, shortly after changing its name from Deaf Leopard. In 1983, the band released "Pyromania," a hard-driving rock album bolstered by repeated play on a still-fledgling MTV. That record would eventually sell some 10 million copies. One month into recording a new album, drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car accident. Not long after the crash, Allen learned to play again on a specially designed kit. Def Leppard's most commercially successful recording, "Hysteria," came out in 1987. The album included hits like "Pour Some Sugar On Me," "Love Bites" and "Rocket." But during work on the next record, "Adrenalize," guitarist Steve Clark died of an overdose of drugs and alcohol. During the making of "Slang," both Elliott and guitarist Phil Collen got divorced. That album strayed from Def Leppard's signature bombastic arena-rock sound. Not so on "Euphoria," which brings the band back to its '80s roots. "We've always made radio-friendly records, except for the `Slang' album," Elliott told the San Antonio Express-News. "We're not embarrassed by who we are. We write songs with melodies. That's what music's supposed to be -- commercial. Hooks, melodies -- the whole thing." ------------------------ What are your thoughts on Def Leppard sticks together through it all http://www.spokane.net/news- story.asp?date=090100&ID=s845651&cat=section.Music_news If you have a comment or reply to this story that you'd like to share, fill in the form and click submit. Note: Replies are limited to 250 words and must be signed with a valid email address. No profanity or libelous statements will be printed. - Music news