http://www.canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Dato=20030714&Kategori=TPLIFE02&Lopenr=207140433&Ref=AR NB Telegraph-Journal | Concerts & Shows As published on page C1 on July 14, 2003 Improving with age Def Leppard plans stop in Moncton on current tour BY NINA CHIARELLI Telegraph-Journal In the 20 years since Def Leppard received critical acclaim for its 10-song Pyromania album, everything from writing music to touring has become a celebration, says front man Joe Elliott. Famous for such hits as Let's Get Rocked, Pour Some Sugar on Me, and Photograph, the five-piece British rock band, that formed in 1977 and is known as much for its rock anthems as its hair, will descend upon the Moncton Coliseum on Aug. 6 during its latest North American tour. Mr. Elliott contends the band has never played as good as it is now, something he attributes to no longer having to prove themselves to critics or fans. "It's different this tour. There's a lack of anything to worry about. We've actually embarked on a tour where you don't have to prove anything. And it seems a lot of people are coming to celebrate us," he says. Already 12 cities into its tour, Def Leppard has been enjoying the celebrations as much as its fans. "It's a lot easier to do now because you know what you're doing. There's a youthful exuberance and we're putting all the energy on stage," he says. For a band that has overcome the death of guitarist Steve Clark, a traumatic car accident that claimed the left arm of drummer Rick Allen, Def Leppard's skyrocket to fame propelled it from very humble beginnings that included rehearsals in a spoon factory in Sheffield, England. The band has released 11 albums, including one of B-sides, extra tracks and previously unreleased material, received the Diamond Award for sales of over 10 million albums in the U.S. for 1987's Hysteria, and made the Guinness Book of Records for playing on three continents in one day. But all this pales in comparison to performing nightly to a crowd that tends to be a little bit older and lot more enthusiastic. "It varies country to country, state to state and even city to city. It's an incredible cross section of new fans, kids who didn't know the High and Dry (1991) stuff and 40-somethings that know it all," Mr. Elliott says. Fans can expect a two-hour show of 23 songs pulled from a pool of 35. Mr. Elliott says fans won't see the same show twice in a row, because the band picks its set list just one hour before taking to the stage. "The first 40 minutes are very experimental. It's changeable," he says, explaining that the band likes to get a feel for what the crowd is looking for before it delivers a solid punch of hard rock tunes, soulful ballads, and at least a few encore songs. "The one thing we always give in 200 per cent," he says. "We judge ourselves by the end of the night and whether the crowd's on their feet. If that happens, then that's a good night." A lot older, and definitely wiser, most of the band members are in their early to mid-40s, which means they've gotten the hard partying out of their systems, and are more in tune with their craft and what the fans are longing for. Mr. Elliott says when the band finishes their current 16-month tour, they'll hopefully return to Dublin, Ireland, to record another album of entirely new material. "The most important thing is forward momentum. We have to go looking for another hit and another stage. "I don't think we're a spent force, by any means. And if people want us we'll go there," he says. The band will be eligible for an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, which could be the icing on a celebratory cake of recent publicity of music-inspired documentaries. They were featured in Behind the Music, Storytellers, Ultimate Albums, and Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story, all on American music channel VH1, and Canada's Much More Music. But Mr. Elliott isn't holding his breath. "They're more likely to induct Lou Reed or R.E.M. They are deemed to have more credibility than bands like Def Leppard. "We make escapist music that doesn't have any political undertones." It doesn't help that the people who determine the inductees are "tuxedo-wearing elitist record (industry) music people" either, he says. "This is down to whether they think you're valued. I'm not holding our breath. All I can tell you is we're genuine. We have a legacy, we've lasted 23 years and people believe in the songs." Def Leppard will perform at the Moncton Coliseum on Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $43.50. Reach our reporter chiarelli.nina@nbpub.com Copyright © 2003 Brunswick News Inc. All rights reserved.