http://www.news-bulletin.com/lavida/33815-06-25-03.html Now for the original Def jam Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer cgarcia@news-bulletin.com Albuquerque If you remember the '80s and the music that enveloped the era, one group that automatically comes to mind has to be Def Leppard. These legendary rockers are on their way to Albuquerque and will play their old, new and, of course, fan-favorite tunes at the Journal Pavilion on June 29. The group is promoting its latest album entitled X. In many ways, Def Leppard was the definition of hard rock in the '80s. There were many bands that rocked harder, and were even more dangerous than the Sheffield quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times. Emerging in the late '70s, Def Leppard toned down its riffs and emphasized its melodies to become one of the best rock groups of the decade. Def Leppard was poised for success by 1983's Pyromania and skillfully used the fledgling MTV network to its advantage. The group was already blessed with photogenic good looks, but the band members also crafted a series of innovative, exciting videos, which ultimately lent to their success. With nothing but more success on the horizon for Def Leppard, their dreams were derailed when their drummer, Rick Allen, lost an arm in a car accident, the first of many problems that plagued the group's career. Guitarist Phil Collen joined the band in the early '80s and says music and the group are his life. He said in an interview with the News-Bulletin that he doesn't know what he would be doing if it wasn't for Def Leppard. "We can't really do anything else," Collen said. "When other people were starting a job or whatever else they were doing, we were doing this. "It's all about artistic expression, no matter what it is, no matter what kind of band that you are, hopefully, that's one of the reasons that you actually do it," Collen said. "It's that you get some kind of high off of it." Collen admits that the music industry had gone through some very "weird" times but said musicians are still able to express themselves - and do it very well. After 26 years of rocking, touring and struggling with everything from alcoholism to divorces to life-threatening injuries, Collen says that this is the best time he's had as a member of Def Leppard. He says they've been able to grow together like a family and are willing to give each other space when needed. "We actually get along better now than we ever did," he said. "I think the reason for that is that we experience all this stuff together; and you can't relate to any of these experiences with anyone else - the bad and the really good stuff." With more than its share of No. 1 hits, Def Leppard has rocked its way around the world and back a couple of times over. Collen said it's a thrill to play the larger venues but that he likes the intimate atmosphere in some of the smaller cities. "I think, without a doubt, audience-wise and from a noise point of view, it has to be either Montreal or Mexico City," Collen said. "We've played in a lot of great places, and it's been a great adventure." Def Leppard released its debut album, On Through the Night, in 1980 and instantly became a hit in the U.K., also earning significant airplay in the U.S., where the album reached No. 51 on the charts. Over the course of the year, Def Leppard relentlessly toured Britain and America, including opening for such bands as Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hagar and Judas Priest. High 'N' Dry followed in 1981, and it became the group's first platinum album in the U.S., thanks to MTV's strong rotation of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak." As the band recorded the follow-up album, guitarist Pete Willis was fired from the band for alcoholism. In came Collen, just in time to contribute to Pyromania, Def Leppard's unexpected blockbuster. The album sold 10 million copies, establishing the group as one of the most popular bands in the world. But it was Def Leppard's fourth album, Hysteria, that secured its reputation for the history books. Although initial reviews doubted the album's success, it proved to be the peak of the band's influence on rock music. Hysteria produced six Top 20 hits for Def Leppard. One of Collen's greatest accomplishments, he said, was when the album received a diamond award which is given to groups that have sold more than 10 million records. He said that the award was special, more so because of the other bands that have also received the award. "That was cool because the company we had was Led Zeppelin and the Beatles," he said. "It was very surreal." Collen reassured his fans that Def Leppard will not disappoint at the upcoming concert on June 29 at the Journal Pavilion. He said they love playing both their new and old music. "Right now, we're doing a long version of a song called 'Rocket' from Hysteria," Collen said. "We got a version of it in the early '90s, and we've reworked that version and we're doing that. The lights are going off, and I have a guitar solo." In the almost three decades of Def Leppard, Collen said, the most significant change he's seen in the music industry is the technology. Instead of having to go into a studio to cut an album for months at a time, innovative computer-based software is now in use with which bands can cut an album with a click of a mouse. "I've actually got one on tour with me right now on my laptop," Collen said. "We can actually cut tracks on that. It really allows you total expression where, before, you had to have an engineer doing the stuff and it would be a really expensive thing." With more bands competing for Billboard's top spot, Collen said his taste in music changes every time someone new hits the scene. "Well, it varies depending on which week it is," Collen said about which bands he likes to listen to. "Right now, I'm still playing the Coldplay album. I like Erykah Badu and Miles Davis and I just bought the new Justin Timberlake album. I know there's a wide variety there, but I like all types of music." But on the top of his list is, and, he says, always will be, rock 'n' roll. Tickets for Def Leppard are available for $48 for Gold Circle and reserved seating or $31.50 for seats on the festival lawn. Tickets can be purchased through CC.com, at all Ticketmaster outlets, or by calling 883-7800. Copyright © 2002 The News-Bulletin. All rights reserved.