Rockin' for ages
Most people don't stay in a job for 25 years. Or stay married to the same person. Or, in many cases, maintain friendships that long.
Musicians, especially, are a notoriously fickle group — look at the backbiting that continues to this day in the Van Halen camp or the coy comments made by any lead singer who pursues a solo project but still "will never leave the band." Yeah, Justin. How's that next'N Sync album coming?
That makes Def Leppard a bit of an anomaly. Yes, the band had an early lineup change when guitarist Pete Willis was fired because of his alcoholism and Phil Collen took his place. And, in a sad twist, guitarist Steve Clark died in 1991 at the age of 30 from alcohol abuse and was replaced by Vivian Campbell.