Archive for August 2008
Def Leppard guitarist sees the bright side of file trading
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008After more than 30 years in the music business, rockers Def Leppard are seeing their audiences getting younger and younger–but, according to guitarist Vivian Campbell, that's not because parents who loved Def Leppard as teens are turning their kids on to the group.
"That's a byproduct of music piracy more than anything else," Campbell said in his Irish accent. "I'm not saying that as a negative. I think it's very positive.
"A lot of younger kids get turned on to classic bands because they're trading files. They have 4,000 or 5,000 songs on their iPod, that's $4,000 or $5,000 on their iPod, at iTunes' prices, at least. A 12-year-old can't afford that. When kids trade files, it's actually a good thing for classic bands such as us. It's not such a good thing for up-and-coming artists who need to sell records."
Rock excess rules with Def Leppard, Billy Idol
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008Hedonism was alive and well Friday night as glossy pop-metal outfit Def Leppard enthralled about 8,500 blissed-out fanatics at Van Andel Arena. There were sweaty, shirtless rockers, show-off-y guitar solos, fans making out and much, much more.
What would the queen say about all of this rock 'n 'roll excess? The Brits (and one Irishman, Vivian Campbell) did pay homage to HRH at the show's launch, as a huge British flag rose in the background to the sounds of "God Save the Queen," in stylized, electric guitar format, of course.
"Animal" featured a sideshow of band members morphing into creatures such as gorillas and vipers on enormous video screens behind them as they played.
Def Leppard walk a fine line
Saturday, August 16th, 2008Turns out staging a successful rock concert is a lot like making a killer mix-tape: It's all about the songs you choose and the order in which you choose to play 'em.
At least, so says arena-show veteran Vivian Campbell, who should know — after all, he's been slinging an axe for Def Leppard for the last 16 years.
But while you'd assume the hard rockers would have little trouble keeping their fans entertained — given the scores of album and radio hits they've racked up since the late '70s — Campbell says sequencing is still a tricky business.
"It's a tough thing for us, and we're kind of between a rock and a hard place," says Campbell, who also logged time with Dio and Whitesnake before signing on with Def Leppard. "As artists, you keep wanting to move forward and play your new material, but you're kind of beholden to your success of the past. We're fortunate, in that we have a truckload of bona fide Top 20 hits, but the other side of the equation is that's all our audience wants to hear."
Def Leppard plays arena Friday with Billy Idol
Saturday, August 16th, 2008Local Def Leppard fans were crestfallen when lead singer Joe Elliot's illness caused the rockers to cancel their April 18 show in Van Andel Arena. Guitarist Vivian Campbell was among those who were disappointed.
"Joe got a sniffle," he quipped in a phone interview from Nashville, Tenn., as he dressed for the band's show there. "Bloody singers."
Seriously, though, Campbell said the British band doesn't pull this kind of seemingly capricious, rock-star behavior.
"We've had to reschedule a few shows for the weather and things, but we've never had anything like this happen."
Winnipeg review
Saturday, August 16th, 2008It wasn't quite mass hysteria that greeted hard rock legends Def Leppard last night, but it still came pretty close.
Actually, it came even closer to Hysteria — the landmark 1987 album that spawned seven consecutive hits for the Brit-rockers, six of which were scheduled to be squeezed into last night's set list.
The sequencing strategy was shrewd, given the quintet is already on record as confirming they sometimes have trouble with live shows, since fans — particularly the casual ones — don't always go crazy for their lesser-known tracks.
Def Leppard to rock Soboba Casino
Friday, August 15th, 2008This is an old article from April 2008.
Def Leppard will bring more than 30 years in the music industry and material from their new album to Soboba Casino on April 27.
The legendary rock group's new album, "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge," will be released Tuesday.
The album was put together in a different manner than Def Leppard had done in the past – and what resulted was a more personal album than band members (Joe Elliot, Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell, Rick "Sav" Savage, and Rick Allen) are used to.
"It's not that we really intended the album to be so personal," said guitarist Vivian Campbell. "We didn't collaborate so much on these songs. We just realized that we had an album's worth of songs already written."
Def Leppard finding new ways to sell latest album
Friday, August 15th, 2008This is an old article from April 2008.
Def Leppard may be writing a new formula for rock bands trying to reach an elusive fan base.
Unlike in decades past, when all a successful band had to do was release an album and watch it grow, it takes more than a catchy single to sell CDs these days. You need an aggressive marketing strategy, said Vivian Campbell, the band's guitar player for the past 16 years.
"The audience is fractured. It's very difficult to market your record," he said Wednesday in a phone interview. "Bands are always trying to find new ways to reach their audience and to grow their audience. It's one thing to reach your core audience, but you always want to be moving forward and trying to reach new people."
Let's get rocked! Def Leppard in town next week
Friday, August 15th, 2008This is an old article from April 2008.
On Tuesday night, just under 10,000 fans will storm through the Idaho Center doors for a concert headlined by a hair band that hasn't put out a song anyone remembers since 1992.
Def Leppard – accompanied by county fair staples Styx and REO Speedwagon – is going to sell out. There are, like, 200 tickets left.
No f-f-f-foolin'.
So why the hysteria surrounding a middle-aged British pop-metal act rocking Nampa?
It's a shocking, if not fascinating, question.
Def Leppard having time of Nine Lives
Friday, August 15th, 2008Say his name quickly and you understand how Def Leppard's Phil Collen is constantly being mistaken for that other Phil Collins who sings for Genesis.
The bigger mystery is how the individual members of one of Britain's biggest selling rock bands have managed to remain virtually invisible despite selling more than 65 million records over their 30-year career.
"It's strange," the 50-year-old guitarist admits, "We're stars when we play. But then we can be completely anonymous when we're on the street.
"But I think this is one of the reasons why the band has stayed together as long as we have. No one really feels like a star, so no one plays the rock star. We all want to work hard and have a good time. We have a real working class ethic. That's what keeps us together, and keeps our heads on our shoulders."
Balancing Act
Friday, August 15th, 2008Turns out staging a successful rock concert is a lot like making a killer mix-tape: It's all about the songs you choose and the order in which you choose to play 'em.
At least, so says arena-show veteran Vivian Campbell, who should know — after all, he's been slinging an axe for Def Leppard for the last 16 years.
But while you'd assume the hard rockers would have little trouble keeping their fans entertained — given the scores of album and radio hits they've racked up since the late '70s — Campbell says sequencing is still a tricky business.
"It's a tough thing for us, and we're kind of between a rock and a hard place," says Campbell, who also logged time with Dio and Whitesnake before signing on with Def Leppard.
Def Leppard not endangered, yet
Thursday, August 14th, 2008Don't put Def Leppard on the endangered species list just yet.
They haven't had a major hit in more than a decade and their relevancy in today's musical climate is practically nil, but the hard-working quintet from Sheffield, England refuse to be put down.
They have never stopped releasing albums and still remain a strong concert draw, as witnessed by the 8,000 fans that turned out at the MTS Centre last night for a healthy helping of hits from days gone by.
And on that front the band — playing a make-up date for a cancelled April show — didn't disappoint, offering the nostalgic audience almost everything they could want to hear from throughout Def Leppard's 31-year career.
Rock lives with Idol, Leppard
Saturday, August 9th, 2008So, what's got nine arms and rocks?
That's right. Def Leppard.
The classic 80s rockers played to a nearly-full house at the John Labatt Centre last night, proving that even if their newer stuff isn't their best, they still know how to plan an excellent set.
Fresh off this year's release of Songs From the Sparkle Lounge, the band, featuring singer John Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell and famed drummer Rick Allen (who lost his left arm in a car crash decades ago) had something to prove this time around.
Def Leppard never changes its spots — and fans at Verizon Center love that
Thursday, August 7th, 2008Who: Def Leppard, the latest in a series of (yawn) nostalgia rock acts booked at the Verizon Wireless Music Center. It's a predictable season at the 10,500-seat amphitheater in Pelham, marked by veteran rockers (think 1970s-80s) and sure-shot country stars.
When: 9 p.m. Saturday, after opener Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. The steamy weather resulted in rivulets of sweat, glistening from the bodies on stage. It also prompted Def Leppard's guitarists, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, to perform shirtless. This was NOT a good night for one constant in the heavy-metal repertoire: black leather pants.
Crowd: Nearly a full house, with a few empty rows throughout the third tier. As usual, Def Leppard's fans were loud and lusty, dancing at their seats, pumping their fists or shouting wild approval.
Def Leppard make long awaited Valley debut
Thursday, August 7th, 2008It was a memorable night, one that many of us have waited for-for decades.
The British rock band that kept us company throughout High 'N Dry, Hysteria and Pyromania had finally decided to pay a visit to the good 'ol Rio Grande Valley. Where rock runs deep within our tortilla fueled souls.
As the digital red curtain glittered in the background the familiar sound of AC/DC's "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" brought the nearly sold out crowd to their feet.
