Def Leppard Atomic Mess News

A two-hour drive to watch a pair of bands that refuse to burn out — or fade
away — proved well worth it Monday in West Palm Beach, where Journey and Def
Leppard rocked a crowd of about 8,000 fans at the Sound Advice Amphitheatre.

Fans in Southwest Florida can embark on another two-hour drive today and catch the pair of bands at 7:30 p.m. at the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa. Tickets range from $25 to $75 and can be purchased at the gate or at ticketmaster.com.

Each band played a 90-minute set list Monday, and each band stuck to trademark hits.

Journey fans take note: The five-piece band had to resort to its third-string singer.

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It's been 14 years since Vivian Campbell joined British glam-pop rockers Def Leppard, but for some, he's forever the new guy. He doesn't mind.

"I'll always be the new guy," the Irish guitarist says. "Ronnie Wood will always be the new guy in the Rolling Stones, and it's been, like, 31 years."

Still, Campbell, 45, who played with Whitesnake and Dio, is a full-fledged, certified member of Def Leppard, whose appearance tonight with Journey at Sound Advice Amphitheatre will no doubt draw a cache of Union Jack T-shirts, ripped jeans and invitations to have sugar poured on oneself.

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Def Leppard survived being lumped in with the hair-metal bands in the '80s. The popularity of grunge didn't stop them. And the rise of hip-hop hasn't kept fans away.

The British band may not sell as many albums as it once did–1983's "Pyromania" and 1987's "Hysteria" both achieved diamond status by selling more than 10,000,000 copies in the U.S., while the group's last studio album, "X," didn't even go gold–but they insist on rocking, and audiences are eating it up.

The band toured last year with Bryan Adams to promote its platinum-selling two-disc "Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection." Now Def Leppard is back on the road–this time with Journey–to promote its latest album, "Yeah," a collection of covers of songs the fortysomething band members loved growing up.

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Only six months after Def Leppard wrapped up its 2005 co-headlining tour with Bryan Adams, the band is hitting the road again. This summer, Lep has chosen to do another co-headlining road jaunt, though this time with prominent '70s and '80s arena rock band, Journey. And according to Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell, both Def Leppard and Journey want to "give the fans and taste of old and new."

After more than two decades of delivering power ballads and stimulating hard-rock hits, Def Leppard has proven to be rock and roll legends. With 11 award-winning, chart-topping albums and over 65 million albums sold worldwide, the band could possibly be defined as the epitome of rock music. And with the recent release of their all-covers album, "Yeah," these infamous '80s rockers are getting back to basics.

Said Joe Elliot in a press release: "I thought it was about time we showed the world what our true roots were. The songs on this album are at least partly responsible for us making the kind of music that we do."

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After 25 years of being one of rock's most successful acts, Def Leppard has decided to set the record straight.

"We put out an album and do press every three years, and someone will always say, "So, you guys are from the New Wave of British heavy metal.' And I'll say, "Who? Not me!' " says Joe Elliot, lead singer of the band whose co-headlining tour of North America (with Journey) kicks off tonight at Camden's Tweeter Center (there's also a July 1 date at Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa).

"Yes, we have one foot in metal," he continues, "but we have a wider footprint (elsewhere). We figured after 25 years of not being listened to, we'll sing and dance it, and see if we're listened to."

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They could have concentrated on pop standards of the '40s and '50s, or classic-rock tunes of the '60s, or hits by bands that peaked, as they did, in the 1980s.

But for their first collection of cover songs — "Yeah!," which was released last month on the Mercury/Universal label — British rock quintet Def Leppard looked to the days of glam-rock, power-pop and proto-punk. The album is an affectionate tribute to artists like T. Rex, Thin Lizzy, Sweet, Free and David Bowie, who are represented, mostly, by songs that came out between 1970 and 1974.

"It's why we got into music, when we were 14, 15," said guitarist Phil Collen, 48, of "Yeah!" selections like David Essex's "Rock On," the Faces' "Stay With Me" and Mott the Hoople's "The Golden Age of Rock & Roll." "It was the moment in time where it's kind of like, 'This is my music, this is really speaking to me.' We were impressionable 14-year-olds or 15-year-olds.

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When VH1 rolled out a "Behind the Music" on Def Leppard - one of its warts-and-all TV documentaries that showcase the meteoric rise (and often precipitous fall) of pop and rock acts - it seemed a logical choice.

In a few years, the band of working-class lads from Sheffield, England, went from toiling in a factory to filling arenas and selling millions of records.

Def Leppard reached its zenith in album sales and radio play in the 1980s and found audiences around the world hungry for the group's brand of tempered rock that was less headbanging and more heartfelt.

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Joe Elliott is ordering a jolt of java when he phones from a tour stop in Atlantic City, N.J.

"Sorry about that, Dave," says the 46-year-old Def Leppard singer. "I'm making a Starbucks run at the moment."

Caffeinated and conversational, Elliot has counted enough album sales to make the lottery look like a piggy bank. Def Leppard's 1983 blockbuster album, "Pyromania," tallied 10 million in U.S. sales alone thanks to pop-metal ear-candy such as "Photograph," "Foolin'" and "Rock of Ages."

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While Def Leppard's days as mainstream superstars have passed, they remain one of the most durable of the '80s metal groups.

Despite some high-profile tragedies in the group - drummer Rick Allen losing an arm, guitarist Steve Clark losing his life - they've remained together for 25 years.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the band's longevity is its trashy, infectious singles, such as "Pour Some Sugar on Me,"

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Few bands define the big hair decade like Def Leppard. Mixing heavy metal edge with catchy pop melodies, the British quintet provided the quintessential '80s soundtrack.

Arena-sized rock anthems such as Bringin' On the Heartbreak, Pour Some Sugar On Me and Animal, along with ballads such as Photograph and Love Bites, tore up the airwaves.

Twenty-three years since their debut album rocketed onto the charts, Def Leppard has survived longer than most marriages. Even some of their own. "We've experienced so much together — life, death, birth, marriages, divorces — we've been there for each other," said guitarist Phil Collen in a recent interview.

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Call it a matter of pride. Classic rockers Def Leppard may not mind singing about the Rock of Ages, but even after nearly three decades on the prowl, they still want people to think of them as hip cats.

"If you're perceived like a bunch of old grandpas, no one will buy into that," says long time guitarist Phil Collen over the phone before a gig in Memphis, Tenn.

Back in their big-haired, '80s prime, the rock outfit didn't have an uncool bone in their much-adored bodies. They were dubbed one of the world's biggest bands after the release of 1987's Hysteria, which turned out seven singles and sold 16 million of the 65 million albums they've moved since their 1977 inception.

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These things happen when you're playing 80-odd shows in 90-some days.

First, he calls me "Todd."

Then Rick Allen, drummer with 1980s U.K. pop-metal survivors Def Leppard, can't remember what city he's in. Setting the phone down for a moment, he comes back to announce, "Dayton. Dayton, Ohio. Sorry. I ran into a dead brain cell."

Def Leopard's current blitz — which includes a stop at the Corel Centre Saturday night — has had the quintet careening all over North America as it toasts the 25th anniversary of On Through the Night, its debut album.

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On Sunday evening, pop/metal veterans Def Leppard will play 1980s arena rock staples "Photograph" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" for what must seem like the gazillionth time in their 25-year music career.

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen lost actual count many years ago, but he says he never tires of playing these songs - and many other hits from the band's catalog - each sweltering night on the band's summer-long "Rock 'n' Roll Doubleheader Tour" with co-headlining Canadian rocker Bryan Adams.

"The key is that we're music fans, too," Allen says of himself and bandmates Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Savage (bass).

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Although the Tribe is still in the hunt for the wild-card playoff spot, the Indians are not the true "Boys of Summer" this year.

That honor belongs to veteran rockers Def Leppard, who - along with Bryan Adams - are on a co-headlining tour of minor-league ballparks around the country.

Of course, because the quintet formed in Sheffield, England, the sport is not its first love - as vocalist Joe Elliott is quick to point out.

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Nothing's going to stop Def Leppard. Not age, not critics and certainly not tornadoes. Just one day before the band was to play Live 8 in Philadelphia, it was preparing for a show in Camden, N.J., when a storm brandishing 75 mph winds ripped through the area and soaked all of the group's electronics.

"Our whole A-rig was gone," guitarist Vivian Campbell said, telling the story in a phone interview. "Luckily, we sent our B-rig to Live 8. If (the tornado) would have gone through Philly, that Live 8 show wouldn't have gone. It was an intense couple of days."

Def Leppard hardly worries about ruined equipment. They've been through much worse - tanking record sales, an injury to drummer Rick Allen and the death of guitarist Steve Clark - and every time they've come back stronger than ever.

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