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<br>Def Leppard coming to town Sept. 7
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My first serious experience with music came when I was in seventh and eighth grade, and I was smack dab in the middle of the 80’s. I remember a few things: The Smiths and the Cure were developing a black wearing, whinny, yet sophisticated youth. You either liked Duran Duran or Michael Jackson. Billy Idol’s video “White Wedding” was a bit disturbing and strangely magnetic. It was at this time that parents were starting to become overly concerned about their children who were hanging up posters, listening to music and emulating bands with names like Poison, Slaughter, Guns-N-Roses, Judas Priest, Cinderella, and Def Leppard….bands we snicker at today and refer to as Glam’ bands.
I remember their stunts, their long hair and tight pants. Bands that were controversial back then. There was a time when you couldn’t spray a can of Auquanet without hitting a big hair band. If you heard, The People’s Tour’ has already blown through town….a venue that included Poison, Slaughter, Dokken, and Cinderella.
Well, now it’s Def Leppard’s turn.
In 1977, a group of four guys from Sheffield, England opened for AC/DC in the U.K. Def Leppard signed with Polygram/Vertigo Records right after that. They moved quickly to the U.S. when they learned that their big hair, tight pants, and leopard skin shirts were better received here. And better received they were. The band’s first big success in the U.S. came in 1981 when their video for “Bringin’ on the Heartache” came out.
But Def Leppard was about to travel a road filled with major bumps. In 1984, the drummer Rick Allen was in an accident and lost his left arm. As a part of his therapy he started playing a special set of drums merely six weeks after the accident. I’ve heard it said that Rick Allen made the greatest comeback ever when he rejoined the group after his accident. Even today, no one compares to his one-armed drumming abilities.
In 1987, Def Leppard released the album “Hysteria”. The album produced seven singles including “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Love Bites.”
It was the song “Love Bites” that some say started the rock ballad trend. It seemed that after the release of the song, every Glam band had one love ballad. One chance to pull out the acoustic guitars and get in touch with their “romantic” sides.
In September 1989, Def Leppard played the MTV Music Video Awards, the last show they would play with Steve Clark. He left the band in 1990 to get help with his alcohol problem, but he was found dead in his apartment in 1991.
Def Leppard bounced back to release two more albums and tour. But in 1996, they released “Slang” and the album wasn’t received well. The group borrowed from the new alternative style that was slowly rising, but their fans didn’t care for the sound. And Def Leppard was slowly becoming known as an 80s hair band, and to the mass market they were becoming more and more of a laughing matter, part of music history.
But it seems that to Def Leppard this was just another speed bump. Between 1998 and 1999, the band went back into the studio and made a new album doing what they did best. “Euphoria” was released and hardcore fans are beside themselves. It seems the Def Leppard they’ve loved all along is back.
On Sept. 5, at 2 p.m., Def Leppard was inducted into Hollywood’s Rock Wall in southern California. The inductees to The Wall have been deemed bands that have made a significant contribution to the rock and roll art form, and all inductees have been chosen by their peers.
It seems Def Leppard has paid its dues and are reaping the rewards. I saw a picture of the band recently and all I could think was that they looked like Matchbox 20 or the Goo Goo Dolls as they lounged around on a sofa. But I’ve been reassured that their metal ways are still intact, their amps turned up, their guitars in tune. And when Def Leppard tours, they still sellout venues, rocking with the same intensity they’re known for. If you want to see it for yourself, Def Leppard will be at the Idaho Center, Sept. 7th.
Nicole Sharp (The Arbiter)