Bryan Adams/Def Leppard Tour

[Malcolm]

 Due to extreme weather conditions and for security reasons, DEF LEPPARD's show in Camden, NJ which was supposed to take place on July 1, unfortunately had to be cancelled a few hours before the start. Although the promoter tried to find a solution and reschedule the show, this turned out to be impossible and as a result, no replacement show will be taking place. Ticketmaster has started the process to refund all tickets. If you still have a ticket for this show and you did not get an automatic refund, please refer to your point of purchase.

[Malcolm]

DEF LEPPARD have added four more headline shows to their ongoing U.S. tour. They are as follows:

Aug. 31 - Billings, MT @ Metrapark Arena
Sep. 02 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Sioux Falls Arena
Sep. 03 - La Crosse, WI @ La Crosse Center
Sep. 04 - Chicago, IL @ Lakefront Pavilion at Northerly Island

[Malcolm]

SET LIST ROCHESTER, NY (JULY 10)
# Action
# Let's Get Rocked
# Women
# Foolin'
# Hysteria
# Promises
# No Matter What
# Love Bites
# Armageddon It
# Rock On
# Rocket
# Photograph
# Animal
# Rock Of Ages
--------------------------------
# Bringin' On The Heartbreak
# Pour Some Sugar On Me

[Gunner80]

I'm going to the Billings MT show. Should be great.  We still have GA seating on the floor, YEAH!!

[D]

SLC'S DEF LEPPARD CONCERT PHOTO HE IS THE GUY ON THE LEFT!

[SLCPUNK]

SLC'S DEF LEPPARD CONCERT PHOTO HE IS THE GUY ON THE LEFT!

haha, what is so funny is that my mullet WAS THAT LONG in 1988!!!

I was not nearly as handsome as that guy though.

[deliverthecow]

The Yeah! album is not coming out in September, or anytime soon from a recent interview.

That really is a bummer, i was lucky enough to hear a promo, and it truly is a great cd. I just hope everyone gets a chance to hear the MC5 cover it truly is the heaviest thing they have done in ages. One positive way to look at this is maybe a new studio release is closer than we think as they have been recording on the road.

From the interviews i have read it seems the direction is going to be alot more uptempo and a less produced sound, lets hope.

Hey SLC finally found all of my b sides send me your address and i ll have a cd in the mail.

[Izzy]

The Yeah! album is not coming out in September, or anytime soon from a recent interview.

Delayed untill late 2005/2006

So 2006 then....

I suppose they want to milk 'Rock of Ages' and don't want two Leppard albums kicking around

[SLCPUNK]

My step daugher got their greatest hits for her b-day...I will admit I am listening to it, non stop. I think I've listened to "Women" 18 times today.... Poor girl, may not get it back!!!

What is the "yeah" album? Is that the cover(s) album?

Thanks for the offer on the cd, pm has been sent.

[Izzy]

My step daugher got their greatest hits for her b-day...I will admit I am listening to it, non stop. I think I've listened to "Women" 18 times today.... Poor girl, may not get it back!!!

Personal fav too - ace guitar work

That's what Leppard did so well but now fail to do - have that steel in their guitar playing. It's always got that heavy element that prevents the songs being basic hair metal numbers

Later albums lack that, i think

What is the "yeah" album? Is that the cover(s) album?

Yup

Thanks for the offer on the cd, pm has been sent.

When u get 'em can i get em via email? I tracked down a few on their singles.

[deliverthecow]

Izzy my computer skills are horrible and i honestly dont know how to do that. I could amke you a copy and snail mail it.

The more i think about Yeah! being delayed the more it frustrates me. I was discussing this with a Leppard friend of mine and he said everytime it looks as if they can get some sort of momentum going the wheels fall off completely, this friend of mine is a dj and is how i got access to the Yeah! promo. He said in the circles he talks with in the communications field rock radio etc, he said there was alot of hype surrounding the release, especially for a cover album. According to him this was suppossed to be a stepping stone so to speak for a new studio release, trying to get them back out there and i guess a cover was the best way to do it . The first proper single was going to be the David Essex track Rock On .

It seems to me Def Leppard's management has what has literally been there slow demise in popularity. I think if they were marketed right they could be a high selling act once again, there shows still sell a ton , and they have released some great songs on latter releases . The marketing surrounding there releases is just horrible. I know X was a disapointment to alot of people but i personally thought it was a good pop/rock record. If that cd was marketed correctly and promoted in the least there are atleast 5 songs on there that could have been huge singles. I just cant figure them out. I met Phil Collen awhile back and he more or less said there record label has fucked them over since Slang, but it seems they are stuck in a contract . I think they are a great band and with VR are ranked as my favorite active bands, i just wish they could get a break. Sorry about the rant i am bored.

[SLCPUNK]

I met Phil Collen awhile back and he more or less said there record label has fucked them over since Slang, but it seems they are stuck in a contract .

Can you elaborate on what he said?

[deliverthecow]

I was on vacation visiting relatives in California. Got lucky and met Phil very nice guy by the way. This was before the Rock of Ages set was released. He basically said the record label likes to beat the dead horse and rely on there back catalog . Then i went on to tell him how good i thought there latter releases have been and it was a shame they didn't get any promo. He elaborated that they have been aware of that and him and Viv are the most vocal about it, and they are more or less stuck in there contract, unless they get dropped. He said he has wished for that more than once with a laugh. I never quite understood how they could be stuck in a contract like that, but then again i dont know one thing about how recording contracts are structured. It has been awhile since i was out there so some of what he said is kinda vague in memory. Oh yeah SLC i am getting all tracks in order for your cd, and i got your address. 

[Izzy]

Izzy my computer skills are horrible and i honestly dont know how to do that. I could amke you a copy and snail mail it.

As i live about 10,000 miles from u postage would probably be an issue

I'm hardly computer literature either but this is how i send songs via email: i just copy them into windows media player (for example)- then i just search for them using the search button the start menu, then i send that file to my documents and then when writing an email click attach, find the song in my documents and click send

Of course the size of ur email account is an issue as it needs to be able to send attachments up to 10 megs (but most do these days)

------------

Def Leppard do need to get out of this contract, their label is messing them up, i'd guess they signed a new contract for about 10 albums or something daft in the early 90's and are now stuck.

However with 2 best of's and a covers album about to be released they must be getting close to ending it - they could always throw out a live album too.

[SLCPUNK]

Oh yeah SLC i am getting all tracks in order for your cd, and i got your address. 

Thanks man! Please, don't hand my address out to any german porno sites...

Izzy my computer skills are horrible and i honestly dont know how to do that. I could amke you a copy and snail mail it.

As i live about 10,000 miles from u postage would probably be an issue


Def Leppard do need to get out of this contract, their label is messing them up, i'd guess they signed a new contract for about 10 albums or something daft in the early 90's and are now stuck.

Ah....I might just ship you a copy dude.....I don't mind a few bucks. I've never sent anything that far...Or I could try to send you some stuff via email.

Yea, that is why I laugh at the "Idol" shows here in America. These people may win the show, but then are forced to sign this horrible contract ensuring that they will never have anything really. No matter how big the band, many still get lousy contracts....

[Izzy]

Yea, that is why I laugh at the "Idol" shows here in America. These people may win the show, but then are forced to sign this horrible contract ensuring that they will never have anything really. No matter how big the band, many still get lousy contracts....

Over here, where we love our boy and girl bands ( ) there is always stories about how their spell at the top yeilded them about 1000 quid each. There was a story a few months back about a band called 'Steps' who had a whole series of hits but apparently made nothing from it all.

[deliverthecow]

What would you guys' "dream" set list so to speak from Leppard be. I guess they are going to be playing arenas this fall with another "big" band. So far only rumours going are Aerosmith. Hopefully they will mix the set up alittle at anyrate this is what i would like to hear :

Stagefright
Let It Go
Hit n Run
Slang
Hysteria
Desert Song
Four Letter Word
Turn To Dust
Deliver Me
Now
Paper Sun
Tear It Down
All I Want Is Everything
Rocket
Cry
Die Hard The Hunter
Gods Of War

Sugar
Pearl Of Euphoria (Always thought this would be a great closer)

I would love to see a set list like that. I guess it is obvious I am huge fan of the Slang album

[Izzy]

U missed out so many classics! Where is Rock of Ages, Pour some Sugar on me.....

Dream set list - hmm, hate having to make decisions on Leppard songs, i love so many equally....

1 - Women
2 - Ride into the sun
3 - Run Riot
4 - Promises
5 - Tear it down
6 - Hysteria
7 - Photograph
8 - I wanna be your hero
9 - Gods of war
10 - When love and hate collide
11 - Animal
12 - Desert song
13 - Heaven is
14 - Ring of fire
15 - I Wanna touch u
16 - Miss you in a heartbeat
17 - Wasted
18 - Pour some sugar on me

Encore
19 - Switch 625/Briningin' on the heartbreak
20 - Rock of Ages


I've gone for a 'heavier' track list, i think such things work better live - thrown in the classics (face it - u'd be devestated if they weren't there!) also added in a load of personal favs, 'Gods of War' and 'Run Riot' off Hysteria where probably the best songs there to begin with.

Have a few ballads for the lighters to be waved - u gotta have that!

Nothing from Sland and X i'm afriad, added in Promises, but Euphoria has started to decline in my eyes, not the great album i used to think of it as
 
No less than 5 tracks from Retro Active, if they had pursued the heavier orientation they tried on that then it would have been a different story for the rest of the decade. They should have chosen the singles more carefully

[deliverthecow]

Izzy yep i did leave alot of classic concert staples off my list. I have seen them played live numerous times and i would like to see the more obscure stuff.

I agree with your statement regarding Euphoria, That album was a disappointment to me after the first listen, not to say it wasnt a good album but they were trying way to hard to copy the Pyromania and Hyteria albums. Paper Sun and Day After Day are standout tracks, i would like to see the next album go in that direction ( Paper Sun, Day After Day) maybe a little more of a raw sound and acoustic drums though. On thing Euphoria proved is that they no longer need Mutt around , not to disrepect him the guy is a genious but a couple of the tracks he lent a hand on were some of the worst songs on the album. I still cringe when i hear All Night or Back In Your Face though, way to cheesy.

Other Leppard news, I have heard from a more than reliable source that the reasoning for the delay regarding the covers album Yeah! is that a box set is on the way to celebrate the bands 25th aniversary. That is welcome news to me, Yeah! is going to still be released , look for it around Christmas with the box set to come in the early to middle portion of 2006. I wish i could name my source but i cant, i sound like one of the GnR rumour people now LOL, but this guy should have an insight more than anyone as he works for the band i can tell you that much.  It looks like it may be Motley Crue whom they are touring with, Aerosmith is still a very much possible also.  i hate to post rumours and rarely do but this source is more than reliable, i am still sort of shocked he let me in on it.

[Malcolm]

Garry Sharpe-Young of Rockdetector.com recently conducted an in-depth interview with DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Rockdetector.com: You are obviously all fortunate enough to be comfortably well off for the rest of your lives now. Is the drive to make music still as strong with you all as it has always been?

Joe Elliott: "Yep, big rich twatty rock stars! Compared to some rappers who've been 'on the scene' 15 minutes, we're minnows? but I won't be back in the factory any time soon! As for the music, it's ALWAYS been the focal point. We were never into it for the money. We wouldn't have spent three years recording a very expensive record, 'Hysteria', if we were! When I saw Marc Bolan and David Bowie on 'Top of the Pops' I didn't shout, 'Wow! I want to be him for the money.' It was for the glory of it and a way out of dreary old day job land. That wasn't for me, the music gave me a motivation."

Rockdetector.com: I'd like to pick up on some of the later DEF LEPPARD albums. For example, "Slang". This album was released during strange times in the music business. Many fans find it your most engaging work to date with a lot of "dark" songs. Personally, there are tracks on "Slang" which rank very highly on my particular favourites list. Looking back, how do you feel about the album now?

Joe Elliott: "Viv [guitarist Vivian Campbell] doesn't like it all that much these days. After all, it was his first with us and he wanted the LEPP thing a bit more. Happily for him, it's back, so you move on. I have some great memories of the recording and writing sessions. For the rest of us, it was very liberating, but like all our albums, some of it works and some of it doesn't. Trust me, there's stuff on 'Hysteria' I'd do over ? I love the title track, 'Pearl of Euphoria' is nearly brilliant and 'All I Want Is Everything' was the first song I think I really felt good to have written. It all fell into place at the right time."

Rockdetector.com: Which leads us onto 2002's "X". I don't think I saw this question being asked but, with your track record for writing hugely successful songs, why did the band decide to work with outside songwriters at that point? The reason I ask is two-fold, firstly because why would a band that can write million sellers need songwriting input and secondly because I think the "X" songs you did write were actually much stronger.

Joe Elliott: "Well, it wasn't a conscious decision to do that, it just worked out that Phil [Collen, guitar] was hanging out in Los Angeles with [Swedish producer/songwriter] Andreas Carlsson, you know, just coffee, bite to eat, shootin' the shit, that sorta thing, when Andreas said, 'We should write a song together.' Something we all say from time to time but very rarely do. Anyway, it didn't happen, but Andreas did call us about six months later and told us he had a song, 'Unbelievable', that he thought sounded like us! So, long story short, he sent a copy over, we played it, liked it, recorded it!"
Rockdetector.com: How about "Long Long Way to Go", because LIONEL RICHIE also had a stab at that too, didn't he?

Joe Elliott: "Same thing with 'Long Long Way to Go'. We like to think we can tell a good song from a so-so song whether it be rock, pop, blues, rap, whatever... Again, for no reason other than curiosity, it was sent to us and we really dug it, so we recorded it. Apparently so did Lionel Ritchie! Let's not forget here that we DID write the other eleven songs on 'X'!"

Rockdetector.com: On the [upcoming] "Yeah!" [covers] record, are there songs you felt needed to be treated "faithfully" and any songs that might sound completely different to expected?

Joe Elliott: "Absolutely. Some of them are so close in intention if nothing else, that they're almost forgeries! Example, wait till you hear Viv's solo on THIN LIZZY's 'Don't Believe A Word'! If anybody ever heard Phil's CYBERNAUTS solo on 'Moonage Daydream' they'll know what I mean. Others we messed with, like DAVID ESSEX's 'Rock On', or THE KINKS' 'Waterloo Sunset', which you might have heard, differs from THE KINKS' version somewhat. We treated them all on a song by song basis, basically having fun, either doing them and being able to giggle at how similar they were or changing them and saying "wait till they get a load of this!" Most people in studios behind closed doors behave this way, you know!