Def Leppard continues to ROCK ALL AGES on 2018 World Tour

Story and Videos by Scotty J
Photos by Tom Collins

There is no denying that Def Leppard is one of the greatest Hard Rock / Heavy Metal Bands of all time! 30 years, 11 studio albums, and over 100 millions record sold is not something many musicians can say. Currently on their 2018 World Tour with fellow Rockers, Journey, Def Leppard continues to bring incredible energy while thrilling their fans with hit after hit.

Of course all things do change with time. Def Leppard enjoyed their greatest success as a lineup consisting of
Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen, and Steve Clark. Sadly, Steve Clark passed away in 1991 at which time Vivian Campbell joined the lineup. Since that time, the band had gone on to produce 7 more studio albums. As we all know, it was from the first four records (particularly Pyromania and Hysteria) when Def Leppard created some of there most iconic hits.

Def Leppard continues its tour across the United States through September, and Rock Titan TV was fortunate enough to catch up with them in Philadelphia. In fact, we caught up with drummer Rick Allen backstage just before the show (see interview above). According to Mr. Allen, no matter how many tours you’ve been on, life on the road still has its challenges.

Rick Allen: “What they’ve done is they’ve changed the rules in regard to how many hours the drivers can drive. So what they do is they GPS the engines now. So the companies basically know from the minute you start the engine for the bus or the trucks, they know exactly what it’s doing. So, in many ways it’s better because it’s safer. But, in other ways you never really settle into a long drive.”

Although Rick Allen tragically lost his left arm in an auto accident on New Year’s Eve in 1984, that would not spell doom for him or Def Leppard. Passion, Perseverance, and Technology would become Allen’s best friends. Lovingly referred to as the “Thunder God” by his fans, Rick would go on to record one of the most highly sold records of all time with “Hysteria”. The evolution of drum kit technology has been quite impressive.

Rick Allen: “It’s a new software. I believe it’s called App Trigger. I found that I have a lot more control. It’s a lot like playing acoustic drums again. It’s a lot more expressive. There’s a lot more dynamic range. The sound engineer is liking it”. (see more in the interview above)

If you’re fortunate enough to catch Def Leppard and Journey on tour, you can trust that you’ll be entertained with a cornucopia of their greatest hits. Provided the set list remains consistent, the show will kick off with “Rocket”! Trust me when I say your adrenaline will be pumping as if you’re in the cockpit on a race to the moon! See all remaining tour dates http://www.defleppard.com/tour/