Nov 1, 2014

Def Leppard played the first of three special California Casino shows at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California on October 30th and I was lucky enough to be in attendance.

The anticipation for the band was heightened as the lights went down with The Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again' pumped through the Samala Showroom. The band continued paying tribute to their British influences, by rocking the last bit of the track live before kicking into 'Let It Go.' That was followed by Leppard's cover of The Sweet's 'Action.' Seeing the band in an intimate setting such as this was a rush that continued for the entire set.

'Animal,' 'Foolin', 'Love Bites' and 'Armageddon It' followed in the set, with the crowd loving every minute of it. A great rendition of 'Make Love Like A Man' lead into a mini-acoustic portion of the show, with 'Two Steps Behind' and 'Bringin' On the Heartbreak,' before the band cranked it back up on 'Bringin' for the later half of that track and 'Switch 625.'

Steve Brown of Trixter did a more than admirable job filling in on guitar for Vivian Campbell, who is continuing to undergo stem-cell treatment to fight Hodgkin’s lymphoma. They found exactly the right guy to fill in for Viv, as Steve delivered with big time solos and fantastic interplay with Phil Collen and the rest of the band.

In regards to Vivian Campbell, Joe Elliott tell Billboard "The latest that I'm aware of with Viv, they were harvesting stem cells from him and do whatever they do in a Petry dish with them, and then they were gonna carpet bomb him with chemo for a week and he was gonna be kept in the hospital...Then they're gonna put the stem cells back in and do whatever they do, wave the magic wand and say 'Abracadabra.' Hopefully by the middle of November they're gonna let him out. We were under the impression he would be in the hospital until Christmas, but the last email he sent me, which was about two weeks ago, said, 'It looks like I may be able to get out of here by mid-November."

Fan favorites rounded out the set, with 'Hysteria,' 'Rocket,' 'Let's Get Rocked,' 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' kicking the crowds ass before the set wrapped up with the encores of 'Rock Of Ages' and 'Photograph.' It was an amazing night of rock, ending with a promise by Joe Elliott that the band would return at some point to the Chumash in the future. Here's to hoping they do!!

There was no media photo credentials issued for the show, but I had to snap this photo below with my phone.

Def Leppard California Casino Shows:
October 30th - Santa Ynez, CA (Chumash Casino Resort)
November 1 - Rancho Mirage, CA (Agua Caliente Casino)
November 2 - Temecula, CA (Pechanga Theater & Casino)

Special Thanks to Mike Traphagen of Chumash Casino Resort. For more info and a complete lineup of upcoming shows go to www.chumashcasino.com

Oct 8, 2014

Def Leppard, a British band that scorched the U.S. hard rock music scene in the 1980s and ’90s, will hit the stage for a highly anticipated performance at the Chumash Casino Resort’s Samala Showroom at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 30, 2014. Tickets for the show are $95, $115, $135, $155 and $175.

With more than 65 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the U.S., Def Leppard continues to be a driving force in rock music. Over the course of its career, the band has produced a series of classic, groundbreaking albums that set the bar for generations of music fans and artists alike.

The group’s spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading Def Leppard to be heralded as an institution in both the music and touring industry.

The English rock band formed in 1977 and gained popularity with their 1981 album “High and Dry,” which featured the hit single “Bringing on the Heartache.” Def Leppard’s next studio album, “Pyromania,” turned the group into a household name. The LP boasted hits such as “Rock of Ages,” “Photograph” and “Foolin.”

In 1987, Def Leppard released “Hysteria,” which spawned seven unforgettable singles, including the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit "Love Bites" alongside "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Hysteria," "Armageddon It," "Animal,” “Rocket” and "Women."

Both “Pyromania” and “Hysteria” reached diamond-certified status, making Def Leppard one of only five rock bands with two original studio albums selling more than 10 million copies in the U.S.

Fresh off its summer stadium tour, this legendary band will perform in one of the most popular, and intimate, music venues in Santa Barbara County. Don’t miss an opportunity to see Def Leppard when they hit the 1,400-seat Samala Showroom.

Located on Highway 246 in Santa Ynez, California, the Chumash Casino Resort is an age 18-and-older venue. Tickets for all events are available at the Chumash Casino Resort’s Club Chumash or online at www.chumashcasino.com.

Mar 18, 2014

KISS and Def Leppard will rock North America for a 42-city co-headlining tour that will kick off on June 23rd in West Valley City, Utah and wrap up August 31st in Woodlands, Texas. Tickets will go on sale starting Friday.
The groups announced the tour yesterday at the House of Blues in Los Angeles. You can watch the entire press below.

KISS guitarist Paul Stanley promised the tour will “deliver good news and excitement,” with Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott adding that he and Gene Simmons first discussed the idea of the two bands touring together when he and the Kiss bassist played some South American dates two years ago as part of a rock-and-roll all-stars tour. “It’s finally happened, which is fantastic,” Elliott says.

It’ll be the first time the two bands have shared a bill, though Stanley says, “We’ve run into each other at festivals. It just seemed to be a natural fit.” Stanley also noted that one of guitarist Phil Collen’s pre-Def Leppard bands, Girl, opened for KISS in the U.K. during the early ’80s.

Simmons says a dollar from each ticket sold on the tour will go to to the Wounded Warrior Project and other military non-profits including the USO, Hire a Hero, Project Resiliency/The Raven Drum Foundation, and The Augusta Warrior Project. “Politicians fart through their mouth,” Simmons said. “Only the military makes freedom possible.”

Stanley added that the group also plans to hire vets again for its crew. “We try to find a couple of vets who want to go out and be part of the team,” he says. “This is a chance for somebody to travel and be part of the KISS Army.” KISS has done this on past tours as well.

Elliot says he doesn’t see any rivalry developing between the groups while they’re on tour. “It’s two great bands that are going to be playing for the same amount of time,” he says. “It’s joint forces. I don’t see it as competitive at all.”
KISS/Def Leppard
Jun. 23 - West Valley City, UT - USANA Amphitheater
Jun. 25 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
Jun. 27 - Ridgefield, WA - Sleep Country Amphitheater
Jun. 29 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
Jul. 2 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
Jul. 3 - Wheatland, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre,
Jul. 5 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Jul. 6 - Chula Vista, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Jul. 8 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
Jul. 9 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
Jul. 12 - Austin, TX - Austin360 Amphitheater
Jul. 13 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
Jul. 15 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Jul. 16 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
Jul. 18 - Atlanta, GA - Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Jul. 19 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
Jul. 20 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Jul. 22 - West Palm Beach, FL - Cruzan Amphitheatre
Jul. 23 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Jul. 25 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
Jul. 26 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 1 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
Aug. 2 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall
Aug. 3 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 5 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug. 6 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon At Jones Beach Theatre
Aug. 8 - Virginia Beach, VA - Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
Aug. 9 - Scranton, PA - Pavilion at Montage Mountain
Aug. 10 - Hartford, CN - Xfinity Theatre
Aug. 12 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Aug. 13 - Darien, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Aug. 15 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre
Aug. 16 - Tinley Park, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Aug. 17 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
Aug. 20 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
Aug. 22 - Noblesville, IN - Klipsch Music Center
Aug. 23 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug. 24 - Burgettstown, PA - First Niagara Pavilion
Aug. 26 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
Aug. 28 - Maryland Heights, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Aug. 29 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
Aug. 31 - Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Aug 8, 2013

Def Leppard are set to release the concert film, "Def Leppard Viva! Hysteria Concert," to be shown Oct. 2 and 8 at 8 p.m. at theaters nationwide. Filmed live over nine nights during the band's sucessful residency in Las Vegas this past Spring, the set includes the top-selling album 'Hysteria' performed in its entirety, plus many of the band's greatest hits. Get all the details at www.defleppard.com  For locations and other details go to www.fathomevents.com

Vocalist Joe Elliott told billboard.com that the theatrical showings will be followed by a companion DVD, Blu-ray and live album that he says will chronicle "the whole shebang" -- not only the "Hysteria" set but all of the other songs Def Leppard played over the two nights the show was filmed. "The first song we played in Vegas was 'Good Morning Freedom,' which was a B-side in America. We haven't played it live in 33 years," Elliott says. Also included is the first side of 1981's "High 'n' Dry" album as well as selections from the group's 1980 debut "Rock Brigade. "If we were gonna play the same songs in the 'Hysteria' set in the same order for 11 nights, we wanted to dig deep for the rest of the show," Elliott explains. The group also filmed a documentary during its stay, but Elliott says he's not sure yet what will become of that.

Meanwhile, the frontman said he's confident that Def Leppard will be seeing Las Vegas again in the not too distant future. "They've already asked," Elliott reports. "We haven't said yea or nay yet, but under the right circumstances...Obviously we'll do a different album. The thing about 'Hysteria' is it's 65 minutes long, so it really is a show. With the others...you can't just play for 43 minutes and expect people to turn up, so we might have to do two albums next time or something. We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Dec 18, 2012

Def Leppard have released a special acoustic medley of songs that were performed during the band's 2012 live shows. The seven-and-a-half-minute medley, which is available on iTunes starting today, includes portions of  "Where Does Love Go When It Dies," "Now," "When Love and Hate Collide," "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad," and "Two Steps Behind."

Joe Elliott of Def Leppard told AOL's Noisecreep: "We decided to change the acoustic section of the set for the Rock Of Ages tour, and what we ended up with just grew into a really magical experience every night. We all enjoyed doing it so much and it was so well received by our audience, we decided to do a studio recording of it. I think it complements our main body of work very well." Order the song here: itunes.apple.com

Def Leppard will follow Motley Crue and Guns N' Roses as the next band to undertake a residence in Las Vegas, with 'Viva Hysteria!' to kick off in March. The band will play its 1987 album 'Hysteria' in its entirety as part of the residency. Tickets are on sale now and start at $49.50, with floor seats priced at $125.

Def Leppard VIVA Hysteria!
Mar. 22, 23, 27, 29, 30, Apr. 3, 5, 6 & 10 - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas, NV