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Def Leppard Then and Now

Photo Credit:  <strong><a href="http://www.defleppard.com/photos/official?page=2" target="_blank">Ross Halfin</a> &amp; <a href="http://www.defleppard.com/photos/official" target="_blank">Gitte Meldgaard</a></strong>

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*****

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Do you remember your first concert?

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Who did you see?

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People are always surprised to hear mine.  Def Leppard.  The Pyromania Tour.

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I guess it’s because I seem a bit too “refined” for Def Leppard.  <strong><a href="http://www.diaryofalatebloomer.com/2011/07/02/day-275-my-f-score-is-p-whats-yours/" target="_blank">My rebel self</a></strong> is amused by this.

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<strong>To say that I was obsessed with Def Leppard as a kid is an understatement.</strong>

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I recorded their videos off of MTV and watched (and paused) them hundreds of times.

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I was madly in love with lead singer, Joe Elliott, and knew the names and trivia surrounding him and all of the other band members.

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My 45record case was decorated with their names, instruments, and song titles with their signature Def Leppard lettering in silver paint pen.

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I was also a mousy, mostly quiet, straight-A student who was not your typical Def Leppard worshipper.  I suppose that the rebel in me was just starting basic training.

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In 1983, I showed up with my sister, my best friend, Carolyn, and Mr. Colella (who stepped in for my dad due to an emergency hospital stay) to see Def Leppard and opening act Jon Butcher Axis (who honestly, I don’t remember at all.)

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<strong>I donned a typical confused 80s fashion statement of parachute pants, union jack sleeveless shirt, and pink &amp; black Vans.</strong>

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I can’t recall what Ca and Jennie (then Jenny) wore, but I am sure they were a sight as well.

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Ah, memories…

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You can imagine my reaction when I heard on the radio a few months back that Def Leppard would soon be touring with Heart.

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I audibly gasped.  It’s a miracle that I managed to continue driving.  HEART???

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“Barracuda” is my very first musical memory.  I must have been about 4 years-old at the annual Fireman’s Carnival in Southampton, NY.  I was spellbound watching a scary ride where the people were strapped in while standing up.  The “wheel” started spinning on a horizontal plane and then rotated to a vertical plane.

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Do you know which ride I’m talking about?

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While this Wheel of Terror spun wildly with screaming riders, the guitar riff of “Barracuda” blared through the carnival sound system.

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Every time I heard “Barracuda” after that, I was creeped out.  (My parents were big listeners of rock.)

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Until I heard “Dog and Butterfly” for the first time.  I was a Heart fan from then on.

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<strong>Fast forward to present day and my car “moment” upon hearing the Def Leppard/Heart double bill…</strong>

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None of my friends seemed as excited as me.  No one bit when I mentioned purchasing tickets.

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I even bribed Kim C.

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“I’ll go to Journey with you, if you go to Def Leppard with me!” (This is a big deal for me considering that in my mind, Journey is not Journey without Powerful Portuguese Man aka Steve Perry fronting the band.)

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Kim C. smirked back at me.

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“Please?”

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Smirk.

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“Think about it?”

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Smirk.

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Ugh.

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Ok, ok.  So not everyone loves Def Leppard as much as me after nearly 30 years.  I get it!!!

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And then...

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My Friend Who Shall Remain Anonymous nearly skyrocketed out of her seat when I mentioned the double bill.

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She blurted, “I WILL GO WITH YOU!!!”

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<strong>We secured our tickets on Day 287.  I will relive my First Concert Ever on Day 330-ish.  </strong>

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Oh.  And I've since discovered that I and FWSRA are by  no means the only fans still crazy for Def Lep after all of these years.

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Take a look at the YouTube comments for <strong><a href="http://youtu.be/YI6Ms0b4q-4" target="_blank">Armageddon It</a></strong>.  (1.1 million views!)

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"I'm 12 and I get to go see them on August 27th with my parents with Heart!"

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"14 AND LOVING THIS SONG!"

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<strong>My personal favorite:  "Smart teenagers are still alive.  I like it."</strong>

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Smart teens AND Smart Late Bloomies.  Yes, indeed.  :-D

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*****

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Are you/were you a Def Leppard fan?  Heart?

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What was your First Concert Ever?