Phoenix, AZ - Media Reviews

Def Leppard @ Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum By William Shaw

The big hall where the group are playing tonight was built to serve two purposes. On the one hand it's a venue for rock bands and sports events; on the other it's also a nuclear shelter. Underneath it there is apparently space for 6,000 people. As the audience fill the hall the group are backstage relaxing. Phil Collen is shut away in his room practising his fiery axe licks something he does every night before a show. Joe and some of the group's road crew are watching a video. There's one particular clip of a group called Venom which he enjoys playing - "they're the worst group in the world," he explains, rewinding it to show a bit where the group's singer jumps into the crowd and falls rather ineptly on his head.

When the group finally clamber onto the stage - which the road crew have had to spend all day tinkering with so that it looks all right at one end of the hall rather than in the middle - the crowd go completely mental. Most British crowds are positively reserved in comparison. For an hour and a half 13,000 Americans jiggle about, shouting themselves hoarse and throwing all sorts or rock 'n' roll handshapes. It all looks and sounds rather splendid.

And when it comes to the encore ver Lepps all file back on stage...only who's this??? Good heavens!! Jon Bon Jovi has actually joined Def Leppard on stage for an encore!!! Cripes. Rock history in the making. There is Jon Bon Jovi dressed in his peaked hat and stars 'n' stripes flag just as he was on the cover of Smash hits earlier this year...Except "Jon Bon Jovi" takes off his hat and turns out to be Steve Clark who's just disguised himself for a bit of a lark.

"We just mess around like that," explains Joe Elliott, "because Jon Bon Jovi stole a lot of stuff off us, so we just did it for a laugh, you know? He's a fan of ours and he took a couple of our ideas. It's just a joke. One of our support acts (a group called Tesla) gave Steve the hat one night, and the flag was thrown on stage and so Steve just did it for a laugh one night. We do it every night now."

After the concert the crowd drift back to their cars - except for those who want to sneak backstage to the area where the group are. "There's this mythical thing of getting backstage," says Rick. And people pitch in back at the hotel too. People tend not to leave you alone - especially in America. It's different in Europe. People tend to treat you with a lot more respect there."

Four hours later too there are still some of these fans lingering outside Joe Elliott's room back at the hotel. "This lot outside," he says, "they might be ringing me up all night now they've found out what my room number is. What I say is if you're really that desperate come back and see me in the morning and I'll pose for a photo with you or sign an autograph."

It's three O'clock in the morning and there's still an hour or two left before the group finally go to bed. Which probably means that Joe will be half an hour or so late for the round of golf he's booked with Phil at nine O'clock the next morning.

Phew. Rock 'n' roll. What a hurly burly life it all is!

By Smash Hits 1987.

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