Sunday, 12th November 2017
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DEF LEPPARD's VIVIAN CAMPBELL OH YEAH Legend Award Speech (Video/Photos)

Def Leppard 2017. Screenshot

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell was honoured last night at the NI Music Prize and his acceptance speech is available.

Vivian received his OH YEAH Legend award last night at Mandela Hall in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

The NI Music Prize awards recognises local music talent with a number of other acts performing during the show.

Vivian was honoured at the end and following his introduction he gave a lengthy acceptance speech. Read a transcript below along with video/photos.

Last In Line took to the stage after the speech for a full performance.

This was their only UK show of 2017.

Vivian will now reunite with his other side band Riverdogs in early December for a one-off show in Los Angeles to promote the recent 'California' studio album. Their first performance since four reunion shows in August 2004.

View his full introduction and acceptance speech below as posted by NI Rocks.

A number of high quality media photos are also available from the ceremony, the Last In Line show and a photo shoot.

OH YEAH Legend Award- Vivian Campbell Acceptance Speech

"Good evening how are you's?. Thank you for this. It really means a lot to me. It's really heavy by the way, so if I f**kin' fall over here... I don't normally put a lot of stock in getting awards, but then again I don't normally get them. So, but this one I'm very humbled by 'cause it's from you the men and women of my country. Thank you."

"This one really does mean something. You know the last couple of days I've been telling everyone who bothers to listen to me whinge that there's a certain amount of anxiety associated with this time of the night. The reason being I have been very fortunate to have a very long career. I've played in a lot of great bands and with many, many great talented musicians. If I would start naming them all I'd be here all night. I don't wanna bore the tits off you, so I'm gonna reel it in. ."

"I am gonna have to name some names however. Last quarter century I've been with a wee band called Def Leppard. The future is looking food for Leppard and and we're seeing more and more youthful faces in our audience and it's very encouraging for us. It's great energy. So I'd like to thank Joe and Sav and Rick and Phil for inviting me in 25 years ago. And I'm gonna put this down for a minute."

"Yeah so that's great when I'm not working with Def Leppard I'm working with Last In Line who I'm gonna play with here tonight. Some exceptionally talented players. I'd like to extend a really big thanks to them 'cause they came halfway across the world to play here tonight just to support me. Thank you. For nothing more than a curry and a Jameson."

"Anyway so that's it. Last In Line. I'd like to thank Strangeworld management, Steve Strange. Phil McCalister...I'd like to thank our crew. Jez and John."

"I'd like to thank the wonderful people from OH YEAH for putting this together. For their hard work. Charlotte, James and everyone associated with it."

"I'd like to thank my friends. You know who you are. I don't have many friends. I have a lot of acquaintances but - no I do actually, that's, I do have a lot of friends and they mean a lot to me and they always have and they always will."

"I'd like to thank my family. My wife Caitlyn. My daughters Lily and Una. My sister Fiona. My brother John. My brother Michael. Their families. It means a lot to me for them to be here tonight."

"So and I gotta mention a few people who are no longer with us. But without whom I wouldn't be here. I'll start with my family. My parents. My mother Mary Campbell. My father, the original Vivian Campbell. Thank you. And they were very, very supportive of me. They really believed in me. It wasn't easy trying to have the dream. They keep telling everyone you know what do you want to do with your life?. I wanna be a guitar player in a rock band. Catch yourself on was the phrase I learnt. But my father, you know, with the benefit of hindsight. Maybe I didn't realise this at the time. But he was my biggest supporter. He believed in me when no one else did. So big debt of thanks to him."

"When I was 15 I met Trevor Fleming. Big Trev. Trevor had a Les Paul. I had a Les Paul. We were golden right. We were gonna form a band. Trev introduced me to the only living legend I've ever met in my life. Rayme Haller (Raymond Haller). So we had our bass player. Singer with Rayme. We played with a few drummers. We found Davey Bates (David Bates). We formed a band called Sweet Savage. We wrote some songs. We rehearsed We went on tour. And we were ready to conquer the world. We got as far as Kilkenny. But I'm pretty sure we conquered it. It was good."

"It was hard to get anyone to pay attention to a wee band from Ireland back then. But as the years went by it was very obvious that Metallica were paying attention. So that was good. At least it's good for them. Anyway. unfortunately we lost Trevor seven years ago. He died way too young. So let's, we all miss him. I know Rayme does, I do. So does Davey."

"And Jimmy Bain who gave me my big break. Jimmy called my father and woke him up at two o'clock in the morning. My father said: 'There's a drunken Scotsman on the phone'. And Jimmy was in a hotel room in London with Vinny Appice and Ronnie James Dio. And he said can you fly to London tomorrow?. Ronnie's looking for a guitar player, I put tour name forward. So I have an enormous debt of gratitude to Jimmy Bain. We lost Jimmy about a year and a half ago. He was a lovely human being. I miss him very much."

"And the aforementioned Ronnie James Dio you know. Ronnie and I had our issues in life, but I assure you we have not in the afterlife. And I know that Ronnie would be very approving of what's going on with Last In Line. What's going on here tonight. So a shout out to Ronnie."

"I would also really quickly like to mention my heroes. The people who were legends to me when I was an aspiring teenage guitar player. Even before my teenage years. What really started it for me was Top Of The Pops on Thursday night in the early 70s. Marc Bolan and T. Rex. I knew three things were gonna happen. I was gonna play guitar. I was gonna grow my hair. And I was gonna wear my sister's clothes. Now fortunately I don't fit into any of Fiona's clothes. Even back then. But two of those things happened. I got a guitar and learnt how to play. I grew my hair. And I moved on to Rory Gallagher first album. First concert I saw at the Ulster Hall, I saw Rory there as I'm sure many of you did. Then in December I met him as a fan. He signed my ticket stub. He was a real gentleman. I had to pleasure to meet him again as a peer in Los Angeles in the late 80s and interview him for a Guitar magazine. And I'm happy to say he was still a gentleman. ."

"Phil Lynott. Never met a more charismatic rock star in my life. On stage or off. Phil was as you all know just an incredible talent. It was great to share the stage with Thin Lizzy so many times with Sweet Savage over the years."

"And finally a fellow legend recipient. Fellow Belfast man. The man to my ears who was the greatest guitar player ever. Gary f**king Moore."

"So that's it. Enough of this shite. I just wanna say one last thing. This award to me is as much about you than it is about me. Look how far we've come. My fifteen year old self. I couldn't even find someone to teach me how to play guitar. Now we have this fabulous resource. The OH YEAH centre. These great people who work so hard to make this happen. And to be a support system for aspiring artists in this country. We've come a long way. Long may our light continue to shine. Thank you."

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The 'Hysteria 30th Anniversary Edition' was released around the world on 4th August.

Hysteria 2017.

Buy 'Hysteria 30th Anniversary Edition' Online

  • Amazon - (5CD/2DVD Super Deluxe Edition)
  • Amazon - (2CD Deluxe Edition)
  • Amazon - (1CD Edition)
  • Amazon - (2LP Vinyl-Black)

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