Def Leppard Tickets

Def Leppard is the quintessential hard rock band of the '80s, and the group has scores of fans and several groundbreaking albums to prove it, not to mention an impressive touring record that is still expanding today.


The band was formed in England during 1977, as part of the 'New Wave of British Heavy Metal, which was taken over by names such as Iron Maiden when Def Leppard grew in popularity across the pond.


The band began with Rick Savage on bass, Pete Willis on guitar, Tony Kenning on drums and Joe Elliot in the front spot - Steve Clark was soon added as another drummer. The first effort from the band, the "Def Leppard EP", saw success with the single "Rocks Off," which was played by a prominent British DJ that looked after the punk rock and new wave sound of the country.


The debut album from the group, "On Through the Night" was a commercial success, but fans thought that the rockers were trying to appeal to Americans too much with songs like "Hello America." Extensive touring in the U.S. also irked British fans - they were even hit with garbage at one performance.


The next album, "High 'n Dry," provided MTVs first "metal" video with the single "Bringin on the Heartbreak." The next album, "Pyromania," began the bands reign as top dogs in the rock industry. The singles "Photograph," "Rock of Ages" and "Foolin" fueled the success. The group was also in the news after (new) drummer Rick Allen lost his arm - and continued to perform in the band with the help of an electronic drum kit.


The next album, "Hysteria," released in 1987, was also extremely popular, and included the hits "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Love Bites," "Women," "Animal," "Armageddon It," "Rocket" and the title track. In fact, the album is one of few that charted seven or more singles on the U.S Hot 100. The following tour marked Def Leppards prominence as a touring unit - the travels ran for 15 months, and the electric energy of the shows was used for several music videos to come.


By the end of the decade, more mainstream acts like Bon Jovi and Guns 'n Roses seemed to take the spotlight from the band - in addition, some group members were dealing with addictions and a new album was prolonged. However, 1992s "Adrenalize" was popular, and included six hit singles, such as "Lets Get Rocked."


The band remained a powerful force in the rock genre, especially with such extensive touring. When "Slang" was released in 1996, however, American audiences didnt appreciate the darker, stripped down songs, but 1999s "Euphoria" brought the band back to the top of the U.S. charts.


A testament to just how legendary the band is, a VH1 biopic aired in 2001 and received some of the highest rating the network has ever seen. While in recent years the bands albums seem to be more pop-oriented, their concerts are still as hardcore as they ever were.