Page 32 - Classic Rock - The Complete Story of Def Leppard 2019
P. 32
JOE ELLIOT
Donington Park. Prior to that, you had Portrait of the around to get a drink and then I saw him. him, and the response from those people
artistes as young
six low-key warm-up gigs in Ireland, ‘Oh, welcome!’ was unbelievable. The volume of the
men: On Through
where you had Status Quo’s drummer The Night-era crowd, that wave of emotion, it almost
Leppard (l-r) Rick
Jeff Rich playing alongside Rick on a Savage, Joe Elliott, So that was the turning point for Rick? blew your hair backwards. You could
second kit. Was that Rick’s decision? Pete Willis, Rick Totally. The next night, Jeff said, ‘How sense this feeling of goodwill amongst
Allen, Steve Clark.
It was. We decided to do the Monsters Of about I don’t play this one and just go and 70,000 people.
Rock gigs because we were going stir watch it from out front?’ Rick said, ‘Okay,
crazy in the studio. And when the warm- that’s cool.’ And after that gig, Jeff walked Are there still moments, even now, so
ups in Ireland were set up, Rick said, ‘I in the dressing room and said, ‘I guess I’m many years on, when you think: how the
don’t feel confident being the only going home tomorrow…” hell did Rick do that?
drummer.’ So, having Jeff Rich with us I have that feeling pretty much every day.
gave Rick that security blanket. We did the And the very next gig was at Donington. You don’t sit there gooey-eyed in front of
first three Irish gigs and they were fine, if a Rick was on his own up there in front of him thinking, ‘God, isn’t he amazing?’ But
bit clanky. Jeff was doing our gigs in 70,000 people, and he pulled it off. It was he is. You know that. You don’t take it for
between Quo shows in England. But magnificent. granted, but it’s just human nature to not
when it came to the fourth gig, in go on about it all the time. People who
Ballybunion, Jeff had his flight delayed by There was a wonderful moment during don’t see him every day will go on about
fog. By the time we had to go on, at eleven, that performance at Donington, when it, and rightly so. And that’s what happens
Jeff still hadn’t turned up, so Rick just said, you made an announcement after a few when we play live. We don’t do drum
‘I’ll have to play this one on my own.’ It songs, introducing Rick to the audience. solos, but Rick does an extended diddly-
was midnight when Jeff sheepishly snuck I wasn’t going to make a big song and diddly at the end of Switch 625, which is
in and joined in halfway through. I didn’t dance of it, but I looked at Phil and said, just enough for people to go, ‘Holy shit,
even notice he was there until I turned ‘We gotta do this for Rick.’ So I introduced he’s got one arm, and listen to that – it’s
SEEING SO MANY WOMEN IN OUR AUDIENCE,
I LOVE IT. IT MAKES YOU WALK A LITTLE TALLER,
AND YEAH, I MIGHT WIGGLE MY HIPS MORE,
BUT WHY NOT?
30 CLASSICROCKMAGAZINE.COM
