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Rock & Roll Hall of Fame streaming live from the red carpet.

via Cleveland

BROOKLYN, New York – It was clear from the start that the 34th annualRock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony would be different and focused – as it should be – on the music.

Gone were the opening speeches, the corporate game, etc. Instead, it was Stevie Nicks, the ethereal Fleetwood Mac singer who became the first woman inducted twice into the Rock Hall, belting out her hit “Stand Back.”

A jam-packed Barclays Center stood as one to pay homage to the 70-year-old singer-songwriter, dancing – some of the crowd mimicking her signature spinning move – as she said, “Hello, New York,” as only she can.

Having Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Don Henley join her on “Leather and Lace,” from her hit debut solo album, “Bella Donna” was a pleasant surprise. Having former One Direction singer and rising solo superstar Harry Styles stand in for Tom Petty on the first single off that album, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,’’ just added to that.

“She stepped onto a stage with incredible ease; I remember it well,’’ quipped Styles, who was born in 1994, in presenting her for induction.

“However you feel or want to feel, there is a Stevie Nicks song that will meet you there,’’ he said.

Nicks herself was as loquacious as she was gracious, jokingly referring to her many romances and noting she was available as a speaker if anyone needed someone who would ramble on and on.

Drummer Phil Selway, whose band Radiohead was one of two inductees who did not play – the other was Janet Jackson — thanked Hall of Famer David Byrne for presenting them for induction . . . and for letting them “borrow” one of his songs for their name, “and not asking for it back.”

In another surprise, Roxy Music founder Bryan Ferry was the only member of the band to speak after the group was presented for induction by Duran Duran’s John Taylor and Simon LeBon. Not that that was a bad thing, as it put the band onstage – minus synthesizer whiz Brian Eno, who did not attend the ceremony – for a set that began with the haunting “In Every Dream Home a Heartache.”

The band’s five-song set – which included the big hit “Avalon” and the synthesizer-laden “Editions of You” – could’ve hit stores yesterday. It’s too bad that in an earlier email interview with The Plain Dealer, Ferry noted, “I have a full programme,’’ when asked if there was a chance for a reunion.

For full profiles of the seven inductees by The Plain Dealer’s Chuck Yarborough, see cleveland.com/entertainment.

A special moment of a night full of special moments was a quote from Robert Smith in the traditional clip leading up to the induction of the Cure. Talking about the allure of the band, he said he observed the group “hasn’t changed the world, but there have been moments when we were slightly different.’’

He did that in a pretty simple way: “Put stark words to uplifting melody to get their attention.”

Inducted by former Clevelander Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, the band had a way of connecting with people who previously had been isolated from the world.

“I left home for the big city of Cleveland,’’ small-town Pennsylvania native Reznor said. “Everything changed. Just being able to tune into college radio made my head explode.’’

“The first album I heard was ‘The Head on the Door,’ ’’ he said. “I hadn’t heard anything like it before. A lot of darkness I felt in my head was coming back at me through the speakers and blew my mind.”

“It’s a surprise for us, but a very nice surprise,’’ said an obviously emotional Smith, his trademark disheveled hair, eyeliner and ruby-red lipstick in full view, like some sort of emo-Goth parody of Bette Davis, in response to what till that time was the biggest ovation of the evening.

“It’s been 40 years since our first album came out,’’ said Smith, who seems almost painfully shy. “In that time, obviously there have been a lot of people who’ve played a part in the Cure story, for better or worse. I would like to thank everyone who’s been in the band.’’

Janelle Monae, inducting Janet Jackson, was equally eloquent: “Janet has a crown, glory and legacy all her own.’’

Add gracious, as Jackson spread her thanks among her family, her mentors, her producers, God and even her choreographers — including Paula Abdul.

“In 1997, my brothers were recognized for their musical passion by being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and I was so proud,” Jackson said. “I witnessed along with the rest of the world my family’s extraordinary impact on popular culture, not just in America, but all around the entire globe and … and as the youngest in the family, I was determined to make it on my own.

“But never in a million years did I expect to follow in their footsteps,’’ she said. “Tonight, your baby sister has made it.”

The Zombies entered the Rock Hall 50 years to the day when their song “Time of the Season” became the No. 1 single in the United States. As if being inducted into the Rock Hall needed more cachet, that did it.

So it was a pleasure to hear the band roll into that hit, as well as “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No,’’ pretty much the soundtrack for an era. Curiously – or maybe not – it’s one that began in a studio in Memphis, Tennessee.

“One day reaching back to 1956, my cousin played me 2-1/2 minutes of music which changed my life,’’ said the Zombies’ Rod Argent. “That music was Elvis [Presley] singing ‘Hound Dog.’

“If you didn’t live through the ’50s, it’s hard to imagine the gulf between England and America,’’ he said. “I was 11 years old, and I couldn’t imagine being a part of the same world [as Elvis].’’

But the highlight for any concert is the headliner, and the Def Leppard induction, with Queen’s Brian May presenting the band, didn’t disappoint.

May and Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott have known each other for years, and the Queen Hall of Famer has shared a stage with the band a time or two. He shared one particular story, about a night when Elliott saved his life.

It was the “Pyromania” tour, and, as you might expect, pyrotechnics were involved. May went into the final song jamming as hard as ever as a guest of Def Leppard at a show at the Los Angeles Forum, thinking Elliott’s exhortations and cries of “Brian! Brian! Brian!” were merely the Def Leppard’s way of saying he was impressed with May’s solo.

Uh, no.

Just before a huge wall of flame erupted during the finale – which would have incinerated May – Elliott pulled him to safety.

“Joe Elliott saved my life,” May deadpanned.

Elliott himself showed off some of his charisma, noting the trials and tribulations of the band that included drummer Rick Allen losing his arm in a car crash, alcoholism claiming the life of guitarist Steve Clark, cancer for guitarist Viv Campbell and ups and downs in the band’s popularity.

“If alcoholism, car crashes and cancer couldn’t kill us, the ’90s didn’t have a [bleeping] chance!’’ he said.

The wit and wisdom – plus a story about learning his first three chords from his mother when he was 8 years old (“I’ve learned two more since then, and I realized I didn’t need them”) – made for a sweet ending to a night that lasted more than five hours.

And, as befitting a headliner, the band kept the crowd on its collective feet, rolling through hits that started with “Hysteria” and included as expected, and ended rightly so, with an audience sing-along on “Pour Some Sugar on Me.”

And in a variation of the usual all-hands-on-deck finale, Argent, the Zombies’ Colin Blunstone, May, Susanna Hoffs, Stevie Van Zandt and Ian Hunter (who will be in Cleveland in April) joined the band for an epic (if pitchy) version of Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes.”

Young dudes? Maybe not. But dudes – and two ladies – who’d earned respect . . . and enshrinement in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

via TMZ

Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott ain’t buying the theory rock is dead, as his band enters the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and he’s got an idea about how to give groups like Wu-Tang Clan their props.

We got an ecstatic Joe, Friday afternoon in NYC, hours before DL’s induction. As you know … Janet Jackson, The Zombies, The Cure, Stevie Nicks and Roxy Music are also going into the Hall. As for the Wu — not even on the ballot, despite being eligible since 2017 and RZA saying they’re overdue for the honor.

Joe has a different POV, and thinks it’s weird when non-rock acts get into the Rock & Roll HOF. His fellow-inductee, Janet, might have something to say about that.

Still, he agrees Wu-Tang deserves an honor … a slightly different one, though.

Mr. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” also names a UK-bred band he believes can take up the mantle as the next BIG arena rock band … a la Def Leppard.

Gunter glieben glauchen globen. Translation: congrats on the Hall, Joe!!!

via ET Canada

It’s been 40 years since Def Leppard released their first album and the band show no signs of stopping according to lead singer Joe Elliott.

Now, as the band prepare to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame on March 29, Elliott is sitting down for an exclusive interview with ET Canada’s Carlos Bustamante in New York City, reflecting on the ups and downs of the British rock band.

“We’re working hard and it is hard work but when it’s your vocation, when it’s your hobby, when it’s your calling, or whatever you want to call it, it doesn’t quite seem as hard,” he says, adding after all this time with the band, he doesn’t get tired of playing the hits like “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Animal”.

“I don’t have a problem playing the hits because that’s what put us where we are. They can get tedious in rehearsals but never in front of an audience,” Elliott says, calling touring the “best part” of being in the band.

It’s a good thing Elliott and bandmates Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell aren’t sick of playing their biggest songs. In addition to their Hall of Fame honour, Def Leppard are about to embark on a Canadian tour and a Las Vegas residency in 2019.

Elliott, 59, is prepared to give it his all, giving the fans exactly what they want when they come to a Def Leppard show.

“You want people to leave the building going, ‘Wow they’ve still got it,’” he tells Carlos. “That doesn’t come by accident. That’s a lot of work. That’s warm-ups, that’s just taking care of yourself. Don’t go to nightclubs until six in the morning shouting your orders for a drink and expect to sing like a bird the next night. Ain’t going to happen.”

Getting injured is a serious issue for Elliott, who has worked his way back from severe vocal issues.

“I hurt my voice. I lost my voice three years ago to the point where I thought maybe I would never sing again,” he explains. “But with insane willpower on my part and fantastic belief in my vocal coach we built my voice back up and it’s better than it’s ever been. So yeah, you’re constantly worried about stuff like that. It can end like that!”

Over the years, Elliott and the band have learned to manage through life’s ups and downs.

“Well, we’re a fantastic example of ‘mind over matter,’ if you like,” he explains. “I mean, we have a drummer with one arm, we lost a guitar player to alcoholism, we lost 2 to alcoholism, one of them died.”

“You can either split up and back down or you can ride it out and give it the middle finger and say, ‘We’ll come back stronger, we just need a bit of time to re-evaluate where we are’. We just had a lot of self-belief,” he adds.

That self-belief means Def Leppard have no plans of hanging up their instruments any time soon.

“As long as I can still stand up straight and hit a note. If I can physically do it and I want to do it then I will,” a determined Elliott says. “I think we all know when it’s time to step away, and you hope — the only thing that you can ever really hope — is that it’s your choice. You know, not after some tragic stroke or heart attack or something like that.”

“You want to be able to walk away and go do something else. Fishing or mountaineering, whatever you fancy,” he concludes. “I just hope that when the time does come that it’s my choice.”

Def Leppard’s Las Vegas residency is set to begin August 14 at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Their Canadian tour kicks off in Halifax on July 12. See the list of Canadian dates below.

7/12/19 Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre
7/13/19 Moncton, NB – Avenir Centre
7/15/19 Quebec City, QC – Centre Videotron
7/17/19 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
7/19/19 Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
7/20/19 Hamilton, ON – FirstOntario Centre
7/22/19 London, ON – Budweiser Gardens
7/25/19 Winnipeg, MB – Bell MTS Place
7/27/19 Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
7/29/19 Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
7/31/19 Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome

Follow along as Def Leppard takes you behind the scenes for their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Like and follow our Facebook for a special livestream from the red carpet on Friday, March 29 at 5:30pm EST. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will air April 27 on HBO.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE LATEST VIDEOS

Def Leppard performs ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ live on ‘GMA’

Catching up with Def Leppard live on ‘GMA’

Facebook Livestream Interview

Frontman Joe Elliott tells Howard how influential David Bowie was to him and the band before covering the iconic rocker’s hit song “Ziggy Stardust.”

Rock band remembers taking the stage with David Bowie at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert to perform Mott the Hoople’s hit “All the Young Dudes”

Via The Howard Stern Show: Def Leppard rocked the Stern Show studio once again on Tuesday morning, sitting down with Howard just a few days before the band’s long-awaited induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Frontman Joe Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, drummer Rick Allen, and guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell tackled an array of subjects during their visit, including drawing inspiration from David Bowie and Queen, making their multi-platinum albums “Hysteria” and “Pyromania,” and how Allen persevered after a horrible 1984 car accident took his left arm.

The band also performed two live songs for Howard: a cover a Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust” and a stripped-down rendition of one of their many chart-topping originals, “Pour Some Sugar on Me” (above).

Check out all of the highlights from Def Leppard’s Stern Show visit (below).

Def Leppard listed quite a few musical inspirations during their conversation with Howard, like Queen, Marc Bolan of T. Rex fame, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, and even punk acts like the Clash, but few entertainers shaped their trajectory quite so much as David Bowie.

“We were lucky we grew up in an era … we saw black-and-white turn into color,” lead singer Joe Elliott told Howard. “So, we saw Gerry and the Pacemakers or Herman’s Hermits and Tom Jones in black-and-white, and then we saw Bowie and Slade and T. Rex in color with all this glittery stuff. And it was mind-blowing – it was an absolute, you know, sensory overload on your eyes,” he continued.

Joe eventually performed alongside Bowie during a 1992 tribute to recently departed Queen singer Freddie Mercury. They—along with Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, and the surviving members of Queen—delivered an epic rendition of “All the Young Dudes,” which Joe said also happens to be his favorite song and one of three tunes he wants played at his funeral.

But Joe and Bowie’s relationship actually stretches back a few years further. He told Howard his first run-in with the rock icon actually occurred at Bono’s house in 1990 after the U2 singer invited him to a barbecue at his home in Ireland. “He says, ‘Come with me, I want to introduce you to somebody,’” Joe recounted. “And he walks me up into this room where the snooker table is, and Bowie sat on the snooker table, and Bono says, ‘I thought you might just want five minutes.’”

“They set it up … it’s like a date,” Howard said.

“It was,” Joe laughed. “I thought I was being punked.”

“It got even better,” he continued, recalling Bowie then whisked them away in a Mini Cooper to surprise the Edge, Bono’s U2 bandmate, while he was out to dinner on his birthday. “We run into the restaurant, we sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the Edge, and everybody’s giggling and laughing … Bowie’s totally instigating this, like a kid.”

The Howard Stern Show studios aren’t Def Leppard’s only stop while the British band visits New York City. On Friday, Queen guitarist Brian May will introduce them at the 34^th Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center where they will join the ranks of so many of their idols.

It’s a long time coming for Def Leppard, which has sold over 100 million albums and toured the world many times over since forming in 1977 but somehow hadn’t yet been inducted. Howard wondered if they even cared about being recognized by the Rock Hall after being snubbed for so long despite possibly being the biggest band in the world at one time.

“Yes, we do now,” Joe laughed. “Now that we’ve been nominated and inducted and chosen, yes, we care.”

“It’s the same as the Grammys,” Phil Collen added. “When we had two diamond albums—two 10-times platinum albums—there was no category for us.”

“It’s crazy.” Howard said.

The band believes its fans are one of the reasons for its 2019 induction. “In fairness, before the fan vote, I think it was a very elitist thing, which is why we kind of shied away … if you weren’t Lou Reed or R.E.M. or Loudon Wainwright III … no, no, they didn’t want us.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of fame wants them now, of course, and the guys feels honored to be introduced by May, one of the many artists who inspired them. “Queen is the blueprint for Def Leppard, really … so that’s what we wanted, it was just whether he could do or not,” Phil said.

Howard wondered if May’s guitar skills and innovations are underrated. “I’m only a bass player, but in my opinion absolutely, he’s one of the reasons I wanted to be in a band,” Rick Savage told him.