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I almost saw DEF LEPPARD three times, way back before they turned into a pop band, when they were young enough to kick ass unashamedly, in that bloom of youth when music is king, all important, nothing else matters. The first time had them opening for Ted Nugent and Sammy Hagar(pre-Van Halen, post Montrose) during the release of their first album, ON THROUGH THE NIGHT. The second time they headlined, with KROKUS opening.

That almost saw them the third time is an embarrassing moment. They had TESLA opening and it was after Rick Allen had the car accident where he lost an arm. He’d had a special set of drums designed where he used both feet and the one arm to play. He’d had to start over, reinventing the way to play his drum kit. I was especially looking forward to seeing him in action.

I bought two tickets, thirty-five apiece, and took a young woman to the show. She was one of these types that wanted her own liquid refreshment for the show and chose Royal Velvet. I told her she’d never get it through the gate, but she didn’t listen, got caught, and watched as I had to pour the contents into a trash bag lined can.

Ticked off, she railed about not being able to enjoy the show and insisted on leaving while TESLA was performing. You know how it is with males when they are in -er- love. We left.

I’ve tried to pick some clips from their early years.

The first is a song from their first album:

The second clip, ON THROUGH THE NIGHT, though the title of their first album, was actually on their second release. HIGH ‘N’ DRY:

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