DEF LEPPARD Guitarist VIVIAN CAMPBELL - "I Have No Plans To Retire; I Have No Interest In It"

March 3, 2020, 4 years ago

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DEF LEPPARD Guitarist VIVIAN CAMPBELL - "I Have No Plans To Retire; I Have No Interest In It"

Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell recently spoke with Scott R. for 98.9 KKZX. He discussed his battle with cancer (which is in remission), touring with Journey and their upcoming jaunt with Mötley Crüe, making the band's catalogue available online, and the idea of retirement.

Campbell: "When I'm dead; when I stop breathing, that's when I'll stop working. I have no plans to retire; I have no interest in it. To me, playing is all I've ever wanted to do and I've been fortunate this is all I've ever done. I see no reason to stop working. I don't know what I would do. I think, in my case - if I stopped playing guitar, I'd be just waiting to die. Even when I was doing my cancer treatments, even at the worst of it, when was doing chemo and stem cell and stuff - well, not when I was stem cell, 'cause I couldn't leave the hospital.. I've been on tour when I've been doing hardcore chemo, and I didn't have any hair on my head, I didn't even have eyebrows, but I think it was a big part of helping me deal with it - the fact that I continued to be able to do my work."

On April 24, Eagle Rock Entertainment will present legendary British rock n' roll icons and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductees Def Leppard: London To Vegas. This limited edition 2Blu-ray+4CD, 2DVD+4CD and digital format release features two spectacular concert films: Hysteria At The O2 and Hits Vegas, Live At Planet Hollywood.

Filmed in December 2018, Hysteria At The O2 captures Def Leppard celebrating the groundbreaking Hysteria, one of their two diamond-certified 10x platinum albums (the other being Pyromania). Performed in its entirety before a ravenous sold-out crowd, this momentous homecoming event is made all the more powerful as it was their long-awaited debut at the iconic O2 Arena in London. Featuring electrifying performances of “Pour Some Sugar On Me,” “Animal,” “Women,” and “Love Bites,” band members Joe Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick “Sav” Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar), and Rick Allen (drums) conclude the set with a host of extra hits including “Let’s Get Rocked,” “When Love and Hate Collide,” and “Photograph.”

Six months later, just after their induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Def Leppard undertook a residency in Las Vegas at Zappos Theatre in Planet Hollywood. Hits Vegas, Live At Planet Hollywood is a 28-song deep dive into not only their greatest hits, but rarities such as “Too Late For Love,” “Billy’s Got A Gun,” “Slang,” and “Promises.” Highlighting Def Leppard’s versatility, Hits Vegas presents a livewire stage show with two stages and video walls, punctuated with intimate, acoustic renditions of rarely performed songs “Let Me Be The One,” “We Belong,” “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad,” and “Two Steps Behind.”

Hits Vegas offers a behind-the-scenes bonus feature, while Hysteria At The O2 is rounded out with the bonus Hysteria: Then And Now mini-documentary. As a whole, Def Leppard: London To Vegas encapsulates the prestige of one of rock’s most iconic bands.

Packed in a 10” box with a 40-page hardback book, the set is completed with audio from both concerts. Hysteria Live, featuring the performance of the complete Hysteria album from the O2 show, will also be available separately on crystal clear 2LP, packaged in a gatefold sleeve.

Finally, in addition to these in-depth sets, Def Leppard: London To Vegas is now available for pre-order as a direct-to-consumer package with exclusive merchandise bundles here. These include a London To Vegas T-shirt, London To Vegas 12x12 lithograph, branded envelope featuring replica setlist, guitar pics, and replica laminates from both shows, and an exclusive 4-song picture disc, Acoustic In Vegas.

Watch a video trailer below:


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