DEF LEPPARD - Crew Lightest Show Video Available
September 12, 2007, 17 years ago
UK hard rock legends DEF LEPPARD have issued the following update:
"Being a Def Leppard crew member doesn't just mean you have to unload flight-cases, build the stage, tune guitars, and take care of fresh towels -- it's a lot more than that. Let's take this example..... Before the 2007 Downstage Thrust summer tour started, Def Leppard and their crew set up camp at the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, IN for a week, in order to rehearse and test everything that comes with a rock show: sound, video, light show, the works. During this period, the band played their full 90 minute set list about four or five times, a scenario that had to be executed completely to make sure the upcoming real show would go as smoothly as possible. These "test" shows were as close as real shows as you can get -- though without the thousands of fans, of course.During one of these test runs, the focus of attention were the light show and video screens. The lighting crew needed to see the visuals of a show, and how this would interact with the performers on stage. However, these performers didn't necessarily have to be Joe, Phil, Viv, Sav and Rick during this test -- as long as there were five guys on stage who would move around like the band did, for an entire set, the lights and screens could already be tested.
To give the band members a break, it was decided that while sound engineer Ronan McHugh would play a recording of an earlier full test show through the speakers, 5 crew members would occupy the stage and act like the band would do. Synching to actual Def Leppard live music, these crew guys would walk, run, jump, pose and just do everything you would also expect from the band, to give the lighting crew a good indication of what would actually happen on stage during a real show.
Luckily, we were there to see Rocko, Scott, Wolfie, Jeffro and Chad pretending to be Joe, Phil, Viv, Sav and Rick, resp., and actually capture it on video. Maybe not exactly as spectacular as the real deal, but pretty close.....!"
Watch the video here.
