Def Leppard Announces 40-City Tour With Poison and Special Guest Cheap Trick :

In what is sure to be the biggest rock event of this 2009 summer, Britain's greatest arena rock band Def Leppard will join forces with Poison and special guest Cheap Trick for a 40 city North American US Tour.

With combined sales of over 100 Million albums worldwide, 65 million from Leppard alone, fans can expect hits like "Photograph," "Rock Of Ages," "C'mon C'mon," "Pour Some Sugar On Me," "Foolin'," "Bringin' On The Heartbreak," "Nine Lives," and countless others creating an evening of rock 'n' roll unlike any other this summer. The tour, which kicks off on June 23rd in Camden, N.J., promises an unprecedented night for those in attendance. The show will highlight three decades of music from three of rock 'n' roll's greatest bands for a four-hour interactive concert experience that will begin the moment that the doors open. It will feature Bluetooth technology and delivery, text communications prior to and during performances and a host of interactive offerings. This in addition to an arsenal of nearly 60 Top 40 hits including Poison's "Every Rose Has Its Thorn," "Unskinny Bop," "Ride the Wind," "Somethin' To Believe In," and "Nothin' But A Good Time," as well as Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me" and "Surrender." "I'm very pleased that we are coming back to North America," said Def Leppard front man Joe Elliott. "We're gonna be touring with some new friends and some old friends and can guarantee it will be the Rock Tour of the summer."

"There is nothing better than an epic summer concert and this tour is a dream come true for rock 'n' roll fans. It will be a night of a thousand hits with three hard-charging rock bands on the road together," said Poison front man and star of VH1's top-rated "Rock of Love Bus" reality show Bret Michaels. Def Leppard (Joe Elliott - vocals, Vivian Campbell - guitar, Phil Collen - guitar, Rick "Sav" Savage -bass and Rick Allen - drums) sits at the top of an iconic class of rock 'n' roll bands. In fact, they are one of a handful of select groups, including the likes of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Eagles, who have been awarded the R.I.A.A.'s prestigious Diamond Award more than once (Pyromania and Hysteria). The band's most recent album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge debuted last year at #5 on the Billboard Top 200; earning Def Leppard their highest-charting debut since their 1992 album Adrenalize. Over the course of their career, Def Leppard has produced a series of classic groundbreaking albums that set the sound for generations of music fans and artists. The group's spectacular live shows, filled with powerful melodic rock anthems, have become synonymous with their name and are an institution in the touring industry as they continue to sell out arenas worldwide.

Poison, one of rock's most iconic and enduring bands, has been one of the music industry's top acts, with multi-platinum album sales and sold out tours since first bursting onto the scene in 1986. Poison's Bret Michaels, C.C. Deville, Bobby Dall and Rikki Rockett have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and charted twelve Top 10 hits. Throughout Poison's career, the band's members have enjoyed collaborative and solo successes from the stage to screen. Bret Michaels currently stars in the #1 viewed reality show on cable, VH1's "Rock of Love Bus."

With more than 5,000 performances, 20 million records sold, 29 movie soundtracks and 40 gold and platinum-recording awards, Cheap Trick may be one of the most covered bands of all time. Since the 70s they've been blending elements of pop, punk and even metal in a way that is instantly catchy and recognizable. Live Nation will produce the tour nationally. Def Leppard has teamed up with I Love All Access to offer the ultimate fan experience for the tour featuring a variety of packages. For more details go to www.iloveallaccess.com. For Def Leppard tour dates or concert tickets, go HERE.  ... Source ...

Def Leppard Biography (Brief) :

Hard-Rock Pop-Metal band formed in Sheffield, ENGLAND in 1977 by lead singer Joe Elliott, guitarist Pete Willis, bassist Rick Savage and drummer Tony Kenning; the four guys soon started playing around local clubs, the following year, Steve Clark joined the group as second guitarist and Kenning was replaced by drummer Rick Allen.
The quintet recorded their first EP shortly afterwards, the record created enough buzz around the band and landed them opening spots for Sammy Hagar and AC/DC.
After signing with Phonogram in Europe and Mercury in the States, in the spring of 1980 Def Leppard released their debut full-length album, "On Through The Night", which was a hit in their homeland on the back of the single track "Hello America"; they supported the album's release with a promotional tour throughout the U.S. where the set debuted at #51 on the Pop chart.
The second album, "High 'n' Dry", which was issued almost exactly one year later, climbed into the top 40 of the U.S. Top 200 LPs & Tapes list, it included two Mainstream Rock charting singles: "Let It Go" and "Bringin' On The Heartbreak".
In the summer of 1982 Willis was fired from the band, Phil Collen replaced him, shortly before they released "Pyromania", the group's third effort shot to #2 in U.S. Pop Albums chart; following an American tour supporting Billy Squier, two singles, "Photograph" and "Rock Of Ages", entered the top 20 of the Pop Singles chart and also topped the Mainstream Rock chart; two more Mainstream Rock top 10 hits, "Foolin'" and "Too Late For Love" helped pump album's total sales to over 10 million copies.
The following year the quintet began working on the follow-up to "Pyromania" but on New Year's Eve, just outside Sheffield, Rick Allen's car overturns high speed and he is thrown clear, his left arm is severed, microsurgery failed to reconnect the limb.
Adapting a Simmons electronic drum-kit, Allen learned to drum one-armed and in early 1987 Def Leppard completed its fourth effort, "Hysteria"; the record went straight to #1 on The Billboard Top 200 Albums chart selling 12 million copies plus other 4 million outside the States; it generated a string of hit singles: "Animal", "Women", "Armageddon It", "Hysteria", "Love Bites" and "Rocket", all of which rose to the top 10 of The Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, "Love Bites" also topped The Billboard Hot 100 and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" reached the #2 in the same chart.
Tragedy struck the band with the death of guitarist Steve Clark in January of 1991, he died from an overdose of alcohol and drugs; Def Leppard finished their fifth effort as a four-piece by fall 1992; "Adrenalize" included two #1s Active Rock singles: "Let's Get Rocked" and "Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion)" plus the top 3 hit, "Make Love Like A Man" and the #7 "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad", the latter also reached the #12 spot on The Billboard Hot 100; the album spent 5 weeks at the top of The Billboard 200 Albums chart selling 6 million copies; the group's line-up was eventually reconfigured with ex-Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell.
The band released in October of 1993 "Retro Active", a collection of early-material and B-sides which entered the top 10 of the U.S. Albums chart and was certified double-platinum while the lead single "Two Steps Behind", peaked at #12 and #5 respectively on The Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts; followed the American top 40 hit "Miss You In A Heartbeat" and the Active Rock top 20 hit "Desert Song".
Two years later Def Leppard issued another collection, "Vault"; the set contained their biggest hits and a new song, "When Love & Hate Collide", despite the track missed the U.S. Rock charts the compilation went on to sell nearly 4 million copies and became their best chart-placing ever in U.K. where peaked at #2.
In May of 1996 the quintet released their sixth studio-album of new material, "Slang", it reached the top 20 of The Billboard Top 200 chart spawning "Work It Out" which peaked at #6 on Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.
The group released in June of 1999 "Euphoria" and kicked off a tour in support of the new album which hit #11 in U.S. Top 200 list, the first single "Promises" peaked at #1 on Mainstream Rock chart and "Paper Sun" reached the #11 spot in the same chart.
Another three years passed before Def Leppard returned with their tenth album, "X", as in the Roman numeral for 10, the record replicated its predecessor's chart performance and generated two Active Rock top 30 singles: "Now" and "Four Letter Word".
On May 17, "Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection", the band's new compilation album, will be released on double CD in North America, the set includes the new radio single track "No Matter What".    ...Source...