Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen is indefinitely off the band’s current joint tour with Journey due to a family emergency, with Trixter guitarist Steve Brown subbing for him, according to Blabbermouth. 30 minutes before showtime on Friday night (May 25th) at Hershey, Pennsylvania’s Hersheypark Stadium, Leppard frontman, Joe Elliott came out to fill fans in on the situation, saying, “I have an announcement to make. And I’d like you to spread the word as people come in. But, very sadly, Phil Collen cannot be with us this evening. He has a family emergency back in California. So we are very blessed that our very good friend Steve Brown, who, some of you may remember, stood in for Vivian (Campbell) about four years ago when Vivian couldn’t make a couple of shows, has learned the bits very, very rapidly and, with Phil’s blessing, will join us on stage tonight. And for the immediate future.”

Elliott went on to say: “So just be prepared, okay? We’re here for ya, and we’re glad that you’re here for us. Thank you. See you in 30 minutes.”
Steve Brown is no stranger to Leppard fans, having opened for the band with Trixter way back in ’92, before becoming their go-to guitarist when Vivian Campbell was sidelined by treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014 and 2015.

Last year, Brown told Sleaze Roxx, “Those guys are like family to me. Most people don’t know this but I go back with Def Leppard to about 1988 when they were touring behind Hysteria. Phil Collen is a like a brother to me. When Vivian was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, Phil said to the Leppard guys, ‘I have the guy that can step in while Viv is undergoing treatment. Let’s call Steve.'”

He added: “(The) Def Leppard catalog is not the easiest thing to learn. There’s some very intricate guitar parts, very unique guitar parts. (Late-co-founding guitarist) Steve Clark wrote things in shapes and boxes that I haven’t played before. It was a challenge to dig in and learn the Mutt Lange/Def Leppard collection. They are not your typical ‘cookie cutter’ rock n’ roll band. They have an unique way of writing songs.”

Joe Elliott said in an interview that unlike the ’70s and ’80s, bands don’t need to drag out mobile studio units to record multi-tracks of their live gigs; in fact he says it takes almost no effort to record each and every night on the road: “Over the last couple of years; Yeah, they days are long gone where you turn up at some club, or some theatre, or arena, and there’s the Rolling Stone mobile (studio) up parked outside. You don’t need it anymore — you can actually record gigs onto a laptop.”

Joiurney & Def Leppard come to Chicago on July 14th at Wrigley Field.