The drummer Rick Allen joined Def Leppard when he was only 15 and at the age of 16 he already had the chance to tour with the band when they were invited to be AC/DC’s opening act. In an interview with Forbes, the musician recalled his moments with the late legendary singer Bon Scott and told how the artists was like.
Def Leppard’s Rick Allen recalls his meeting with Bon Scott
“I remember sharing a cup of tea with Bon Scott. We opened for AC/DC on their ‘Highway To Hell’ tour at three or four venues. And it just so happened that on my 16th birthday at the Hammersmith Odeon, Bon Scott came up and gave me a bowl of Smarties and wished me a ‘Happy Birthday’ and we had a cup of tea together.”
“Lovely, very unassuming. He didn’t strike me as being a wild man. What a huge loss. I remember watching the opening night of that tour. They came on stage and played ‘Live Wire’ and they were one of the most powerful bands I’d ever experienced at that point. Hard rock and roll, well-executed and well-crafted songs. Great musicianship, great singing. Everything a rock band to my mind needed to be,” Rick Allen said.
Bon Scott was a fundamental part of AC/DC’s success and tragically passed away back in 1980 at the age of 33. In that same year he was replaced by Brian Johnson who was able to help the Hard Rock band to become even bigger.
Allen was on the road with Def Leppard making the last concerts of their world tour alongside Mötley Crüe. They are on a break but their final shows this year will happen next November in Japan and Australia.
Next Def Leppard + Mötley Crüe tour dates
- 3 – K-ARENA YOKOHAMA YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
- 4 – K-ARENA YOKOHAMA – YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
- 8 – NOV SUNCORP STADIUM – BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
- 11 – GIANTS STADIUM – SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
- 14 -MARVEL STADIUM – MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA