Thrilled to meet his idols
One fan's dream came true when he met Def Leppard at the ONE FM's #1 Breakfast Show, talked to them backstage and watched their performance
He listened to Def Leppard for the first time in the early 90s, thanks to his brother who brought home a cassette tape of the English rock band's 1992 hit album Adrenalize.
Since then, Mr Steven Chew, 32, has been a fan, and owns all 11 of their albums in CD and vinyl formats.
"Most boys won't admit it - even though I am a huge heavy metal fan - Def Leppard's ballads are the best.
"I remembered playing Love Bites to a girl I really liked back in secondary school," said the IT entrepreneur and avid gig photographer.
Imagine his thrill when he finally met the band after all these years on Monday when he sat in ONE FM's #1 Breakfast Show's interview with three of the band members. He even walked away with an autographed guitar.
The privilege was part of a prize he won in a two-week SMS contest that ran on air on the ONE FM 91.3 radio station last month, together with gig promoter LAMC Productions.
ONE FM 91.3 is the gig's official presenter.
Mr Chew got to see the band do their soundcheck at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre venue yesterday, ahead of their show.
He was also given VIP Meet & Greet access, reserved for fans who bought the $700 package, which includes exclusive band merchandise and an autographed photo, among others.
The veteran rock act made up of frontman Joe Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell and drummer Rick Allen, performed a one-night show yesterday for 6,000 people - 19 years after they rocked a 5,000-strong crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
LATEST ALBUM
This time, they were here to promote their 11th and latest album, Def Leppard.
Two hours before their explosive 90-minute gig yesterday, Mr Chew was backstage chatting with the rockers and snapped a photo with the band.
The bachelor told M before the show: "It was interesting to see what went on during a soundcheck. After that, the band was also interviewed individually and filmed, perhaps for a tour special or music video.
"At the meet-and-greet session, I spoke mostly to Campbell and wished him the best of health and safe travels. He even gave me a guitar pick. I was nervous but they were all very nice people. "
The guitarist, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013, revealed in June that his cancer had returned.
For Mr Chew, meeting his idols was a "privileged experience" he will always remember.
"It was short and sweet. I saw fans that had gathered outside the venue just to get a glimpse of them. I count myself very lucky," he said.
On his experience of first meeting the band on Monday, he said: "The band had no airs and everyone was friendly. Of course they had a larger-than-life aura. Joe Elliott had a very commanding presence as most charismatic frontmen do, Phil Collen looked ridiculously in shape and was very humble and nice, and Vivian Campbell was cool and charming.
"It was also a great experience watching the DJs and their team. There's so much work behind the scenes. It was a real eye-opener indeed."
For him, it paid to be an avid listener of ONE FM 91.3.
"I have been tuning in to the station since it rebranded itself as a rock station and it is truly wonderful to hear songs that I could never imagine playing over Singapore radio when I was a teenager," he said.
Def Leppard show how it's done
Rock will never die is a common adage associated with the music genre.
And it is that spirit that seems to fuel legendary English rock outfit Def Leppard, giving them the power to work a crowd nearly 40 years since they started out.
Four decades of ups and downs - drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car accident in 1984 and guitarist Vivian Campbell saw his cancer return in June - has not doused their fire.
Though each member is in their 50s, they can stage a rock show that will put their 20-year-old counterparts to shame.
The 6,000-strong crowd at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre came to life from the get-go when Def Leppard kicked off the 90-minute show with their new song Let's Go, off their latest, self-titled album, released last month.
Naturally, rock star antics were aplenty.
The band's charming frontman Joe Elliott, 56, warmed up the crowd easily, often thrusting his microphone stand into the air to incite loud cheers from the audience.
He took the time to introduce individual members, calling bassist Rick Savage, 54, "one of (his) best friends of over 38 years now" and joking that Northern Ireland-born Campbell, 53, "put the fast in Belfast".
Phil Collen, 57, bared his sweaty, ripped torso from start to finish, delivering blistering guitar solos for hits like When Love And Hate Collide, Hysteria and Let's Get Rocked.
Naturally, classic favourites like Love Bites, Rock Of Ages and Pour Some Sugar On Me drew the loudest cheers.
Fans who have missed them dearly since their last show here 19 years ago were given something to look forward to as the show came to an end.
"This is the first time we've been here since 1996. You are my witnesses, we're never going to wait that long again," promised Elliott.
"There will be a next time. Don't forget us and we won't forget you," he added before exiting the stage.
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