Head out to the Rio Grande Valley for the kick off date of the Def Leppard summer tour. The concert is being held in an area just outside McAllen called Hidalgo... Basically when translated it means "you have entered hell at the US/Mexico border". Not a particularly pleasant part of the State to be in especially as the poor folks down there are still dealing with scattered power loss and bad flooding of some parts. All courtesy of Hurricane Dolly. Saying that though the arena where the show's being held is alright and there's plenty of space backstage and in the dressing rooms.

None of the band are there when I arrive so I pop out to the stage area and see everyone who are setting up the show... Get a very warm welcome from everyone and catch up. Look for a couple of places to shoot the guys later on.

The guys arrive at 3:30 looking well rested and are all smiles and energy. Spend some time chatting with Rick about various things and get some shots of him for a British Drum Magazine that's going to run a feature on him. Sound check goes really well and they do a practice run of "Go". Of course Joe hams it up a little for the benefit of my camera during all of this. Sometimes he seems real serious and then unexpectedly just drops funny shite in right in your lap.



Head back to the dressing room with the guys to sit and show them some of the photos I took of them on the UK tour... To say they were pleased with them is a little understated. Of course I was even more pleased and relieved at their positive reactions to what I had shot. Right now the pics are under wraps but you'll be seeing them soon enough. I'm especially pleased with the way my new camera, the Canon EOS 1Ds MK III performed while on tour, tough, ergonomic and easy to use.



Later on Rick has a meet and greet with about a dozen injured soldiers that are just back from Iraq. The particular soldiers are burns victims who have been injured in the line of duty and are a great bunch of guys. Rick guides them around backstage and shows them all the going ons and how things work behind the scenes etc. I get them all to line up and do some shots of them all with Rick. For some of the guys this is their first ever concert and they are a little in awe. I thank the guys for their service to us and I think it catches them off guard a little that I said that... I personally find it incredibly sad and selfish that more people don't stop and thank a military member for their service. No matter what your politics, they're out there doing the job so we can be at home making our own free choices.

To see more and make donations to Rick's Raven Drum Foundation or the Wounded Warrior Project then please click the links:

http://www.RavenDrumFoundation.org

http://www.WoundedWarriorProject.org



Grabbed the guys for a few minutes backstage just before they were due onstage and did a quick shoot of the band together. Great thing is that they need very little in the way of direction. They've all been doing this for so long that it's second nature. They played well tonight to another sold out show and the energy levels were certainly up as the guys tore it up once again. Load up some gear after the show and meet some really cool fans waiting at the backstage fence. Hang out for a while after the show with the guys who want me to go back to the hotel and party for a while but I wuss out after an hour or so and head back up to home on a nice three hour drive.... Luvverly!!

Pop up the road to San Antonio for a little jaunt to the Mayhem tour. I'm shooting Phil Demmel from Machine head for Jackson Guitars. Phil's a great guy to work with, always friendly and talkative. Actually all the Machine Head fellas are nice and easygoing. Phil meets me at the backstage entrance to the venue and helps me get through so I can scout out a suitable place to do photos.....there really isn't anywhere so we make do with Phil atop a pallet of Monster Energy drink and we use the sky as a backdrop. The heat is pretty bad and the humidity is making it suck even more.. The heat index ended up being about 110 that day I think.. 20 minutes and a very drenched Phil and Ash later and we're done. I stow my gear under the bus and get onboard to cool off and have a drink with the guys from the band.

See my photographer buddies Jay and Gary backstage and Jay shoots me hauling my gear. They've been there all day and were there until Slipknot closed the show..... The heat was too much for me already. Shot Machine Head live as they closed the second stage show to a pretty wild and drunk crowd. Got right on the stage next to Phil Demmel and got some great close ups of him. Ended up staying a little while and hanging out a little before a splitting headache arrived and cued me to leave....

FINALLY I have finished the exhaustive selection and editing of the Def Leppard UK tour photos. Now I can breathe a little...for a couple of days anyway. The whole process has been a very long and arduous one but the photos that I've captured of the guys on tour are very pleasing. I can't wait for them to see the images next week when they kick off the US tour in Texas. A nice bottle of Aberfeldy helps top off the completion of the project.

Hurricane Dolly has been spinning her fat ass out in the Gulf of Mexico and gaining strength the last couple of days. Yesterday we discovered that it was heading Southwards into Southern Texas and North Mexico... The downside to that.....torrential rain as we get the upsweep of the storm.



Today's my birthday... Woke up to 5 inches of rainwater flooding my courtyard and my fridge clapped out in the middle of the night. Smashing! Everything in the damn fridge is ruined so I can't even have a cup of tea! Work throughout the day and go out for a nice birthday dinner in the early evening and then.......the joy of appliance shopping at Lowes!

Got this from Joe Elliott in my email today and thought I would share......

"Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Idi Amin in a dustbin
Happy Birthday to you"

Think he luvs me...Hehehe...

June 26^th- Today is the final gig in the UK tour that I'm doing with Def Lep. See well known music journalist Peter Makowski in the hotel lobby and introduce myself. We chat a while and I tell him I've been reading and enjoying his scribblings for years. He's a really nice guy and has interviewed just about everyone. He's here to do an interview with Joe before he leaves for the venue. Hang around for a while before leaving in the bus with Viv and Rick for the venue at Wembley. Get to there and scout out a place to shoot the guys before they go on. They're so cool about doing little impromptu shoots and never seriously complain. I wish all bands were this easy and fun to work with.

Phil and Sav Make it in and Joe a little later. Do some shots with Phil in the long narrow hallway outside the dressing rooms with the wide angle lens, get a couple of great shots from that and then do the same with Viv who despite flipping me off at every opportunity rather seems to enjoy doing pics.

Pop my head round the Whitesnake dressing room door and go hang with the snakey lads for a while. Poor Uriah is distracted by being in the middle of changing out his laptop screen as Chris Frazier sat on the other one and buggered it up. He manages to slice his finger open in the process which wasn't really that good for a bass player to do.... Wish the guys a good gig and rest of the tour. I'll catch up with Doug and Timothy again soon in California, especially Doug as it's his turn to buy dinner!

Head back to the dressing room and Phil is outside talking to Ross Halfin who he introduces me to. Ross was very cordial although he seemed perplexed by my Texas/Yorkshire accent. Get a chance to talk a little more with him later and get a pic together of the old and new rock photographer generation. He later smarts off about me in his blog which makes me laugh, he'll cut himself being so sharp... Great stuff Napoleon!

Could hardly believe my eyes when I see Jimmy Page and Richie Sambora backstage. I get a chance to speak with both for a while and tell Jimmy how proud my dear mate Spencer would be if he were alive. Jimmy is very gracious and looks upwards, raises his hand and says "hi Spencer"... It sounds sappy but I had to fight tearing up at that moment knowing just how surreal and blessed that moment was. Jimmy said he was impressed when I told him I'd done a shoot recently with his hero Buddy Guy, not often you impress one of the most famous guitarists ever! I take a couple of shots of Jimmy with Rick Allen and his wife Lauren and Rick reciprocates by doing the same for me. What a nice and very humble guy.

The Black Stone Cherry boys tear it up at Wembley tonight and get a raving crowd reaction. Whitesnake do the same. I'm glad Whitesnake are adding new material into the set as it pumps new life into the bands live show and set list.

Hang out in the dressing room while the guys get ready and do their vocal warm ups. Joe is on form again tonight and full of his usual humor and funny one liners. I tell them ten minutes until shoot time and soon enough and on time which never happens with other bands they head down the hall to line up for a quick pre show shoot. I'm using a ring flash for the shoot and to be honest it's a bugger on the eyes as it's so bright and leaves you seeing circular lights for a while. Poor Sav is most susceptible to this so I keep it short and after a couple of minutes we're done.

Showtime! Head out to the stage area and the crowd is buzzing out there...Tons of energy tonight. There's a plethora of photographers waiting in the pit and it kind of takes me by surprise but I guess it should be expected being that it's London. Three songs in and it's just Ross Halfin and I left to shoot. Ross stays in the photo pit for the whole show as I move between the pit and moving around on the stage and behind and next to Rick on the drum riser. He's gotten used to me being there and hams it up for the camera which produces some great shots. It's truly amazing to be so close and watch how he plays and has adapted considering he has one arm. The pedals and triggers that he uses work great and seamlessly.

It was hotter than hell up on the stage but the guys didn't lose their game once. Joes vocals were on form and the guitars spot on. At the end of the encore they guys head down the ramp again. Joe is wrapped in a Union Jack flag which makes the shot look different from the others I've done. It's been a really good time and I'll miss being onstage working with the guys.

Head back to the dressing room to eat and have a beer with the guys and hang out for a while. There are a lot of guests and some family backstage so I star saying my goodbyes etc. Later on Joe, Sav, Mark, Malvin and I get our ride back to the hotel and I say see ya to the guys. I'll see them again soon though, this time on my turf as they kick off their summer US tour in Texas!

June 25^th- Arrive in London early on.... Traffic Jams... The hotel is in Knightsbridge and the traffic is utterly horrible. I worked in and around London many years ago and hated every single moment of it! Stinky, polluted, expensive, congested, noisy and just not me at all.... Like Houston, only with a mass of British history..... Check in to the hotel, shower and sleep.

Wake up later in the day, check my emails, and edit a few pics... Eat three Mars Bars, sleep some more, wake up with cabin fever and then head downstairs to the hotel bar and order a meal and a Guinness... They have a soccer match on in the bar full blast and there's a bunch of noisy fans who collectively feel the need to scream together every time there's a near goal. I give up after about an hour of this, finish up my pint and stop off by the hotel shop to stock up on Mars Bars and a Crunchie and head to my room and the land of nod..... zzzzzzzzz The less I see of London the better.

June 24^th- Wake up pretty early get some breakfast. Recently I reconnected through Facebook with an old old workmate from my days as a sales rep for Cadbury when I lived in England. It had been over 13 years since I saw Lee last when I left the company to emigrate. He saw on Facebook that I was on tour in the UK and was in Sheffield today. I got a call to the room that he stopped by the hotel to see me so I headed down to the lobby to meet him. I was great to see Lee again and we caught up over coffee and tea on what had been happening in our lives. He'd been promoted and had a family, I moved away and became a rock photographer...... a huge contrast in lifestyles yet we both still gelled and reminisced about old times. It made me feel great that he took the time to come by and say hi. It's the little things in life like this that really matter more than the material. I intend to stay in touch with Lee, he's a great genuine guy that doesn't change. The hour that we caught up has been a highlight to this trip.

2pm and we're on our way on the bus up the road to sunny Newcastle. As we get further up the A1 it gets darker and more grim. By the time we arrive in Newcastle it's characteristically raining and overcast. Newcastle was one of those places that just made me feel depressed at the mere mention of it's name and time away seems not to have changed that. The venue is kind of dreary and out of date. I'm supposed to do a shoot with Joe and David Coverdale but there's nowhere decent to set up a shoot. Pop in to the Cov's dressing room and we decide to shoot him and Joe in there later on.

Set up a light in DC's dressing room and am offered a nice vintage whisky whilst setting up and as Lord Coverdale gets ready. Joe comes on in and the banter and innuendo between the two starts as I begin shooting. It's hilarious and reminds me of a cross between Blackadder and Monty Python, Classic!! The two of them together are like a couple of rude school boys. After I get done with the comic duo Viv Campbell and I find a spot in the stairwells of the building and do a quick shoot with his silver sparkle Gibson guitar. The walls and flooring in the stairwells is a nice vivid blue which makes the pics pop with the ringlight. It's like a bloody rabbit warren backstage and the Def Lep Dressing room, Hospitality and Production are each on a different floor! Ray Charles designed this layout I'm sure, not a whole lot of fun with a bunch of heavy photo gear up and down the stairs.

Each show we've done the Black Stone Cherry boys have gained momentum and added hundreds of new fans. They're on fire! Whitesnake go on after and hit it hard and nail it spot on! By the time they're off the stage the venue is a blistering steam bath of humidity and frothy fans. They're wound up and primed for the Lepps and as the intro music and video rolls they start going wild. Start off the first couple of songs down in the pit and it's so hot that it feels like I'm back in Texas. Run around the back of the stage and up on to the drum riser next to Rick where he plays up to the camera for me. Stand right behind him and get some great wide angle shots looking out into the audience. It's a full house and looks great but the place is so hot. Joe says later that it was the hottest gig he's played ever which is something considering they've played just about everywhere. Great crowd tonight and the loyal superfans are on the front row again showing their support. They keep stopping me to talk about my work. Great to be appreciated and told good things about what I do. Seems that the fold out Def Leppard tour book/poster is going down well with the fans as I am asked to sign several of them tonight. Nice to have fans too I guess.

After the show the band splits up between the two tour buses. I'm on board with Phil and his girlfriend and Joe and his wife Kristine. Poor Kristine is having trouble getting in and out of the bunk and I get some pics of her comical struggles whilst Joe is in the one above me. I tell him "No Spooning" tonight and he just smiles and winks. I'm actually ready to get my head down and rest as the last several days have caught up with me and I'm drained. A long drive down the road to London from Newcastle........ About seven hours.. I think our bus driver bought a sack of coal in Newcastle and decided to store in it my mattress, wonderful!

June 22^nd- After what seems like a few minutes sleep my alarm call goes off, scares me awake and the land of nod is no more! Thirty minutes before the bus is picking us up at the hotel for Belfast airport. The sound of last nights crowd guys in the lobby of the hotel. Malvin, Jean, Mark and I grab a quick breakfast in the hotel and get done just as the transport is ready.

Belfast is chilly and drizzly but we leave on time. I'm sat next to Sav on the plane but he manages to be a lucky bugger and get some sleep on the short flight. Make it to Manchester on schedule where the tour bus picks us up and we head to Sheffield. Rick Allen and I sit up front in the bus and talk photography and swap photo ideas and tips. It's really cool that he has such an interest in photography. He always has his camera with him and is constantly taking pics and trying new things. He got some snaps of me working on stage the other night out on the runway as the guys played the acoustic "Two Steps Behind" . Rick asks if next time I'm in LA shooting if he can come along and assist me during the shoot. How cool to have Def Leps drummer helping me shoot another band! Bet it freaks out whatever band it is! It'd be great having Rick along, he's really easy to get along with and has great creative photo ideas.

Get into Sheffield around midday. The sun is shining but it still feels grim to me. I spent a lot of time there when I was younger and I can't seem to shake the old feelings I have for the place. Check into the hotel which is a really nice place and get bite to eat and put my head down for an hour. Call home and check in. Daisy Buttons is still in the lampshade collar to stop her scratching the sore on her head and she's not amused at all....plus she's missing her daddy and isn't being sociable. I miss the little fart too although I wish she'd behave when I'm away....Kids!!

Get some work done and emails sent out to the Def Lep webmaster and then head down to the restaurant for a bite to eat and a pint or two. Later on Viv's tech Wolfie, Aiden and company come on in and we have a beverage or seven as I show them some of the photos from the shows so far. Not sure if the Guinness or the long days get the better of me but I bail out at about eleven and leave them to it.
 

June 23^rd- Manage to sleep on through the night. Grab some breakfast and head down to the hotel gym for a workout. Jean along with Phil and his girlfriend arrive to work out and I get on with it whilst watching Phil and wondering how a fifty year old bloke could grate carrots on his bloody abs!! SWINE!!!! Heheh!

We head down to the venue about 2pm. There are hordes of fans already lining up outside the venue entrance and also at the backstage gates. Drop off my gear in the dressing room and have a wander out to the gates area and see four of the girls from the Def Leppard website forum. They've come from various places around the States to see the guys. Walk out and say hi and pose for a few pics and a chat with them. Great people and loyal to the band as you can be.

Pop into the Whitesnake dressing room and hang with Timothy and Doug a little. It's always good with these guys as they're so nice and real. Doug and Timothy are personal friends so it's especially good being able to spend more time than a few hours in a trip to LA like usual. Chris Frazier is zapping his shoulder muscles with one of those electrical pulse devices with the sticky patchesrns out he has spinal problems also like me, not good news for a drummer. It must be turned up well as he has a good ol' twitch going on. The backstage area is starting to fill up with family members of the guys. Rick's parents arrive with a bunch more family members and Sav's wife and kids turn up shortly after that. Set up a light in one of the hospitality rooms and do some family shots for Sav and then for Rick. Rick's Mom and Dad are very sweet and were especially kind to my Mom the other night in Manchester.

Have a walk out into the venue and see my friend Cindy from Phoenix with one of her friends. She's on tour with the Queensryche guys right now but took a day off to come see the boys play to the home crowd. See Kristine backstage and get a big squeeze from her. She's very cool to and funny as hell to hang out with, never a dull moment when she's around and Joe's daft sense of humor fits perfectly. I was told that it's one big family before I came out on the road with these guys and it turned out be thankfully very true.

Tonight's crowd are tuned in and electric and the guys in all the bands are amped up as they know it's a home crowd for the Def Lep fellas. As usual, Black Stone Cherry take thousands of unsuspecting Def Lep and Whitesnake fans by total surprise. They're a refreshingly sonic kick in the teeth. I got an advance copy of their new cd last month and it is better than the first one by far! Makes me happy that the Kentucky boys are gaining such momentum. Whitesnake are on and DC is at his Peacock song and dance routine at full throttle. The energy reserve though is most definitely for the Def Lep guys. I forgot to pack my earplugs into my case for this show and lived to regret it dearly as the boys ripped through hit after hit. My ears still buzz now as I write this and wonder if I damaged my hearing tonight.

After the show there's a lot of family craziness with the band, get some more shots in the hallways and then find the quiet room at the end of the hallway where the techs are hanging out and having a beer and some downtime. Crack open a cold one and decide to hang with Wolfie & co until all the family fuss dies down. Later on Joe, Kristine and I get in the car to head back to the hotel. There are still fans outside the gate waiting at 1am so Joe tells the driver to stop and being the trooper he is he gets out and does autographs. I get out to help stop stampede and after ten minutes we get back in and head back to the hotel bar. The rest is............ hehehehehe.... ;O)

June 21^st- Up early to Belfast. The airline has a stupid weight limit on hand luggage so Rick Allen kindly lets me offload a couple of heavy lenses and my laptop into his bag so I'm allowed to take mine onboard. He's a gent! The bloody airlines in the UK are getting worse enforcing their rules, they're succeeding in driving their customers away more than anything else......SWINES!

Bumpy flight in from Manchester but we're on time and get checked in okay. It's cold and raining but Belfast seems like a nice place. I told by everyone that it's a nicer place than during the time of "The Troubles" which really doesn't take that much to imagine. Head down to the venue and shoot the crews setting up the stage and sound. Get some good shots of Rick mooching around in the general admission area. Pop in to David Coverdale's dressing room for a bit of a chat, he's on form as usual. Grab a few shots of him in the hallway with Doug and Uriah and then with Rick Allen. Quite the raconteur he is.

Great crowd in Belfast, actually the loudest crowd so far. I went up into the roof of the building tonight on to the catwalks. This mindless act of photographic determination almost caused me a couple of involuntary bowel movements as the walkways are metal grills that you can see right through! Right through to the crowd and stage a hundred feet below. The poor bloke guiding me up there has to do his best not to laugh at my spasmodic stumbling and baby steps as I hold the railings and attempt to shoot with two cameras around my neck. If you're looking to sweat off a few pounds quickly then this is the way!

Late leaving the venue and getting to the hotel.... Crash on the bed tired and thankful that I didn't yakk up on the Balmy Belfast crowd below.



Pics of Ash Working : Photo Credits to JAYNIE (Thanks!)