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!)

June 20^th- Catch up on a few messages and get some breakfast. Head down to the hotel gym again and get going into a good workout. My Ipod is running on shuffle and Whitesnakes "Still of the Night" comes on. A few seconds into the intro part of the song the gym door swings open and Mr. Coverdale makes a grand entry....."Ash Baby". Un frickin' Canny!! Spend some time catching up with DC whilst we work out. It's good as we haven't seen each other in quite some time and he fills me in on the latest happenings. See Uriah from Whitesnake for a little while, he's wearing a pink t shirt that shows a Unicorn shagging a Dolphin! Something tells me that he didn't have regular mushrooms with his cooked breakfast this morning......



Get my gear ready later and the tour bus picks us up from the hotel to go to the venue, the Manchester M.E.N. Nice big dressing rooms for us and a big white wall in the bathroom for doing photos of Phil and Sav for Jackson guitars. Take some shots of the guys onstage at sound check, Viv continues his ongoing tradition of flipping me off as I walk around and shoot. I have to snap myself out of it sometimes, the band sounds incredible. My Mom and two best mates are coming to the concert tonight. Mom has never been to a concert before so I'm kinda wondering what her reaction is going to be.



Head out to the box office at 6pm to take Mom her tickets and passes. I wait around a little while and see some of the folks from the Whitesnake forum that I know but haven't met. It was really nice to meet them in person. I see Mom and my mate Staffy turn up and greet them, they both did a double take like they had to be sure it was me. Was kind of funny seeing that. My mate Kev couldn't make it as he got caught up at work having to fire someone or something very thrilling. It disappointed me for him as I know he's a big fan of Whitesnake and Def Lep. I walk them both past security and into the venue and up to their seats. They're at stage right on Phil's side with a great view of the stage. I come back later on and take them both backstage where I introduce them both to the Def Lep guys. She's gushy over Phil and thinks he's dishy. I introduce her to Joe and he says "So you're responsible for him!" as he points to me! Love it! Take them both around to the Whitesnake dressing room and get The Cov to come out and say hello. He's his usual charming self and full of hospitality. We pop into the band dressing room and see Doug, Timothy, Reb and Uriah. Timothy and Doug come on over and give her a big hug and we do some pics... Staffy is unusually quiet and I don't think he can believe it all., I'm surprised his thumbs aren't steaming away as he's the king of obsessive texting.

They head back to their seats and I head back to the dressing room while the guys are getting ready. Find a white wall and set up some lights and do a photo shoot with Joe, then Phil, Sav and lastly Rick. Right in the middle of shooting Rick I have a major Dejavu moment which really throws me off my game for a moment. Strange how that happens where the exact moment is something you've had before. I seem to have had quite a few of those this year....strange. Joe is in a great mood and we exchange filthy limericks whilst we shoot. He graciously poses for the Peanut Gallery on my website and we get some great shots! I'll post the outcome in the Peanut Gallery real soon.

Shoot some video of them warming up and then head out to the stage to shoot the show. The audience are a lot more alive than in Birmingham and the band clearly feed off this with a performance that is the best one yet! Get offstage and pick up dinner in the dressing room before we're due to leave. Mom and Staffy really enjoyed the show and are still buzzing from it all when they leave. Meet some sweet Def Lep fans from the website forum outside the venue gates before we jump on the bus and head back to the hotel. Hang out and unwind in the hotel bar for a couple of hours with Joe and Uriah from Whitesnake before the day catches up and knocks the crap out of me. It's been a great one!
 

June 19^th- After getting into Manchester in the wee hours we check into the hotel, I check email, shower and hit the hay... Totally zonked out I manage to sleep through until about 10am. Start uploading some of the pics from last nights show in Birmingham. Am really pleased with the results. Got on stage with the guys and walked around to some different vantage points and to the end of the runway thrust stage. Need to be careful though as Sav turns around really fast onstage and the headstock of his bass can be deadly! Am still tired but for shits and giggles I head down to the hotel gym for a workout. Viv Campbell is in there being put through the paces by the Def Lep trainer "Jean". He's fit a as a butchers dog and is so intense working out that it makes you tired just watching.

Head downstairs to the bar at the hotel later and hang out and eat some dinner with Uriah from Whitesnake. Everyone is pretty much doing their own thing today so we just hang out a little. Have a few beers and then head back up to the room and crash...

Got back to the hotel after last nights gig and sat in the bar for a couple of hours yakking with Joe and going over photos from the concert with him. Check out of the hotel mid morning with the band and head over to the airport to catch the flight for Birmingham. Get checked in and go through security which is considerably easier than how we fart around in the US airports. Find the gate and then the hankering for English chocolate gets the better of me and I break down and get two Mars Bars which I proceed to devour not just one but both of them! I was doing so good eating healthy as well... Shite!

After a 2 hour delay we take off and arrive in sunny Birmingham. The tour bus picks us up at the airport and takes us over to the NEC. Have a scout around the venue and see the Def Lep tour book/poster on the merch stands. It's a big fold out double sided thing with a huge band pic of mine and the other side is all of my live shots of the guys from last year. They did an excellent job with the layout and remembered to put my name on there as well! The Lepps know how to look after ya ;O) One of the big time Def Lep fans than the band has known for years is backstage. His name is Nori, a very polite Japanese fella who happens to be one of Mr. Ross Halfin's assistants. He brings gifts for all the guys and is just a really nice fella.

The crew set up a little area backstage again for Phil to do his martial arts workout and I grab some shots of him pounding the crap out of himself and Jean again. Joe comes along and we take a couple of mock scrapping shots of him and Phil in a standoff...too funny! Grab some pics of him later posing with one of his new Jackson guitars before he goes on.

Great show tonite but the crowd are considerably less lively than the one in Glasgow...must be something about the Midlands here in the UK... it was raining and it is a Wednesday so they're excused a little I guess but hell, come to a rock show and let your hair down folks!

Dinner after the show in the dressing room. We are in Birmingham so a very hot curry it is!! Phew! A ring stinger! Hang out a while afterward for a little with my chums in Black Stone Cherry. A couple of weeks back I got a copy of their new cd that is due out in August and was blown away... The first one was great...this one runs circles around it!! The feedback from WS and Def Lep on these boys is great and the audiences approve most enthusiastically... Give 'em a try!

The band splits up between a couple of buses, I'm with Jean, Malvin, Mark and Joe as we head up the road to Manchester. Sit up front with Joe and Malvin and get to work uploading pics to my laptop and start reviewing and choosing images. I tell you, traveling with Joe is great, he's a one man comedy routine of one liners and innuendo! It's just like listening to my mates and I...Priceless! And Malvin and Mark are top blokes! Get to the hotel, check in and crash about 4am... Tomorrow's a day off. Gonna need it methinks!
        

So after a sore arse from all that flying (quiet in the peanut galleries!) and the time change I arrive in Glasgow a couple of hours late. Get through immigration quicker than I ever have I'm very relieved to find that ll my luggage and gear has made it on through to the right place and everything is intact. Grab a cab and head to the hotel. Got checked in, showered and got a couple of hours sleep. Saw Viv Campbell and Rick Allen and said hi. Was feeling a little shagged out so I went out for a walk around Glasgow and took advantage of the cold June weather. I haven't had to wear a jacket in June in years! We're burning our asses off in Texas by mid April so I'm VERY grateful for the cooler climate of the UK. Got caught up on a few emails, checked my cameras and went downstairs for a meal in the hotel restaurant and bar. Couple of hours and a few Guinness' later Malvin, Def Leps tour manager and Mark come into the bar for a beverage or two and we put the world to rights and they give me a brief education on some of the characters I'll encounter in the music industry... Great guys and very funny. It was a good start to the first day of being here back in the UK.



Head off to the venue mid afternoon with Malvin, Rick and Viv and meet up with the rest of the guys except Joe who's late as his flight is delayed. Get sorted out and get a space in the dressing room for my gear and head down to the stage to check out the venue. It's strange being there actually as this is the first time as a music photographer that I've officially worked outside of the US. The venue is a little smaller but the staff and security are a whole lot more organized than stateside. The band starts sound check and still no Joe... Walk around onstage and get some great shots of the guys sound checking... About 30 minutes into the check I'm on the runway and I turn around and Joe's walking on... He gives me a big hug and goes straight into the song the guys are halfway through. They sound great! Get some dinner and hang with the guys in the dressing room as they prepare for the show. Phil and Viv have their trainer "Jean" with them and he sure puts them through their routines. I head downstairs to an area behind the stage with Phil and Jean. Get some photos and video footage of Phil training doing his martial arts workout... At 50 Phil punches and kicks harder than someone half his age. I'm pretty fit but don't have anything on him! See my mates in Black Stone Cherry and hang for a while. Tell them that I think the crowds are gonna love what they do, turns out later judging by the crowd reactions and the other bands that I was right... They are a powerhouse of energy and sound. Love those Kentucky boys! The Whitesnake boys are happy to see me and give a warm welcome... Bump into "The Cov" in the hallway who gives a huge squeeze. He invites me into his dressing room and we catch up a little before I get back to the Def Lep room and start shooting the guys doing their show prep.
  

Well the Lepps filled up the arena in Glasgow and the crowd were electric! Saw one of the Whitesnake forum members I knew and her husband which was very cool. Anyhow, the guys went out and did their thing. Shot the whole set pretty much about half from the photo pit area and then from onstage with the guys for a different perspective. Had to get my timing right when onstage though as they more around so much and I almost got clobbered by Savs bass. Viv likes to flip me off and swear at me and Joe just likes to swear... Too funny! I couldn't be working for a cooler band! They added a couple of new ones into the set list, 9 Lives, C'mon C'mon and Bad Actress. I think I like C'mon C'mon mostly out of the three. When they did the encore they headed to the end of the thrust stage to thank the crowd and I ran out and got them with the audience in the shot as well, quite a rush being out there in front of thousands! Here's a few shots.

ASH

So it's been a bloody long time since I posted a blog here... Lots and lots of things have been happening and lots of things planned and organized. My apologies for the absence but hopefully the blogs will be a little more frequent than previously.

As I sit here and write this my arse is numb, I'm hungry and my flight to Glasgow has just left 3 friggin' hours late out of Newark, New Jersey... They ran through a crap load of pathetic excuses for the delay this time from poor weather, luggage problems to pixies jigging on the runway!



Anyhow, after placating Daisy Buttons this morning I'm now well on my way to Bonnie Scotland to kick off a couple of weeks out on the UK tour with My mates Def Leppard who kindly asked if I would be their photographer whilst they pay a visit home and play to the home crowds... Of course I obliged, I'd be mad not to as I grew up listening to them and as well as them being fine musicians they're all a jolly nice bunch of chaps from just down the road from my hometown in Yorkshire. Now if the pilot would just put his bloody foot down and get on with making up for lost time instead of feeding us excuses... By the way, the new Def Lep single "C'Mon C'Mon" is being released as a special 12" Vinyl featuring my pics of the guys on the cover... Check it out below...



So! What's been happening recently? Well...of course apart from the planning of me being on tour with the Lepps I've been busy setting other stuff up also. Took a short trip up to Austin a few weeks back and paid a visit to Todd Sucherman's home and studio for a cover shoot for an upcoming issue of Modern drummer magazine. For those of you that might not know, Todd is the very accomplished drummer for STYX, a fine band known for many 80's hits who are still going strong to this day. As well as being one of the finest drummers and rhythm technicians out there Todd like myself happens to be one of the biggest Keith Moon fans. Of course this meant an instant connection and barrage of Moonie trivia and quotes... A few hours later and several set ups in Todd's more than adequate home studio at his beautiful home we're done with the shoot and quite pleased with the results... Time for a quick bevy and a few personal pics and I'm back down the road for a short 4 hour drive home... 4 hours is a quick run out for us Texas folks y'all ;O)
 


Al Jourgensen and the Ministry boys are still out there doing their farewell tour and have now invaded the European shores with their volley of Industrial Metal and mayhem. Check out a couple of my pics below that have been used recently.



Popped up to San Antonio a couple of weeks back to shoot and hang out with my mates in Hatebreed and Type O Negative. The Hatebreed fellas layed it on thick and heavy as usual and worked the crowd up into what can only be described as a sweaty spumescent froth of enthusiasm whilst Type O Negative continued to secure their place in my top 5 favorite bands of all time... I love these guys on and off stage. They're all so different personality wise but their music bonds them into a brotherhood of gothic metal that just keeps their fans coming to shows. Got to spend time hanging and catching up with Pete Steele before and after the show. It was nice to see him again and he seems to be in a bit better place than when we last spoke. By the way, ol' Pete is not stood on a box or anything for that matter�he is that tall!!
 


Here's a full page EMG Pickups ad that's running in Guitar player magazine this month. This pic is from a session I did in January with the legendary guitarist Steve Lukather at his home in the Hollywood Hills. Smashing bloke with a wicked sense of humor and he laughs at my stupid jokes and limericks so he's alright in my book...hehehehehe...If you ever get bored then Google Steve Lukather and look up his discography and be prepared to be amazed at just how many well know songs and albums that he's contributed to in his colorful career...VERY impressive!


Total Guitar Magazine (UK) feature on my buddy Marcus Henderson, the man behind the guitars on the Guitar Hero games that everyone loves to play... Pics by yours truly in this feature.



Well, they just served dinner here on the plane... Folks are nodding off to sleep and turning out their lights for now. We land in Glasgow in a few hours and I get to check in to the hotel before the Lepps arrive this afternoon. Must get some rest for a couple of hours before and then clean my sleazy ass up a bit.

ASH

Hey folks. Sorry I've not been around a lot recently....been having a lot of stuff to organize. I'll be heading to the UK to meet up with the Def Lep guys and be their photographer for the UK tour so I'm gonna be kinda busy... I'm hoping to do a daily blog when I'm away though. Hopefully that should be entertaining with some exclusive piccies.

Thanks for your ongoing support and patience with us farting around at this end.

ASH

Just a quick post to let you know two new live photo sets have been added to the gallery. There's a new Phil Collen live set for all you Def Lep fans. And for you Hinder followers, there is a new live set from October 2007. Go have yourself a look and thanks as always for continuing to visit my site and comment on my work. More to come later...

ASH