FAMILY EMERGENCY
Def Leppard enlist Steve Brown of Trixter to sub for guitarist Phil Collen

Blabbermouth — DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen has left the band’s tour with JOURNEY to deal with a family emergency. Replacing him until he returns is TRIXTER‘s Steve Brown.

Brown made his live debut with DEF LEPPARD on the current tour Friday night (May 25) at the Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video footage and photos can be seen below.

Collen and his wife of eight years, Helen, are awaiting the birth of their son this spring.

This is not the first time Brown has stepped in for a member of DEF LEPPARD. He previously subbed for Vivian Campbell at several shows in 2014 and 2015 while the DEF LEPPARDguitarist received treatment in his fight against Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Brown‘s first appearance with DEF LEPPARD took place in September 2014 during the pregame show for the first of three NFL International Series outings.

DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott broke the news of Phil‘s absence to the Hershey crowd about a half hour before showtime. He said (see video below): “Good evening, Hershey. I am Joe Elliott. Welcome to what should be a great night.

“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 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.

“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.

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