Tom Lounges

This writer remembers going to cover a concert by Ted Nugent during the summer of 1980 at the Rosemont Theatre and being so blown away by the relatively unknown opening act that I promptly slipped backstage following their set to learn more about this young British band of teens. I completely forgot about my Nugent assignment and never returned to my seat, instead opting to spend the evening interviewing this band that would soon explode as one of the pioneering bands of what became known as "the new wave of British heavy metal."

That then-teenage band was Def Leppard, and they were touring behind their debut album, "On Through the Night," which aptly featured a rock radio single titled "Hello America."

Hello indeed! These ambitious kids were between 16 and 19 years old and

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