Phil Collen – the legendary guitarist for Def Leppard – launched his new namesake performance/meeting room at the Fender Custom Shop and factory in Corona yesterday with an intimate live set for employees and guests.
The event honored Collen’s longstanding partnership with Fender’s Jackson guitar brand resulting in several USA Signature PC1 models. In 1989, Collen first teamed with Jackson to create the PC1 Archtop electric model. Onstage, the musician often uses several Jackson PC1 guitars and Fender acoustic guitars.
Before playing in Corona, Collen relayed how the guitar he was about to play was the same one used last Friday when Def Leppard did an acoustic set alongside The Who, John Fogerty, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, The Doobie Brothers and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam for the 10th Annual Backyard Concert in Pacific Palisades. The private, invite-only event benefitted Teen Cancer America and the UCLA Health Center.
Three years ago, Collen did a limited run of his PC-1 signature model painted in a Jackson Pollock-styled finish (including the headstock) and his name in Japanese script. That guitar was among the ones on hand in Corona.
The 15-minute set at Fender saw Collen backed by a bassist and drummer, with singer Debbi Blackwell-Cook joining them on the last two of four songs. She is a member of Collen’s blues-rock side project Delta Deep, whose self-titled album came out in 2015. Collen handled vocals as they opened with Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Fire,” with the guitarist displaying some dizzying, lightning speed fretwork. Then they moved onto Def Leppard’s Billboard top 10 hit from 1987, “Hysteria,” and that memorable chiming guitarwork. Blackwell-Cook jumped onstage for a frantic blues number and a fiery duet take on Bryan Adams and Tina Turner’s “It’s Only Love.”
In related news, Def Leppard will receive a star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time. SiriusXM radio personality Bob Buchmann serves as emcee, while the speakers include Jon Bon Jovi and Universal Music Enterprises President & CEO Bruce Resnikoff. The star location is opposite the Capitol Records building.
Stream the ceremony live via walkoffame.com.
Def Leppard’s most recent studio album is 2022’s Diamond Star Halos. The superstar rock band also has the concert film and album, Diamond Star Heroes: Live from Sheffield, scheduled for Nov. 21.
Phil Collen live photo courtesy FMIC (Fender Musical Instruments Corp)
Def Leppard photo courtesy defleppard.com
George Paul
