"We, my wife and I, decided to take one last trip on United Airlines before my flying benefits ended on Tuesday, April 30th, 2002, so we jumped on a flight, a 777 aircraft, out of LA to London Saturday evening April 26th. Midway through the flight we got up for a run to the lav (bathroom), this is a 10hr non-stop flight after all, and to my amazement standing there and also waiting for the lav was our very own Vivian Campbell! I was so freaked out, I couldn't believe in a million years I would be on the same plane as any of the Leps, but non the less there he was! I walked up and said "HI" and asked him if he remembered talking with me at a CLOCK gig back in January at Johnny Foxx's in Culver City, California, and after a second of thinking about it, he did! We stood there and chatted for about 30 minutes right there about all kinds of stuff! It was real cool.
We talked a lot about Bon Jovi, Jim Marshall (Marshall amps), guitars, the last Namm convention, Def Leppard (no doubt!!) the photo shoot and the release of X, plus the mixing process, Q-prime and Peter Mensch, Malvin Mortimer, CLOCK and the guys in that band including Jason Mezilis, plus the CLOCK gigs back in January, his family and kids (including his new one!), PJ Smith (another CLOCK band member) and his new kid as well , Rick Allen, Phil Collen, cheapest tickets with United Airlines, and my job at United Airlines and when I might get it back one day and all kinds of other stuff.
He then told me about midway through our chat that he was heading to London for a photo shoot with the band, and that Phil Collen left LA the day before. He also pointed out that about three seats away (in our line of sight) was a sleeping THUNDERGOD! Yes, Mr. Rick Allen himself was on this flight and I walked right past him on the way to see Viv at the Lav. I let him sleep though, but Viv told me that I could say hello at the Baggage claim after the flight. I held up Vivian from going to the bathroom all this time while we chatted, so we ended the conversation so he could finally go.
Vivian also told me while we talked that DL was tring to get X out before Bon Jovi puts his next one out. He said they were both at the same label, and it's the "same machine" that'll promote both bands. He said he respected John Bon Jovi, but his band will probably get more of a push from the label than DL, in his opinion, so that's why they want to try and get X out first.
After I saw Vivian and talked to him, that first time, as well as after I saw Rick sleeping in his seat, I had a hard time wanting to stay in my seat till the end of the flight! I did debate on getting a picture of RICK while he slept on the plane, but that would have disrupted everyone on the plane as the lights were all down, and I did not want to piss off RICK by taking his picture like that. I saw Vivian get back up later on in the flight and stand around that same area where I talked to him before, next to the lavs. I thought maybe he was waiting to get in a lav again, and I didn't want to hold him up again, so I left him alone that time. He must have hung around that area for almost an hour though and he never went into a lav at all! I saw him reading a magazine at one point too! I think maybe flying makes him a little nervous, but my guess though. I now think that I should have gotten up and went over to talk to him again, but I just didn't know what he was doing? I'll ask him the next time I see him about if he likes to fly or not!
I saw Rick stirring around later towards the end of the flight, he was only about 4 or 5 rows up from us, and all I wanted to do was go up and say hi and start up a conversation, but I left him alone. It was real tough though when all you have to do is look up and there they both are for the remaining part of the flight, and not want to go over and talk to them both. Vivian was about 3 or 4 rows in front of Rick, and both of the guys were in business class. We were in the front area of coach, and all of us were in the middle of the plane not on the outside seats by the windows. Both of the guys were traveling alone (no wives, girlfriends, kids or anyone with them).
After the flight we met up with Rick and Vivian at the #6 baggage claim at Heathrow in London. We chatted a little bit about stuff to do in London, and Rick asked us where we were staying. I told him we were staying in Kensington, and that we were just going to see the sites and shop a little around London. We joked some about United losing their bags, and Viv said "NO! not my guitar!", and I told him "naw, it'll show up!", we all laughed about that! I told them both I got laid off from United, but my job would come back one day, and that got and collective "awe-uh" from them both on that. I told them that was why we were taking this one last trip because of the flying bene's ending the following Tuesday (also the day we came back to LA!).
Vivian and Rick both said that they were scheduled to return back to LA on the 16th-ish, but neither of them actually knew what all they were going to be doing while they were in LONDON. Viv brought his guitar with him as I said, and they knew they were going to be doing the photo shoot for the cd, and they did say that X was 10 days into the mixing process in a London recording studio also, but that was about all I got from them about that.
Rick did clear up while we chatted, why he wasn't around the bar at the hotel in Houston, March 2001, either night when we met him last time back then. He did remember meeting me in the lobby as he headed out to the sound check back then, but mostly because of the chat about how I worked at United Airlines and at terminal 7 at LAX and all that. So that was cool!! He told me that he was visiting family while he was there in Houston, and that he spent much of his time doing that, I told him that was cool and I understood. He also told me that he spends a lot of time in New York as well, because his girl friend (Lauren) has family there. Rick said that he does pop in to the group and he looks at the posts from time to time. Not sure how though, unless he has an alias or someone else here is his friend and lets him in on their password, I don't know. He said that he does not post, but he does drop by every now and then. I asked him what he thought of the lusters on there, and he said with a big smile on his face, "YEA, I know! There a good bunch of fans there though.", I think he gets a kick about it IMO from his reaction to that.
This whole time at the baggage claim it was only Rick, Vivian, my wife and me standing together at the end of this encounter. I got my wife, Christina, to take a picture of me and Rick together, and if you look at it you can also see that Vivian is in the background looking for his bags! I do feel like I know Rick a bit better now as well after talking with him again, he was so cool with us! He was in a real good mood, and was even joking and clowning around a little with us! When Christina was getting ready to take the picture of us, he leaned over on me like I was a post, and we chuckled a little and she took the shot! The smile I had on was a residual from the chuckle! I did kinda wish we could have hung around with them in London, to see what they were up to there!
I'm still totally amazed, blown away, and mind boggled at the luck I had being there when they were on that plane! I’ve never even bumped into a friend of mine on a plane, and I’ve flown a bunch over the years. I really wish I could have bought a winning lottery ticket right then and there! What are the chances of a fan who discusses these guys, and the band daily on some of the yahoo groups, to run into two of them on a plane, especially when I had no clue they were traveling, much less what airline they would be on, in the first place! I'm not on the inside of their circle at all, but our paths keep crossing anyway! I don’t mind though. I also can not believe that I didn't see them in the terminal at LAX before the flight either. I was so not looking for them, and they would have had to walk right in front of me or something like that for me to notice them since I was totally not on guard for Def Leppard at that moment. You go to an event that you know the guys will be at, you are looking for them, but not at the airport flying out on a trip! Also, we walked right by Rick going to our seats, I don’t know where my mind was!
Oh yeah, last tid bits for all of you. Rick did not snore (assuming that he was in a deep sleep, although he looked very comfortable!) He had his shoes off while laying there, but had white socks on. The clothes he had on are the same ones in the picture. He was wearing the white three button shirt while he was sleeping, but put on the blue denim shirt and black leather jacket when we landed at Heathrow. I'm not sure what he ate during the flight, but I know he was drinking coffee after he woke up."
Tom
