As part of the 2018 hennemusic Rock News Awards, the daily news site is counting down the Top 10 Rock News Artists of the past year.
Finalists for the 9th annual hennemusic Rock News Awards are chosen by readers: the Rock News Story Of The Year is determined by page views, while the Rock News Artist Of The Year is based on the combined total page views of the top 50 hennemusic rock news stories of the past twelve months.
The 2018 hennemusic Rock News Awards winners will be announced on Thursday, December 27.
2018 Rock News Artist Of The Year – Top 10
10 – VAN HALEN
09 – SAMMY HAGAR
08 – FOO FIGHTERS
07 – GUNS N’ ROSES
06 – AEROSMITH
05 – ZZ TOP
Rock News Artist of The Year No. 4 – DEF LEPPARD
Def Leppard opened 2018 with news that they would team up with Journey for an extensive, 6-month co-headlining tour of North America, with shows running from May through October.
In sync with a late March performance at the annual Teenage Cancer Trust benefit concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall, Def Leppard announced plans to release the first of four career-spanning box sets on June 1.
Available in limited-edition 180-gram heavyweight vinyl and CD box sets, “Volume One” features the UK band’s first four studio albums – from 1980’s “On Through The Night” to 1987’s “Hysteria” – alongside bonus live and studio material.
Def Leppard and Journey launched their 2018 tour in Hartford, CT on May 21, and video from the event surfaced online following opening night.
After just two shows of the North American series, guitarist Phil Collen made headlines when he left the tour to deal with a family emergency while Trixter rocker Steve Brown was brought in to fill out the lineup, as he did in 2014 while guitarist Vivian Campbell was undergoing treatment for cancer.
When Collen returned after missing three dates, he revealed that he had rushed home to California to be with his wife, Helen, who experienced serious complications while giving birth to the couple’s son, Jackson.
In July, Def Leppard streamed a cover of the Depeche Mode classic, “Personal Jesus”, as one of two songs recorded in the spring for the Spotify Singles series; an official video would arrive in November.
Singer Joe Elliott joined Billy Joel for the UK band’s 1987 smash, “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, during the Piano Man’s August 10 show at Boston’s Fenway Park.
Two days after the group’s tour with Journey ended in October, Def Leppard were named as one of 15 nominees for induction into the 2019 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, with final word due in December after music industry voting was completed.
More headlines followed, including news that the Def Leppard-Journey tour played to more than 1 million fans in North America while earning box office revenue of $97.1 million.
The band stayed on the road throughout the fall, with shows in Japan, Australia and New Zealand before playing a 12-date UK run to wrap up their 2018 live schedule.
Late November saw a pair of new releases, including a greatest-hits collection entitled "The Story So Far - The Best Of Def Leppard" and a 10-disc limited-edition vinyl box set called "Hysteria: The Singles."
Def Leppard won the Fan Vote just days before the band were confirmed as inductees into the 2019 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
The group have already announced a series of summer 2019 festival dates across Europe.
See also:
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