On the evening of January 20, 2025, Def Leppard took the stage in León, Mexico, marking their first performance of the year—but something was conspicuously missing.
As the audience settled in, frontman Joe Elliott addressed the absence with the kind of stoic grace that has become emblematic of the band: "Vivian Campbell cannot be with us tonight," he said, pausing briefly. "He’s just recovering from some treatment for his cancer. So, manfully, please say hello to the guy that’s standing in for him tonight, Mr. John Zocco on guitar."
Zocco, who is both the guitar technician for Phil Collen and a seasoned musician with experience in various rock and country acts, stepped in to fill Campbell’s shoes for the evening. But this was not simply a substitution; it was a reminder of the long, difficult journey the band's guitarist, Campbell, has faced for over a decade.
Since joining Def Leppard in 1992, following his stints with Whitesnake and Dio, Vivian Campbell has been a fixture of the band’s powerful sound. However, in 2013, he made the deeply personal decision to disclose his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Since that moment, his journey has been one of continual struggle, treatment, and unwavering transparency.
After undergoing stem-cell therapy in 2014 and participating in a clinical trial for the cancer drug pembrolizumab in 2015, Campbell's treatment continued through 2022, shifting to a dual regimen of chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Despite the harsh toll this took on his body, Campbell has remained open, not just about his fight, but about its physical and psychological impact.
“There’s no shame in having cancer. There’s no shame in going through treatment and wearing the effects of your treatment physically,” Campbell said during a 2023 interview on the Lymphoma Voices podcast. With characteristic forthrightness, he acknowledged the changes he’s faced, particularly the hair loss from chemotherapy. Yet, there was a liberating truth in his words: “For me as a musician, there was something that just allowed me to go on stage and just focus on the essence of who I am as a musician and as a person and to just put it all out there."
With Campbell recovering and Zocco filling in for him, Def Leppard continues its path forward. The band’s next scheduled performance will take place in Puerto Rico on May 15, 2025, a hopeful milestone in the ongoing saga of their resilience—not just as rock icons, but as a band bound by a collective strength that transcends individual hardship.
