Wyoming's Cheyenne Frontier Days is one of the largest and most violent rodeos in the world. That is why it seems especially odd that rock group Def Leppard—half of whose members are vegetarians—have agreed to play there, along with Bon Jovi.

While the details of Jon Bon Jovi's dietary ethics are unknown, it is public knowledge that Def Leppard band members Phil Collen, Rick Allen, and Vivian Campbell, as well as producer John "Mutt" Lange, do not eat meat. Collen, the band's lead guitarist, went vegetarian in 1983 out of empathy for animals and the horror they suffer on factory farms, eventually inspiring some of his band mates—and many fans—to go veg. Despite this, Def Leppard has still signed onto the lineup at Cheyenne Frontier Days, which has a particularly long and bloody history of injuring and killing animals in the course of competitions.

By getting Def Leppard and Bon Jovi to perform at Frontier Days, promoters hope to draw a paying crowd of music fans to a cruel rodeo that they would otherwise not choose to attend. Worse yet, by playing at this event, the bands are directly supporting the abuse of animals for "entertainment," which is simply unacceptable for musicians who already understand that animals deserve compassion. IDA joins SHARK (SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) in calling on both Def Leppard and Bon Jovi to pull out of the Cheyenne gig, and we need your help to convince them.

Last year, after SHARK urged Carrie Underwood not to give a concert at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the singer did the right thing by choosing not to perform. IDA partnered with SHARK to get coffee giant Starbucks to drop their corporate sponsorship of this rodeo. Now we hope to convince Def Leppard and Bon Jovi that they shouldn't use their music and fame to promote animal exploitation.

What You Can Do

Please "Take Action" to urge Def Leppard and Bon Jovi not to play at Cheyenne Frontier Days. Feel free to edit the sample letter (note that there are separate alerts for each band), and to politely contact their publicists by phone, fax, email, or postal mail.

Def Leppard
Mr. Todd Nakamine
Universal Music Enterprises
2220 Colorado Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Tel: (310) 865-7797
Fax: (310) 865-0119
umepublicity@umusic.com

Bon Jovi
Ms. Laura Swanson, Publicist
Island Def Jam Music Group
825 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10019
Tel: (212) 333-8533
laura.swanson@umusic.com

-- Get the facts about rodeo cruelty.