"Just the same way I'd say a prayer before going onstage, taking that even further and using the drum to inspire people. And using that as a vehicle for the intention"
About this Quote
Allen frames performance as a kind of secular ritual: the backstage prayer morphs into the drumbeat itself, an instrument turned conduit. The line works because it refuses the usual rock-myth binary of either pure showmanship or pure spirituality. Instead, he fuses them. Prayer is preparation; drumming is transmission. What begins as private grounding becomes a public act of intention.
The subtext is about control in a medium built on chaos. “Vehicle” is telling - not “expression,” not “therapy,” but transport. He’s talking about using rhythm to carry something deliberate across the footlights: encouragement, catharsis, adrenaline, maybe even hope. It’s a musician’s way of admitting that the crowd isn’t just there to witness skill; they’re there to be moved, and movement can be engineered without being fake.
Context matters because Rick Allen’s story is inseparable from the idea of transcendence through limitation. After losing his left arm, he rebuilt his technique and remained Def Leppard’s drummer, turning adaptation into identity. That history makes “taking that even further” land with extra force: the drum isn’t only an instrument, it’s proof of persistence. The prayer-before-stage image also nods to a long lineage of performers treating the moment as sacred - not because music is holy, but because attention is. Allen’s intent is practical and generous: aim the energy, then let the rhythm do the work.
The subtext is about control in a medium built on chaos. “Vehicle” is telling - not “expression,” not “therapy,” but transport. He’s talking about using rhythm to carry something deliberate across the footlights: encouragement, catharsis, adrenaline, maybe even hope. It’s a musician’s way of admitting that the crowd isn’t just there to witness skill; they’re there to be moved, and movement can be engineered without being fake.
Context matters because Rick Allen’s story is inseparable from the idea of transcendence through limitation. After losing his left arm, he rebuilt his technique and remained Def Leppard’s drummer, turning adaptation into identity. That history makes “taking that even further” land with extra force: the drum isn’t only an instrument, it’s proof of persistence. The prayer-before-stage image also nods to a long lineage of performers treating the moment as sacred - not because music is holy, but because attention is. Allen’s intent is practical and generous: aim the energy, then let the rhythm do the work.
Quote Details
| Topic | Prayer |
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