Classic rock fans rejoiced at the news that Def Leppard would join forces with Journey for the 2024 Summer Stadium Tour. The arena rock legends will kick off the tour this Saturday (July 6) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. This event already promises to be one for the books, with guests like Cheap Trick, Heart and Steve Miller Band. And the English rockers have plenty more surprises in store, their guitarist said.
Def Leppard “Changed the Whole Set,” Says Guitarist
Co-lead guitarist Phil Collen recently told Ultimate Classic Rock that Def Leppard’s touring set has remained largely unchanged for 12 years. No more, though.
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“So we’ve changed it completely. The stage show is drastically different,” said the 66-year-old guitarist. “It’s going to take a lot of energy. There’s going to be a lot of running around. So I’m working out, trying to get the stamina up and all of that.”
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The Tour Will Feature New Music
Collen’s fellow guitarist, Vivian Campbell, recently took to Instagram to get fans amped for the tour. The 61 year-old Northern Irish native promised fans will hear all of Def Leppard’s timeless hits—as well as some new material.
“[We’ve] got some new songs, actually, a couple of songs that we’ve never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever played live before, as well as a bunch of old chestnuts that we haven’t played for a long, long time,” Campbell said. “So that’s why we need to practice, just to make sure we don’t suck too bad.”
That new material may include Def Leppard’s latest standalone single “Just Like 73,” featuring Tom Morello on guitar. The single will be available digitally along with a 7-inch vinyl version, out on Aug. 2.
Written by Collen, lead singer Joe Elliot, and collaborator Dave Bassett, “Just Like 73” isa callback to the band’s coming-of-age years: A stardust religion / It’s the end of days / A ride to the crazy / On electric phase.
Collen told Ultimate Classic Rock that it was important for Def Leppard to hit the road with new music., rather than just their hits of yesteryear.
“We’re deathly afraid of – not that we’d ever do this – becoming a nostalgia act,” the guitarist said. “That’s the thing that drives us. We still have brand new ideas and new blood, which is new music all of the time.”
Featured image by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
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