Def Leppard is getting ready to launch their Summer Stadium Tour with Journey, and guitarist Phil Collen is excited for what’s in store.
The two bands previously toured together in 2018, and Collen tells ABC Audio that it’s a pairing that works well.
“We always do great with Journey, even when Journey are not doing great with themselves,” he says, adding he’s a “huge fan” of the band.
Collen says that with the recent 40th anniversary of their third studio album, Pyromania, fans can expect the set list to “lean heavily” on that album. He also says they plan to clean things up from some of their previous tours, noting, “We’ve got rid of a lot of chaff.”
“When I say that, I mean, you know, stuff that bands do that you don’t realize you’re doing,” he explains. “We don’t need to waffle on and do this here and audience participation that lasts so long that you could actually fit another song in there.”
He notes, “We’ve kind of really surgically … chopped things up and made it just way more exciting.”
The tour marks another summer Def Leppard is spending headlining stadiums, and for Collen there’s nothing better.
“I think when you start playing, that’s the dream is to be able to do that and, you know, the bigger the better,” he says. “You get your rock star on. … It’s really cool.”
Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium Tour, with special guests Steve Miller Band and Cheap Trick, kicks off Saturday in St. Louis. A complete list of dates can be found at defleppard.com.
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