DEF LEPPARD's RICK ALLEN Is Confident 'The Stadium Tour' Will Happen This Summer: 'There's No Reason Why We Can't Go Forward'

During an appearance earlier today (Thursday, February 10) on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen spoke about the band's "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS. The trek, which was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021, will now kick off in June 2022.

Asked if "The Stadium Tour" will finally take place this year, Allen said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For sure. I think now we're getting to the point where people can be safe, people can be safe enough. I think the way concerts are being run these days, there's no reason why we can't go forward. But it's a moving target. So let's just hope we're on track."

According to Rick, DEF LEPPARD has not made any substantial changes to the production it is planning on bringing when "The Stadium Tour" finally launches on June 16 in Atlanta.

"We basically just superimposed everything that we'd done — all the hard work that we'd done — to the next year," Rick said. "This is two postponements and third year. So let's hope three's the charm."

When it happens, "The Stadium Tour" will mark the CRÜE's first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017, but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.

Last May, Allen told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that promoters "made the right decision" by postponing The Stadium Tour" for a second time. "I think the primary focus has gotta be people's health and well-being," he said. "So I understand why they made that decision. I think if we had gone out [in 2021], it may have been a bit more of a patchwork of a tour as opposed to being able to play the whole thing from start to finish. So, it's a bummer, but here we are."

Allen went on to say that he and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates were disappointed that they wouldn't be able to perform live again in the U.S. until 2022. "We're really bummed, 'cause, obviously, we wanted to get out there," he said. "It's been a long time. And I know — our fans are so loyal. It's incredible. The fact that we got the largest vote for the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame — the fan vote. So our fans are just particularly special; I mean, they've always been a rock. So I feel for them. And I feel for us. But I just want people to come out and be safe."

As of January 30, 2020, "The Stadium Tour" had already grossed $130 million from one million tickets sold, plus another $5 million worth of VIP seats, according to Billboard.

Tickets ranged from $150 to $400, not counting some varied pricing that reflected demand as part of "dynamic pricing."

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals have either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining make performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.