JOE ELLIOTT: 'DEF LEPPARD Now Is More Known For Selling Tickets Than Albums'

In a new interview with Ben Jones of Virgin Radio UK, DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott was asked if it's fair to say that he and his bandmates still love touring, nearly five decades after the group's formation. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, and it's something that, fingers crossed, has never gone away. In 48 years since we formed, and this lineup's been together for 33 years, which has a ridiculous achievement, when you think about it. Through all the hardships that we've had — I mean, we lost Pete [Willis, former DEF LEPPARD guitarist] along the way, we lost Steve [Clark, late DEF LEPPARD guitarist], and Rick [Allen, DEF LEPPARD drummer] had a really terrible accident but stayed in the band. So there's been a lot of kind of odd times, but there's been so much more good times, if you like. And it's, like, well, what's not to like? I mean, we are just all on the same page, and I think that's why we like it so much. And I think that just comes from the working class background that we came from. I mean, our parents were the children of World War II, and when you've had those [Monty] Python-esque-like, 'You don't know what it's like to have to choose between a cardboard box and a pair of wellies for a Christmas present.' You never lose those stories 'cause they told you when you were a kid and you just remember 'em forever. They become more comical the older you get. But I think that that working class kind of upbringing that we had, when you get to become this, I suppose now people would say elitist rock band, we just jump on the opportunity to just keep this thing going because it's so much fun."

Elliott also talked about what keeps him and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates motivated to write and record new music. He said: "Let's be honest: DEF LEPPARD now is more known for selling tickets than albums. Albums, it's Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, et cetera. Us, yeah, we sell records. I think we just went into some — not Guinness book, but whatever — we've Top 10ed an album in five different decades, which is pretty cool. It's a great story for the aunties and uncles and stuff like that. But we still wanna make records. That's the great thing.

"When the lockdown came along, literally the day that everybody was supposed to fly into my studio, fly into Ireland, into my studio, they shut down all flights. So I got on the phone with Phil [Collen, DEF LEPPARD guitarist] and I said, 'What are we gonna do now?' And in a 40-minute conversation, he said, 'Well, we could do it remotely.' I said, 'What have you got?' He said, 'Well, I've got three [songs].' And I then explained to him he actually had four because we had this song called 'This Guitar' that we'd been sitting on for years and we've got to do it. I had three. And then we brought Sav [bassist Rick Savage] into the conversation. He had two. So in 40 minutes we had nine songs. And we decided to do what QUEEN always did. If we wrote a song and you had a start, middle and an end, that was it. No argument — we're doing it. No 'oh, can we take that bit out and put my bit in?' We just trusted each other that we'd written songs, and that's how we did the last album. It was the most freeing thing we've ever done. We had the most fun making an album where we were essentially 3,000 miles apart from each other and gluing it all together in our engineer's studio. And it sounds like we did it in Abbey Road [studio]. And we're doing it again."

Earlier this month, DEF LEPPARD announced a European tour for the summer of 2026. The trek, with special guest EXTREME, will kick off in Rättvik, Sweden on June 26 and wrap up on July 30 at the Wacken Open Air festival on July 30.

DEF LEPPARD's third Las Vegas residency, "Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency", will set the strip alight from February 3 through 28, 2026 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. These new shows follow the band's sold-out residency successes in 2019 and 2013.

Tickets for the following 12 shows went on sale on July 25: February 2026: 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28

Late last year, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell underwent a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment plan for Hodgkin's lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2013.

In June, Campbell revealed that he is "completely in remission" from the cancer of the lymphatic system.

This past January, DEF LEPPARD released a cover of Ben E. King's 1961 classic "Stand By Me". All proceeds from the song are going to FireAid, which raises money for those impacted by the fires that swept through Los Angeles early this year.

DEF LEPPARD's version of the song is featured in the Netflix film "Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger", which was released on January 10. The band can be seen performing the track before the credits.

Campbell — who before joining DEF LEPPARD in 1992 was well known for his work with DIO and WHITESNAKE — went public with his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.

Vivian underwent three separate spells of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, only for his Hodgkin's lymphoma to return.

Six years ago, Campbell underwent spine surgery.

Vivian and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates were finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

DEF LEPPARD's latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", arrived in May 2022 via UMe.