RICK ALLEN: DEF LEPPARD's Setlist For 'The Stadium Tour' Will Include Songs From Upcoming Album

In a new interview with the 98.7 The Gater radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida, DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen was asked if he and his bandmates have had a chance to begin rehearsing yet for their upcoming "The Stadium Tour", which will finally take place this summer after originally being planned for 2020 and later being moved to 2021. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, but I have a really cool setup at home where I can listen to the whole band minus the drums. And when I close my eyes, I can imagine myself being on stage. So it's great because it allows me to do all the homework I need to do, just to be prepared. I walk in on that first day, and I'm ready to go."

Asked how long it has been since he and the rest of DEF LEPPARD have been in the same room, Rick said: "Actually, recently… I can't really disclose too much, but we spent quite a bit of time in England and we worked on some really exciting projects that people are gonna get to hear about in the not-too-distant future."

As for DEF LEPPARD's setlist for "The Stadium Tour", Allen confirmed that all of the band's biggest will be included. "And there are gonna be songs from the new release also," he said. "So that's pretty exciting. That's coming up."

Earlier this week, DEF LEPPARD launched a new web site, DiamondStarHalos.com, featuring the band's iconic logo and a countdown to a big announcement on Thursday, March 17 at 5:00 a.m. EDT. Beneath the countdown timer are the words "Meet Our Psychics" and drawings of all five members of DEF LEPPARD — Allen, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, bassist Rick Savage and singer Joe Elliott. When visitors click on a DEF LEPPARD bandmember, a small snippet of audio is revealed where the musician in question makes a prediction about the future.

Collen says: "Hi this is Phil from DEF LEPPARD, and your read today is 'the truth begins to shine.'"

Savage says: "Hi this is Sav from DEF LEPPARD, and your read today is 'there's no time to reason why.'"

According to a tweet from the DEF LEPPARD fan forum Def Leppard Rock Brigade, DEF LEPPARD's next studio album is titled "Diamond Star Halos" and will be preceded by a new single, which will reportedly receive its world premiere this coming Thursday, March 17 on BBC Radio 2's "Zoe Ball Breakfast Show".

Last June, Elliott confirmed to Cleveland.com that he and his bandmates have been trading ideas virtually during the pandemic and are "ahead of the game" with respect to the new LP's progress. A month earlier, Joe told Download festival host Kylie Olsson that "there's a lot of work to be done" before the completion of the new DEF LEPPARD album. "But we have not let the year go to waste," he said.

"The Stadium Tour" will kick off on June 16 in Atlanta, Georgia and will conclude on September 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.