Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott says Def Leppard’s longevity is down to them working hard not to become a parody of themselves.
The frontman says the band have lasting appeal because the members have passion and they’ve become better songwriters.
He tells Nuvo: “We exist, we constantly exist like the Rolling Stones, or even like individuals like Paul McCartney. It’s a career, this is something we’ve always wanted to do and we don’t really want to stop doing it.
“We never saw a shelf-life, as long as we enjoyed it, and as long we don’t become a parody of ourselves, we can still do what we do which is make a collection of songs into an album. We are better songwriters than we were, we understand the process better, we can make records on our own and make them sound as good as any record we’ve ever made.”
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Elliott continues: “There are also certain cliches that we try to avoid. We’ve never been the kind of band that you’ll see clamoring to be on TMZ, looking drunk and all hungover wearing headbands and sweat wristbands and all the 80s gear and all that kind of crap.
“We were what we were, and we are what we are, and I think a lot of the 80s bands are what they were. But, with us, you see progress. If you don’t see progress, you at least try something different.
“We don’t try and remain what we were, I think that would be quite sad. There’s a certain amount of growth, and there’s also a certain amount of change.”
Def Leppard are currently touring the US with Tesla and REO Speedwagon.
Def Leppard tour 2016
Jul 05: Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center, OH
Jul 06: Milwaukee Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI
Jul 08: Pittsburgh First Niagara Pavilion, PA
Jul 09: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI
Jul 11: Wantagh Nikon at Jones Beach, NY
Jul 13: Holmdel PNC Bank Arts Center, NJ
Jul 15: Detroit DTE Energy Music Theatre, MI
Jul 16: Toronto Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, ON
Aug 06: MadisonAlliant Energy Center, WI
Aug 08: Evansille Ford Center, IN
Aug 10: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Aug 12: Atlanta Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood, GA
Aug 13: Raleigh Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, NC
Aug 17: Birmingham Oak Mountain Amphitheater, AL
Aug 19: Austin 360 Amphitheatre, TX
Aug 22: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX
Aug 24: Dallas Gexa Energy Pavilion, TX
Aug 26: Kansas City Sprint Center, MO
Aug 27: ST Louis Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, MO
Aug 29: Cleveland Blossom Music Center, OH
Aug 31: Darien Center PAC, NY
Sep 14: Billings Metrapark Arena, MT
Sep 16: Salk Lake City USANA Ampitheater, UT:
Sep 17: Denver Pepsi Center, CO
Sep 19: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheatre, NM
Sep 20: Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion, AZ
Sep 22: Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, CA
Sep 24: Sacramento Toyota Amphitheatre, CA (no Tesla)
Sep 25: Mountain View Shoreline Amphitheatre, CA
Sep 28: Boise Taco Bell Arena, ID
Sep 30: Eugene Matthew Knight Arena, OR
Oct 01: Tacoma Tacoma Dome, WA
Oct 04: Omaha CenturyLink, NE
Oct 05: Minneapolis Xcel Center, MN
Oct 07: La Crosse La Crosse Center Arena, WI
Oct 08: Toledo Huntington Center, OH
Oct 10: Cedar Rapids US Cellular Center, IA
