Def Leppard News - JOE ELLIOTT Gobsmacked By DEF LEPPARD's Stadium Tour Ticket Sales/More Dates Coming

Sunday, 29th December 2019

JOE ELLIOTT Gobsmacked By DEF LEPPARD's Stadium Tour Ticket Sales/More Dates Coming

By Chele Drappel

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott was interviewed last week and commented on the 2020 Stadium Tour.

Joe was speaking with DJ Eddie Trunk on his Trunk Nation show on 20th December to promote The Stadium Tour.

During the lengthy (and very newsworthy chat) he commented on the massive opening ticket sales for The Stadium Tour and suggested a third leg will likely be added.

Joe talked about his time at home with family, 2020 tour, Down 'n' Outz album, potential DNO shows in 2020, Goodnight Mr. Jones David Bowie Tribute, Stadium tour 2020 ticket sales, Motley Crue/Poison Band Disfunction, Co-Headlining/Set Times, The Stadium Tour Production, A proper biopic on the Def Leppard story?, 40th Anniversary OTTN Release, Record Store Day 2020/Videos Reissues, New Def Leppard Songs and the 2015 self-titled album.

The Stadium Tour 2020 Tickets

Joe said he was "gobsmacked" by selling over 700,000 tickets for the tour on day one of sales.

The Stadium Tour 2020 Third Leg

Joe said there is talk of extending the tour further after the strong ticket sales of the first 22 dates. Making a third leg seem more likely. A third leg would likely be added for Sep/Oct with Joe having previously said the Down 'n' Outz would not be able to play live before at least November 2020."

He had already suggested the tour would be extended before the 7 new dates were announced. And said it could even go into 2021 which "could" lead to it possibly heading overseas.

The Stadium Tour 2020 Stage Production

Joe commented on the stage production and suggested it will be not that unlike recent tours with lasers and screens."

He had already recently said the production would be mind blowing and that the design work had started once the contracts had been signed.

Listen to the full 55 minute interview below.

Visit the Tour News section. For more news on future tour plans.

Visit the Album News section for more news on new music (based on band member quotes).

Trunk Nation - Joe Elliott Interview Quotes

The Stadium Tour 2020 Ticket Sales

"Yeah pretty much. You know when you put a tour on like this, and it's basically a travelling festival. It's like a carnival that we're taking out there you know. When you put something on of this magnitude you hope for the best. And kind of expect, well not the worst, but expect normality I suppose."

"Leppard have notoriously never shot out of the box. We've always closed really well. You know we'd be turning up to a gig sold out that sold out 20 minutes before we went on stage you know. This is kind of like Hysteria all over again really. Obviously a lot has to do with the fact that we've got Motley on board and you've also got Poison and Joan Jett. It is an enormously attractive package, you know, is what it is."

"But the fact that we had shows selling out within minutes of going on sale. If that happens in a club you're kind of chuffed and happy. If it happens in a theatre or an arena you're ecstatic, but when it happens in a stadium you're kind of gobsmacked. You're standing there looking at the phone when your manager is telling you this like going 'Are you kidding me?'. I mean it really was. You see I'm a nerdy fan as well. You know what I mean?."

" I'm not just a business man or something like that. I'm just this guy that kind of. I'm inside this big giant machine, but I'm trying to look at it from the outside of what it was like when I hear that Zeppelin put Knebworth on sale and it sold out in a day. It makes it, as a fan you're like you're really so happy for your band that they've. You know this band that you're a big fan of, that they are doing so well. It like justifies your faith in them and that kind of thing."

"So, you know, I'm trying to look at it from two heads really. You know as a fan and as the guy actually in one of the bands. So it really was unbelievable when they said well we're gonna be adding shows.'Cause it's really taking off. And I mean who knows where this could go because this is just the beginning potentially. And it all depends on everybody's availabilities and staying power to carry this on."

"But you know there's talk of adding even more shows maybe not even this year, or next year. It's all up in the air. Nothing's, you know, written in stone but these 22 that we initially put on has at least gone to 28. And ten f them have pretty close to sell out if they've not already old out. So it really is a testament to the fact that when people say rock is dead. The four of us artists can stand there and look everybody straight in the eye and go no it's not."

Def Leppard 2020

Co-Headlining/Set Times

"Yeah yeah we are. I think they're still working on who gets where. You know I mean we're very flexible when it comes to stuff like that. If somebody's got a favourite town or if it's their home town you can have it you know. We did that with Journey that we let them have San Francisco because it was the honourable thing to do. You know we got New York and that kind of thing. So if there's 30 shows it'll be 15 each. But everybody gets their full production. Everybody gets the same amount of time."

"It's just like I said, it's more like a carnival where, you know, it doesn't really matter what order everybody's on. I mean you've gotta remember Joan Jett's gonna go on first. I mean just look at the catalogue of songs that she has. And it's like when we went out with Journey 18 months ago. For five or six gigs we had The Pretenders. I mean can you imagine what that was like for a stadium full of people listening to a short but very vibrant set by her. By The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde really doing her thing. We had Peter Frampton doing his thing when we were up in Toronto. And that was just amazing. We were actually going out there like fans to watch."

"I mean I bought Frampton Comes Alive. I wanted to see this you know. I bought every Pretenders album. I wanted to see them. And you know Joan Jett we've toured with her twice before. She's an incredible artist. And such an energetic, just a ball of energy you know. So they've got their thing to do as well. They won't be playing as long as we do of course, I just think the overall thing's gonna be huge."

"But yeah us and Motley will take it in turns to close out the shows."

The Stadium Tour Production

"That doesn't worry us or ever did. And I don't mean this as a slight on any other band but when we've got a catalogue of songs that we've got. We've always kind of shied away from like massive Pyros and all that kind of stuff. Because we tended to think that sometimes bands over use stuff like that because there was something else missing. It's not always true I think with KISS and Motley and to a point Metallica. You're using it for effect and that's cool."

"What we use for effect is like lasers and these back screens with the history of the band playing away in the background or some abstract art that goes with a song very well. So it's eye candy. You've gotta remember when people to stadiums they're not just listening they're watching. So you do have to put some kind of a show on. But they way that we've always been is I've never been flashy like say a David Lee Roth or something like that. I've always just been more just that British restraint that Brian Johnson has or Robert Plant had where you just do your thing."

"And that's what Leppard have always been. We've always tried to just put on a classic show. That's always what we've tried to do. Irrelevant of what the bands before or after us does. We do what we do. And I think that over the years people have got to know what we're like live. If they've seen us before they know exactly what to expect in the sense of like it's never gonna be below a certain standard."

"But trying to outdo Motley's rollercoaster or basses exploding or Gene Simmons blood dripping out. That kind of stuff. We never went there. I don't see the point you know. It's like it wouldn't be real if we started to do things like that because we never did it in the past."

"I mean I could come out on a bicycle I suppose. Ron Halford's done the motorbike to death. You know I could come out on roller skates. I mean I don't know. We'll just come out there and play our songs and interact with the crowd as people you know. And it's what we've always done."

Def Leppard 2020.

Def Leppard - The Stadium Tour 2020

Sunday, June 21 - SAN ANTONIO, TX @ Alamodome - (4:30pm - MC)

Tuesday, June 23 - KANSAS CITY, MO @ Kauffman Stadium - (4:30pm - DL)

Thursday, June 25 - ST. LOUIS, MO @ Busch Stadium - (4:30pm - DL)

Saturday, June 27 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium - (4:30pm - MC)

Monday, June 29 - NASHVILLE, TN @ Nissan Stadium - (4:30pm - DL)

Thursday, July 2 - CINCINNATI, OH @ Great American Ballpark - (4:30pm - MC)

Friday, July 3 - CLEVELAND, OH @ FirstEnergy Stadium - (4:30pm - DL)

Tuesday, July 7 - MIAMI, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium - (4:30pm - MC)

Thursday, July 9 - ORLANDO, FL @ Camping World Stadium - (4:30pm - DL)

Saturday, July 11 - CHARLOTTE, NC @ Bank of America Stadium - (4:30pm - MC)

Tuesday, July 14 - ARLINGTON, TX @ Globe Life Field - (4:30pm - MC)

Wednesday, July 15 - HOUSTON, TX @ Minute Maid Park - (4:30pm - DL)

Sunday, July 19 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA @ Oracle Park - (4:30pm - DL)

Thursday, July 23 - SAN DIEGO, CA @ Petco Park - (4:30pm - MC)

Saturday, July 25 - PHOENIX, AZ @ State Farm Stadium - (4:30pm - DL)

Sunday, August 9 - ATLANTA, GA @ SunTrust Park - (4:30pm - DL)

Tuesday, August 11 - HERSHEY, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium - (4:30pm - MC)

Thursday, August 13 - BUFFALO, NY @ New Era Field - (4:30pm - DL)

Saturday, August 15 - PHILADELPHIA, PA @ Citizens Bank Park - (5pm - MC)

Sunday, August 16 - PITTSBURGH, PA @ PNC Park - (4:30pm - DL)

Tuesday, August 18 - MILWAUKEE, WI @ Miller Park - (4:30pm - MC)

Thursday, August 20 - DETROIT, MI @ Comerica Park - (4:30pm - DL)

Saturday, August 22 - WASHINGTON DC @ Nationals Park - (4:30pm - MC)

Sunday, August 23 - FLUSHING, NY @ Citi Field - (5pm - DL)

Tuesday, August 25 - BOSTON, MA @ Fenway Park - (4pm - MC)

Friday, August 28 - CHICAGO, IL @ Wrigley Field - (4pm - DL)

Sunday, August 30 - DENVER, CO @ Coors Field - (4:30pm - MC)

Wednesday, September 2 - SEATTLE, WA @ T-Mobile Park - (4:30pm - DL)

Saturday, September 5 - LOS ANGELES, CA @ SoFi Stadium - (4:30pm - MC)

List includes show times and headliner info.

Visit the 2020 Tour section for all the show pages.

Def Leppard 2019.

Def Leppard / Latest Release

CD/Vinyl Collection Volume 2 - (Album/Box Set)
The Story So Far...The Best Of Def Leppard - (Album)

Def Leppard / Latest Tour

Def Leppard World Tour 2019

Listen to the full interview at - player.siriusxm.com
Def Leppard - Trunk Nation 2019 Show Page
Def Leppard - Radio 2019
Def Leppard - 2019 World Tour
Previous News - 24th December 2019
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