http://newsok.com/article/3114353/1188519417

Fri August 31, 2007

Co-founder says band sees no reason to rest after 30 rocking years

By Brandy McDonnell
Entertainment Writer

After three decades of rock, Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott sees no reason to 
stop.

"Why would you? ... We're musicians, and our job is to play for people. And the 
more we play and the more people we play in front of, the happier we feel," he 
said in a phone interview from his Dublin, Ireland, home.

"We always wanted to be the biggest band in the world. For a little while, we 
were. Who's to say that we won't get it back? But even if we're not, you know, 
we're one of that elite few that can still play (for) 20,000 people."

On its latest U.S. tour, the British quintet, along with Styx, will play 
Wednesday night at the Zoo Amphitheatre, 2101 NE 50.

Def Leppard hit the road in June, though the group had just finished in 
November touring with its 2006 album "Yeah!," a collection of covers. In 
between, members gathered at Elliott's home and studio to work on a new album, 
which the singer said is about 80 percent finished.

"It's been like nonstop work. It's wild, you know. The older we get, the busier 
we get, which is weird," Elliott said with a laugh.

Thirty years ago this month, Elliott and bassist Rick "Sav" Savage (along with 
former guitarist Pete Willis and drummer Tony Kenning) formed Def Leppard. The 
group became the quintessential hard rock band of the '80s, notching hits with 
"Photograph," "Rock of Ages," "Hysteria," "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Rocket."

Def Leppard's popularity waned in the '90s, but the band played on. They now 
are experiencing a revival.

"There's obviously a demand for what we're doing, because the ticket sales on 
the last tour alone were the best we've had since the ‘Hysteria' tour (in 1987, 
the height of the band's heyday)," Elliott said. "It makes you feel wanted, and 
it makes you feel valid."

He compared the band's resurgence to fellow musician Paul McCartney, the former 
Beatle whose solo career is on an upswing, and actor William Shatner, the 
76-year-old "Star Trek" star winning awards for his role on "Boston Legal."

"I don't necessarily think we've even written our best song yet. ... If you 
think that you can never better ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me,' we might as well just 
pack in right now. But the fact (is) that we believe that we can add to our 
legacy and put something out there that shocks people not necessarily in its 
content but in the fact that they go ‘My God, they can still do it.' That's the 
kind of thing that you drive yourself on to do," he said.

The members still have their passion for music; otherwise, he said, they would 
stay home with their wives, children and possessions "and just live the life, 
'cause they've got enough money to feed themselves if they live to be 300."

"It's all well and good to be able to pay your bills, but if you haven't got a 
drive in life or a passion, I don't see the point in getting out of bed in the 
morning," Elliott said.

"I believe we're a better band now than we've ever been. We seem to just get 
better every tour we do. We're more consistent; we play better. We last longer. 
We're like the Energizer Bunny. We just seem to have this boundless enthusiasm 
that gets bigger the older we get. Maybe because we feel that there is an end 
of the road at some stage, so you have to suck all the energy you can and put 
it back to your crowd. Because you just never know when it's going to end."

But Elliott, who turned 48 last month, sees no reason for the band to coast on 
previous successes. As they tour this summer, he and his mates are listening to 
the 12 songs they've recorded for the new album. They plan to return to the 
studio after the tour.

"It's typical Def Leppard in the sense that, like, it's very melodic. It's 
obviously hard-hitting. But it's not bog-standard in the sense of it's not 
exactly what everybody's going to expect," he said. "There's a lot of elements 
that people will embrace and be familiar with, but it's also got some stuff in 
it that's ... more adventurous than maybe what people think that we're capable 
of."

Band members won't be playing the new songs Wednesday night, but they have 
changed up the show for the tour.

"We've come up with a whole new visual aspect to it, and we've totally revamped 
the set. We've dug real deep in the catalog, and we've pulled some nuggets that 
we've not played either ever or for a very, very long time," he said. 
"Obviously, there's certain songs that we have to play. Let's be honest, we 
actually want to play them. We like the reaction that we get when we play 
‘Sugar,' ‘Photograph,' etc."

Although they have discussed a 30th anniversary box set or live album, Elliott 
said the rockers prefer to look forward rather than back. Their goal has always 
been to entertain; the difference is, now they sometimes have two or even three 
generations of fans in the stands.

"We were very fortunate that we somehow gravitated toward each other, which you 
know, we had no control over that happening," he said. "It was fate. And God 
willing, it keeps going. ... We all realize how blessed we are to get the 
opportunity to do what we do."

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