Def Leppard Still Touring After 22 Years of Glorious Ups, Tragic Downs
Don't call it a comeback — they have been here for years (to paraphrase LL Cool J), and there is no arguing the fact that Def Leppard is one of the biggest rock bands of the past two decades. The English quintet has endured death, dismemberment and disinterested radio programmers to sell more than 45 million albums worldwide in the 22 years since Def Leppard started releasing albums. And even though the band might not be the chart-topping beast and automatic concert sell-out it once was, there is no reason to think a resilient group like Def Leppard can't return to some semblance of past glories. If Bon Jovi can pull it off, why not the band that pioneered the crossoverpath from hard rock to the pop charts?
Singer Joe Elliott — playing the E Center Monday with fellow Leppards Rick Savage, Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell and Rick Allen — is hopeful the band's latest, "X," marks a return to form. He calls it "almost the logical follow-up to 'Hysteria,' " the group's 16 million-selling 1987 album, although he is realistic enough to know it won't be as big.
"If you're walking onto a stage and you get a standing ovation when you step out, it's nice to know they're still there after 22 years, that people still want to come," Elliott said in an interview from his Dublin home, putting the idea of "success" into some perspective.