Thursday, 13th April 2017
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Phil Collen Says DEF LEPPARD May Bring Back In The Round Stage

Def Leppard 1988. Def Leppard 1988 Stage

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen was recently interviewed and said the band are talking about using an In the Round stage again.

Phil spoke to Jeb Wright of Classic Rock Revisited for his Rock Brigade podcast.

Phil talked about the Live From Detroit DVD, staying healthy, current setlist, playing new songs, live video screens, live backing vocals, working with Mutt Lange, 2017 North American Tour, Tesla's new album, Save That Goodness, Manraze update, current Def Leppard album, 30th anniversary of Hysteria, In The Round stage, Steve Clark, twin guitar sound, getting sober, and a game called What's the weirdest?.

Phil said the band have talked about bringing the In The Round concept back. This may (or may not) be linked to his recent news about the band changing everything about their stage production for the 2018 world tour.

Phil, Joe and Vivian have all answered many questions in interviews over the last few years about doing it again and all have said it's very expensive and unlikely to happen. Although they all said "we have talked" and not as Phil now says "we're talking".

All previous In The Round shows were played in USA, Canada, UK, Ireland and Australia between October 1987 and April 1993.

Metallica have of course been playing (some would say copying Def Leppard's idea...) In The Round since 1992 (influenced by managers Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein). Initially at one end and then moving into the middle since their 1996/1997 tour. They unveiled their latest In The Round stage in Copenhagen in February which featured an H shaped video screen floor. The same video screen was also hung above them on the lighting rig. View photos on their website.

The interview was done before the current tour started.

Listen to the full 40 minute interview below.

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


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Jeb Wright - Phil Collen Interview Quotes

In The Round Staging/Bringing It Back

"Peter Mensch our manager at the time. He went to Madison Square Garden and saw Frank Sinatra and Frank was In The Round and he came back. And you know Mensch wasn't much older than us. He's like two years older than me or something. So it's the same kind of generation you know. So he came back all excited, 'I just Frank at the Garden man and he played In The Round. I think you guys should do that.' So we literally did you know. He got it together. We found out all about it."

"Again Phay McMahon whose our production manager now, was our lighting designer at the time. And he was involved in part of that as well. So it all you know, he put it into motion and it just kinda happened. And it was really exciting, I gotta say. It was probably the most fun I've ever had on stage you know because you had to run around. It's something we're actually talking about doing it again at some point."

Def Leppard 1992. Adrenalize Tour 1992

Less Seating?

"More seating. Actually you get more people in. No, no you can get a few more people in. No without a doubt, it's great and it's four front rows. So instead of just having, it brings everything closer you know. What would have been a nosebleed is fifty percent closer. So that was the great thing and there's a lot of pluses. I mean very - a lot of hard work. I mean I remember coming off stage feeling like I was 80 years old. You know sometimes we'd do like two and half hour shows. But yeah that was so much fun."

Steve Clark In The Round Stage Fall

"Couple of things happened. Steve nearly - we had these trap doors that opened up and lasers shot out of them. I mean it's crazy 80s shit. And he slipped and fell into - all these lasers were like all glass. So he could've really messed himself up. But his guitar - Steve didn't weigh very much you know so he kind of - his Les Paul kinda stopped him from getting really damaged. Don't fall into lasers, not healthy."

Under The Stage Stories

"Right no. Underneath is like you know. That's where you take a pee. So if someone's playing a solo or Joe and Rick and they'd do the all fours, you know are you louder than this, you louder than this, all of that stuff. We would just retreat under their and you'd have a drink, you'd towel off and take a pee. And that's pretty much all that happened. I know there's all these great stories about orgies and stuff. If there was any going on, I certainly missed them."

"Right absolutely yeah. I missed it. Well, we never said anything you know. If anything you'd have photos. People would come under, girls would come under. You'd have a photo snapped with them and that's about it. It didn't get raunchy. You know it's like - but people do that. They go oh but if something happened, it happened while I was on stage. I missed it. Absolutely you know what. That's it because I used to do a ten minute guitar solo. So yeah that's probably it."


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Phil Collen - Guitar
Phil Collen - Guitar
Phil Collen - Guitar
Phil Collen - Guitar