DEF LEPPARD's PHIL COLLEN On Best Ever Show At SoFi Stadium/The World Tour 2023

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Friday, 18th November 2022

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Def Leppard 2022

Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen was recently interviewed and talked about The World Tour 2023 with audio available.

The World Tour 2023 starts in Mexico City on 18th February 2023.

Phil was interviewed for episode two of the new Ticketmaster Stage Times podcast on Spotify.

Phil talked about old 1986 Motley Crue T-Shirt, First Show Deep Purple, Musical Influences/London, guitar, Made In Japan Album Sleeve Photo, 1983 Marquee Show/First Def Leppard Show, Atlanta 1983 Show With Billy Squier, His First Live Show In Bethnal Green, >Being A Musician/Artists/Performer, Live 8 2005 Show Biggest Crowd, Playing Small/Large Shows, The Whisky/SiFi Stadium Shows, The Who Show, Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert/Miley Cyrus, Miley Cyrus/Joe Elliott Vocals/Collaboration, Smallest Ever Show/Acoustic Radio Show, GirlDelta Deep, stage mishaps, Best Show/SoFi Stadium Show and The World Tour 2023.

Phil was in London when he recorded this interview and likely with the rest of the band as they prepared to travel on to Abu Dhabi for the F1 after-race concert on Sunday.

Listen to the full 42 minute podcast interview below.

Phil's part starts at 5:58 mins and lasts until 41 mins with talking by the hosts before and after.

Best Show At SoFi Stadium

Phil says he feels this show in Los Angeles in September was one of the best of their career.

The World Tour 2023

He also agreed with the hosts that the 2023 tour will be a special one and recalled The Stadium Tour 2022 in the USA.

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).

Def Leppard 2022.

Phil Collen/Stage Times - November 2022 Interview Quotes - (Transcribed by dltourhistory)

1986 Motley Crue T-Shirt

"So I just recently actually. I was in London between the break, you know, before we picked up the US tour again."

"And I found this T-Shirt that I got when I was hanging out with Motley Crue in 1986. I took it, but it actually still fit me. It's a European tour T-Shirt."

"And Nikki goes 'Oh, where did you get that?'. I said 'Well you gave it to me like 30 years ago'."

"But it still fit. That was the amazing thing. It said 'European Tour, We came, we saw, they didn't understand'. it was really funny. It was one of those jokey T-Shirts."

The Whisky/SiFi Stadium Shows

"And then we kind of finished up, you know, playing the SoFi Stadium. Again it was just a few months after. Where they had the last Super Bowl."

"Again there was a similarity there. We were kind of the same. it's just the venue and the amount of people changed."

"We had the same kind of fire power and kind of relation to the audience and all of that stuff. And to our songs and how we perform."

"But just the venue changed. So we went from, you know, barely being able to move side to side. To, you know, running down this giant ego thrust."

"It was a similar situation."

The Who Show

"And I pointed out. We actually saw. I'm in London right now, but the other day just before I left me and Joe went to see The Who at the Hollywood Bowl with an orchestra and everything."

"So we're like wow we've actually been to four. We've played at three of them. The main gigs. We've played at The Forum as well. We done the Taylor Hawkins benefit just recently."

"So within a five month period we've been to all these amazing LA venues and it was just really interesting the fact that how similar they were but it wasn't the venue, it was actually the vibe we were putting out. That was the thing that kind of joined it all together."

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Best Show/SoFi Stadium Show

"Yeah we've had a lot of them. And this is really weird."

"We played this SoFi Stadium thing in LA. We got off stage and I said 'I think that's one of the best gigs of our career'."

"And we always say we're the 85 percent-ers. So if someone has a really crappy gig, there's a good chance that most other people have had, you know, 90 percent or 80."

"So we're the constant 85'ers. So we'll take that all the time. But we did this show and it was like there's all these celebrities and you know I met people and afterwards said 'Oh my god that was a spiritual experience'."

"You know you have the lights, the lasers, the production and all that. We've been tweaking it the whole tour."

"And just a few days before that particular run it all worked. like everything kind of fell into place and it happened to be the one that everyone's at."

"You know our label flew over. We had all our family. Like kids here. Like some from the East Coast."

"Yeah t was just, and it just worked. We played great. Joe sung - everyone played really well. And it just, it exceeded, you know, our usual thing."

"So that was one of the best gigs I think we've ever done to be quite honest."

The World Tour 2023/A Special Tour

"It does. I mean I think it was such an event in the US. And obviously post COVID. You know everyone wanted to go out and rock out."

"And I think we represented kind of something that's not really that popular any more. So it's like anyone who likes rock is coming out and they're just loving it."

"So it's there's a thing you know. It's COVID. It's rock. It's extreme rock but without being metal. And it's kind of got a different thing to it."

"So yeah we felt it in the States and I'm kind of feeling that vibe already yeah."

Touring With Motley Crue Compared To The 80s

"Everyone's in bed earlier. You can't do that you know. You can't, it physically wouldn't happen."

"And I think if you're proud of your art and your band. Like we are. You have to do certain things."

"As they do as well it's like, you know, you can't do that. Without even the age thing. Without even talking about the age thing and stuff."

"I just think a level of excellence. And I'm talking about that show. You can't really mess up."

"You're doing this every night and at such a high level and there's so many people there. And everyone's got a cell phone."

"So, no you gotta be on your A Game. And I think that everyone was on the tour."

"And I think that was the thing. All the stuff in the 80s this and that, yeah you have youth on your side and you have these things, but it's different. It's a different kind of show right now."

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Def Leppard 2023.

Def Leppard - The World Tour 2023 Dates

February

Sat Feb 18, 2023 Mexico City, Mexico @ Foro Sol
Tue Feb 21, 2023 Monterrey, Mexico @ Borrego Sports Center
Sat Feb 25, 2023 Bogota, Colombia @ Parque Metropolitano Simón Bolívar
Tue Feb 28, 2023 Lima, Peru @ Estadio Nacional - (First Show In Peru)

March

Fri Mar 03, 2023 Santiago, Chile @ Estadio Bicentenario de La Florida
Tue Mar 07, 2023 Sao Paulo, Brazil @ Allianz Parque
Thu Mar 09, 2023 Curitiba, Brazil @ Couto Pereira Stadium
Sat Mar 11, 2023 Porto Alegre, Brazil @ Arena do Grêmio

May

Mon May 22, 2023 Sheffield, England @ Bramall Lane
Thu May 25, 2023 Mönchengladbach, Germany @ SparkassenPark Mönchengladbach
Sat May 27, 2023 Munich, Germany @ Koenigsplatz (King's Square)
Mon May 29, 2023 Budapest, Hungary @ MVM Dome (Budapesti Multifunkcionális Sportcsarnok)
Wed May 31, 2023 Krakow, Poland @ Tauron Arena Krakow

June

Fri Jun 2, 2023 Prague, Czech Republic @ Prague Rocks *
Sat Jun 3, 2023 Hannover, Germany @ Expo Plaza
Wed Jun 7, 2023 Solvesborg, Sweden @ Sweden Rock Festival *
Fri Jun 9, 2023 Hyvinkää, Finland @ RockFest *
Sun Jun 11, 2023 Trondheim, Norway @ Trondheim Rocks (Bryggeribyen EC Dahls Arena) *
Wed Jun 14, 2023 Copenhagen, Denmark @ COPENHELL *
Sun Jun 18, 2023 Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting *
Tue Jun 20, 2023 Milan, Italy @ Ippodromo del Galoppo di San Siro
Fri Jun 23, 2023 Lisbon, Portugal @ Passeio Marítimo de Algés
Sat Jun 24, 2023 Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Spain @ Auditorio Miguel Ríos
Tue Jun 27, 2023 Thun, Switzerland @ Stockhorn Arena

July

Sat Jul 1, 2023 London, England @ Wembley Stadium
Sun Jul 2, 2023 Lytham/Lytham St. Annes, England @ Lytham Festival (Lytham Green) *
Tue Jul 4, 2023 Dublin/Rathfarnham, Ireland @ Marlay Park
Thu Jul 6, 2023 Glasgow, Scotland @ Hampden Park

* = Festival.

Def Leppard World Tour 2023