DEF LEPPARD Showcase Epic DRASTIC SYMPHONIES On BBC Piano Room (Transcript/Photos)

Thursday, 18th May 2023

Def Leppard 2023

Def Leppard performed three songs for BBC Radio 2's Piano Room earlier today with more photos available and an interview transcript.

The new album 'Drastic Symphonies' is released on Friday 19th May.

The album features 16 classic Def Leppard songs reworked and reimagined with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.

The first single 'Animal' was released to digital and streaming services on the same day as the announcement followed by 'Hysteria' on 5th May.

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

The UK/European leg begins in the band's home city of Sheffield on 22nd May.

Drastic Symphonies Live Debuts

The Piano Room broadcast was aired during the Vernon Kay Show on BBC Radio 2 earlier today.

It featured three song performances and an interview with host Vernon Kay,

'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and 'Hysteria' from 'Drastic Symphonies' made their new live debuts in the new symphonic style plus a cover of a David Bowie classic.

Read More about the show and view Audio/Video.

Vernon Kay Interview

Between songs host Vernon Kay spoke to Joe and other band members about the performance and the new album.

Read many of their quotes below.

Photo Gallery

View many screenshots below taken from the epic performance.

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 2023.

Def Leppard - BBC Piano Room 18th May, 2023

Vernon Kay

"Welcome everyone. Great to have you with us. Today's first guest or my first guest is one of the biggest rock bands in the world ever. They've sold 110 million albums worldwide. Two of which have been the greatest selling of all time. It's a great pleasure and an honour to welcome Def Leppard."

"How you feeling Joe?."

"Let's kick of the Piano Room. What are you gonna do first?."

Joe Elliott

"Good. We're gonna do the title track of our 1987 album Hysteria."

Vernon Kay

"Now there you go Hysteria. It looked like you were having a lot of fun. Are you having a lot f fun now. Are you having as much fun as you were back then?. I know times have changed and we've matured a little bit. But is it still fun for you to stand there?."

Joe Elliott

"Great word maturity isn't it."

"Personally I think we're having more fun now than we had back then because there's no pressure. We've got used to that. We don't compare ourselves to our past."

"We just enjoy it in the moment. And the fact that we're still doing it is, you know, just really special."

Vernon Kay

"But it's not only a compliment to yourselves. It's also a compliment to the music isn't it. I mean that music speaks for itself. You know when tour first started did you set a goal. Did you set a target. Did you know what kind of music you wanted to make? Or did it all kind of start organically? How did it begin?."

Phil Collen

"Well it was something at first then it turned. It done a little tangent."

"Yeah absolutely as you go along. And also you think making it is like playing a theatre or something. And, you know, when you get in a stadium or something. You look back and you go it's way different to what I expected."

"So yeah as we went on it kind of got more and more fun and just crazier as well you know."

Vernon Kay

"You've got the new album out Drastic Symphonies. How did all that come about and why did you want to do it?."

Joe Elliott

"Well COVID, lockdown, pandemic was a strange time for all of us and we were due to tour in 2020. And it got postponed to '21."

"So we decided to make an album which was the last studio album, Diamond Star Halos. And while we moved into 2021 and it was still a pandemic. And we had to postpone the touring yet again."

"We didn't want to release that album into a pandemic. So we sat on it for a year. And while we were sitting on it it was suggested why don't you know stockpile."

"We're gonna be releasing Diamond Star Halos in '22. So why don't we do something different for '23."

"And it was suggested that we could do something with the Royal Philharmonic. And we said yes as long as you're not just slapping strings on top of the original tapes."

"We need to strip it down and reevaluate these songs. And just build them up from the bottom again."

Vernon Kay

"When you were going through the tapes and you see an arrangement and you hear a vocal. Or a bass riff. Do you think Oh I wonder why we did it like that because now days we would do it like this?. And is that what this album is about because it is a reworking of the songs with an orchestra. Is that what happened?."

Joe Elliott

"Sort of, I mean you do listen to it and go Oh, I've been playing it differently. Or I've been singing it differently all these years to how it was recorded. Because you drift over a period of time."

"But what we wanted to make sure we did, was we wanted the strings to be the main kind of instrument."

"If we're gonna feature them let them really be featured. And we kind of chose all the right songs. it's not just a greatest hits with strings."

"We picked our most symphonic tunes. Some of them are really kind of buried treasures like Turn To Dust off Slang. Or Paper Sun off Euphoria."

"It's not just - in fact we purposely left off things like Rocks of Ages, Let's Get Rocked because they were kind of not right."

"And Sugar was the same. the original version of Pour Some Sugar On Me sounded pretty hideous with strings. So we're very fortunate enough to have a great friend of ours Emm Gryner who's joined us on piano."

"Who was doing a version of Sugar on the piano for quite a while and Sav suggested why don't we try Emm's version of Sugar."

"So that's what we did. So we turned it into a duet and it's like a bluesy kind of piano ballad."

"And she's turned the song inside out, upside down and back to front really."

Vernon Kay

"Yeah it's fab and we wish you all the very best success with the new album. And before we get into the next track I'm gonna ask you one question. Is touring as good now as it was then?."

Vivian Campbell

"Better actually. Oh yeah 'cause we remember it."

Vernon Kay

"There is that. And I guess you can remember it through social media 'cause I've been following the Def Crue tour on Instagram. And various members and what they've posted. And now it seems like Bonsai trees and lemonade. Whereas I would Imagine that in the past it would've been a lot different."

Rick Savage

"Yeah it's still more fun though now. Absolutely yeah. We've been there. We've done as much as we cold possibly have achieved, Or thought we would have."

"But now it's just abut having fun and enjoying the songs. And still performing and sticking together."

Vernon Kay

"Alright what are you gonna play for us now please Joe?."

Joe Elliott

"Well I just mentioned Emm. Emm Gryner our great friend here. Or many years whose gonna join us on this one. It is the upside down, inside out, back to front version of Pour Some Sugar On Me."

Vernon Kay

"What an amazing rework. It just gave the song something else, because we all know the original and we all know how much the original means to all of us 'cause we were all there doing something when that song was on in the background. But that was mega. Blown away. Phenomenal. Well done. I'm kind of like stuck in that celebratory concrete. Emm, that was fab."

Emm Gryner

"Thank you. It's a dream for me to play with these guys."

Vernon Kay

Fan question about working with Motley Crue on The World Tour

Joe Elliott

"Yes we are because we've been working with them now since June of last year. We did 36 shows in the States. And we've just done about 10 or 11 in South America with them which we finished about 8 weeks ago."

"So now we're picking up. We've got seven weeks in Europe."

"They're great. They're great fun to tour with."

Vernon Kay

"Long term friends?."

Joe Elliott

"We've known them on and off since...."

Phil Collen

"1983."

Joe Elliott

"1983 when we first came across them. They opened for us on the last ever show on the Pyromania tour. And then they took off and then they toured with us in the UK about 12 years ago and we're back with them now."

"They've settled down, like we all do. But there's still, you know, Tommy's got his little Bonsai tree and if you fall asleep on the plane he'll put it on your lap and take a picture of it."

"But they're good people. And we have a lot of fun with them."

Vernon Kay

"We ask everyone in the Piano Room to do a cover version. What have you chosen for us."

Joe Elliott

"Well by coincidence Emm, who we've just been talking about, I met Emm many years ago when she was in David Bowie's band."

"And she did this song many times with David no doubt. Or at least stood at the side of the stage while they did it. So we decided to take one of Bowie's songs from the 1971 album Hunky Dory and give it a go. This is Life On Mars."

Vernon Kay

"That was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Thank you so much for coming in. Absolutely epic. the album is out tomorrow. Good luck with that. Def Leppard everyone."

BBC Piano Room May 2023 Photos

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Def Leppard 2023.

Def Leppard - The World Tour 2023 Dates

May

Fri May 19, 2023 Sheffield, England @ The Leadmill
Mon May 22, 2023 Sheffield, England @ Bramall Lane - (w/ VIVAS)
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 *
Fri Jun 16, 2023 Clisson/Val de Moine, France @ HELLFEST (Main Stage 1) *
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 - (w/ Europe)

July

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

August

Saturday, August 5th, 2023 Syracuse, NY @ JMA Wireless Dome
Tuesday, August 8th, 2023 Columbus, OH @ Ohio Stadium
Friday, August 11th, 2023 Fargo, ND @ Fargodome
Sunday, August 13th, 2023 Omaha, NE Charles Schwab Field Omaha
Wednesday, August 16th, 2023 Tulsa, OK @ Skelly Field at H. A. Chapman Stadium
Friday, August 18th, 2023 El Paso, TX @ Sun Bowl Stadium

* = Festival.

Def Leppard World Tour 2023

Def Leppard 2023.