Def Leppard - Rockin Again

The band started their latest tour, the 52-date tour entitled “Downstage Thrust Tour,” on June 29, 2007. It is set to take Def Leppard across the United States and Canada. The openers of the tour were Foreigner and Styx (with the addition of REO Speedwagon or Kim Mitchell on several dates). Def Leppard’s 2007 tour began at the Riverbend Amphitheatre in Cincinnati. The opening night was a blast in many ways, and the tour was officially launched. Many of the most popular songs, including “Hysteria”, “Pyromania”, “High ‘n’ Dry”, and “Retro Active” passed by, as well as the most recent track of the set “Rock On” from the last year’s album entitled “Yeah”. The band had to work hard during the performance to be louder than their screaming fans; the musicians also had to deal with some serious thunder and lightning that was striking all around the area every few minutes. On May 31, 2006, Def Leppard, together with Kiss, Queen, and Judas Priest, were the inaugural inductees of “H1 Rock Honors”. During the performance, The All-American Rejects paid homage to Def Leppard with a cover of “Photograph”. Soon after that, the band embarked on a successful American tour together with Journey. That October, Hysteria was re-released in a 2-disc deluxe edition format. It combined the original album, with remixes, b-sides, and bonus tracks from single releases. The current members of Def Leppard include Joe Elliott (on lead vocals, occasional guitar, since 1977-present), Vivian Campbell (on lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals since 1992-present), Phil Collen (on lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals since 1982-present), Rick Savage (on bass, keyboards, backing vocals since 1977-present), Rick Allen (on drums, percussion, backing vocals since 1978-present). The group’s upcoming studio album is tentatively titled Songs From The Sparkle Lounge. It is scheduled for release in spring 2008.