Def Leppard were in Cleveland last week as part of their Summer Stadium Tour with Journey. During a day off on the trek, the British rockers took the time to visit one of Cleveland’s most popular landmarks, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The group has now posted a video on its official YouTube channel featuring highlights from their trip to Hall of Fame. Def Leppard, of course, had plenty of reasons to want to check out the Rock Hall, especially since the band was inducted into the hallowed institution in 2019.
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Guitarist Phil Collen’s Comments
The video begins with guitarist Phil Collen commenting, “We’re at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and there’s Chuck Berry’s very famous Gibson, actually. We’ve just been down in the vault and we’ve just been looking at some really special stuff.”
Singer Joe Elliott’s Remarks
Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott then remarked, “It’s amazing, so far. We just went in a place where you’re not allowed to film, and it was unbelievable. God.”
The singer went on to mention some of the memorabilia he saw that excited him, including a 102-year-old Gibson mandolin that Levon Helm played with The Band, and the outfit Jimi Hendrix wore at his last concert.
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Not surprisingly, Elliott also came across some items from his own group. They included some guitars that belonged to his late bandmate, Steve Clark, and lyrics Joe wrote for Def Leppard’s 1993 hit “Two Steps Behind.”
“I always wondered where they ended up,” Elliott said with a laugh.
Elliott also is shown checking out a suit he recalled wearing only once.
“[It was] for the front cover photo shoot for Rolling Stone in 1992,” he noted, when the band was promoting its hit album Adrenalize.
Bassist Rick Savage’s Comments
Bassist Rick Savage said he was “blown away by everything” he saw at the Rock Hall.
“Even though it’s part of your life and part of your history. it’s easy to just like kind of dismiss it,” Savage mused. “[B]ut then when you see all this stuff that paved the way for so many of us, in a small way to be associated with it, it’s pretty humbling actually.”
Later in the video, he added, “[I’m] seeing stuff that you go, ‘Really?! I saw that on TV when I was three.’ Amazing.”
Drummer Rick Allen’s Observations
Drummer Rick Allen revealed that he and his bandmates got to check out the display dedicated to Def Leppard.
“I think we need to add to it,” he noted, “but it was great to just see a little bit of what was there, and remember what we were doing at the time.”
As for his trip to the museum in general, Allen said, “Just everything that’s here in the Hall of Fame is like … a first for me. [We’re] seeing all these incredible outfits and instruments … like, from every conceivable artist you can think of. So, we’re having a really fun time.”
Def Leppard’s Upcoming Tour Dates
Def Leppard and Journey’s Summer Stadium co-headlining trek runs through a September 8 concert in Denver. The next show takes place August 7 at Citi Field in New York City. The Steve Miller Band and Cheap Trick are featured as support acts on select dates during the outing.
Def Leppard also have a couple of a headlining shows without Journey on their schedule, including a September 10 concert in West Valley City, Utah.
Tickets to Def Leppard’s 2024 concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
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