DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen spoke to SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” about the postponement of the band’s “The Stadium Tour” with MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS to the summer of 2021.
“The Stadium Tour” was scheduled to kick off on June 18 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida and run through September 5 in Los Angeles. The bands reportedly also booked time at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville to rehearse for the tour.
Asked if he is confident that “The Stadium Tour” will finally happen in 2021, Collen said: “I honestly don’t know. I’d say it’s 50/50. If everyone does what they are supposed to do, then we will be there next summer — literally a week from now, next year, we’ll be out there. I’m really looking forward to it.
“Me and [MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] Nikki Sixx were talking [about] getting in shape for it — we were, like, ‘How you doin’?’, and all of this stuff, and it was awesome — and then we had the plug pulled,” he continued. “So we actually have got a year to look even better, so it will be even cooler. So hopefully — that’s the plan. It depends. It’s not us. It’s like when you’re driving. It’s that thing — it’s not me; you have to watch out for every other idiot on the road. So that’s where we are right now. But we are ready to go.”
Collen also talked about the fact that “The Stadium Tour” wasn’t officially postponed until June 1, less than three weeks before the trek’s projected start.
“It wasn’t just the promoters [that were involved in the timing of the postponement]; actually, that was secondary,” Phil said. “First off, it was Major League Baseball. We’re playing in their buildings, so that has to be taken care of first, then the promoters. And then we’re down that food chain. So we are ready for when everyone else is. Absolutely, at the drop of a hat, we’ll be there, good to go. I’ll definitely be ready by then, for sure.”
“The Stadium Tour” is now scheduled to kick off on June 19, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee and conclude on September 12, 2021 in San Diego, California.
As of January 30, “The Stadium Tour” had already grossed $130 million from one million tickets sold, plus another $5 million worth of VIP seats, according to Billboard.
Tickets ranged from $150 to $400, not counting some varied pricing that reflected demand as part of “dynamic pricing.”
When it happens, “The Stadium Tour” will mark the CRÜE‘s first live dates since wrapping its 2014/2015 farewell tour. CRÜE toured with POISON back in 2011 and DEF LEPPARD teamed up with POISON for a string of road dates in 2017 — but the upcoming jaunt marks the first time all four acts have hit the road together for an extended tour.
In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals have either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining make performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.
U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.
