They’ve implored you to pour some sugar on them. They’ve demanded that you get rocked.
And 30 years and 65 million in worldwide album sales later, Def Leppard is still creating hysteria on stage.
The band from Sheffield, England, known as much for its tragedies (the loss of a limb for drummer Rick Allen after a car accident in 1984; the death of guitarist Steve Clark in 1991) and meticulous recording sessions is truly one of rock’s most admirable survivors.
Their songs are more layered glam rock than hair metal – as their music is often incorrectly classified – and the new live double CD/DVD “Mirrorball” showcases the winsome pop undercurrent in ‘90s hit “Two Steps Behind” and the new “Undefeated,” a foot-stomper smothered in trademark Def Lep harmonies.
The release – also the first digital offering from the band -- features songs recorded on the band’s tour two years ago, some of them cobbled together with a vocal track from one show and a guitar solo from another, said Phil Collen, Def Leppard’s oft-shirtless lead guitarist since 1982.
As an unofficial commemoration of the quintet’s 30th anniversary, a new book, “Def Leppard: The Definitive Visual History,” also bowed recently, giving fans access to the grungy, mop-topped beginnings of the band.
Last week, Def Leppard – singer Joe Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, guitarist Vivian Campbell, Allen and Collen -- kicked off a four-month summer tour in Ireland and play the third date of its U.S. jaunt with fellow rock vets Heart on June 18 at Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood.
Collen, 53, checked in recently from California to talk about the tour, Def Leppard’s future and his impressive physical prowess.
Q. How did you hook up with Heart for this tour?
A. Whenever you plan to get out to tour, there’s a list of bands you’d like to go out with and Heart was available and it was as simple as that. We’ve toured with Journey, Poison, Cheap Trick, you name it. All bands with a history and Heart falls into that category.
Q. What can you say about the production elements of the show?
A. It’s going to be a huge thing, a big bang wallop with loads of lights. We’ve got the best lighting guy out there [Kenji Ohashi] so we’re going with the whole ‘Mirrorball’ theme. If ever we’ve got an excuse to sound just like the album, it’s now [laughs].
Q. With the live album and book, it seems like you’re commemorating something.
A. It’s very much a retro thing and we’re going to embrace it, all that we went through – the fun stuff and the bad stuff. For the book, we got one of the super-fans to weed through probably about 100,000 photos and give us a shortlist. It’s very interesting when you look back at our history. We’re the only band that didn’t break up. With us, it’s always been real.
Q. You’ve been known as a great live band for decades, so why is this your first live album?
A. It’s the first time we’ve had a break in 30 years as a band. And when we were on a label, a live album doesn’t sell really well with the odd exception of a ‘Frampton Comes Alive,’ so it’s not a very good business proposition for a record company. But this is us not with a major record label. It gives us a bit of freedom and we thought since we record every show of every tour, why not do something with it?
Q. Your last album was called “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge” and now you have “Mirrorball.” Seems like there’s a theme there.
A. [Laughs] Absolutely. We didn’t want to call it ‘Def Leppard Live,’ plus it’s the continuation of the one-word album titles we [usually] have.
Q. Are the three new songs on the album a precursor to a new studio record?
A. I don’t like the idea of putting all this energy and time into making a record and these three we could finish in time [for the live album] so more energy went into that. Maybe we’ll do stuff like this in the future – maybe an EP or just a few songs. I don’t relish sitting in the studio for a year.
Q. You guys dabbled with some of your country music friends with the last release. Any plans to work with anyone else in the genre?
A. Absolutely not. There’s been no real offers, so we won’t be doing any collaborations unless something really cool comes along.
Q. You’re the guy everyone looks to and says, how is he in such amazing shape? Do you really work out three times a day?
A. I do, though it’s probably more twice a day at the moment. Consistency is the thing. My trainer and I are doing a DVD about physical mechanics we’ll have out later this year. But it’s more about eating right than exercising. If you do both…it’s not rocket science.
Def Leppard with Heart
7:30 p.m. June 18. $40-$149.50. Aaron's Amphitheatre at Lakewood. 2002 Lakewood Way, Atlanta. 1-800-745-3000, www.livenation.com.
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