Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen weighed in on the conjecture that Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil might not be up to the task of touring in a multi-band, massive world tour. Neil, who has been filmed over the past few years performing in abysmal shape, will perform on “The Stadium Tour” as part of the Crue, along with Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. Phil Collen revealed that a trainer will be part of the touring entourage.
He added: “I can’t wait till we get out there. And hopefully Vince will be working out. We’ve got a trainer coming out. Yeah, it’s gonna be really cool.”
Collen spoke about the upcoming dates to St. Louis’ KSHE 95, with Blabbermouth transcribing some of the guitarist’s chat about the tour: “I talk to Nikki Sixx all the time. We’re friends. And I’ve known Vince forever. He’s gonna be part of our team. The way I look at this whole thing… We wanna take this tour to the rest of the world — in Europe, Australia, Japan, all over the place, South America — so it’s really important that everyone is part of the team. And we’re inspired. Me and Joe (Elliott) — actually, all the guys — we’re on the phone, and we start rehearsing in about a week.”
Leppard are no stranger to joint tours with massive bands. Phil Collen explained that there’s no competition — just an urge for everyone tom deliver their best show: “The great thing, when you go out on tour with Kiss, it’s all about the show; it’s not about trying to upstage anyone or do that. Yeah, you can have a bit of that going on, but then you live and die by the show, and you wanna make that great. And that’s a great lesson we’ve learned from Kiss, and we apply that.”
Last year Phil Collen appeared on the Jeremy White Podcast and was confident that by the time “The Stadium Tour” commenced, Vince Neil would be road ready: [“Ay, look — he’s got a year. There’s a lot at stake. You wanna be your best. With Nikki (Sixx), y’know, just before the tour, it’s like, ‘We’re gonna work out together — we’re gonna do all this stuff!’ With Vince, y’know, he’s got a year to go, hopefully, everything’s cool by then. I hope so — finger’s crossed! I’ll probably go onstage with them at some point.”] SOUNDCUE (:16 OC: . . . at some point)
- Def Leppard / Motley Crue / Poison / Joan Jett & The Blackhearts “The Stadium Tour” dates (subject to change):
June 16 – Atlanta, GA – SunTrust Park
June 18 – Miami, FL – Hard Rock Stadium
June 19 – Orlando, FL – Camping World Stadium
June 22 – Washington, D.C. – Nationals Park
June 24 – Flushing, NY – Citi Field
June 25 – Philadelphia, PA – Citizens Bank Park
June 28 – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium
June 30 – Nashville, TN – Nissan Stadium
July 2 – Jacksonville, FL – TIAA Bank Field
July 5 – St. Louis, MO – Busch Stadium
July 8 – Chicago, IL – Wrigley Field
July 10 – Detroit, MI – Comerica Park
July 12 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
July 14 – Cleveland, OH – FirstEnergy Stadium
July 15 – Cincinnati, OH – Great American Ball Park
July 17 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller Park
July 19 – Kansas City, MO – Kauffman Stadium
July 21 – Denver, CO – Coors Field
August 5, 6 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park
August 8 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre
August 10 – Orchard Park, NY – New Era Field
August 12 – Pittsburgh, PA – PNC Park
August 14 – Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium
August 16 – Indianapolis, IN – Lucas Oil Stadium
August 19 – Houston, TX- Minute Maid Park
August 21 – San Antonio, TX – Alamodome
August 22 – Arlington, TX – Globe Life Field
August 25 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium
August 27 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium
August 28 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park
August 31 – Seattle, WA – T-Mobile Park
September 2 – Vancouver, BC – BC Place
September 4 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium
September 7 – San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park
September 9 – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium
TL; DR
- Def Leppard‘s Phil Collen told St. Louis’s KSHE that a trainer would be on hand during the eagerly anticipated “Stadium” tour and he hoped Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil will be working out on the road.