Joe Elliott Says Def Leppard Uses Effects, Not Backing Tracks Live
Joe Elliott waded into the waters of the always hot debate around backing tracks after Def Leppard was accused of using them.
The accusation came via Testament frontman Chuck Billy, who said in a November 2023 interview, “I know there’s bands like Def Leppard that use a lot of backing tracks, but that’s also backing tracks for that big sound, ’cause, obviously, you can’t get all their voices live unless you brought in a choir. So, there’s an exception to the rule.”
Elliott addressed Billy’s comments in a new interview with Stereogum. The frontman says, in part, “We don’t use backing tracks. We use effects. God, who wouldn’t?”
Elliott goes on to note that Def Leppard’s trademark group vocal features four voices, so there’s literally no tape of backing vocals to begin with. He does, however, admit that drummer Rick Allen uses some drum loops largely due to only having one arm, but he says drummers with both arms also used drum loops.
Elliott made it perfectly clear that Def Leppard has never mimed vocals or any instrumentation ever.
Def Leppard and Their Upcoming Stadium Tour with Journey
Fans will be able to hear Def Leppard play live this summer when they hit the road with Journey for a stadium tour.
The tour kicks off on July 6 in St. Louis and wraps on Aug. 8 in Denver. Along the way, the tour will make stops in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, and multiple stops in Texas and California.
During the tour, special guests will be rotating on select dates. Those guests are Steve Miller Band, Cheap Trick and Heart. A full list of dates is below, with details on which guests will be on specific dates.
JUST ANNOUNCED!!! Def Leppard & @JourneyOfficial are teaming up to rock 2024 w/ @SMBOfficial @OfficialHeart + @CheapTrick ! Rock Brigade Concert Club members get exclusive first access to pre-sale tickets & VIP Packages on Tue. Dec. 12 (10a) at https://t.co/hLUO7BfXRS pic.twitter.com/egMLi1yh2W
— Def Leppard (@DefLeppard) December 7, 2023
Def Leppard/Journey – The Summer Stadium Tour 2024
7/6 – St. Louis, MO @ Busch Stadium^
7/10 – Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium^
7/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Truist Park*
7/15 – Chicago, IL @ Wrigley Field*
7/18 – Detroit, MI @ Comerica Park*
7/20 – Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium*
7/23 – Philadelphia, PA @ Citizens Bank Park*
7/25 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium*
7/27 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PNC Park*
7/30 – Cleveland, OH @ Progressive Field+
8/2 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre+
8/5 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park+
8/7 – Flushing, NY @ Citi Field*
8/12 – Arlington, TX @ Globe Life Field*
8/14 – Houston, TX @ Minute Maid Park*
8/16 – San Antonio, TX @Alamodome*
8/19 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Field*
8/23 – Phoenix, AZ @ Chase Field*
8/25 – Los Angeles, CA @SoFi Stadium*
8/28 – San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park*
8/30 – San Diego, CA @ Petco Park*
8/4 – Seattle, WA @ T-Mobile Park^
8/8 – Denver, CO @ Coors Field^
*with Steve Miller Band
^with Cheap Trick
+with Heart
Joe Elliott: 5 Fun Facts About the Def Leppard Frontman
He's a Late in Life Dad
Elliott is a father of three now, but he and his second wife, Kristine, didn’t have their first child, son Finlay, until 2009 when the Def Leppard frontman was 50. Since then, the couple welcomed two more children: Lyla, 7, and Harper, 3.
Elliott told Classic Rock about fatherhood, “It changes everything – and it comes at you like a f*cking express train! It’s not about me anymore. I was fifty when I had my first kid. While everybody else was having kids, I was having a jolly old time.”
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
