DEF LEPPARD Frontman JOE ELLIOTT On Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame – "If We Get Asked We're Just Going To 'Politely Refuse' Like The SEX PISTOLS Did"

During an interview with HuffPost Live on February 18th, Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott offered his thoughts on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, stating it’s “nice but not that important.”

“The biggest compliment I ever got was my first … platinum disc because it’s a representation of 1 million people who’ve bought your album, and those million mean a lot more to me than some people that decide whether you fit for the Hall of Fame.” 

“In fact, we’ve kind of all decided that even if we get asked we’re just going to — how can I put this? — politely refuse, like the Sex Pistols did.Unless there was some sort of online campaign by our fans cause they were annoyed with us.”

Check out the complete interview below.

Def Leppard returns to the road this summer for an extensive North American tour. The Live Nation-promoted tour hitting nearly 50 cities across the US and Canada will kick off on June 23rd in Tampa, FL at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre.

Speaking about the trek with Billboard.com, frontman Joe Elliott also discusses the band’s next studio album, and follow-up to 2008’s Songs From The Sparkle Lounge.

“It’s very varied,” says Joe. “It sounds like Def Leppard, but it sounds like Def Leppard stretching their wings a little bit. There are a couple of songs tied to our DNA, instantly recognizable as us, and some of the stuff that’s not so much like that and represents who we are now, a band that’s in their early- to mid-50s, the kind of music they should be making without it sounding old and farty. We’re not trying to write 24-hour party songs at our age; that would be silly.”

Elliott says the group thought about getting the album out during the spring, but it’s likely to be later because of what he calls “an unprecedented amount of offers from various different people to release this record, which we weren’t expecting and has changed the whole dynamic of how we want to put this record out.” He says Def Leppard is still “wedding through” the offers but is confidently the album will be out “absolutely this year”.

Read more at Billboard.com.

Joining Def Leppard on their massive summer outing are rockers Styx and Tesla. Please see full tour routing below. Tickets for the tour go on sale starting Friday, February 20th at 10 AM on LiveNation.com.

Tour dates:

June
23 – Tampa – FL – MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre
25 – West Palm Beach – FL – Coral Sky Amphitheatre
27 – Birmingham – AL – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
28 – Atlanta – GA – Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
30 – Charlotte – NC – PNC Music Pavilion

July
2 – Bristow – VA – Jiffy Lube Live
3 – Virginia Beach – VA – Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
5 – Uncasville – CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
7 – Gilford – MD – Bank of NH Pavilion at Meadowbrook*
9 – Mansfield – MA – Xfinity Center
11 – Bethel – NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
12 – Darien – NY – Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
14 – Toronto – ON – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
15 – Youngstown – OH – Covelli Centre*
17 – Clarkston – MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
21 – Mt. Pleasant – MI – Soaring eagle Resort & Casino*
23 – Saratoga Springs – NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
24 – Wantagh – NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
25 – Holmdel – NJ – PNC Banks Art Center

August
7 – Sturgis – SD – Buffalo Chip Campground
8 – Sioux Falls – SD – Sioux Falls Arena
10 – Oklahoma City – OK – Chesapeake Energy Arena
11 – Kansas City – MO – Starlight Theatre
14 – Sedalia – MO – Missouri State Fair
15 – Des Moines – IA – Iowa State Fair
17 – Cincinnati – OH – Riverbend Music Center
18 – Nashville – TN – Bridgestone Arena
21 – Dallas – TX – Gexa Energy Pavilion
22 – Woodlands – TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
23 – Austin – TX – Austin360 Amphitheater
27 – St. Paul – MN – Minnesota State Fair
28 – Grand Forks – ND – Alerus Center
30 – Noblesville – IN – Klipsch Music Center

September
1 – Allentown – PA – The Great Allentown Fair
3 – Louisville – KY – KFC Yum! Center
4 – Maryland Heights – MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
5 – Tinley Park – IL – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
16 – Auburn – WA – White River Amphitheatre
17 – Ridgefield – WA – Amphitheater Northwest
19 – Mountain View – CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
22 – Chula Vista – CA – Sleep Train Amphitheatre
23 – Phoenix – AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
25 – Albuquerque – NM – Isleta Amphitheater
26 – Denver – CO – Pepsi Center
28 – West Valley City – UT – USANA Amphitheatre
30 – Spokane – WA – Spokane Arena

October
2 – Bozeman – MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
4 – Bismarck – ND – Bismarck Civic Center