Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliot has performed down the furore over the band being the second time in three years when he claimed that more murmurs were announced in 2009 that he says he quickly won the crowd were more than , Download Festival has a headline slut. British rock legends the festival closed two years he will headline the opening night this time around and Elliott reckons that only one of a host of reasons why he has no worries on the back.
In an exclusive interview with RockAAA Elliott also revealed the band will be freshening set list, while they hope their new tracks for some of the time will be a crowd favorite.
He said: “We didn’t have any reservations but I was a little shocked that it came so soon but Andy Copping explained it was for all the right reasons. There have been a few negatives with people asking why they are on again so soon but most have been positive and to be honest there were more negatives the first time we came back on, never mind this time and we pulled it off then.
“I’m happy that we’re back at Download and I think it’s a good thing. We were doing Download in 2009 as kind of the end of a project but this is the start of one and our first proper gig just four days after the album comes out and hopefully ‘Undefeated’ which is on the radio just now will have sunk into the DNA of the fans and it is a new song we can play and we’ll be changing the set around from last time too.
“It is the spiritual home of Rick’s rebirth as a musician. I don’t know if we can top what I said in 2009 which is on the DVD and was spur of the moment but it is a case of re-achievement more than anything else. We nailed the fact we belonged top of the bill. This time round the difference is it is the Friday night instead of the Sunday night.
“Last time there was a danger that being the last band on people could have said they wanted to miss the traffic and leave but from what I could tell, even when we were doing the end of the encore, we couldn’t see the back of the people so now I suppose we’ve been promoted as we don’t have that to worry about.”
Leppard guitarist Vivien Campbell in recent months but both Download Festival Bill Elliott for being thin band was still moonlighting with Lizzy does it not expected to work double shifts.
Elliott continued, “Vivien is back from his loan spell and Lizzy have just been promoted to the Premier League so he’s coming back”.
“He is doing one last hurrah with them at Slane and literally the next day we start rehearsing.
“I don’t know if there will be a crossover at Download. I’m sure Vivien would be happy to get up and do a song with them but I’m sure the new guy might feel a bit intimidated having to step aside having only just got the gig. And Vivien being the gentleman that he is will probably just let him do it.”
Ahead of Leppard’s return Elliott is currently on the road with his side-project the Down N’ Outz which he says takes him back to the early and more humble days with Leppard.
He added:
“Being on tour with the Down N’ Outz is totally different. It’s low-key, low-budget and it’s like going on a camping holiday instead of staying in the Four Season’s and that’s the fun of it.
“It’s like taking all the experience that you’ve gained over the past 30-years and taking it back to the first Def Leppard tour in 1980 which was done in a little van with little gear opening for Sammy Hagar or something like that.
“I don’t miss it but I enjoy it and I like to do both – if you can do that. If we were to do this with Leppard it would look like we had lost a lot of stature so I wouldn’t want to do that because as far as I’m concerned we should be going up and up and up.
“But with the Down N’ OutzI want to take it as far as it can go but you have to go in at ground level like special guests at the High Voltage Festival or as guests of Paul Rodgers. It just gives us more opportunities to expose ourselves to different crowds.
“Most of them on this tour will be Paul Rodgers fans but some of them will have heard who we are. For example Newcastle was definitely his crowd while Sheffield was definitely ours.
“It’s a good mixture and Paul did personally request us on the tour. I’ve kind of said to him ‘thanks for taking us on the tour’ but he said ‘no, thanks for being on it.’
“I wonder if it came via the Mott The Hoople thing or it could just have been the fact Cynthia Rodgers and my wife e-mail each other all the time and it’s maybe sown a seed in Cynthia’s head to bring us out. I don’t know, it’s intriguing but it’s a question yet to be answered.”
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