In a new interview with Long Island Press, Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen talks about their upcoming tour with Poison and Tesla and reflects on the early days of the band. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

Long Island Press: Def Leppard turns 40 this year. What do you owe your longevity to?

Collen: “In a nutshell, it comes from our parents and our backgrounds. Our parents were in World War II. That generation gave us our value system, they passed that down to us. We always joke about Monty Python and The Holy Grail, that joke where he says, ‘Oh, it’s just a flesh wound.’ They instilled that in us. When Rick Allen lost his arm, he quoted that. But they taught us to just work hard. If we wanted to be an okay band, that’s fine. But if we were going to be a great band, we all knew we had to work very hard.”

Long Island Press: The fact that you never considered another drummer for the band after Rick Allen lost his arm in a car accident and waited for him to heal and learn how to play with his single arm and both feet speaks to that kind of loyalty and brotherhood, that same value system. Do you agree?

Collen: “Well, I think anyone would have done the same. We were in the middle of recording an album, so we were able to go on without him for a while. Then we went on tour and he missed the first show. But you’re right, it was never a business for us. We were a gang. We were friends first. We slept on each other’s couches.”

Read more at Long Island Press.

Tour dates:

April
8 - Manchester, NH - SNHU Arena
10 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre *
12 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
14 - Baltimore, MD - Royal Farms Arena
15 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
17 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
19 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
21 - St Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
22 - Sioux Falls, SD - Sanford Premier Center
24 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
26 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Cneter **
27 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
29 - Ft Myers, FL - Fort Rock ***
30 - Jacksonville, FL - Welcome to Rockville ***

May
2 - Tuscaloosa, AL - Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre
3 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
5 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena
6 - Charlotte, NC - Carolina Rebellion ***
24 - Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena
26 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma ***
27 - San Antonio, TX - River City Rockfest ***
29 - Colorado Springs, CO - Broadmoor World Arena
31 - Bozeman, MT - Brick Breeden Fieldhouse

June
2 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place *
3 - Calgary, AB - Scotiabank Saddledome *
6 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena *
7 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
9 - Seattle, WA - White River Amph
10 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
12 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
14 - Ontario, CA - Citizens Bank Arena
16 - San Diego, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
17 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
19 - Salt Lake City, UT - ASANA Amphitheatre
21 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center **
22 - St Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
24 - Chicago, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
25 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Center

• Def Leppard only
** Def Leppard and Poison only, no Tesla
*** Def Leppard festival dates