New England Concert Reviews has released a new audio interview conducted with Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen. He discusses Def Leppard's longevity, the bands continued success, their newest release and DVD Live From Detroit and their up coming tour with Poison and Tesla.

On the bands success and individuality, Collen states: “I think our work ethic and integrity were actually given to us by our parents. They were World War II survivors, they survived the blitz, their country got blown up and everything, and all these crazy stories, so I think our families installed this very working-class value system on us, and I think we kind of brought that into the world of music and how we approach the band and the business and everything. We don't let things bother us too much, and we really work hard, and I think the integrity and all of that stuff has allowed us to still be doing it. You know, I'll be 60 at the end of this year, and I do feel like I'm 25, and it's amazing. I think that that inspiration that you get from all of that kind of constant… you know, I love what I do… we all do. It's amazing. It's payment, it's a reward for having worked so hard and just put all the effort in. It's really cool. I love it.”

Asked if there are any other attributes that have sustained Def Leppard over time, Phil responds: “We're a better band than we were. Every year we get better. That's actually why we put this new DVD out, because everyone was going, ‘You should record this… This is the best tour we've ever seen… You've never sounded this good… This show has never looked this good’. So we said, 'Okay’. We recorded a show in Detroit and just put that out. And it is… I believe that. 'Cause we constantly tour, constantly record and constantly get bombarded with inspiration, and you get better. I'm a better player than I was last year, I can sing better than I did last year. I like that trajectory, kind of going up and just getting better and improving… not with age, but with experience. And I'm pointing that out. Tthere's a big difference between age and experience. And if you take that for what it is, you can just be better, and it feels great. I've gotta say, it feels great to be that inspired.”

Listen to the full interview below:

Def Leppard are retuning to the road this spring for a three month run across North America. The Live Nation promoted outing will storm through cities across parts of the US and Canada. This new leg of dates follows the groups massive 70+ city 2016 tour and is set to kick off on April 8th in Manchester, NH and wrap on June 25th in Indianapolis, IN. Joining Def Leppard on select dates are Poison and Tesla.

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