Greg Prato has posted a new interview with Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen for the Long Island Pulse. Collen says the band can play way better now than 30 years ago when Hysteria came out.

 “We’re way better now. We can sing properly. We were kind of busking it a bit then, shouting and screaming, and trying to get it in tune. Now, I’m a better singer this year than I was last year, and a way better guitar player. That goes contrary to what I’ve been led to believe, that when bands start sucking or a singer can’t sing quite as well, or a certain player can’t play as much, it’s because they’re not playing as much or singing as much or putting the effort in. It’s like aging. Our bodies don’t just break down because we’re old, they start breaking down because we stop using them—they atrophy. On a side note, last December, I got to play with Jeff Beck in Japan. He plays all the time, and I was just blown away. I’m on stage, watching him, playing along with him, and he improves all the time because he keeps playing. I know a lot of guys from that era who don’t really do that. But then again, they don’t play. And I don’t mean practice; I mean just play and keep it flowing, inspiration-wise. The same with athletes—you see NFL players quit, and then a year after, they’re like twice their size when they were playing. They’re just not active. So, it’s really about that… staying inspired and staying in shape. That’s the big difference with us… It just keeps getting better and better, and for me, it’s really exciting.”

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